W&M Law Journal Members & Cite Checks
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loans (ILL) are digital or physical materials that the law library borrows from other institutions across the country, and sometimes internationally. If the law library does not own or have access to a resource required for a cite check, W&M Law journal members can submit an ILL request. If you are requesting materials for your note, not a cite check, see ILLs for W&M Law Students.
New ILL Request Form
A new ILL request form is now available. Please submit all new requests through this form to ensure timely and accurate processing.
Requesting an ILL for a Cite Check
To ensure that the ILL request process moves quickly and efficiently, it is important to follow these steps before submitting a request.
- Read the ILL & Rare Book Policies For Cite-Checkers: Please read through these policies below for guidance on submitting an ILL request as part of a cite check.
- Check the library's online catalog: If the print of digital version of the material is available from any W&M library, do not submit an ILL request. Visit that library and check out the item using your journal's library card; Or visit the law library's circulation desk to request for the item to be sent to the law library for pick up.
- Check the World Cat database: Search for the materials using the World Cat database. If the database indicates that the materials are accessible at a W&M library, ask a reference librarian to help locate it. Otherwise, find the record for the print edition of the item (if possible) and make note of the OCLC accession number; you will need this for the ILL form.
What Happens Next?
Once you submit a request, the ILL staff begins locating the material from another library or institution. You will receive email notifications regarding the status of your request. Please allow up to two weeks for processing and shipping, as availability depends on the lending institution's response time. Scans and items from nearby libraries can take significantly less time.
Getting Your Materials
For physical loan materials, when your ILL arrives it is placed on the pick up shelves outside the ILL office (L111A) - located between the two special collections rooms. These items must be signed out using the form on the clipboard above the pick up shelf, before placing them on the shelves in the journals cite check room. The requester will be notified via email when their items arrive. Any ILLs that are not picked up by their due date will automatically be returned.
For PDF scan/copy materials, when you ILL arrives it is sent via email to the requester. The PDF scan can be provided, upon request, to any journal member working on that article.
ILL & Rare Book Policies for Cite-Checkers
This policy describes the processes and parameters for journal members requesting and borrowing ILL materials for cite checks.
Limitations
The law library will not process ILL requests for...
- materials that are available in any form at any W&M library, except Richard Bland College Library or the VIMS library. If the item is on loan, circulation desk staff will first make an attempt to recall the item.
- materials that are available online in any format, unless the online format lacks the necessary pagination or graphical materials to complete the cite check. If you are unable to print or save the electronic version, you should take a screenshot or note the URL address.
- borrowing physical periodical materials such as newspapers and journals. Articles from these sources must be requested as a PDF Scan/Copy instead.
Fees
Every effort will be made to obtain ILL materials free of charge. However, when this is not possible, the journal will be responsible for costs associated with borrowing ILLs. Prior to proceeding with a request which will result in charges to the journal, the ILL staff will send an email to the requester, advising them of the potential fee. It is the responsibility of the journal member to notify the appropriate journal staff and seek approval for accepting the fees. The law library will contribute $6 towards fees for each item requested through ILL, and the remainder of the fee will be billed to the journal.
Loan Periods
Loan periods for each ILL may vary, depending on the lending institutions' policies. All ILL materials are subject to recall at any time.
Renewals
Loan periods for some ILLs may be extended; however, some may not be renewable. The ILL staff will automatically try to renew all ILLs one time unless they are marked "No Renewal." After the first renewal, the contact for each ILL will receive email reminders near the due date.
It is the journal members' responsibility to monitor due dates and request renewals. Requests for renewals should be made before the material is due. Whenever a renewal request has either been approved or denied, the contact for that ILL will receive an email notification.
Overdue Materials
Not returning an ILL on time can negatively affect the library's ability to borrow from other institutions in the future. When an ILL is overdue, an email notification will be sent to the contact person for that ILL. If overdue materials are not returned within 48 hours, they will be removed from the journal's cite-check shelves. If ILL staff cannot locate the materials in the cite-check room, a notice will be sent to the contact person, requesting the material be returned immediately.
Retention of Scanned ILL Materials
The ILL staff stores PDF scans of every copy/scan requested through interlibrary loan for a period of time in case it needs to be re-downloaded. All cite check-related scans are saved until the relevant issue is published, after which they are deleted.
Use of Rare Books & Special Collections
The law library's rare books and special collections are kept in secured areas. Most rare book and special collection titles are also available in .pdf on Hein Online or Google Books. To avoid unnecessary damage to these materials, the law library does not make these books available to cite-checkers if they are available as facsimile reprints or in fixed format online. If you need to use a rare book or special collections material, first see a reference librarian to confirm that the materials are not available in other formats.
Contact Information
Please direct inquiries to our Resource Sharing & Outreach Librarian, Carisa Valle, at [[lawill]].