Yes, an online student can check out a physical book from the library. The customer would need to use the Interlibrary Loan System (ILL):
- Find the book in our online library in order to verify that it is available and to get the bibliographical information. You can simply search for the book by title on the library main page. You will need to know at least the author and title, but any additional information will be helpful.
- Once you know the library has the book and you have the bibliographical information, register for an Interlibrary Loan account (ILLiad account) here. Click on Log in to ILLiad to log in to your ILL account. If you are a first-time user, the page will prompt you to create an account. Fill out the form and proceed to the next step.
- Once in the ILLiad account, you will need to put in a request by clicking on Book in the left-hand side menu under New Request.
- Simply fill out the bibliographical information requested on the next page and submit the form by clicking on Submit Request at the bottom of the page.
- An email will be sent to confirm the request. This book will be pulled off our shelves and sent to you through the mail. Please note that you will be responsible for shipping costs when you return the book to the library. If you have any additional questions, please contact the Interlibrary Loan office at (434) 582-2442.
*It would be helpful to see if the book is available as an e-book (electronic book) before requesting the printed copy.
Other options:
- Use worldcat.org to find out if a copy of that book that is available at a library near you.
- The Jerry Falwell Library also participates in both the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) Reciprocal Borrowing Program and the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) Cooperative Borrowing Program. You can see more about those programs and whether there is a library near you here: https://www.liberty.edu/library/beyond-our-library/
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to us at (434) 582-2220 or at research@liberty.edu.
