Interlibrary loan – ordering materials from other libraries

Interlibrary loan is a service offered by libraries that allows you to request books, book chapters, and journal articles free of charge from other libraries if your own library does not have them in its collection.

If you haven’t been able to find what you’re looking for in the library catalog of the THA library or the other libraries in Augsburg, you can request materials via interlibrary loan from other libraries, such as the university and college libraries in Munich, Regensburg, Nuremberg, the Bavarian State Library, and many other archives and research institutions.

To search for books and order them through the interlibrary loan service, use the THA library catalog. Once you have found the title you want, you can order it free of charge for pickup at the THA library.

• Instructions: Ordering a book via interlibrary loan in the library catalog
• Instructions: Ordering a book via “Open Interlibrary Loan”

For more details and instructions on interlibrary loan, see the FAQs below.

• Ordering books, book chapters, and copies of journal articles is free of charge. 
• You can borrow books. Book chapters and journal articles are provided as paper copies that you may keep.
• As a general rule, entire journal issues are not shipped.
• You can then pick up your order at the THA library counter (delivery time approx. 1–3 weeks).
• Policies regarding loan periods, renewals, and overdue notices depend on the lending library — in most cases, the loan period is 4 weeks and can be renewed once.
• Returns of ordered books can be made at THA via the self-service return machine or at the library counter.
• The number of interlibrary loan requests is limited to 25 for students and 10 for guests.
• The following items cannot be ordered via interlibrary loan:
  • DIN standards and VDI guidelines
  • Loose-leaf publications
  • Light reading
  • Literature available at other libraries in Augsburg (e.g., the University Library of Augsburg)
• German Interlibrary Loan Regulations

The following media can be ordered:

• Books (academic and specialized literature)
• Book chapters (paper copies)
• Journal articles (paper copies)

The following cannot be ordered through interlibrary loan:

• Books available in bookstores for less than 15 EUR.
• DIN standards and VDI guidelines
• Fiction
• Literature available in other Augsburg libraries
• In certain cases, the following may also be excluded from interlibrary loan:
  • Items of special value, particularly those published before 1800
  • Items in poor condition or those that, due to their nature, would be at risk if shipped,
  • Items of unusual format or weight,
  • Loose-leaf editions and unbound periodicals,
  • Reading room and reference library collections,
  • Items that are used particularly frequently on site, especially items from textbook collections.

See also: German Interlibrary Loan Regulations

Ordering books and copies of journal articles or book chapters from German libraries is free of charge for you.

The THA library covers the internal costs for processing, logistics, and shipping (approx. €30) on your behalf.

The number of interlibrary loan books that guests may borrow at one time is limited to 10.

No. For journals, the interlibrary loan service generally does not send entire issues; you will receive a paper copy of the pages containing the article you requested.

Almost all academic libraries in Germany participate in the interlibrary loan program. This gives them access, among other things, to the collections 

• from major university and college libraries (e.g., the libraries of the Technical University of Munich or LMU Munich), 
• as well as from major state libraries such as the Bavarian State Library, 
• specialized libraries such as the TIB in Hanover (the world’s largest specialized library for technology and the natural sciences) or the ZBW in Kiel/Hamburg (the world’s largest specialized library for economic literature)
• or from other archives and research institutions throughout Bavaria and Germany

.

No. The so-called “regional principle” applies. 

Materials available in publicly accessible libraries in Augsburg cannot be requested through interlibrary loan. 

Please visit the respective library in person (Augsburg University Library, Augsburg State and City Library, Augsburg Public Library). There, you can view the materials on site and, if necessary, obtain a library card to borrow them.

Items that are not available at the THA library but are held in the collections of other academic libraries in Bavaria can be identified in the THA library catalog by the gray button labeled "Order via Interlibrary loan."

If you can't find what you're looking for in Bavaria, you can expand your search to all of Germany using other literature search sources. If you find an interesting title during this search, you can use the free interlibrary loan service.

To do this, log in to your THA library account and then select “More” -> “Freie Fernleihe” from the menu.

Then, please fill out the order form with the title details of the desired book or article as completely as possible.

Please allow 1–3 weeks for delivery before you can pick up your order at the THA library counter.

Items available at multiple Bavarian libraries usually arrive faster than those held only at a single library outside Bavaria.

As soon as your order arrives at the THA library, you will automatically receive an email from us. You will then have two weeks to pick up your order.

As soon as you submit your interlibrary loan request, the library that holds the book you want will be notified.
It will prepare the book for shipment and send it by mail or via the so-called “bookmobile” to the THA library. 

You can check the current status of your request via your library account ("Requests -> Interlibrary Loan Requests").

As soon as the book arrives at our library, you will receive an email and can pick up the book at the library desk within 14 days of receiving the notification.

The loan period is generally 4 weeks and can be renewed once for an additional 4 weeks. The rules regarding the loan period, renewals, and overdue notices depend on the library from which the book is borrowed. You will be informed of any special conditions at the time of checkout.

You can view the loan periods in your library account and renew them if necessary.

The loan period is usually 4 weeks, and in most cases, an extension is possible. The exact loan periods are determined by the library from which the book comes. 

Please return interlibrary loan books before the due date using the self-service return machine (accessible 24/7) or at the THA library counter during staffed hours. When returning a book, please make sure the pink circulation slip is inside the book.