Q. If the book I need is not available in the consortium, should I request interlibrary loan or submit a book purchase request?

Answered By: Stephanie Felice
Last Updated: Aug 09, 2023     Views: 153

First, be sure to double check to make sure that neither we nor any other school in the Consortium owns a copy of the book, or your request will bounce.

We highly recommend placing an Interlibrary Loan request for the material because we will be able to get it for you faster and more reliably. If it is something you're needing urgently for class or research, ILL is the best way to go, and you can always contact us if you have any special instructions/concerns by phone at (202) 885-3260 or by email at auill@american.edu.

However, if you believe our library should really own a copy of the book (especially if the book is new or possibly not yet released on Amazon) and you're not in a hurry to receive it, then we encourage you to submit a purchase request for a book or e-book..

If you would like further assistance, please Ask-A-Librarian.