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Distance Students: Inter-Library Loan for DL

A guide to help distance students with their research needs.

How to Request ILL Books and Journal Articles

Please see our Inter Library Loan Guide here for step-by-step instructions on ILL requests as a distance student.

Returning Mail Policies

1. The postmark date is considered the return date for all ILL books.

2. Media Mail with USPS is probably the most affordable return mail option.

3. We strongly recommend that you insure your packages. If you return books and they are lost in the mail you will be responsible for the replacement costs. You may mail the books back with whatever Postal service you prefer (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.). Priority Mail with USPS is automatically insured up to $100. Media Mail with USPS (potentially the most affordable option) is not insured, you will have to add insurance. Visit the USPS website for more information on this. 

4. We recommend that if you are returning a large number of books that you return them in multiple boxes of around 10 books in order to reduce the likelihood of them getting lost or damaged in the mail.

5. Please acquire a tracking number for your package so that you can follow it until it arrives at the SEBTS Library.

6. Return address:

Library at SEBTS

114 N. Wingate St.

Wake Forest, NC 27587

7. For further assistance, please contact the ILL Assistant at libill@sebts.edu.

General Inter-Library Loan Policies

  • Any books, journal articles, or AV materials that our library does not own can often be requested from other libraries. However, this does not include materials we already have access to in some form, such as e-books and PDF versions.
  • Copies of journal articles or book chapters will be emailed as a PDF file. However, copies exceeding 50 pages (or 20% of a volume) will not be sent in order to maintain our copyright agreement.
  • The SEBTS library does not charge for ILL services. However, the lending library may charge. We always contact the patron before we agree to pay anything.
  • Use WorldCat to request books and EBSCOHost databases (especially ATLA) to request journal articles.
  • Patrons can request 4 items every other day. 
  • We cannot fulfill requests for books that are currently checked out or located in Reference, Reserves or Archives. If a book is currently checked out, you may place a hold on it.
  • Books ordered through ILL must be picked up at the circulation desk in person or a representative designated by the patron. Patrons must send an email to the circulation desk to acknowledge the person that will be picking up the ILL.
  • Books need to be returned to the circulation desk no later than the day after the due date to avoid overdue fines. Overdue ILL books are subject to fines by SEBTS’s regular rate as well as the lending library’s rate (if they charge).
  • If an ILL is damaged while in the patron’s possession, they will be responsible for the replacement cost as determined by the lending library.
  • The lending library controls due dates and renewals.
  • Renewals should be requested from libill@sebts.edu at least 3-5 days before the due date.
  • ILL requests usually arrive in 7-10 days.  This can depend on a number of factors, such as the distance of the library that fills the request or delivery time for library mail rate. 
  • No ILL services are allowed for guest users or alumni - only for current students.

Distance Student ILL Policies

All policies above apply to distance students in addition to the following:

  • We can mail books to students, but students are responsible for the costs of mailing the materials back to us.
  • If you do not qualify as a distance student (meaning you live less than 60 miles from SEBTS according to Google maps or are not listed as such in your library account profile), we cannot mail books to you. You must pick up ILL items at the circulation desk on campus.
  • ILL requests for physical materials cannot be generated or mailed to distance students outside of the United States.
  • All books mailed back must be postmarked by the due date or overdue fines will accrue.

·  Return books via Media Mail. We strongly recommend that you insure your packages and acquire a tracking number you can follow until it arrives at the SEBTS library. 

·  If returned books are lost in the mail you will be responsible for the replacement costs.

·  The SEBTS return address is:

ILL Borrowing – Southeastern Seminary Library

114 N. Wingate St.

Wake Forest, NC  27587

 

For further assistance, please contact the ILL Assistant at libill@sebts.edu.