Find a World of Research Materials with Interlibrary and Consortium Loans

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The Library owns more than 4 million print and electronic books, but no library can own everything. Not to worry! If you need something we don’t have, we can help you get it. It's free, quick, and easy through Interlibrary and Consortium loans.

If you’re looking for a specific book, music recording, or video, the Consortium Loan Service should be your first stop. Georgetown University Library is a member of the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC), a collaboration of university libraries in and near the District that loan books and other materials to each others’ users. It’s also quick: items that are available through the Consortium Loan Service are delivered in an average of 2–3 days. To request an item via the Consortium Loan Service, select “Consortium Request” when you are searching for an item in HoyaSearch.

If you need a journal article or a book, recording, or video that isn’t available from a WRLC library, Interlibrary Loan can help. ILL works a lot like the Consortium Loan Service, but it taps into collections from libraries around the country and the world. Interlibrary loans are not as fast as consortium loans, but they give access to the collections of a huge number of libraries. Main Campus users can complete an Interlibrary Loan request and the Library will work with you to help you get what you need.

Having trouble making a request? Reach out to the Library at our Get Help page.