Interlibrary Borrowing
Interlibrary Loan Services
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services are available to current BU faculty, staff, and students to request books, articles, and other items not available at BU Libraries.
All patrons except those affiliated with the Schools of Law and Medicine may place and track requests through our online forms. Law and Medical School affiliates should consult their schools’s websites for further information. For general inquires to the Interlibrary Loan office, please call 617-353-3706 or email ILLMML@bu.edu.
WorldCat Discovery
WorldCat allows you to search for, identify, and request books from other libraries. Books are generally available 2 – 4 business days after you request them and articles are frequently available electronically within 48 hours.
Boston Library Consortium Borrowing
Terrier Card Borrowing
Boston University matriculating students, faculty, and staff may borrow books from Boston College, Brandeis University, and Northeastern University with your Boston University ID (Terrier card), just as you would in BU Libraries.
Boston Library Consortium Cards
A Boston Library Consortium Card allows the bearer to borrow—in person—circulating material from a BLC member library, just as you would from a BU library. Boston University faculty, staff, and matriculating students on the Charles River Campus may obtain a Consortium Card by filling out an application form.
Reciprocal Use Programs
BU participates in two reciprocal use programs, which provide current BU affiliates with access or in-person borrowing privileges at many academic and research libraries.
The OCLC Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program allows current faculty only to request a Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program card in person from Mugar’s Administrative Offices. Materials may be used on the premises of the owning library or may be borrowed – privileges vary from institution to institution. To borrow materials, the visiting faculty member must present the Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program card and any other identification the participating institution requires.
SHARES, a program of the OCLC Research Library Partnership, extends access privileges to faculty, emeritus faculty, students, and academic staff of partner institutions to use the collections and services at other SHARES libraries. Please note that in-library use of material is permitted, but visitors are not granted borrowing privileges. Please see the SHARES on-site access policy for more details.