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Graduate Education: Interlibrary Loan

Helpful information for graduate research in education

Interlibrary Loan

Did you find a useful-looking source, but you can't see the full text? Don't give up, and don't pay for it yourself!

Often, the Brenau library does own it in another location, or it's available freely online, or the library can borrow a copy for you.

  1. Check Brenau library catalog

    • Copy-paste the article title into the search box of the general Brenau library catalog.

    • This will look in many databases at once. If Brenau owns it, the article will appear with a "View Full Text" option. 

    • The obvious question: if this searches all the databases at once, why don't I just do all my searching here? Why bother with subject-specific databases in the LibGuide? Answer: because the general library catalog search is a blunt instrument, and the subject-specific databases let you fine-tune your search much better. 

  2. Check Google Scholar

    • Copy-paste the article title in the Google Scholar search box. Note: be sure to use this specific link for Google Scholar, or connect your Google Scholar to the Brenau libraries. This will make it search for Brenau-owned items in addition to free-online items. 

    • If the article is available full-text online, a link will appear on the right side of the screen.

    • Google Scholar is especially useful for articles posted by government sites or for dissertations published by universities.

    • Be careful of search results from certain websites, including ResearchGate, Academia.edu, and Semantic Scholar. These are like social networking sites for academics, and the articles found there may be illegally posted without permission of the copyright holder.

  3. Request through interlibrary loan / information delivery

    • If you've already checked the Brenau library catalog and Google Scholar, the Brenau library may be able to help.

    • Fill out the request form linked from this page: https://library.brenau.edu/infodelivery-and-ill/

    • Brenau's interlibrary loan specialist will ask colleagues at other libraries for a copy of the item. In many cases, this can be emailed as a PDF. This is a free service for Brenau students. There are some restrictions described in the page linked above.