Interlibrary loan


You can use the interlibrary loan service to order (printed) literature that is not available in the Bochum city area from another library (see Leihverkehrsordnung). Ordered books are delivered to the university library, articles are mostly delivered electronically.

1. Before ordering

  • Before ordering, search the RUB Primo Catalogue to make sure that the media (printed or electronic) are not available on the RUB campus.
  • If the book was published in 1998 or earlier, it is also worth taking a look at the Central Catalogue of Monographs. Numerous departmental libraries list their media there that were published up to 1998.
  • You can search the Bochum Libraries Catalog to find out whether the book you are looking for is available in Bochum.

 

2. Order

  • Log in to the interlibrary loan portal. You will need your LoginID and the corresponding password.
  • After logging in, decide whether you would like to order a book, a chapter from a book (for copyright reasons, only up to 10% of the work can be supplied as a copy) or an article from a journal.
  • Search for either the title of the book or the journal. Catalogues of numerous German libraries are queried. You can choose what you need from these catalogues.
  • If the search is unsuccessful, you can use the free ordering function for books or journals.

 

3. Interlibrary loan fee

  • An order (book or article up to 20 pages) costs 1.50 EUR. Depending on the number of pages (20 pages or more), you may incur additional copying costs when ordering an article.
  • After placing your order, your library account will be debited with the interlibrary loan fee of 1.50 EUR. This processing fee is also charged if the order cannot be delivered or the title is no longer required.
  • RUB employees can pay the interlibrary loan fees by transferring them from the budget of their university institution. This target group can obtain TAN (transaction) numbers at the information/service desk. Please complete the transferring form and hand it in at the information/service desk. You can also send the form to us by e-mail and we will then send you the TANs by e-mail.

 

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What may not be ordered via interlibrary loan?

Please note that the following media are not supplied via interlibrary loan (see §14 der Leihverkehrsordnung):

  • Media from Bochum libraries
  • Reference collections such as reference works, loose-leaf editions
    Exception: Copies of individual articles (nor more than 10 % of the total work)
  • Complete journal issues and volumes
  • Licensed e-books and extracts from these
  • Newspaper articles
  • University theses such as diploma theses
    Exception: dissertations
  • Patent specifications, standards and technical rules
  • Musical notes
  • Entertainment and hobby literature such as travel guides
  • Works available in bookshops up to a price limit of 15 EUR
  • Works that have not yet been published, acquired or incorporated
  • Archive materials
  • Works published before 1850
  • Works of exceptional format

 

International interlibrary loan: Orders from abroad

If a medium or a copy of an article is not available via interlibrary loan in Germany, we can make use of international interlibrary loans.

  • The costs for an international interlibrary loan are in many cases significantly higher than for an interlibrary loan from Germany. An approximate price range of 8 to 40 EUR is to be expected.
  • Delivery times depend on the respective library and its location.
  • International orders can only be made by prior arrangement.