Q. What types of inter-library loan services are available at Western?

We use two systems for interlibrary loan: Summit and ILLiad.  

Summit is a consortial borrowing system that allows students, faculty, and staff to easily search and request library materials owned by 37 member academic libraries throughout Washington, Oregon, and Idaho (map of member libraries). Most Summit materials have a 6 week loan period (Summit media materials check out for 6 days) with no renewal. After requesting a Summit item it generally takes 3-5 business days for your item to arrive. You will receive an email when it is available for pickup or delivery.

ILLiad is a system where you may request items not held by WWU or other Summit libraries.  This includes articles and physical items, such as books.  To login to ILLiad, use your Universal Login.  The first time you use ILLiad, you will need to fill out your account information and preferences.  Please review the policies carefully. Articles will typically be delivered electronically.  You will receive an email when physical items are available for pickup or delivery.  Due dates and the time it takes to fulfill ILLiad requests vary widely, depending on the loaning institution’s policies.