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NIUILLiad

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about NIUILLiad

What is NIUILLiad?

NIUILLiad is the electronic system you use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan. The name NIUILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for I nter L ibrary L oan i nternet a ccessible d atabase.

How is NIUILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?

  1. You will find it easier to submit your interlibrary loan requests. With NIUILLiad, you enter your name, address, and other personal information into the system only once, at the time of your first request.
  2. Your request will be handled more rapidly and accurately as problems relating to misinterpretation of hand-written requests are eliminated.
  3. You can get many of your articles more quickly through Electronic Delivery.
  4. You can get information about the status of your request through the Web at any time from any location without having to call the ILL Department.
  5. Library personnel are able to serve you better because all data about your request and its handling is stored in a searchable database. We are able to respond quickly to your inquiries about your request. We are also able to gather statistical information about the performance of the libraries that lend to us, enabling us to make better decisions when choosing a lender to supply an item.

Are there any disadvantages to the electronic system?

Some people might find it troublesome to have to log into NIUILLiad using a username and password. We believe this is less trouble than traditional paper and electronic systems which require you to enter your personal information with each new request.

Why do I need a username and password to use NIUILLiad?

By using your NIU issued User ID and password, we can ensure only authorized NIU students, staff and faculty have access to NIUILLiad.

What Web browser should I use?

You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferably cascading style sheets (CSS). We recommend the current versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari.

Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?

Yes. Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation. This allows a subsequent user of the workstation to access the system under your name using the browser's Back button to recall a page from the cache, or by finding a page with your personal information in the browser's history file. If you are concerned about the security of your interlibrary loan requests, you can take the following steps:
  • Access NIUILLiad only from your personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation.
  • Access NIUILLiad from a public workstation in the Interlibrary Loan office in the library. These computers are supervised by the library staff.
  • When using a public access workstation:
    1. Delete from the history file those pages that contain your personal information.
    2. Exit from the Web browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from accessing the pages you were using.

Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?

From time to time we purge older records from NIUILLiad. Our policy is to keep requests online for several years order to comply with record keeping requirements of the copyright law.

What is electronic delivery?

Many libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. In the past we printed these articles before delivering them to you. Now, through NIUILLiad, we are able to offer you the option of electronic delivery of these articles in PDF format (Adobe's Portable Document Format). You can read more about electronic delivery on the Electronic Delivery Information page.

Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about NIUILLiad?

System Problems, Technical Support Questions or InterLibrary Loan Questions: Information Delivery Services Office at (815)753-9842 or e-mail illdept@niu.edu

Why does my browser say that you're sending a cookie? What's in it?

The technology that we use sends a Session ID to be stored on your machine. This cookie is required to remain logged in to the NIUILLiad system.