| Books often provide a comprehensive overview or historical background of a subject. They may present theories or expert opinions on a topic. Remember, it is often not necessary to read a book cover-to-cover to make use of ideas presented in it; academic researchers often use skimming and scanning techniques to identify parts of a book relevant to their research. |
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What is a Request?
Requesting a book is a simple way to get your library item(s), from on or off campus. To request materials that have been checked out by another patron, search for the item in our library catalog and click the Request button under the Find it tab. When a request is made, we notify the patron with the item and shorten the checkout time. (This can be especially helpful since faculty members and graduate students have long checkout periods on books). To view your requests, visit your account page.
How do I Request a Book?
Summit
Students, faculty, and staff of the University of Idaho have access to the physical library collections of the 36 other member libraries of the Orbis Cascade Alliance. The combined collections of over 28.7 million items can be requested through the University of Idaho Library catalog. Most items will arrive within less than a week. Print items can be checked out for six weeks, and A/V materials for six days. There is no charge for using Orbis Cascade Alliance resources.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Although the Orbis Cascade Alliance has a lot of materials, there may be a few items not available through our partner libraries. If you come across a book that the Alliance doesn't have, we'll borrow it from somewhere else and pass it along to you. Please be aware that while we mail books to you free of charge, you need to pay your own postage to return them to us.
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