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Interlibrary Loans: Home

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) - Details

If you are an NIC student or faculty member and you can't find the article you are looking for at the NIC library, you can make a request to borrow the item from other BC Libraries using our Interlibrary Loan service. 

  • Interlibrary Loan request items MUST support your research or studies at NIC.

  • Articles usually arrive within 3-5 business days and are emailed directly to your NIC email account.

  • Books usually arrive within 10 business days and are available for pick-up at the NIC Library campus you ordered from.

  • Books have a 3-week loan period and are not eligible for renewal.

  • The late fee for Interlibrary Loan books is $1.00 per day. Students with more than $5.00 in library fines will be blocked from placing interlibrary loan requests.

  • Reference books, required textbooks and fiction books are not available through Interlibrary Loan.

Please note: If you'd like to borrow library materials from another NIC campus, click on "Place Hold" underneath the item title in the NIC Library Catalogue. 

How to Order Books

If you'd like to request a book, you can search academic and public libraries across the province using Illume (formerly BC Outlook Online). To get started, select the link below that corresponds with your campus: 

Comox Valley Campbell River
Port Alberni Mixalakwila

Please note: This service is NOT compatible with Internet Explorer.

Once there, follow these steps to request an item:

  1. Search using the search bar at the top of the screen
  2. Click on the "Request this Item" button
  3. Fill out the ILL request form, ensuring that the correct pickup location displays
  4. Click submit

When your book arrives you will be notified by telephone or via your NIC e-mail address. Books can be picked up and returned at the circulation desk.

 

How to Order Articles

If you would like to request a magazine or journal article, you can place your request online by clicking on thelink in our article databases. From there, click on A form will open; fill out the required fields, and click submit. When your article arrives you will be notified via your NIC e-mail address.

For a list of available databases, visit A-Z Databases. If you cannot find the article you are looking for in the NIC databases, you can complete an Interlibrary Loan Request form. 

Guidelines for ILL Borrowers 

  • The ILL service at NIC is a FREE service available to active students, staff and faculty only.
  • Journal articles generally arrive within 3-5 business days. 
  • When your article is ready, you will receive an email from TitanFile with a link to a PDF of the item you requested. You may keep the PDF. Learn more about TitanFile, including troubleshooting tips, here.

Article Delivery System - TitanFile

The NIC Library safely delivers online ILL articles using TitanFile, a secure file sharing system. After you place your ILL, you will receive an email with a link to a PDF version of the article you requested.

  • If you don't see an email from TitanFile and it's been a few days since your request was placed, be sure to check your junk folder. If you plan on ordering multiple ILLs, add TitanFile to you address book to avoid emails being sent to your junk mailbox.
  • TitanFile may not work with some browsers. If you can't open your PDF, try using Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari or Firefox.
  • Remember, wireless downloading can take a while and some files may be quite large.
  • IMPORTANT: TitanFile download links expire two weeks after they are sent. Once you download the PDF, it is yours to keep.
  • If your link has expired before you were able to download it, please contact the library @ 250-334-5037. 

Visit the link below for more information about TitanFile.