Interlibrary Loan

As a Distance Education Student registered at MSUM, you are able to request MSUM-owned materials be mailed to you at your home. 

You are required to mail them back to MSUM at your expense or return them in person. For some patrons, there is the option to return them to a participating Minnstate library, and have them returned via the MII Shuttle. Please contact ILL for more information about this option.

We will also copy articles from journals that MSUM owns and send a PDF to your email.

Please use the Interlibrary Loan form to request items to be delivered to you. Be sure to include a Comment on each request, identifying yourself as a Distance Ed student.

To log in to the Library Homepage, Click on the My Account icon. On the next screen choose Login Using StarID and type in your StarID and Password. This is the same log in you use for your MSUM Email or D2L. This process will make it possible to view full-text documents from off-campus.  

Interlibrary Loan Services are also available to you as a Distance Education student.

You may request both books and articles to be delivered to you. 

When you make an ILL request as a Distance Ed student, please be sure to include a *Note on each ILL request identifying yourself as a Distance Ed student. 

You do not need to include your actual address on each request as long as it is current in your library record. You can verify your home address by checking under Profile when logged into your library account.

To request items through your MSUM Library account:

• On the Library Homepage, click on the icon My Account: Log in using your Star ID and password. This is the same information you use to log-in to your MSUM email or D2L account. Searching and requesting ILL material is easiest if you first log in to the library website.
• On the upper portion of the page in the red bar, click on ILL Request and then select the type of media you would like to request. For example, for a book, a book chapter, video or DVD click on circle to the left of  “Book” For a copy from a journal/magazine, click on the circle to the left “Copy/Article.”
• Complete the blank form to the best of your ability. The more information you provide about the item, the easier it is for us to find it and the quicker we will be able to get it for you. If you have information that does not fit in the usual citation fields, please include them in the “Notes” field.
• As a Distance Ed student, be sure to include indicate that in the "Notes" field of every request you make.
• Click “Submit Request.”
• Your request should now appear in your “My Requests.”

To request items through our Homepage:

• On  library homepage, look under the column titled Research Tools. There are links to Search Library Catalog as well as Browse Databases.
• If you are looking for books, the Library Catalog can quickly find books that are available at MSUM. Not finding what you need in our catalog? Under Research Tools, click on the link to Search Other Library Catalogs. Books from other MN/ND libraries will arrive the quickest. Books that are coming from out-of-state (not SD/ND) libraries can take up to 10 days to arrive at our office. Then there is the added time of mailing them to your home. Please keep this in mind when requesting books.
• If you are searching for articles, our A-Z Databases list can narrow down your search by subject or topic
• Once you have found an item you need, under the section: How to get it - click on From Interlibrary Loan. This will pop-up the pre-filled ILL request form. All you need to do is indicate in the Comment Section that you are a Distance Ed student and need the material mailed to your home.
• Verify that the request page has been filled in correctly. Some or all of the citation for the item being requested should fill in automatically.
• Add additional information if necessary - if you just want a chapter copied and sent as a PDF, include that information and change the Format from Physical to Digital (PDF to email).
• As a Distance Ed student, be sure to include that information in the "Comment" field of every request you make.
• Click “Send Request.”
• Your request should now appear in your “My Requests.”

Having trouble with a tricky citation? Can't find what you need? Unsure of what you need? Our helpful librarians at the Reference Desk are available to help you with your research.