FAQs

UBorrow is similar to ILL in that it is a service for bringing material into FAU from an outside source. You will receive an email when material arrives and they will be kept at the Circulation desk for pickup anytime during library hours. The difference is that UBorrow allows you to directly request materials from participating libraries within Florida’s state university/college library system. Material tends to be delivered more quickly but the drawback is that only hard copy materials may be requested at this time. If you are searching for an article, UBorrow may not be the best option.

UBorrow also is accessible with your Owl Card barcode and does not require you to sign up for an account. 

The FAU Library does not charge patrons for ILL Services. However, some lenders will only provide materials for a fee. In addition, items published within the last five years may also require a copyright fee to be paid for use. The FAU Library will cover the basic shipping costs on all requests, and will subsidize up to $12 per request for Graduate Students and up to $25 per request for Faculty members.

The ILL Office works hard to fill your requests at little to no cost to you. Any costs over the amount subsidized by FAU for each request will have to be paid by the patron. We will not charge your account without your written preapproval.

ILL Requests aren't just for books! You can also borrow other materials like:

• DVDs (movies, TV series, educational)
• CDs
• Articles
• Book Chapters
• Microfilm/Microfiche
• Music Scores
• Audiobooks
• Thesis or Dissertations

The following items might be difficult to find a lender willing to loan them, but are eligible for ILL Requests:

• Newly released materials
• Entire issues of periodicals
• Genealogical materials
• Non-circulating materials (reference books, archival materials, special collections, rare or very old books)
• International materials
• Textbooks (many libraries are unwilling to loan their copies of textbooks, or will only allow a short-term loan)

The following materials cannot be filled by ILL Request:

• eBooks
• Items available at the FAU Library

• All FAU enrolled students,* faculty, and staff have Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Privileges.
• Palm Beach State College South Campus enrolled students, faculty, and staff are also extended Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Privileges through their FAU ILL account; PBSC does not have UBorrow Privileges through FAU.
• Retired FAU faculty and staff have Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Privileges.
• SUS Faculty, Visiting Researchers, and Library Volunteers may have Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Privileges with the permission from the Dean of University Libraries.

*Tower Campus students should order materials through the Broward County Library's Interlibrary Loan Department, unless your pick-up location is Boca or Jupiter.

EZProxy/ Off Campus Connect is a way to let the system know that you are currently affiliated with FAU. Because many of the databases offered by the FAU Libraries are restricted to currently registered students, staff, and faculty of FAU, signing into EZproxy is the “handshake” that welcomes you into our online facility.

It is important that it is only you that uses your FAUnet ID, and your ID is not used by anyone else. FAU Libraries must follow the licensing agreements of database providers and the use of your FAUnet ID and password by anyone else other than yourself would be in direct violation of licensing agreements. 

You do not have to sign into EZproxy if using a campus computer.