Requesting

Using this service

Current status: 
Key points: 
Log in to ILLiad
Available to: 
  • Students
  • Faculty & Staff
Contact: 

For help requesting items in the catalog, contact the Library Service Desk (828-262-2818)

For help requesting items from other libraries (interlibrary loan), contact Dianna Moody (moodydm@appstate.edu or 828-262-2826).

About this service

Request items owned by Appalachian

University Libraries offers a service through the request function of the library catalog that allows eligible patrons to have books and media pulled for them and placed on our hold shelf for pickup at the library service desk. All faculty, staff, and students can use this service.

Delivery by mail is also available for faculty, doctoral students, and distance education students.

Follow these steps to request an item be placed on hold:

  • Find the item in the online catalog and display the full record on the screen
  • Verify that the item status is “NOT CHK’D OUT”
  • Click on the “Request” link at the top of the page (there is a red check mark next to it)
  • Enter your username/password in the left boxes, or last name and Banner ID number in the right boxes
  • Choose either “ASU Lib Service Desk” or “ASU Faculty Dept.” as your preferred pickup location
  • It is recommended to leave the “cancel if not filled by” date blank unless you will no longer need the item after a particular date.
  • Please wait until you receive an email notification before coming to the library to pick up your requested item(s).

We cannot guarantee a specific turnaround time from request to availability due to the time involved in pulling the requests, but our goal is to have a 24-hour turnaround time, Monday–Friday (excluding holidays and breaks).

Faculty can have books delivered to their department via campus mail. Learn more about faculty delivery service on the Book Delivery page.

Request a purchase or an alternate format

  • To request that the library purchase an item, please use the library's Contact Form and select "Suggest Material for Library Purchase" as the category.
  • You can use this form to request physical items and digital items like e-books.
  • The collection management team will review your request and reply by email.

If the library already owns an item but you need it in a different format due to an accessibility concern (e.g., an e-book version you can use with text-to-speech software), please use the Contact Form, select "Suggest Material for Library Purchase" as the category, and specify in your message that an alternate format is needed for accommodation.

Requests items from UNCA or WCU
using ABC Express

ABC (Asheville, Boone, Cullowhee) Express is a delivery service operated by the Western North Carolina Library Network (WNCLN) of Appalachian State University, UNC-Asheville, and Western Carolina University.  If you need a book, journal, or other library material that is at UNC-Asheville or Western Carolina University libraries, ABC Express can usually have it here for you within 2-3 business days.

Please note, there could be possible delays due to holidays or inclement weather.

Delivery by mail is also available for faculty, doctoral students, and distance education students.

Students, faculty, and staff of Appalachian State University, UNC-Asheville, and Western Carolina University are eligible to use ABC Express. All other patrons should contact their public libraries.

Follow these steps:

  1. Find the book/journal or film* in the online catalog and display the full record on the screen.
  2. Click on the "Request" button near the top of the screen.
  3. Enter name, ID number and pickup location, as prompted.
  4. Follow screen instructions to submit request.

*Only faculty are eligible to borrow DVD, films or videos on ABC Express. Due to consortia membership requirements, UNC-A faculty are not eligible to request SASASAAS films.

Yes, the limit for active requests is ten (10) items. A request is active until the item is checked out to you or the request expires.

  • Books, films, videos, and DVDs are held for 7 days at the Library Service Desk.
  • The loan period for books is 3 weeks; renewals are allowed.
  • The loan period for films/videos/DVDs is 7 days; no renewals allowed.
  • Journals: 48 hour use for faculty, staff, and students. Journals will be held at least 3 business days prior to being returned on an ABC Express run; no renewals allowed. There is a $0.50 per hour overdue fine on all journals for all patrons.
  • Current (unbound) issues of journals must be requested on a "pink form." Ask for the form at the Library Service Desk.
  • All patrons are responsible for overdue fines on ABC Express items.

For questions regarding ABC Express, contact Greg Beavers by email (beaversgs@appstate.edu) or phone (828-262-2781).

Request items from other libraries
using Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a way for you to request items not held at ASU, UNCA, or WCU libraries. We use an online software system called ILLiad for our interlibrary loan service. There is no charge for this service. Delivery time for materials requested through interlibrary loan ranges from 2 days to 2 weeks. To avoid delays, please provide complete citation information.

All students, faculty, and staff can have ILL items delivered to the library service desk. Delivery by mail is also available for faculty, doctoral students, and distance education students.

Appalachian State University students, faculty, and staff may use the interlibrary loan service. Although this service is free for you to use, the library does incur costs when providing this service. Therefore, we ask that you request only those items that you will actually use.

Log in to your ILLiad account and submit your request online. If you do not have an ILLiad account, there is a link on the login page telling you how to get an account. If you have questions about our interlibrary loan service, please contact the Document Delivery Office by email (moodydm@appstate.edu) or phone (828-262-2826).

ILL video tutorial

You will be notified as follows:

  • Photocopies of journal articles: They will be mailed directly to the address listed. They are yours to keep.
  • Articles delivered via the Web: They will remain accessible to you for 15 days after notification has been sent to you of their arrival or until you delete the file, whichever occurs first.
  • Articles requested from Ingenta: If you requested the article be faxed to the Library, it will be available for you to pick up at the library service desk 24 hours after your request. It will not be mailed to you nor will you receive a notification that it has arrived.
  • Books/Microformats: When items arrive, you will be notified via your ASU email address and any email address you have added to your ILLiad account. Faculty have the option of having materials delivered to their departments, and distance education and doctoral students can have items delivered by mail.

Tip: Do not remove the yellow strap from the material. This is for your benefit, since when the item is returned, the strap alerts staff to the item's source and avoids accruing fines if the material does not make it back to the lending library on time.

The loan periods for items request through ILL vary by the lending institution.

Can I renew ILL materials?

You may renew ILL materials one time. Contact the ILL Office by email (moodydm@appstate.edu) or phone (828-262-2826) at least 4 days prior to the due date on the purple strap.

Yes, there is a limit to the number of active requests.

  • Undergraduates and staff are limited to 10 active requests.
  • Graduate students are limited to 20 active requests.
  • Faculty are limited to 30 active requests.

A request is considered active on submission. A request for an article is no longer active once the item has been forwarded to you. A request for a book or other item checked out to you remains active until the item is returned.

What are the fines for overdue or lost items?

Overdue fines are $0.50 per day (maximum of $25), and apply to all patrons. Recall fines are an additional $0.50 per day. Replacement fines vary by lending institution.