Before making an ILL request, please search the library catalog to verify the Law Library does not own the item.
Download either version of the ILL request form (PDF or Word), fill it out, and save a copy for your records.
Email completed forms to law-ill@drake.edu. Printed forms also can be submitted at the Law Library's Information Desk.
Clarity and detail will expedite the processing of your request.
Please email the ILL department if you have questions about ILL services or require assistance. During business hours, you can call the main desk at 515-271-3189 and ask to speak to someone about interlibrary loan.
Most requests are delayed or stopped for one of these reasons:
Many items not available in the Law Library may be obtained through interlibrary loan (ILL). Law students, faculty, and staff should use the Law Library ILL service even if the material is not law-related. Items that will be requested from other libraries include loans or copies of material not owned by the Law Library or Cowles Library, items missing from the libraries’ collections, and copies of pages missing from library materials.
The Law Library ILL policy states the library will not request items owned by the Drake libraries that are in temporary use or on reserve. If an item is checked out, inquire at the Information Desk about placing a hold on the item so you will be notified when the item is returned.
If a source is available electronically via a Law Library subscription or a governmental website and a Bluebook provision provides for citing that source electronically, an interlibrary loan will not be initiated for the print equivalent, even when the print appears to be the preferred Bluebook source. (See complete policy.)
Checking Out ILL Materials
You will be contacted when interlibrary loan materials are received. Borrowed items can be picked up at the Information Desk. Please allow the desk attendant to retrieve your item(s). ILL books must be checked out at the Information Desk before leaving the library. Photocopies will typically be delivered to your campus mailbox and are yours to keep.
Returning or Renewing ILL Materials
ILL items often have shorter loan periods than regular library loans. The Law Library must return materials to lending libraries on time and in good condition to ensure continued borrowing privileges. Use items requested via ILL immediately upon receipt, copy what you need, and return them. ILL items should not become overdue. The due dates on interlibrary loan items are set by the libraries that loan us the material. If it becomes necessary to keep an item beyond the due date, request a renewal before it becomes overdue. ILL materials should be returned to the Information Desk.
The Law Library generally pays interlibrary loan fees and expenses for law students, faculty, and staff. In rare cases when ILL fees are unusually high, library staff will consult with the requestor to determine whether an alternative source can be found.
Individuals who lose or damage borrowed items will be billed for all charges and fees assessed by the lending library.
The turnaround time for receipt of interlibrary loans varies from a couple of days to two weeks, depending on the availability of the material and the location and speed of the supplier. Submit requests far enough in advance that you will receive requested items before your deadline. Please advise us if you have an urgent need for material so that we may attempt to expedite delivery.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse a copy request if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the request would violate copyright law.