OK, you need books for your paper and there aren’t enough here at UW-Whitewater on your topic, or they are already checked out. What’s a diligent student to do?
- Try other UW libraries first. It’s free to UWW students and faculty, and books arrive in 2-4 weekdays. Here’s how: In the Library catalog, click the purple “UB & Other Catalogs” button and then click “Connect” with “All UB Libraries” highlighted in the top box. Search for a particular title or for a topic. At the bottom of the list of catalogs click on “Show” to see results, then click on the title(s) of interest. While displaying a title’s record, click on the purple “Requests” button and login. Click “OK” with “UB_Request” in the drop-down. Type your 7-digit UWW ID number again and click “Submit Request.” You should see a message that your request was successful.
- Try local public libraries (for some titles). Their catalogs are online. For a selection see Find–Other Libraries from the Library’s home page. Links to area public library catalogs are in the lower right corner of the page. This option may not be appropriate for more academic titles, which are less likely to be in a local public library’s collection.
- Use ILLiad Interlibrary Loan service to request books from non-UWS libraries. You don’t need to know what libraries have the book you need. There is a cost: $1 per requested book (you can pay when the book is available). This usually takes 5-7 weekdays, so plan ahead.
You will get an email to your campus email account when UB or ILLiad requests are filled and you can come to the Circulation Desk to pick up the materials.
Of course, it is possible to put a hold on a book that is checked out at UWW, but you have no control over whether the person will return it promptly, so it’s better to see if it’s available from another UW library first.
