Help : Research Services and Support : Borrow Direct

What is Borrow Direct?
Borrow Direct is a rapid book request and delivery system. It enables Cornell faculty, staff and students to search the combined library catalogs of Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale, a collection of over 40 million volumes, and directly request expedited delivery of circulating items.

Borrow Direct is different from CUL's interlibrary loan service. Materials are delivered sooner, usually within four working days. And unlike traditional interlibrary loan, Borrow Direct provides patrons access to items that are held by Cornell, but charged out, as well as items that are not part of the Cornell collections. If an item is unavailable at Cornell, you can log into Borrow Direct using your Cornell ID number and search the online catalogs of our partners. If the item is available at any of our six partners, you can use the Borrow Direct system.

How does Borrow Direct work?

• You log into Borrow Direct using your Cornell ID number.
• Use the Search facility to locate the book you want to request.
• Click the Request button, verify your name, and enter your e-mail address.
• You will immediately receive an e-mail confirming your request. Additional e-mails will be sent advising you of the progress of your order.

What can be requested through Borrow Direct?

• Books and printed music not owned by Cornell libraries.
• Books and printed music that are currently unavailable at Cornell, e.g, charged out, lost, missing, at the bindery, etc.
• Books and printed music that normally circulate from the Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale collections.

What cannot be requested through Borrow Direct?

• Books and printed music currently available at Cornell designated in the Catalog as "Not charged."
• Journals, magazines, newspapers, and other serials.
• Photocopies of journal articles, conference proceedings, etc.
• Reference books, microfilm and other non-circulating material.
• Books from most of our partners' medical and law libraries.

When will the book arrive from Borrow Direct?

• Most items will be available for pick-up at the circulation desk of the pick-up location you have chosen within 4 working days of the date you placed your request.

What is the loan period for Borrow Direct books?

• Usually 42 days, subject to recall by the owning library.
• Renewals are not currently available.

Who is eligible to use Borrow Direct?

• All current Cornell faculty, staff, and registered students who are willing to accept e-mail as the primary method of notification.

How can I get material unavailable from Borrow Direct?

• Request an interlibrary loan through ILLiad.

I can get into Borrow Direct, but when I try to search I get an Internal Server Error. Why is this?

• Firewalls can occasionally cause problems with restricted resources. See our technical solutions for known problems for information on how to configure your firewall to allow use of Borrow Direct. If the errors continue to occur, use the Report a problem connecting form and a library staff member will get back to you.

Questions about Borrow Direct?

Contact one of the 5 pickup locations on campus:

Olin Library 255-9564 olin-ils@cornell.edu
Mann Library 255-3296 mann_circ@cornell.edu
Law Library 255-5750 law-ils@cornell.edu
Vet Library 253-3508 vetill@cornell.edu
Geneva Library 254-9214 (campus)
315-787-2214 (off-campus) lib@nysaes.cornell.edu