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DELA Canada - Library Orientation: 4. Getting Books

Things to Know

As a Gonzaga student in Canada, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Getting & returning library materials

  • All articles are delivered electronically, but books are mailed to you, so plan accordingly. Mail delivery from the US to Canada is slow! Allow 3-4 weeks for mail from Spokane to arrive.
  • Overdue on arrival? Yikes!  It happens all the time; a library book finally arrives on your doorstep and it's already past the due date.  If that happens, notify us immediately at ill@gonzaga.edu and we'll give you additional time with the book.
  • You are responsible for return postage, overdue charges and replacement fees for books damaged while in your possession.
  • The loan period for a book from Foley Library's General Collection is 8 weeks for our graduate students.
  • Library policies regarding overdue fines and lost/damaged book replacement charges apply to both on campus and distant students.
  • It's easy to avoid overdue charges by renewing books as the due date approaches. You can renew a General Collection book online and up to 8 times as long as no one else needs it.
  • We are pretty lenient with overdue fines on books returned by mail as long as you try to return them near the due date. If you need a little more time or if there's a problem with the return, let us know.

Alternatives to the postal service

  • If you will be visiting campus, we can hold materials here until you arrive. Just let us know when you will be on campus by sending an e-mail to ill@gonzaga.edu.
  • Occasionally you might be able to make arrangements for a book to be delivered or returned by your Gonzaga-based professors. This is "above and beyond the call of duty" for them and is entirely at the discretion of your professor!  If you do make such an arrangement, contact us at ill@gonzaga.edu and provide us with the all the details.

Books from Foley

If you are looking for a particular book, the fastest way to find it is with a title browse search.

1. On the library homepage, select Browse Search.

Picture of the "Browse Search" button on the Foley web page

2. Select a List to Browse from the drop down menu, select Title.

3. Type the beginning of the title of the book and hit enter.

A browse search is not quite like a normal search. It will pull up the exact result and anything near it alphabetically in the browse list. What it won't do is show you search results that are close to, but not quite, what you searched for. The best method for finding a title is to type the first three or four words of the title exactly and see what comes up.

A note about articles (the grammar kind, not the journal kind!):

If your title starts with A, AN, or THE, leave the article off and start with the next word. For instance, instead of The Lord of the Rings search for Lord of the Rings.

THIS and THAT are always included in the title, i.e. That Hideous Strength would be found by searching for That Hideous Strength, not Hideous Strength.

  • You are responsible for return postage.
  • Package books to avoid damage - use the same box or envelope they came in if it's in good condition.
  • If it's close to the due date, send an email to ill@gonzaga.edu to let us know the books are on their way.
  • If you know you will be coming to campus and would prefer to return the books at that time, let us know: ill@gonzaga.edu.
  • A yellow return address label is included when we send the books to you. You can also print the label provided here.

Get Your Hands Dirty!

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  1. Find a book at Foley using Primo, and go through the steps to request it (just stop before you hit that final Hold button).
  2. Find a book in WorldCat and click on Send Request by ILLiad. (Don't worry: the final request takes another step to send.) Observe how ILLiad pulls all the information for that book and puts it into a request form for you.
  3. Locate a full-text ebook using Primo.

Getting Books from Other Libraries

When to use Interlibrary Loan (ILL):

  • Foley Library doesn't have a book you need for your research
  • Foley Library can't supply an article you need and you have already checked for the journal/issue/date in Periodicals@Foley.
  • You are a faculty member or graduate student and the article you need is in the print collection in the library.

To Request Books From Other Libraries:

  • Go to the library homepage
  • Select WorldCat and search for the item(s).
  • Use the Request via Interlibrary Loan option within a book's record to place a request.

Interlibrary Loan link in a WorldCat Record

ILL Facts and Tips

ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME - Ordering a book through Interlibrary Loan is not an option for "last minute" research. The lending library mails the book to Foley Library and then we check it out to you. That takes time.

BE VERY SELECTIVE - Please limit your interlibrary loan requests to items you can truly use in your research. The library is happy to provide this service free of charge to current students, but it can be expensive for us, so please use it judiciously. 

LENDING LIBRARIES CALL THE SHOTS - Books we get for you through interlibrary loan (ILL) are subject to the policies of the lending institution.  While most ILL books come with a 4-week loan period, the loan periods may be shorter and renewals are always at the discretion of the lending library. Please give "ILL books" your immediate attention when they arrive so you will be prepared to return them on time.  Overdue charges and lost/damaged fees do apply.

IF A BOOK ARRIVES IN THE MAIL ON (OR AFTER) THE DUE DATE -  This does happen on occasion. Contact us immediately if it happens to you! We will renew the book and do our best to get you more time from the lending library.  Phone numbers: 509-313-3824 / 800-498-5941 or e-mail ill@gonzaga.edu

ILL HOMEPAGE: researchguides.gonzaga.edu/ILL

Quiz Yourself!

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Subjects: Course Guides