What kinds of items can I request?
You can request any item from the libraries that is listed as AVAILABLE in the catalog; this should include the vast majority of all books, media items, scores, and so on. You cannot request items that are in processing, being repaired, or marked as Lib Use Only. You can request an item that is currently checked out; if you do, it will be held for you as soon as it is returned by the patron who currently has it.
How many items can I request at once?
Undergraduate students can request up to twenty items at once, while graduate students and faculty/staff can request up to forty. Community borrowers can request up to ten items. Prospector allows up to forty requests, but this includes any items that you have already checked out currently from Prospector, so be careful about your total!
How long will the library hold a requested item for me?
Requested items are held until one of the following things happens:
When one of these conditions is met, the item will be placed back on the shelf or sent back to the lending library.
How long can I keep a requested item?
It depends on where you borrowed it from. All University Libraries items can be kept for their usual time period and renewed as normal, regardless of whether they were requested by you. Items borrowed through Tipasa or Prospector will have due dates set by the library that lent them, and UNC is not able to change these dates.
Most items at the Skinner Music Library can be requested for pickup. An item that has been requested is set aside and cannot be checked out by anyone else until either it has been picked up and returned, or it has not been picked up after several weeks and library staff return it to the shelf.
Items that are designated Lib Use Only - mostly reference items such as encyclopedias, or delicate items that could be easily damaged - cannot be requested, since they can only be used in the library and never leave it. Similarly, new items that are still in processing or older items that have been removed for repairs cannot be reserved until they are available to be checked out. Items that are purely online cannot be reserved, but can be accessed at any time by logging in with your UNC account.
You can request items directly from the search results page of Summon by clicking on the More Actions icon (the three dots to the far right of the item you want):
Once you click on Reserve, you will be taken to the item's Encore page, where you can click the Request it button to the right of the title. If you are not logged into your UNC account, you will be prompted to log in. Once you do, you can choose which location you would like to pick up the item (Michener Library or Skinner Music Library):
Click the Submit button to make your request. Once you do, you should see a message confirming that the item is on hold for you.
Once you have requested an item, you should no longer see the option to request it - instead, the item's page will tell you that it is already on hold. You should now also have an Edit Hold button in the item's page:
If you want to change the location to pick up the item, click on Edit Hold to do so. If you no longer want the item, click on Cancel Hold and then the large Cancel Hold button to cancel your request. If you want to place the item on hold again, click on Add Another Hold; this hold will be fulfilled after the first one, so it will not take effect until the item is returned again.
You can request items directly from the search results page of Encore by clicking on the Request it button to the right of the item's title:
If you are not logged into your UNC account, you will be prompted to log in. Once you do, you can choose which location you would like to pick up the item (Michener Library or Skinner Music Library):
Click the Submit button to make your request. Once you do, you should see a message confirming that the item is on hold for you.
Once you have requested an item, you should no longer see the option to request it - instead, the item's page will tell you that it is already on hold. You should now also have an Edit Hold button in the item's page:
If you want to change the location to pick up the item, click on Edit Hold to do so. If you no longer want the item, click on Cancel Hold and then the large Cancel Hold button to cancel your request. If you want to place the item on hold again, click on Add Another Hold; this hold will be fulfilled after the first one, so it will not take effect until the item is returned again.
Items in Source cannot be requested directly from the search or item pages, but Source can request multiple items at once instead of one at a time. If you would like to request items you find from your search results, check the box next to each item you want to request and click on Add Marked to Bag.
You can also add an item to your bag from the item's specific page. Once you have done so, the View Bag icon will appear at the top of the page:
Click on View Bag to see all items you have placed in your bag. Once you are ready to reserve them, click Request Saved at the top of the screen. If you are not logged into your UNC account, you will be prompted to log in. Once you do, you can check off which saved items you would like to request before clicking the Request Selected button. If you would like to instead request anything in your bag that is currently available for checkout, click on Request Available to automatically request all available items.
Once you have clicked on either button beginning with Request, the items will be requested for you. There is no confirmation message, but you can check by logging into your UNC account, clicking on My Account in the upper right corner, and then clicking on Holds to the left. Any items currently on hold for you are displayed there, no matter which search you used to request them.
Tipasa is UNC's Interlibrary Loan service - a way to borrow items from other libraries outside of UNC. You can access it from the Interlibrary Loan link beneath the search on the University Libraries main page, or navigate directly to it. You will need to log into your UNC account to use interlibrary loan.
Tipasa does not have a search function, since it's not looking for items already held in the University Libraries. Instead, you can click on the Create Request button on the right. You will be directed to a page where you can enter any information you have about the item you want to request:
The more information you enter, the better chance UNC's library staff has of finding your item and successfully requesting it from a different library. You can use WorldCat to find additional information about the item you would like to request if needed. If you're not sure about a non-vital piece of information, leave it out; if it is incorrect, it may result in librarians not being able to find the item for you.
Once you have finished filling the form with your information, click Submit Request. You will be redirected to Tipasa's main page, where you will see your request under Requests.
If you want to cancel your request, click on the number next to Request Details to see a pop-up that will allow you to either Cancel Request to completely remove the request, or Keep Request to leave it as-is to be fulfilled.
Keep in mind that interlibrary loan requests take longer to fulfill than University Library ones, since the library staff need to find the book and request it be sent from elsewhere, and that items checked out through interlibrary loan typically cannot be renewed. If possible, always search for and request your item through University Libraries first!
You can request items directly from the search results page of Prospector by clicking on the Request it button to the right of the item's title, just as you would in Encore:
You will see a pop-up window asking which institution you belong to; choose Alliance - U of Northern Colorado from the dropdown menu. (If you don't see the pop-up window, check to make sure it wasn't prevented from opening by a pop-up blocker on your browser.)
Click on Submit above information. You will see a verification window where you will be asked to log in with your UNC account and choose a Pickup Location (either UNC Libraries-Michener or UNC Libraries-Music, which is Skinner).
Click Submit. You will see a confirmation message restating the item title and author, as well as what library Prospector is requesting it from and where you will pick it up at UNC.
Prospector does not maintain a separate account or list of items for each person who uses it, so if you would like to change or cancel a request you make through Prospector, you will need to log into your library account from the UNC website. Once you do so, click on My Account in the upper right corner and then Holds in the left column to see your request (and, if you wish, cancel it).