Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

ILL services are available to current BU students, staff, and faculty 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.

Sign into ILL

Interlibrary Loan FAQs

Other Borrowing Programs

WorldCat Discovery

WorldCat Discovery 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 (BLC)

The BLC Card Program allows affiliated users of BLC member institutions to directly borrow resources from participating member institutions. Current BU students, faculty, and staff on the Charles River Campus can request a BLC card. (BU Medical Campus affiliates may apply for a BLC card at the Alumni Medical Library).

OCLC Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program

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. View the participant roster for the Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program.
  • 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.