Interlibrary loans

Books, periodicals and other materials that are not held at Saarland University can be requested from other libraries via the interlibrary loans service (ILL).

• Requests can be submitted using the ILL portal. To access the system, log in using your SULB user number and your password. Most interlibrary loan requests are fulfilled within one to two weeks and you can pick up the items from the main reception desk.
• If you need an interlibrary loan before a specific date, please state this date when filling in your ILL request.
• A processing fee of €1.50 is charged for each ILL request and will appear in your library loan account. Please note that you will still be required to pay the fee even if we are unable to fulfil your ILL request.
• Use of the interlibrary loans service is governed by the SULB User Rules and Regulations (Benutzungsordnung der SULB) and the Interlibrary Lending Regulations (Leihvekehrsordnung LVO).

The following restrictions apply to interlibrary loans:

• It is not possible to use the ILL service to request materials that are catalogued items normally held at the SULB’s main site (Saarbrücken campus) or at the Medical Section of the SULB (Homburg campus) but that are currently out on loan or at the bookbinder’s or are part of the library’s reference holdings.
• Not all materials listed in the catalogues of other libraries are available through the ILL service.
• The lending criteria are set solely by the lending library (e.g. whether the work can be taken out on loan or only used in the reading room, whether the work may be copied or scanned).
• If we are unable to locate the requested materials in a library in Germany, we would be pleased to try and obtain the items from an international source. As additional costs can sometimes be incurred (e.g. international shipping charge) when fulfilling an ILL request, you can specify the maximum amount that you are willing to pay when you submit your ILL request.

If you need access to an item particularly quickly or you want an item delivered directly to your workplace, you might prefer to use a document delivery service rather than requesting an interlibrary loan through the SULB.