Scenario 1: only found in print
If the article is in print only in the library, you can place an ILL request for the article, copying and pasting information into the blank ILL request form. This will turn it into a document delivery request. We may be able to digitize (scan in) the print material for your use, if copyright allows. See the link for more information.
Scenario 2: our library doesn't seem to offer it in any format
We do offer a service called Interlibrary Loan (ILL), which allows us to request articles and other materials for our patrons from other libraries. However, there are a few ways to check to make sure you really don't have access to something before placing an ILL request!
Once place to check is an online search engine (eg Google the title). Yes, using a search engine could bring up the article if it is Open Access (OA) material. Oftentimes, our databases or our catalog will have indexing information on an OA article (showing a result maybe held by libraries world wide), but not offer the article itself, because it is free online.
But when that fails, you can use these tips to request the article via ILL:
- Search the catalog: If you haven't searched the catalog for the title of the article, you can learn how to do that here in this FAQ. If we don't hold the article, it will prompt you to place an interlibrary loan.
- Search a database: If TCC has full text access to that journal in that database, you'll see an obvious link to full text (it will say something like PDF Full Text, HTML Full Text , or View Full Text). If you don't see something like that, you'll probably see a link that says something like Find Full Text at TCC Library instead. Clicking that link forces the system to check our holdings (basically what searching the catalog does), and if full text is available, you might land on a page with links to the full text. This is an example of what that might look like in an EBSCO database, but keep in mind it might look different if in a non-EBSCO database:
If TCC does have access to it in another database, the next landing page (after clicking "Find Full Text @ TCC Library") will tell you where to access it through our link resolver (what the catalog also uses):
If TCC does not have access to that publication through any other databases, you can check on "Print copies at your library" or, you may be prompted to put in an ILL request for the item.
The form for requesting should pre-populate most of the fields. It's a good idea to double check the fields to be sure the journal title, article title, volume, issue and date match the record you found in the database or what you know about the article. After double checking that and your TCC email address, submit the request!
You'll be notified by email when the article is available for viewing. You can check on the status of ILL requests as well through your library account. Learn how to do that here.
To be clear, we don't guarantee that we can get every item requested -- it depends upon the lending policies of the libraries who have online access to the article.
Please don't hesitate to contact our Access Services Office if you have additional questions by emailing InterlibraryLoan@tulsacc.edu.