Inter-Library Loans
Consultation hours
Weekdays:
08h30 to 13h00
14h15 to 17h00
Purpose
Inter-Library Loans is a facility which supplements the Library’s own stock by obtaining material which is not available in the Rhodes University Library for University academic staff and postgraduate students.
Procedure
In addition to its print holdings, the Library's impressive collection of electronic databases affords Rhodes users access to the full-text of more than 35, 000 online, peer-reviewed, scholarly journals. With the enormous financial investment in these resources, it is imperative that articles are not requested on Inter-Library Loan if they are either held in print at Rhodes or could be retrieved from one of the databases. It is important, therefore, that before submitting Inter-Library Loan Requests, users first search the A to Z e-titles via SFX (http://rusfx.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/ru/az/?lang=eng), a listing of full-text electronic journals to see if the article is available electronically, and also check the Rhodes University Library Catalogue OPAC (http://opac.seals.ac.za/search~S2/) and Cory Library (http://www.ru.ac.za/corylibrary/), to find out if the item is held in print.
If you need guidance in using these or any other resources on the Library's homepage, please do not hesitate to ask for help. The Faculty Liaison Services Librarians are willing to demonstrate the various ways of searching for information online. Contact them at:
Principal Librarian: Commerce & Law
Jill Otto
E-mail: j.otto@ru.ac.za
Tel +27-046-603-8062
Principal Librarian: Humanities
Linda Cartwright
E-mail: L.Cartwright@ru.ac.za
Tel +27-046-603-8467
Principal Librarian: Humanities & Education
Fiona Still-Drewett
E-mail: F.Still@ru.ac.za
Tel +27-046-603-7331
Principal Librarian: Science & Pharmacy
Eileen Shepherd
E-mail: E.Shepherd@ru.ac.za
Tel +27-046-603-8689
Once you have established that the item is not available at Rhodes, either in print or electronically, you will need to fill in a book or periodical form for every request submitted, giving all the details you have available. Request forms are kept in a box at the Loans desk on Level 1. Requesters are asked to print and use a ballpoint pen. Please use a separate form for each item requested. It is not necessary to know where the item is held. The grant number to which items are to be charged must be filled in, or users should indicate if the item is to be paid for in cash or charged to a student account.
Books and Theses
Books and South African theses may be obtained on loan for a period stipulated by the lending library. The return date must be strictly adhered to, as the system depends entirely on the co-operation of users.
Some books are not available for loan; for example, reference materials, or rare items. Loans from outside southern Africa are possible, but expensive and should be discussed with the Inter-Library Loan staff. Books obtained locally require only the postage costs to be borne by the borrower.
Non-South African theses which are not held in South Africa may be purchased by the requester through ProQuest UMI Online Dissertation Publishing (http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/) or theElectronic Theses Online Service (EthOS) (http://ethos.bl.uk/Home.do). Please contact the Inter-Library Loan staff for more information about how these theses may be obtained.
DVDs
These items are not available for Inter-Library loan.
Periodicals
Original periodicals are almost never available for loan. Instead a photocopy of an article is supplied. The photocopy costs are paid by the requester who retains the copies. There is a small service charge on each article supplied. Requesters need to be mindful of infringing copyright laws when requesting photocopies.
Should the periodical in question not be held in southern Africa, the article can be obtained from overseas, though this is expensive.
Title Abbreviations
If you do not know the full title of the periodical, two sites which provide abbreviations are:
• Journal Title Abbreviations and
• All that JAS:Journal Abbreviation Sources
Patents
Patents are not available on loan. If necessary, they can be bought through the Inter-Library Loans Department. Before resorting to this expensive option, however, visit the various patents sites on the Library's homepage as it is possible in most cases to obtain them free on the Internet. (If you need assistance in locating them, please ask the Principal Science and Pharmacy Faculty Librarian, Eileen Shepherd – e.shepherd@ru.ac.za).
Overseas requests
It is possible to request articles on Inter-Library Loan from overseas sources when the article cannot be obtained within South Africa. In these instances, the Inter-Library Loan staff try requesting the article either through Infotrieve or through the British Library Document Supply Centre.
- The current cost of obtaining an article through Infotrieve is ZAR 135.00.
- The cost of obtaining an article or a copy of a chapter in a book through the British Library starts at approximately ZAR 175.00.
If back up searches are required for articles, please note that additional costs will be incurred. The Inter-Library Loans staff will be able to advise you of these charges. Please note that we have to charge the full cost of each article requested as well as any applicable extra charges.
Delivery time
Provided the requested item is on the shelf at the holding library, the average turnaround time for books is 2 - 3 weeks and for articles sent by mail 1 week. Articles sent via email or Ariel should arrive within 2 - 5 days.
The average turnaround time for overseas requests is 14 - 30 days.
If you have not heard from us after a reasonable interval has elapsed, please contact the Inter-Library Loans department on 046-603 8464 during office hours for additional assistance.
For further information or assistance contact Inter-Library Loans at +27-046-603-8464.
