Request and Receive

What the service is for

If the Library does not already have an article, book chapter or other resource you need, you can request it through the Request and Receive service (formerly the Interlibrary Loan service). 

"I find the speed and ease of the Request and Receive service from the Library really positive. I also find LibKey Nomad really useful in order to both quickly make Request and Receive requests and also find open access versions of articles when hitting paywalls.

Louise Falzon, School of School of Medicine and Population Health.

Who can use the service

The service is available to all registered current staff and students of the University of Sheffield to access material for study and research purposes. 

Request and Receive is a free service for all current University of Sheffield staff and students. There is no additional cost per request to the University.

Please note: If you require items for teaching, please follow the guidance on the reading lists page.

How to use the Request and Receive service

Before submitting a request you should first search the StarPlus Library catalogue to check whether the item is already available:

• in print
• electronically
• or currently on loan (in which case you can place a standard request)

If the Library does not have a journal article that you require, you can obtain it via Request and Receive directly through StarPlus in the following ways:

• Simply search for your item in StarPlus, making sure to select the “Search beyond library collections” option. Then choose a result and click “Request and Receive”.
• LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that can help you access the full text of articles across different sites. If you discover an article you want to request, once installed, LibKey Nomad will open StarPlus and facilitate the request by automatically filling in the Request and Receive form for you. For more information, visit our LibKey Nomad FAQs.
• When searching third party databases like Scopus, look for the 'Find it' link to pass the details to StarPlus and auto-fill a request.

If you require the full contents of a book, you can request it using this form here, which is also visible in StarPlus. 

If you still can't find the resource after searching beyond library collections in StarPlus and/or via LibKey Nomad, current staff and students can request items via Request and Receive using this form.

If you have any further queries, please contact library@sheffield.ac.uk 

Urgent access to Elsevier articles

Article Galaxy Scholar (AGS) is a pilot service available for staff and PGR students requiring urgent access to Elsevier articles in the current or previous year of publication.