Questions?
Call the IDS office at 815-753-9842 or email us at illdept@niu.edu. Please note that all ILL notifications are sent to official NIU email accounts only.
If there's a particular item that you want, and you can't find it through HuskieSearch, make an NIUILLiad request.
ILLiad is one of the services we use to request items not available through NIU Libraries or I-Share. Access your ILLiad Account through My Library Account.
When you log in to the Overview page, you will see the box for Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad). Click on the NIUILLiad link to access your account where you can view, make, and manage ILLiad requests.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Off-campus faculty, staff, and students will need to designate their Campus Affiliation on the Change Personal Information page to ensure that physical items are delivered to their preferred location.
Once you have accessed your NIUILLiad account, under New Request on the left side, you may select the type of source you would like to request. Complete the Request Form and then Submit Request.
Type your search term in HuskieSearch. The default search option is the Library Catalog option. For more information about basic searching in HuskieSearch, check out How to Search.
Once you locate an item that you want, you can request the item for pick up (see below).
All requests for NIU materials must be made online through HuskieSearch. NOTE: You must sign in (top right corner of HuskieSearch) with your NIU credentials in order to request items.
To request an item for pick up, go to the record for the item you want.
Click on the Request from Library link.
On the Request form, select Northern Illinois University as the Pickup Institution and then select a Pickup Location.
Then click Send Request.
Please allow 24 hours for requests to be fulfilled (business days only. Does not include weekends). You will receive an email confirmation when your item is available for pick up.
If you cannot find your item in the NIU Library Catalog, change the drop-down menu in HuskieSearch to search All I-Share Libraries to search for items in other university or college libraries in Illinois. You will need to be logged in to your My Library Account for this search as well.
When you locate an I-Share item you want, you may request the item for pick up (see below).
To begin, go to the search bar on the library’s homepage—or near the top of the HuskieSearch page—and change the drop-down menu on the left side of the search box to All I-Share Libraries. Enter your search term and hit enter or click on the magnifying glass icon at the right-hand side of the search bar to return the results of your search.
Select the item you would like to request. In the item record, go to the How to Get It section. NOTE: You will need to be logged in to your My Library Account to request items. Click on Request from I-Share.
The I-Share request form will appear with the citation information filled in. You may select your Preferred Pick-Up Institution (NIU is the default, but do you want to pick up your items at another institution?). Then select your Preferred Local Pickup Location. The NIU options are:
Please pay attention to your institution and location selections before you click send.
Double-check the Pickup institution and the Pickup Location. Then, scroll to the bottom of the form and click on Send Request.
To view the status of or cancel your request, log into My Library Account and click on Requests. You will receive an email when the requested item is available for pick-up.
If you cannot find your item in the NIU Library Catalog or in I-Share, change the drop-down menu to WorldCat to expand your search beyond I-Share libraries. You will also need to be logged in for this search.
When you find the item you want, click the record. In the How to Get It section of the item record, you'll see the option to Request from Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad).
Click on the link and the ILLiad request form will expand. The citation information should be included - if not, be sure to enter it in. Then, click Send Request.
