Q. How can I place an interlibrary loan (ILL) for only 1 chapter or portion of a book?

Often, researchers know they need only a portion of a book because they have access to the table of contents online or have seen a citation for the material in another work. Thus, they request a "Copy" of a portion to be made from the material via ILL. A "Copy" request means that a copy of the material is being made, either through scanning in the print version or downloading that portion from an e-version. It is typically a quicker turnaround time than a print physical "Loan" because no snail mail is involved (though sometimes, depending on what is being copied, the scan or copied material may be mailed instead). Scanning/copying of material can also be done for items that TCC owns/grants access to, turning it into a document delivery request (see below for more information). 

To place such a "Copy" request, follow the typical steps outlined in this FAQ for placing a book request but when you get to the request screen where the information about your item populates, you can switch over to the "Article or Copied Material" tab instead of the default "Print Book" tab where all the item information is populated. There, you will be able to put in section or chapter information (you can also supply page ranges instead, it is a free text field) of the portion you need. This is the button/tab you need to select if you just want a copy from a book ("Article or Copied Material"): 

For the "Article Title" field, use the chapter or section title you need. Or, you can leave it blank and put in page ranges if there is no header to base it off of. The more information the better, but we can always try to work around unknown info!

Please only request one chapter/section per request if multiple sections are needed. You are more likely to get a library to supply the scans this way, as it falls better in their copyright compliance tracking (CONTU Guidelines). Small, consecutive sections may be attempted in one request, but may be broken up into multiple requests if there is no positive library supplier response.   

Please note that we cannot typically request a whole book to be copied due to copyright restrictions. Our library follows CONTU guidelines, which means we will only process up to 5 total requests (ie copies of a section) from our entire college from any one (1) title published in the last 5 years. Older material will not be added to our accumulative 5. 

Most libraries will not copy an entire book if a print version can be sent instead, as copying weighs less in favor of fair use or other exemptions if there is an alternative. Articles, for example, from serial publications are therefore interpreted to be sections of a whole (journal, magazine, etc.), leading to them being supplied in full (i.e. the entire article instead of a portion). 

If you have requested material the library already owns or grants access to in some fashion, it may be cancelled or filled as a document delivery request.

The format of supplied requests may be outside of the TCC Library's control, and we make no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the compatibility, readability, playback, conversion, or functionality of such materials. The requestor is responsible for obtaining any necessary software, devices, or equipment required to access, display, or use the requested content.