Library FAQs

If MSU's Library Services does not have access to a book, you can request it from other libraries through our Interlibrary Loan service, or ILL. This service is provided free of charge to current MSU students, faculty, and staff. 

We cannot borrow ebooks from other libraries, only physical items. We can obtain single book chapters regardless of the book’s format.

Find Books through WorldCat Discovery

Go to WorldCat Discovery, which is also found on our Databases A-Z page (these links will open in a new window). 

1. In WorldCat Discovery, search for the title or topic of your book.
   1. You have access to the book from our library, if the results show At Minnesota State University, Mankato under the title. 
   2. We do not have the book if the entry states At other libraries worldwide. Follow the steps below to request a book through ILL.

Request an ILL through WorldCat Discovery

2. Click on the title of the item you want to borrow. 
3. Select the Request Item through Interlibrary Loan button. This sends you to MavScholar.
4. On the next screen under the How to get it section, Sign In using your StarID information. 
5. After signing in, click the Interlibrary Loan link in the How to get it section.
6. A form will show filled-in information about the book. Review the information to make sure it is correct. Check the box to acknowledge the copyright statement. Click Send Request to continue. The next screen should confirm your submitted request.

Pick Up and Return an ILL

It may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to get the book. You will receive a message, sent to your MavMail account, when the book is ready to be picked up at Memorial Library. Come to the Circulation desk near the entrance. 

Your MavCard is required to checkout the book. Inside the book, there will be paperwork. Keep the ILL paperwork with the book. 

Return the book, with the paperwork, to Memorial Library, by the due date. Staff will ship the book back to the lending library. 

The lending library sets the due date. You can request to renew the book to keep it longer, but the owning library may say no, so plan for that possibility.