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UW-Madison Account Login Shortcuts
Request a copy of an article
Access articles directly, or if not available, request a copy and receive an email notification when it's ready.
1. Check to see if the article is available online.
- Type the citation information (journal name, date, volume, issue, start page) below and press the Search button. Then, follow the Get Full Text Online link(s) to access the full text of the article.
- When the Get Full Text Online link is not available or fails, try Look in Library Catalog next. Or, search the journal title in the Library Catalog directly.
2. UW-Madison faculty, staff and students may request a copy when no online full text is available through Find It or the Library Catalog. Check your library privileges.
- Select Request A Copy in the Find It window, or Login and fill in the form.
| Typical delivery if the article is: | Time |
|---|---|
| Owned by UW-Madison | 1-3 Days |
| Located at the UW-Madison Shelving Facility | 1-3 Days |
| Not owned by UW-Madison | 3-9 Days |
Request a Book, CD, Video, Microfilm/fiche
Have a book or media item delivered to the campus library of your choice and receive an email notification when it's ready for pickup. Check your library privileges.
- Find the item in the Library Catalog and display its record. The item must be "Available" or "Not Checked Out." Try a UW System search if UW-Madison doesn't have the item.
- Click on Place Request. If you haven't logged in, click on Sign in to Place Request and enter your NetID. Use your MyMadCat Account if you do not have a NetID.
- Using the dropdown menu, choose a library at which you wish to pick up the item.
- Click on Place Request.
Didn't find it in the Library Catalog?
- Search for your item in Uborrow. (What is Uborrow?)
- Click on Request. If you haven't logged in to the Interlibrary Loan system, do so now.
- Fill in any additional fields as needed and submit the request.
Still didn't find it?
- Search for your item in WorldCat and click on Request a Copy. If you haven't logged in, enter your NetID or 11-digit ID number and last name.
- Or, login to your Interlibrary Loan account with your NetID or 11-digit ID number. Select Request a Book or Other Loan and fill in the appropriate fields.
How long will it take?
| Typical delivery if the item is: | Time |
|---|---|
| Owned by UW System | 1-4 Days |
| Owned by CIC Libraries (Uborrow) | 3-7 Days |
| Other locations | 1-3 weeks |
Request a copy of a book chapter
Request a pdf version of a book chapter and receive an email notification when it's ready. Check your library privileges.
- Login to your Interlibrary Loan account with your NetID or 11-digit ID number.
- Select Request an Article or Other Copy.
- Fill in the fields as needed and submit the request.
| Typical delivery if the book is: | Time |
|---|---|
| Owned by UW-Madison | 1-3 Days |
| Located at the UW-Madison Shelving Facility | 1-3 Days |
| Not owned by UW-Madison | 3-9 Days |
Request a Dissertation, Thesis
Find, access or request a dissertation or thesis. Check your library privileges.
Current UW-Madison Students, Faculty, and Staff
- Search the Library Catalog for print copies of UW Madison dissertations and theses. UW-Madison Ph.D. dissertations are available for check out. UW-Madison master's theses are not available for check out, but they may be viewed in a library.
- To view abstracts and the first 24 pages of most dissertations published since 1997, and the full text of UW-Madison dissertations published since 1997, use ProQuest Digital Dissertations.
- To view the full text of dissertations from CIC institutions (Big Ten plus the University of Chicago), use Current Research@CIC.
- To borrow a Ph.D. dissertation or master's thesis (no charge) from another university submit a request in WorldCat or Login to your account.
- More information
Others
- To borrow or photocopy a UW-Madison Ph.D. dissertation or master's thesis, refer your local library's interlibrary loan staff to UW-Madison General Library System Interlibrary Loan Lending and Photocopying. Master's theses are not available for loan and are available only as photocopies.
- If you have no library or information service, please consult Fee-based Services for Corporate and Private Libraries, Businesses and Individuals.
- To purchase, order directly from Dissertation Express or by calling 1-800-521-3042. UW-Madison dissertations are only available for purchase from 1955 to present. UW-Madison master's theses are not usually available through Dissertation Express.
- More information
How long will it take?
Articles
| If the article is: | Time |
|---|---|
| Owned by UW-Madison | 1-3 Days |
| Located at the UW-Madison Shelving Facility | 1-3 Days |
| Not owned by UW-Madison | 3-9 Days |
Books
| If the item is: | Time |
|---|---|
| At UW-Madison (Place Requests in the Library Catalog) | 1-3 Days |
| At another UW-System library (like UW-Milwaukee, UW-Green Bay, etc.) | 2-4 Days |
| Owned by CIC Libraries (Uborrow) | 3-7 Days |
| Not found on campus or in the UW-System (Interlibrary Loan) | 1-3 Weeks |
Book Chapters
| If the book is: | Time |
|---|---|
| Owned by UW-Madison | 1-3 Days |
| Located at the UW-Madison Shelving Facility | 1-3 Days |
| Not owned by UW-Madison | 3-9 Days |
Distance Patrons (outside of Dane County)
Distance Library Services are intended for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff who live and work outside of Dane County - including dissertators, students taking distance courses, and faculty on sabbatical.
Faculty Runners
- UW-Madison faculty can designate a currently enrolled student or staff member to borrow material in their name. These materials are subject to the same borrowing policies as loans made in person by the faculty member.
McBurney Paging Service
- Paging services to retrieve materials from library shelves are available to those registered with the UW-Madison McBurney Center. Phone contacts: (608) 263-2741 or (608) 263-6393 (TTY)
Not Affiliated with UW-Madison?
Academic, Public, and Special Libraries
We provide book loans and photocopying services to libraries.
Academic, public or special libraries may send either OCLC requests (symbol "GZM") or webform requests (if OCLC is not an option for your institution). If your institution needs a webform login, please contact Eric Robinson at gzmlend@wils.wisc.edu.
Fee-based Services for Corporate / Private Libraries and Businesses
Several UW-Madison libraries offer for-fee services, including "rush" requests.
Visitors to Campus
UW-Madison campus library visitors may borrow library materials subject to their current residence and affiliation.
Wisconsin Residents | Non-Residents
Place your book/article requests for UW-Madison materials through your local campus library, corporate library or public library. Or, contact one of the UW-Madison fee-based document delivery services.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is Article and Book Delivery service?
UW-Madison's Article and Book Delivery Service allows UW-Madison users to request campus document delivery, interlibrary loan, distance circulation, and distance interlibrary loan services.
UW-Madison users that live outside Dane County and who do not regularly commute to campus may request home delivery of loans. For more information on this service, see Distance Services.
- What is Uborrow?
When you quickly need books that are currently unavailable from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries or are not owned by the Libraries, search Uborrow. Uborrow enables you to search for and request books directly from 13 major research libraries, with combined collections of more than 90 million volumes. Read more about Uborrow...
- What is Courtesy On-campus Document Delivery service?
Our on-campus document delivery service is a way for patrons to have articles not available electronically scanned from specific library collections on campus.
After July 2012 we will only scan materials at Art, Astronomy, Business, Chemistry, College (Helen C. White), Ebling, Geography, Geology, Law, Math, Memorial, MERIT, Mills Music, Physics, Social Science, Social Work, Steenbock, Shelving Facilities, and Wendt.
- How much does it cost?
The UW-Madison Libraries consistently rank at the top among peer institutions with respect to supplementing local collections in order to meet the teaching and research needs of the UW-Madison community.
In order to provide for the needs of a vibrant research university such as ours, the Libraries have developed numerous strategic partnerships with peer institutions that enable us to acquire or borrow journal articles, books, and other materials on behalf of the University's faculty, staff, and students.
While we are proud to offer article delivery and interlibrary loan services at no cost to our users, we ask that our patrons be mindful of the fact that the provision of these services is not without cost to the Libraries and the University. In fact, the provision of these services is quite expensive. We ask, therefore, that you request only those items that you plan to use directly in the course of your research, teaching, and study.
We are happy to provide for your research, teaching, and study needs, and will do our absolute best to acquire or borrow the materials you need as quickly and efficiently as possible. By being judicious in making your requests, you can help to ensure that the Libraries are able to continue providing these services free of charge.
- Are there limits on the service?
Article and book delivery service supports the instructional, research and scholarly activities of UW-Madison faculty, staff and students.
- If the article is available on-campus, up to 50 pages will be scanned. For longer articles, you need to obtain the actual article from the library. However, if the article is not available on-campus then there is no page limit.
- Please remember that each scanning library scans the material in the easiest and fastest method for their workflow through our courtesy on-campus article service. In addition, articles we request from off-campus sources are scanned the way the lending library prefers to scan materials. ILL staff has little control over both processes and in some cases, the system reformats the article automatically. Our aim is to provide complete and legible copies for our patrons, but articles could be scanned in different orientations or two pages to a scanned page. If your article is from an on-campus library and you would like a higher quality scan, please try one of the following options: journals can often be scanned in the library that owns them on one of our free library scanners, or sent to another campus library for viewing, or you can use Wisconsin Tech Search, which will scan articles to your specifications for a fee: http://wts.wisc.edu/.
- Requests for articles that are available in full-text through licensed databases and electronic journals will be cancelled with instructions on how to obtain the article online. Check
. - It is important to note that not all libraries are able to process a high number of requests from one user. You may be asked to prioritize or limit your requests or explore other borrowing arrangements with ILL staff. Your request may be refused if, in our judgment, fulfilling it violates Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code).
- If your library borrowing privileges have been blocked, you cannot get materials through this service.
- In order to provide timely, quality service for all our patrons, please limit your requests to 30 or fewer per week.
- Are there items that are difficult to obtain?
These items are very difficult to borrow from off-campus:
- Technical reports and standards
- Recently published books (the library may purchase a new book if it falls within the library's collection policies)
- Audiovisual materials including videos and CDs
- Whole volumes or issues of periodicals (copies of individual articles may be requested)
- Textbooks
- Materials for class reserve or group use
- Rare books
- Genealogical resources
- Reference materials
- Computer software and manuals
- Electronic books
- Who can use it?
You can use article and book delivery service if you have currently valid borrowing privileges and you are a:
- UW-Madison faculty (including emeritus)
- UW-Madison staff
- UW-Madison students
- UW-Madison affiliate
- UW-Madison appointment
- Courtesy Card holder
- If you're not sure of your patron status, see the loan periods patron chart
Faculty may obtain a faculty runner card so someone else can place requests for them.
- How do I have a book delivered to the nearest Campus Library?
Instructions for having books delivered to the nearest Campus Library are on our Borrowing pages.
You will be notified by email when the book is available for pick-up. Please note that UW System Search and Borrow is only available for books, not articles.
- Where can I return interlibrary loan materials?
Interlibrary loan materials can be returned to any campus library with an Open Return sticker (see image) on its book return.
- How do I check the status of a request?
Articles, Book Chapters:
- Login to your Interlibrary Loan account
- The View My Requests section allows you to check the status of your requests
- You can view all available articles under View Electronically Received Articles
- Requests that are still in processing are under View Outstanding Requests
- Cancelled requests are under View Cancelled Requests
- After you have returned your loan to Circulation or your PDF has been deleted, your request for information is stored under View Completed Request
Book, CD, or Video:
-
Ordered through the Library Catalog or UW System Search?
-
Ordered through Interlibrary Loan?
- Login to your Interlibrary Loan account
- The View My Requests section allows you to check the status of your requests
- You can view all available articles under View Electronically Received Articles
- Items that have arrived on campus are under View Books or Other Loans Received by Interlibrary Loan Office
- Requests that are still in processing are under View Outstanding Requests
- Cancelled requests are under View Cancelled Requests
- After you have returned your loan to Circulation or your PDF has been deleted, your request for information is stored under View Completed Request
-
Not listed in Interlibrary Loan account?
- Login to your Library Catalog account
- The Requests section shows items available for pickup.
- How long...?
How long does it take to get an article?
Typical delivery if the article is: Time Owned by UW Madison 1-3 Days Located at the UW Madison Shelving Facility 1-3 Days Not owned by UW Madison 3-9 Days How long does it take to get a book?
If the item is: Time At UW-Madison 1-3 Days At another UW-System library (like UW-Milwaukee, UW-Green Bay, etc.) 2-4 Days Owned by CIC Libraries (Uborrow) 3-7 Days Not found on campus or in the UW-System 1-3 weeks How long can I use a borrowed book?
Loan periods are determined by the lending institution that we got the book from. These vary from between one and four weeks. The majority of Interlibrary Loan items can be renewed in your My MadCat account. Please remember that not all items can be renewed.
- How can I obtain a thesis?
UW-Madison faculty, staff and students can request on-campus theses by using the Library Catalog's Place Requests link. Off-campus theses can be requested using Interlibrary Loan.
Other individuals need to refer to the Dissertations and Theses page.
- How can I use WorldCat to submit a request?
Follow these steps to use WorldCat and submit a request:
- Click on the WorldCat link on the UW-Madison Libraries home page
- Conduct a search in WorldCat
- When you find the item you want, click on its title
- Select the Get through Interlibrary Loan link
For journal articles, first check whether online access is available.
- How do I change my email address?
If you need to update your email address, please contact the Memorial Library Circulation Office between the hours of 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday. The office number is 608-263-7360 or you may contact us by email.
- What other book/article delivery services does the library provide?
For Articles and Book Chapters:
Electronic Journal List- Get articles online now
- Access over 8,000 full-text electronic journals, magazines, newsletters and newspapers
For Books and Media:
- Place Requests in the Library Catalog
- Takes 1-3 business days
- Books listed in the Library Catalog can be delivered to campus library of your choice
- UW System Borrowing
- Takes 2-4 business days
- Books and media owned by another UW System campus can be delivered to a UW-Madison library for pick-up
- WorldCat
- Typically takes 1-3 weeks
- Search for books owned by other libraries and have them delivered to UW-Madison library for pick-up
- Madison Public Library
- Typically takes 3-4 business days
- Request that books or media owned by libraries in 7 Wisconsin counties be delivered to your public library for pick-up (requires a public library borrowing card).
- Can interlibrary loan materials be renewed?
Some Interlibrary Loan materials may be renewed once. If you have a NetID, check your Library Catalog account for a possible renewal prior to the material going overdue. If you do not have a NetID, check your MyMadCat Account for possible renewal.
Renewals are not guaranteed and are granted at the discretion of the lending library.
- Are there overdue fines for ILL materials?
Due dates are set by the lending institution. Because of this, there is a nonrefundable $15 processing fee for any overdue ILL item and your account is blocked until the materials are returned. If you have a NetID, check your Library Catalog account for a possible renewal prior to the material going overdue. If you do not have a NetID, check your MyMadCat Account for possible renewal.
Renewals are not guaranteed and are granted at the discretion of the lending library.
- What if I damaged or lost my ILL item?
Interlibrary loan materials are the property of the lending library. When items are lost or damaged you will be responsible for the fines and/or replacements costs for the material. Costs will differ depending on the lending library's policy and are often more than our campus $80 lost item fine. It can take awhile for us to get the bill, but we will apply it to your Library Catalog account once received.If you do not have a NetID, check your MyMadCat Account for more information.
