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Online Students

This guide will show students in online courses how to get access to the UIS Library's resources.

Illinois Residents

UIS participates in a system called I-Share to share books between Illinois research libraries. If you live in Illinois, you can request any book from any I-Share library and check it out at any other I-Share library near you with your UIS I-Card. (If you do not have a physical I-Card, you may be able to use your digital ID in the UIS app, but you will probably want to call ahead to ask the library you're going to if they accept digital IDs and plan to bring another form of identification.)

Users Outside Illinois

If you live outside of Illinois, you may request items from the Brookens Library holdings via InterLibrary Loan, or MyILL. Please note that we are not able to send items owned by other libraries and that you will have to use your local library for these requests.

Be sure to include in the NOTES field of your request that you are an online only student. This is a critical piece of information that will alert Brookens Library staff to the fact that the item will need to be mailed to you. Brookens will mail the item to you free of charge. However, you will be responsible for the cost of shipping it back to the library.

Need help? Watch our video on how to place ILL requests:

Interlibrary Loan for Distance Students Policies

  • This service is intended for distance learning students only. Students who regularly attend classes on-campus, live in the Springfield area, or are within an hour's driving distance of the campus are expected to retrieve items from the library in person.
  • Allow at least one (1) week for delivery; holidays and weekends may add extra time.
  • We reserve the right to limit the number of materials provided to an individual and to prioritize requests processed.
  • Borrowers are responsible for all loaned materials from the time the item leaves the library. Brookens Library does not assess overdue fines for materials in the general collection. If the item is not returned or renewed, at sixty (60) days past due a bill is generated consisting of a replacement charge for each item and a non-waivable $10.00 processing fee.

Other Options

If you have any questions about getting access to books, please email us. You may also be able to access books through your local public library.