Request a journal article

If full-text journal articles are not available on The Knowledge Network, you can submit an Inter-Library Loan request (sometimes shortened to ILL) to the library service of which you are a member. Your library will then attempt to source it on your behalf, and inform you if they have been successful.

Please note that Inter-Library Loan policies are defined by library services, and the level of service you are entitled to will depend on the library of which you are a member. For example, some libraries will source articles from the British Library (sometimes at a cost) and others will not.

When searching for an article, The Knowledge Network displays a menu offering various next-step options if there is no full text available online. These steps will be different depending on whether you are a member of a Shelcat library or not — Shelcat libraries are listed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a Shelcat library card, you may request the article from an associated library by clicking the Submit an article/book request form via Shelcat (log-in required) link and completing the electronic form which displays on the following page.

If you do not have a Shelcat library card, you may request the article from a library which is not linked to Shelcat. Select the Not a shelcat member? and select the library from which you’d like to borrow the book and complete and submit the online Document Delivery Request Form.

Non-Shelcat library members
You may belong to a library which is not on the Shelcat system (e.g. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde) or in Higher Education. In this case, you should contact your library service with an Inter-Library Loan request. You should already be familiar with this process; if not, contact your library service for further information.

Below is a selection of links to institutions' ILL web pages, for members of those libraries.

• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Highland Health Sciences Library
• NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde Library Network
• RCN Scotland Learning Hub
• Robert Gordon University
• University of Dundee
• University of Edinburgh (for NHS Lothian staff, except members of Sick Children's Hospital or Astley Ainslie)

Social Services staff
The following options are open to Social Services staff who wish to join a health- or care-related library service who will process Inter-Library Loans. Some are Shelcat libraries and others are not.

Health Management Library (Shelcat)
Scottish Health Service Centre, Crewe Rd South, Edinburgh EH4 2LF
nss.hmlibrary@nhs.net

Policy: accepts membership requests from social services staff working in Scotland, will source material from Shelcat libraries and other health-related libraries in Scotland, as well as the British Library. Complete the membership form online or contact the library.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Glasgow City Council Social Work Departmental Library, Nye Bevan House, India Street, Glasgow G2 4PF
cathie.pratt@sw.glasgow.gov.uk

Policy: the Social Work Department library works in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Library Network to provide an inter-library loan service. Cost of provision of copyright material will be charged to the Council. Contact Cathie Pratt at the email address above in the first instance.

Dementia Services Development Centre (Shelcat)
Iris Murdoch Building, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA
dementia.library@stir.ac.uk

Policy: accepts membership requests from social services staff working in Scotland, will source material from Shelcat libraries and other health-related libraries in Scotland, will not request from the British Library. Complete the online membership form or contact the library.

Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability library (Shelcat)
Adelphi Centre (Room 16), 12 Commercial Road, Glasgow G5 0PQ
library@scld.co.uk

Policy: accepts membership requests from social services staff working in Scotland, will source material from Shelcat libraries and other health-related libraries in Scotland, will not request from the British Library. Contact the library for a membership form.

ENABLE Scotland (Shelcat)
146 Argyle St. (2nd floor), Glasgow G2 8BL
library@enable.org.uk

Policy: accepts membership requests from social services staff working in Scotland, will source material from Shelcat libraries and other health-related libraries in Scotland, will not request from the British Library. Contact the library for a membership form.

PAMIS library (Shelcat)
University of Dundee, 15-16 Springfield, Dundee DD1 4JE
pamis@dundee.ac.uk

Policy: accepts membership requests from social services staff working in Scotland, will source material from Shelcat libraries and other health-related libraries in Scotland, will not request from the British Library. Contact the library for a registration form.

Borders region
Borders College, Scottish Borders Campus, Nether Rd., Galashiels TD1 3HE
jmcintyre@borderscollege.ac.uk

The college's printed collections are open on a reference-only basis to social care practitioners. For information on full library membership and document delivery policies, contact the Further Education Liaison Librarian at the email above.

Shelcat libraries
The following libraries make up the Shelcat initiative. If you have registered with one of these libraries you should have a Shelcat library card which enables you to make requests for journal articles via the Shelcat online catalogue.

The Shelcat online catalogue is available at http://shelcat.org