Have you ever wanted to borrow a book held by the Cornell University Library system only to find out it is checked out, on reserve, or missing? Even though Cornell has almost 8 million volumes, this can certainly happen. What to do? If the book is signed out to another reader you can recall the book from the reader who has it, which can take up to two weeks. Or, you can go to Borrow Direct and request it.
The Borrow Direct group consists of Ivy League schools that have agreed to loan each other books for a month–so you have just gained access to seven additional university libraries. The books generally arrive within four working days. Now you can even renew books obtained through Borrow Direct.
To obtain a book through Borrow Direct online, go to Requests in the Online Catalog, doing a search, and requesting the book. Your request is tracked and you are kept informed when your request has been received, when it has been filled by the lending library, and when it has arrived at Cornell. You can then pick up the book at the circulation desk in the Law Library.
So, not only do you have the libraries at Cornell subject to your requests, you have those other Ivy League Schools library materials available to you. If you have any problems making a request, please see someone at the circulation desk. They will be happy to assist you.
