Skip to Main Content

Request an Item: Home

A student browses the shelves in the Library with text overlay that reads 'Request an Item'

Use this page to ask us to get material the Library doesn't have. If possible, we will fulfil your request! You can request books, book chapters or articles, or simply suggest something you think we could add to our collection.

 

Suggest a Book

Fill out our suggest a book / e-book form if you’d like us to purchase something for the Library. This can be for your studies, or for general enjoyment, it's up to you! We also actively encourage requests for items for our ​​Decolonise UEA Library campaign.

Teaching Staff - if you need titles for a reading list, please use an online reading list to detail the books you need.

 

Get Access to Material UEA Library Doesn't Own

If you want a journal article or other materials UEA Library doesn't currently own, use our Interlending Service. You can also use this service to request a PDF of items we currently only have in print. 

Our Interlending Service can help by:

  • Borrowing books on your behalf from other libraries, or sometimes purchase the book / e-book you need
  • Supplying digital copies of book chapters and journal articles from other libraries
  • Supplying digital copies of book chapters and journal articles for items where we only have the print book / journal in UEA Library


Make an Interlending Request

 

For information on requesting Library items out on loan, see our how to borrow page. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Log in to your account and check under the requests tab to see the status of your request or to cancel it. You will also receive email notifications regarding your request.

  • Use Library Search and unselect ‘Available via UEA Library’. Results will then feature resources outside of UEA Library and there will be an option to ‘Request through interlibrary loan’.
  • The LEAN Library browser extension will pop up when you find resources online that can be requested via interlibrary loans.
  • Complete a blank request form by clicking on Request in your Library Account.

  • You can request a renewal for books borrowed from anywhere except the British Library. Just contact lib.ill@uea.ac.uk a few days before the due date.

If the book you need is currently out on loan, use Library Search to request the item. This will alert the person who currently holds the item that they will need to return it.

This depends on the response speed of the library supplying the item.

Journal articles and book chapters that can be supplied digitally will usually be supplied within a few days but can be almost immediately.

Books will normally take 1-2 weeks to arrive. When they are on the way to us most will say 'in transit' in the request list in your account. If we decide to purchase an e-book it can be available more quickly.

If you think something has taken longer than you would have expected please email us at lib.ill@uea.ac.uk and we can update you on progress.

  • You can request one article per journal issue
  • For books, you can ask for one chapter or 10% whichever is longest
  • If you need more than one chapter you should request a loan of the book instead

By including the ISSN in your interlending request, it will help us to process your request more quickly and ensure we supply the correct item.

UK Theses

Many theses can be freely accessed via the British Library’s Ethos Service.

International Theses

The Library has upgraded its ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database to the Global version. This contains the full text of at least 3 million dissertations and theses and has information about other theses only available in print or from the holding libraries.

ProQuest has international coverage and is especially good for obtaining US and Canadian theses. Other sources of international theses include Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OADT) and EBSCO Open Dissertations.

If a thesis is not accessible via the above routes then make an interlending request using the book request form and we will try and supply it to you. Unfortunately, this will not always be possible and you may need to visit the relevant University Library to consult it there or contact the author directly.

Help

Need help with interlending?

Contact lib.ill@uea.ac.uk