Distance Education Students

Most journal articles are available online but those that are not can be delivered to you via the Internet. You will be sent the link via email.

• You will need your UBCcard barcode and PIN - for security reasons, you cannot use your CWL for this service.

• Place your order via our Interlibrary Loan form and select "Distance Students" as your home branch.

Sometimes we can obtain these from our local collections; other times we need to order from other libraries. Please plan extra time for delivery.

If you are a distance education student living in Canada or the United States and do not live local to a UBC campus, you are also eligible for delivery of print books, cds, dvds etc. to your home free of charge. See below to learn how to register for this service.

Residence Restrictions

If you live in Canada, there is no cost to you to return your Library materials. If you reside in the U.S., you are responsible for the cost of returning materials to the Library.

• Students living outside Canada or the U.S. are not eligible for home delivery of UBC library materials.
  • If you are not eligible for home delivery contact your local public library to see if you can use its Interlibrary Loan service to obtain your course materials.
  • Another option is to check the listings at Abe Books or Amazon to see if the items you need are available at a reasonable price. In many instances purchasing your materials would be considerably cheaper than the cost of shipping them to and from a distant library.
  • If you have tried both options mentioned above and are still having difficulty acquiring the material(s) you need, contact your course instructor to see if an alternate reading might be available. You can also contact the staff at ILL Lending to see if they can provide further assistance.

Borrowing Books

To request home delivery of a UBC Library book, cd, dvd or other print material:

• Step One: Apply to get your barcode online if you don't already have one and cannot come to campus to pick your UBCcard up in person.

• Step Two: register for delivery services at Distance Education Services.

• Step Three: Find the item you want in the UBC Library catalogue.
  • If the status is "available", click on Order via Document Delivery (DocDel) and note that you want it sent to a non-library location.
  • If the status is "on loan", click on "Request this Item: Recall" and choose extension library as the pickup location. The item will then be forwarded to you ASAP.

As a registered Distance Education student, your loan period for UBC books is 28 days (undergraduate) or 56 days (graduate). Both are subject to recall by another borrower.

• You can renew library materials online through the My Library Account portal except for items recalled by another borrower.

• Books and other print materials are delivered by mail free of charge within Canada and the U.S. and take from 10 days to 2 weeks for processing and delivery. Please consider these timelines when making your requests.

If you do not find a book or journal in the UBC Library catalogue, you may place an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request for it.

• You will need your UBCcard barcode and PIN - for security reasons you cannot login using your CWL for this service.

Make sure you select "Distance Students" as your home branch. Books ordered through ILL will be sent to you by regular mail or courier, depending on your location. You are responsible for returning ILL books back to UBC Library by the due date, usually within 14 days.