Purpose of the Interlibrary Loan ( ILL) Service

Panitza Library supports Patrons’ research needs by offering a wide range of additional resources via interlibrary loan service. The Library has established contacts not only with local Bulgarian libraries, but also with many international ones through WorldCat, AMICALCat, British Library Document Supply Center and SUBITO Document Delivery Service.

ILL acquires books, conference papers, copies of journal articles, not owned by Panitza Library.

Eligible Users

Interlibrary Loan service is available to all current AUBG faculty, students and staff that hold a valid ID card. This service is NOT available to Alumni, guest or community borrowers.

Limitations and Cost

The service is free of charge only for limited users – faculty and senior students, with certain restrictions on the number of the free ILL borrowings:

      -    Faculty members: up to 5 materials per academic year.

-         Senior students: up to 3 materials per academic year.

Senior students should provide an approval from their senior thesis advisor, stating that the requested material is highly needed for the student’s research work.

The requester himself should pay for orders exceeding this limit.  

All other users of the service are required to pay part of the cost of each request. The fees are as follows:

-         For article - $ 3.00

-         For book or other paper format document - $15.00.

Although the paid service is unlimited, ILL is designed to be used for serious research projects. The Library reserves the right to refuse any ILL request if it is deemed to fall beyond the reasons the service was designed for.  

Make an order

-         by email - ill@aubg.bg ; nbell@aubg.bg 

-         by fulfilling a form (paper copy can be obtain from the library Circulation Desk and the electronic downloadable form can be found on the webpage);

-         ‘Suggestions/Requests’ section on the webpage can direct you straight to the ILL librarian;

-         personal request – please contact the Serials and ILL Librarian, Panitza Library, Office 208, ext.340.

Fill out the form completely

 -  Give an accurate bibliographic citation and the source of each reference.

 -  Provide your ID card number, name, and email address.

 -  Fill out a separate form for each item he/she wants.

 -  Forms that are incomplete, or have inaccurate citations delay the process.

 -  Turn in the completed form(s) at the Circulation desk, the ILL office or via email.   

Restrictions for ILL : The following materials cannot be requested through ILL :

-         entire issues/volumes of a periodical

-         most genealogical material

-         some current year materials

-         audiovisual material

-         reference and archival documents

-         pictures

-         rare, valuable and fragile materials

Delivery time  

Most requests are filled within 3-10 days.  However, delays are common and it may take longer if the requested item is out of the ordinary, or in great demand or if the details that the Patron supply are incomplete or inaccurate.

Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that a request can be filled. 

The ILL Librarian will inform the Patron via email of the status of the request – if it is available for order, specific conditions of the lending library (for example, in-library use only, shorter due date), and approximately how long it will take to be delivered.

Lending libraries may take up to 28 days to respond to a loan request. Materials may be unavailable at the lending library, or the first owning library contacted may choose not to loan the material.  In such cases, a second, and sometimes a third, library must be contacted.  A sudden influx of ILL requests may also slow the process. The Patron may contact the ILL librarian to check the progress of the requests.

The Patron should inform the ILL librarian as soon as possible if he/she no longer requires an item. The request can then be cancelled and no cost deducted from the library’s account. If the request is already fulfilled the student have to pay the full fee.

Reinitiating Request

The Patron may ask that an unfilled request be reinitiated.  However, the ILL librarian must first determine if there is sufficient reason to expect a second request to be filled.  The Patron may be asked to prоvide additional information or to agree to some reset condition established by the lending library (for example, in-library use only, shorter term for use).

Secure Electronic Delivery (SED)

SED is a service from the Subito Document Delivery Service or The British Library Documents Supply Center, which supplies some ILL electronic copies.  Instead of the lender printing a copy of an article and posting it, they put a copy on their web server for users to read or print out for limited time. The Patron will get an email to tell him/her how to access the material, as well as instructions about necessary software requirements.

Loan Periods and Due Dates

After receiving the material, the ILL librarian will inform the Patron that the requested document is ready to be checked-out and that the fee, specified in the ILL policy, will be deducted from his/hers account.

The loan period for books is determined by the lending library. Normally it is 21 days.  The due date is indicated on the yellow card, given to the Patron on check out. The card has to be kept and returned together with the book.

All materials should be returned by the due date to the Circulation desk of the library where they were picked up. Borrowers, who disregard due dates, jeopardize their Interlibrary Loan borrowing privileges.

Patrons will be charged one dollar ($1.00) per day for each day that an Interlibrary Loan book is overdue.

All items should be returned to the Panitza Library staff at the Circulation desk and NOT directly to the lending library!

Loan Recalls

The lending library retains the right to request the immediate return of any material it has loaned to Panitza Library at any time before the original due date given.  In these rare instances, the ILL librarian will contact the Patron and inform him/her of the new due date.  The Patron will owe an overdue fine for any materials returned after this newly established due date.

Renewal Request

A Patron may ask that the loan period of a borrowed item be extended.  Any request for renewals must be made before the due date.  The lending library determines the length of time, if the loan period may be extended at all. 

Many items borrowed through ILL are clearly marked "NO RENEWAL". No attempt will be made to extend the loan period of these items.

Lost/Damaged Materials

The lending library will determine the replacement cost of any lost or damaged material. All charges will be paid by the Patron, responsible for the lost/damaged materials.