Request or Recall Materials

How to request or recall materials you need to borrow

Table of Contents


How to Request

You may request items held by all Emory Libraries. You will be notified once the item is available at your chosen pickup location.

Please note that items requested from the Library Service Center and Oxford College Library are usually sent within two business days. 

To request an item from another Emory Library:

  • Log in to your Library Search account
  • Look up the item and open the item record
  • Click on the Locate/Request This Item
  • Click on Request Physical Item

If you are a non-Emory visitor without an Emory account, you can request Library Service Center materials with the Visitor Material Request Form.

Pickup Locations 

When requesting an item through Library Search, you can select the following choices as your pickup location:

  • Law Library
  • Pitts Theology Library
  • Robert W. Woodruff Library
  • Robert W. Woodruff Library Outdoor Lockers
    • A self-service locker kiosk that allows patrons to check out Emory Libraries items they have placed on hold in a convenient, contact free method, with 24/7 outdoor access. Please reference the Locker FAQ for additional details.
  • Woodruff Health Sciences Center
  • Oxford College Library

Ship to Home Delivery Service 

The Robert W. Woodruff Library offers a Ship to Home service for currently enrolled Laney Graduate School students and Emory College faculty engaged in remote teaching or learning and who reside outside of the Atlanta Metro area (50 mile radius) and within the continental United States. Eligible users can request library items to be shipped to their residence free of charge.

Mailing out of materials occurs once weekly on Thursday and sent via FedEx 3-day business class. To qualify for Thursday shipment, requests must be submitted by Wednesday at noon.

Emory Libraries will cover the cost of shipping, including the cost of return. Return shipping instructions are provided to users following program registration. The recipient is responsible for lost or damaged materials. 

Advance registration is required. Please reference the FAQ for additional details or contact Ask a Librarian with any questions that you may have.

Hybrid students enrolled in programs offered by the Candler School of Theology  should reference the Pitts distance students guide for information regarding access to online resources for research.

Recall a Checked Out Item 

You may recall items that are currently checked out to other patrons. Initiating a recall request will shorten the due date for the item to ten days from the date of the recall. You will be notified once the item is returned.

To recall an item:

  • Log in to your Library Search account
  • Look up the item and open the item record
  • Click on Locate/Request This Item
  • Click on Request Physical Item

Request Scans from Library-Owned Physical Items 

Electronic Document Delivery is a scanning service offered to Emory University faculty, staff, and students at no cost. If you would like a PDF of an article or book chapter that Emory Libraries owns in physical format, you can place a request through Library Search. Library staff will scan and upload the document to ILLiad (Emory's interlibrary loan and EDD system) and then notify you by email when the PDF is available.

Note that not all Emory libraries participate in the scanning service to the same degree, so some material may be ineligible for scanning.

Interlibrary Loan 

Are you looking for materials not available or owned by any of the Emory Libraries?

Submit an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Request through ILLiad.

Questions? Please contact the Woodruff Interlibrary Loan office at 404-727-6874 or mainill@emory.edu.

Request a Book for Purchase 

Want to recommend the library purchase a title that isn’t in the collection? Please complete a purchase request form for any order requests or contact your subject librarian with questions or other collections requests.

Questions? 

Contact Ask a Librarian for assistance.