Remote Delivery

Remote Delivery ships books, DVDs, and other physical materials via UPS directly to you. Articles and book chapters are delivered electronically via email, regardless of your location.

Remote Delivery is a free service. You must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. You are a registered graduate student of UW-Madison or faculty/staff employed by UW-Madison.
  2. Your work/research location is at least 0.25 miles (400 meters) from a campus library.
    (Is your campus location eligible for remote delivery?)

All UW items with standard loan policies (most books and AV materials) and Interlibrary Loan (ILL) items with due dates longer than 2 weeks are eligible.

Items can take up to a week or longer to arrive. If you need an item quickly, please visit the library directly to get the item, if possible. Or, request an article or book chapter for fastest service.

All items can be returned to any open-return campus library or shipped back to Memorial Library using the pre-paid return mailer (see below).

How to Request Materials via Remote Delivery

Note: Some items are non-circulating (such as reference books) or have limited circulation (like course reserves) and are therefore not available through this service.

  1. Search the Library Catalog to find materials in UW-Madison or UW System libraries. The Library Catalog also contains links to many online resources. For more information on how to search see Catalog Help.
    • Once you’ve found the item, click the Request a Copy button in the catalog record.
    • Sign in with your NetID.
    • Choose Remote Delivery as the Pickup Location and enter your shipping address.
  2. If you’re unable to locate the item you need in the catalog and would like to use Interlibrary Loan:
    • Sign in to ILL using your NetID.
    • Under My Account, click Change Pickup Library and Verify Email Address.
    • Choose Remote Delivery from the drop-down and click Submit Information.

Now, your ILL account is ready to use for Remote Delivery.

  • To locate items not owned by the University of Wisconsin, search WorldCat.
  • Once you’ve found the item, click Get Through Interlibrary Loan.
  • Complete the request form. Be sure to include your mailing address in the Notes field.

Remote Delivery Policies

You are responsible for the item from the time it is mailed to you until it is received back at UW-Madison Libraries. A US Postal Service pre-paid return mailer will be included with the shipment. Please use this mailer to ship materials back to the library. The package can be dropped off at any US Post Office.

Other policies vary, depending on whether the book is coming from UW-Madison, UW System, or other libraries through Interlibrary Loan:

Books from UW-Madison and UW System

  • If the item is available, it will be shipped to you within 3 to 5 business days.
  • If the item is not available, you will be notified by email.
  • Other notices (recalls, overdue notices, etc.) will be sent by email.
  • Place renewal requests in your Library Account.
  • You will be fined for lost items.

Books from other libraries

  • Items are usually shipped within 5 to 10 business days.
  • Items can only be mailed within the continental United States.
  • If the item is not available, you will be notified by email.
  • Other notices (recalls, overdue notices, etc.) will be sent by email.
  • Place renewal requests in your Library Account. Please note that not all items from other libraries may be renewed.
  • You will be fined for lost items.