Guides & Tutorials: Conduct a Literature Review: Request Items Not Available in Library

Request Items through HKALL & ILL

The library has a rich collection of resources, but we do not subscribe to everything. To obtain materials beyond our collection, you may use the services below.

Library Services for requesting items

There are chances that the item you need is not available in the library. It could be because our library does not have the title, or another user has checked out our copy. The following are some possible ways to place a request.

HKALL is a shared platform by 8 UGC-funded university libraries in Hong Kong. Eligible users can request a book from other libraries when the copy in PolyU is not available. The book will be delivered to our Library in about 2-3 working days for pick-up.

Sometimes you may not be able to get full text of a journal article because the library does not have a subscription to the journal. In this case, you can request a copy of the article via our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service.

To know more about the ILL service, please see details in below or refer to this guide.

Interlibrary loan is integrated into OneSearch, so always start by searching OneSearch to see if PolyU Library holds the item required.
Ensure that you have signed in your library account (MyRecord).
Select “Beyond PolyU (HKALL + InterLibrary Loan)” from the top drop down menu. Then input the title, author, or keywords of the item required. Click the magifier icon to excecute your search.
On the result list, look for the item required. If it is listed, click "Check for available services" or "Get it for me from other libraries".
In the record, look for the blue cards for requesting a physical book, a digital copy of a selected book chapter or a journal article. (Tips: You must sign in to see the options.)
The type of cards displayed depends on the availability of the item, its format and your user privileges. The estimated delivery time is for reference only. Follow the instruction to input the required information.
If the item cannot be requested from our partner libraries, "No physical/digital copy can be requested" or "No available services for this item" will be displayed.
Academic/Research Staff or Postgraduate Students may fill in a blank form at the top of the result list to request the Library to source a required item beyond our partner libraries. Please provide complete citation information. Including the ISBN / ISSN will shorten the processing time.

You can only request those items on loan to another user. However, items from Reserve Books Collection, AV Reserve, AV items on 3-hour loan and 3-day loan cannot be requested. Items can be requested online using the following procedure:

Once you find the desired item in the OneSearch click "SIGN IN" on the top right corner of the screen.
Follow the on-screen instruction to sign in your library account.
Click "Request" under "Options" of a checked out book.
Click "REQUEST" to confirm.
You will be notified by email when the requested item is ready for pick-up. Please check your email account regularly.

If you have any questions or problems, please stop by the Loan & Return Counter, or call 2766-6864 during Library hours.

Follow the steps below to request a book from storage:

Click into the record of the checked-out book and sign in to the system if you haven't done so.
Click Request to proceed.
Proceed to "SEND REQUEST" if there is no Volume number or Standard number to specify. You will be notified by email when the book is ready for pick up.