Why do I have to use my VUMC ID or VUNetID to log in?

The library offers interlibrary loan as just one of a growing list of online services, and we want you to be able to access all of them with the same User ID and password. The DDS system uses information from your existing faculty, student, or employee login, to register most Vanderbilt library users for DDS Services. Please remember that changing your password for your DDS account will not automatically change your Vanderbilt login password. Because it is so important that the two systems remain in sync with each other, you should change your DDS password only if you've made the same change in your Vanderbilt account.

I can't get logged in! How do I get help?

Please send an e-mail to document.delivery@vanderbilt.edu, or contact library staff at 615-936-1410 to explain your situation.

I don't see a request form for the kind of item I want - what should I do?

Please use whichever request form is most convenient for you. We offer a variety of forms to make it easier for you to provide your citations, not to limit what you can ask for. If requesting a music score or proceedings volume, use the "Book Loan" form if that is what makes sense to you. Likewise, you might choose either the "Book Chapter" or the "Journal Article" request form to order a conference paper. If necessary, contact the DDS Office (615-936-1410) or send an email to document.delivery@vanderbilt.edu for further assistance.

Do I have to log in to find out when my book or article will arrive?

No! We will notify you via email when a loan arrives for you to pick up, or when an article has been posted for you to download.

Where's my request? I asked for a renewal and now my request is gone from "Items Checked Out."

When you ask for a renewal, the request moves back to the "Requests in Process" category until the renewal has been transmitted to the lending library. If or when the request is granted, it will move back to "Items Checked Out" in the system. In general, whenever the DDS office needs to take action on your request, the request will be found in "Requests in Process."

Where's my request? I checked my DDS account but do not see my interlibrary loan requests listed.

If you have logged into your DDS account and do not see your requests, first check the "History" tab and select "all requests" from the menu options. If the request you are seeking is not listed with a status here, please email the DDS team at document.delivery@vanderbilt.edu.

Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about DDS/ILLiad?

For any questions regarding your DDS account or the document delivery service process, please email document.delivery@vanderbilt.edu, or call the service desk at 615-936-1410 and request to speak with a DDS employee.

How long do I have to wait before I receive my requests?

Books: 8 to 14 days. Articles: 1-3 days on average, but it can also take a week to ten days depending on the processing speed of the lending library.

Note that these are only "normal" times. Turnaround time for interlibrary loans varies widely, depending on the processing speed of the lending library, whether the first library asked can fill the request, and various other factors.

Sometimes the system lets me renew my loan online, and sometimes not - why?

The Eskind Library’s Document Delivery Services team wants you to have the fullest possible use of your loans, including renewals when the lending library allows. When the DDS online system does not allow you to request a renewal online, there are several possible reasons. Please contact DDS staff (telephone 615-936-1410, 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday) or e-mail document.delivery@vanderbilt.edu to discuss your options, which may depend on one of the following scenarios:

• The loan is not "checked out" in the online system. (ILLiad, our backend system, doesn't understand requesting a renewal for a loan that hasn't been picked up.) If you still have the slip, please contact the DDS office to ask for a renewal.
• The loan has already been renewed. Lending libraries generally allow only one renewal.
• The lending library specified that no renewals could be requested. (In this case you will see that "no renewals" is printed on the interlibrary loan book band/slip, and the restriction is mentioned in your e-mail pickup notice.)
• It is too soon to ask for a renewal. Lending libraries usually renew from when the renewal is requested, not from the original due date, so asking too soon is not to your benefit. Please wait until the due date or just a few days earlier, then request the renewal.
• It is too late to ask for a renewal. Lending libraries will not renew interlibrary loans that are overdue. The DDS system automatically sends a first overdue reminder in time for you to request a renewal; when you receive that notice, you should renew right away if you need an extension of your loan.

What do the various statuses in the DDS portal mean?

Most of the statuses in DDS portal are self-explanatory. The following may need more explanation:

• "Awaiting Request Processing": Your request is in the queue, but DDS staff have not yet transmitted it to a potential supplier.
• "Request Sent": Your interlibrary loan request has been sent to a potential supplying library.
• "Awaiting Unfilled Processing": The libraries contacted could not supply your item; DDS staff are searching for further potential suppliers.
• "Awaiting Conditional Processing": A library has sent a message to DDS staff concerning your request, and DDS staff will respond or are searching for other potential suppliers, etc. (depending on the content of the message).
• "Awaiting Extensive Searching": Your request may or may not be problematic, but it requires the attention of senior searching staff before it can be transmitted to a potential supplier.
• "Customer Notified via E-Mail": Your loan has arrived and you have been notified to pick it up. If you missed the e-mail notice you should pick up the item or enquire about it.
• "Cancelled by ILL Staff": This transaction was cancelled by ILL (DDS) staff, and you were notified of the reason (unless there was some reason that notification would not be useful to you, for example, if the request duplicates another request for the same item).

I see notes like "Need more info" - "Check NUC" - "aaa - lack ; bbb,ddd - nos": Do I need to do anything? "

No, you don't need to take any action. DDS staff often make notes in request records to help with our internal searching or handling of your request. If we do have any questions or messages for you, we will contact you by e-mail or telephone.