Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about ILLiad

What is ILLiad?

ILLiad is the electronic system you use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan. The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for InterLibrary Loan internet accessible database.

How is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?

  1. You will find it easier to submit your interlibrary loan requests. With ILLiad, 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 photocopies 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.

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

Your username and password allows us to give you secure access to information about your interlibrary loan requests. We can also enable you to edit your personal information such as your address or phone number.

Your username can be anything you like, such as your name, abbreviations, or an alphanumeric code. Your password also can be anything you like. We recommend that you follow good security practice and choose a password that is different from those you use to access other systems. However, no one but you will know your password, not even the library staff. The password you set is stored in an encrypted file.

How do I request a renewal for items I have out?

  1. Log into your ILLiad profile - ILLiad Login
  2. Click on Checked Out Items
  3. Find title in the list
  4. Click on the relevant transaction number
  5. If the title is eligible for renewal the user will see "Renew Request" at the top of the record
  6. Click on "Renew Request" to initiate a renewal

What if I forget my password?

In the event that you forget your password, please click on "Forgot Password" link on the login page to reset your password allowing you access to ILLiad.

Forgot password

You will receive an email with a link to change your password. The email you receive will have the subject "Password Reset for ILLiad web". Click on the link in the email to change your password. You will be asked to set a password on the webpage of that link. You will also see something called a Reset ID. You can ignore that, as your original login id will remain. After you set the new password, you will be logged into ILLiad.

Reset ID

What Web browser should I use?

You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferrably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We recommend the current versions of either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

If you haven't done so in awhile, you may need to update your UConn security certificate

I use a Mac computer and have problems viewing some of the documents.

You may have difficulties viewing PDF files delivered via ILLiad if Adobe is not selected as your default viewer.  Please follow these steps to make Adobe your default viewer on your Mac.

You need at least Acrobat 5.x or higher to view your documents. Please visit Adobe's version site for MAC, Windows XP, Vista, and more.

The pages are upside down!

It is not uncommon for these scanned documents to have every other page upside down, but these pages can be rotated in the Adobe Acrobat Reader. See the example below explaining some of the functions in the Adobe Acrobat tool bar. Use the "rotate" tool on the right end of the toolbar to change the orientation or "rotate" the document when you view it. Adobe toolbar example

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 ILLiad only from your personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation.
  • Access ILLiad 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 ILLiad. 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 ILLiad, 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 ILLiad?

System Problems or InterLibrary Loan Questions: Email the Document Delivery-Interlibrary Loan (DD-ILL) office at udoc@uconn.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. You can refuse this cookie and still be able to use ILLiad without any problems.

You can see if your browser is configured to use Javascript and accept cookies below:
Note:If you are using Firefox, the text after "Your Browser is:" will display Netscape. This is normal.

JavaScript and Cookies Check

Your Browser is:

Javascript Support:

Click here for instructions to enable javascript, if message the above states "doesn't support".

Cookie Configuration:

Click here for instructions to enable cookies, if the message above states "doesn't support".

I logged into ILLiad, and I see the request status. What does it all mean?

ILLiad uses various statuses to track requests and control workflow. Please note that these statuses reflect the actions of the requesting customer as well as those of the ILL staff.

Status Message: Explanation:
Awaiting Conditional Processing A lending library sent us a message asking us to clarify our borrowing request for the item, or they have asked us whether we are willing to comply with special conditions (high cost, restricted use, etc.) before they will lend the item.
Awaiting Copyright Clearance This article request must be reviewed to determine if any copyright fees need to be paid. These fees, if required, are paid by the library, not the requesting customer.
Awaiting Request Processing This requested item has been submitted by the customer and has gone through the copyright clearance process, if necessary. It is now ready to be searched and requested from potential lenders.
Awaiting Unfilled Processing The request for this item was not filled by any of the possible lending libraries that we have tried so far. We will try to identify additional libraries that claim to own the item and send the request to these additional libraries.
Cancelled By Customer The customer has cancelled this request and no longer requires the requested item.
Checked Out to Customer The requested item has arrived from the lending library, has been processed by the staff, and has been placed at the circulation desk or mailed to the users designated address.
Delivered to Web The requested item has arrived, has been processed by the ILL staff, and has been posted to the requesting customer's personal ILLiad page, where it may be viewed and/or downloaded.
Item Checked In The item borrowed from another library has been returned to the ILL office by the customer and the item has been checked in. It is now ready for return processing.
Item Returned The item has been returned to the lender.
Request Finished The entire request process has been completed successfully. Requests with this status are archived under the "View Completed Requests" button.
Request In Processing This request is being processed at this moment.
Request Sent This request for an item not available at UCONN Library has been sent to possible lending libraries and we are waiting for the item to be shipped by a lender.
Submitted by Customer This request has been submitted by the customer and is awaiting processing by the ILL staff.