Q. How do I get a book that the Kean Library does not have (own)?

Books not owned by the Nancy Thompson Library and Learning Commons may be requested from another library through Interlibrary Loan. There are several options for you to request books through Interlibrary Loan.

The first option is available to you while you are searching for books in WorldCat Discovery (see the WorldCat Discovery search box on the Nancy Thompson Library and Learning Commons home page at http://libguides.kean.edu/Library). WorldCat will sometimes retrieve records for books that are NOT designated as being Held by: Kean University Nancy Thompson Library. If you are interested in accessing any of these non-Kean books, then follow these steps while still in WorldCat Discovery:

• Click the book's title.
• Click the Request Item through Interlibrary Loan button.
• Fill out and submit the form.

The second option is available to you when you are not presently searching in WorldCat Discovery. Simply follow the steps listed below to access online Interlibrary Loan request forms:

• Go to the Nancy Thompson Library and Learning Commons home page at http://libguides.kean.edu/Library.
• Move your cursor over the blue Services tab/menu toward the top of the screen, then click Interlibrary Loan. 
• Select either Book Request Form or Book Chapter Request Form.
• Fill out the form, then click Submit at the bottom of the form.

In either case, you will be notified by e-mail when the Interlibrary Loan book is ready to be picked up at the Circulation Desk in the Nancy Thompson Library and Learning Commons. Books are due back to Kean's Library by the due date specified by the lending library. If you have requested a specific book chapter, then a photocopy of that chapter will be emailed to you.

Kean-Ocean patrons may use the Ocean County College interlibrary loan service to request books not owned by either the Kean or Ocean County College library.

Please note: you may also borrow books in person from other New Jersey academic libraries. Click the link below for VALE Reciprocal Borrowing Program for information, access to the application form, and links to VALE member library catalogs.