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Vincent C. Immel Law Library Guide to Requesting Materials

A guide to assist students, faculty, and staff of Saint Louis University School of Law with the requesting process at the Vincent C. Immel Law Library

At the Vincent C. Immel Law Library you may request books through one of our online catalogs. When beginning your search, start locally with the SLU catalog. If your item is unavailable, meaning a status other than "Not Checked Out" or "New Books", check the MOBIUS catalog. If your item cannot be located you may need to make an ILLiad request. Requesting from ILLiad instructions can be found at the bottom of this page.

Once your item has arrived, you will have seven days to pick it up if it is a request from the  SLU catalog and 10 days if it is a MOBIUS request. ILLiad items are automatically checked out to you and held on the holdshelf until the due date of the item. Due dates vary from library to library. 

Please be sure to leave all bands on the material as well as keep any paperwork that comes with the material. This paperwork has information essential in returning the material to the home library and may include any information about the condition in which the item was received.

Please note, e-books cannot be requested through the MOBIUS catalog. ILLiad requests for e-books cannot be filled. 

Start your search at the SLU catalog. Requests can be made via the SLU catalog using your banner ID number and PIN number. Follow the steps below to request an item:

  • Click on the Request button at the top. 
  • Enter your Banner number including the leading zeros. For example 000123456
  • Enter your PIN number. You can create a pin number by clicking on “Forgot Your PIN.”
  • Choose your pickup location in the drop-down box. (Law Library Circulation Desk)
  • The "Cancel if not filled by" date will autofill if you do not enter a date. 
  • Click Submit.
  • Select the location you want to request from. If Locust Street Facility is listed, chose it as it will come through a faster courier process than requests from Pius Library or MCL. 

Tips to remember: 

  • Books from Pius, the Medical Center Library (MCL), and the Locust Street Facility can all be requested via the SLU catalog.
  • There is no limit to the number of SLU items you can have on your account.

If the item is not in the SLU catalog, click on the MOBIUS link on the right side of the page to search the MOBIUS catalog. 

MOBIUS is a consortium of over 70 academic and public libraries in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Iowa. To request from a MOBIUS library once you have found the item you are looking for: 

  • Click on the Request button
  • Choose MOBIUS - Saint Louis University as your library
  • Enter your last name and Banner ID number with three zeros in front
  • Choose your pickup location (SLU Law Library)
  • Click Submit

You only can have20 MOBIUS item on your account at one time. Once you have requested an item in the MOBIUS catalog, go back to the SLU catalog to begin searching for the next item, as not to use a MOBIUS request on an item available in the SLU catalog. 

Can't find it in MOBIUS? Check out the ILLiad section of this guide for more information.

How long will it take for my request to come in?

Items from our Locust Street offsite storage generally arrive in 24-48 hours. 

SLULink and MOBIUS items generally take 3-5 business days.

How long can I keep my requests?

From a SLU Library: 120 days

From a MOBIUS library: 120 or 28 days based on the lending library

How long will my item be held for me to pick up?

SLU requests: 7 days

MOBIUS requests: 10 days

How do I renew my item?

SLU and MOBIUS items will be automatically renewed twice unless it has been requested, recalled, or it is a part of a reserved library collection. Your new due date will be at the bottom of the automated email notification.

Requesting Articles

Article requests can include articles found in journals, newspaper articles, chapter requests, and statute requests. 

All article requests should be made through ILLiad with two exceptions:

  • Material that can be found full-text in one of our databases
  • Material that can be found in a bound journal, or on microform on the 5th or 6th floor of the law library. 

First, check to see if the item you need is available at the law library or electronically through the SLU catalog. If unavailable, and you have complete citation information, log in to ILLiad and submit an article request. 

Requesting from ILLiad

Before submitting an ILLiad request, check to see if the item you need is available at the law library or electronically through the SLU catalog. For books, be sure to also check our MOBIUS catalog. If unavailable, and you have complete citation information, log in to ILLiad and submit an article request. ILLiad, is a web-based interlibrary loan system, only available to current students, faculty, and staff at Saint Louis University Law School. Once you set up an ILLiad account you can:

  • Place, track, and keep a history of interlibrary loan requests.
  • Receive articles and photocopies electronically as Adobe PDF documents and view them for up to 30 days.
  • Request renewals for loaned material.

When creating your account

You will use your SLU credentials to sign in to your ILLiad account. Should you need to set up an ILLiad account you will need to fill in the following information:

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • E-Mail Address: must be your SLU e-mail address
  • Daytime Phone
  • Primary Address Line 1: enter "N/A"
  • Primary Address City: enter "N/A"
  • Primary Address State: enter "N/A"
  • Primary Address Zip: enter "N/A"
  • Your status will be Faculty or Staff
  • Your department will be Law School

Login to ILLiad

When filling out the request form be sure to include:

  • author
  • title
  • publisher
  • date
  • ISBN

At the bottom of the form, there is a "Notes" field. This field can contain 4,000+ characters. Tell us everything! You can put your entire citation here. If you have talked with a research librarian, let us know. The more we know, the better equipped we are at getting you what you request.

When your item comes in you will be notified via e-mail. You can pick it up at the circulation desk. You will need to sign a checkout slip acknowledging you picked the item up.

When filling out the request be sure to include: 

  • volume
  • issue 
  • date (if requesting from a newspaper)
  • year 
  • page numbers

At the bottom of the form, there is a "Notes" field. This field can contain 4,000+ characters. Tell us everything! You can put your entire citation here. If you have talked with a research librarian, let us know. The more we know, the better equipped we are at getting you what you request.

Use this request format for journal articles, book chapters, and statutes:

  • Book chapters - for books not available in the SLU, MOBIUS, or Prospector catalogs
    • Article title field - put the chapter title/number here

  • Statutes

    • Journal title field - put the name of the statute or code here, e.g. Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated
    • Article title - put the title of the section here e.g. Lien for Taxes
    • Publisher
    • Year or "Current"
    • Pages - section number e.g.§200/21-75
    • Notes - copy and paste the citation scheme and include if title page, TOC and copyright page and pocket parts are needed; if not there, a duplicate request will not be accepted.
      • Citation scheme:
        • Cite: 35 ILL.Comp. Stat. Ann.200/21-75(West 2008)
        • West's Smith-Hurd Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated
        • Chapter 35. Revenue (Refs & Annos)
        • Property Taxes
        • Act 200. Property Tax Code (Refs & Annos)
        • Title 7. Tax Collection
        • Article 21. C (Refs & Annos)
        • Division 2. Enforcement Actions
        • Section 200/21-75 Lien for Taxes

ILLiad Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take for my request to come in?

The length of time it takes for a request comes in is individual to each request. Books generally take more time than articles,  but it all depends on if the library we request the item from has it on their shelves and how quickly they can send it out to us. 

How long can I keep my requests?

Due dates depend on the lending library. Some libraries will give a long due date, but not allow renewals while others have a shorter due date, but one renewal. If the due date is close and we are not able to renew the item, we ask that you scan any sections you need and return the item so it can be sent back to the lending library. 

Articles will stay in your ILLiad account for 30 days. We encourage you to download and save or print your articles when you receive them.

How do I renew my item?

Send an email to the xlcirc@slu.edu with the TN number of your item and we will request a renewal from the lending library. 

ILL Tips

  1. If you can't find the book or article you are looking for, see one of our research librarians for more information. Research librarians will help you vet your citations, ILL will help you get your requests. 
    • Page numbers are essential when looking for print articles in newspapers
    • Some articles are "born online" and won't have the page numbers you need to find a print copy. See a research librarian to help you with your citation. 
  2. Request early! ILLiad books generally take longer to come in than MOBIUS items, so request your items as soon as you know you need them. 
  3. Keep the bands on the books. Bands include important information, including your due date and may include information about the condition of the book