Renewing Library Materials

Most library materials can be renewed electronically through the patron's personal library account. The account can be accessed by the patron when in The Online Catalog. The patron's personal account includes a list of library materials organized by the libraries from which the materials were borrowed. The patron can renew items by following on-screen prompts.

If problems arise when attempting to renew items online, patrons may call the Milner Library circulation desk at (309) 438-7321 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for assistance. Questions about materials not appearing on the library account may be directed to the Interlibrary Loan service at (309) 438-3461 (same hours as the circulation desk).

The primary exception to the renewal process is the courtesy card holder. Materials borrowed by courtesy card holders may not be renewed.

Detailed renewal procedures follow. If you are not affiliated with Illinois State University, see Renewal procedures for patrons from institutions other than Illinois State University below.

Detailed renewal procedures for Illinois State University students, faculty, and staff

Most library materials can be renewed electronically through your personal library account. You can access your library account when connected to The Online Catalog. To access the account click the MyAccount button on the green banner near the top of the online catalog search screen.

You will then be prompted to enter your University ID (UID) number and last name. Prior to entering this information and clicking the Login button, make sure that the Home ILCSO Library field indicates Ill State U.

Note: As with much Internet traffic, electronic transmission of your Library Borrower ID may be subject to illegal electronic surveillance and theft. If you are uncomfortable with this risk, contact the Milner Library circulation desk for personal assistance.

Once in your patron account, scroll to the section headed Items Checked Out. An example is shown below.

Items checked out are organized by the library from which materials were borrowed. In the example above, three items have been borrowed from Milner Library (Ill State U), and one item has been borrowed from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Univ. of Illinois-UC).

To renew any item, click the white box in the Renew? column as shown below. Then click the Renew Selected Items button. More than one item can be renewed at the same time.

An updated patron account screen will then display. Items successfully renewed will be so indicated in the Status column.

For a variety of reasons, it is possible that an item on your patron account cannot be successfully renewed online. In most cases there are limits to the number of times an item can be renewed. In the case of items borrowed from other libraries, it is possible that the library owning the item has restricted the ability of patrons from campuses other than its own to renew items or to renew them online.

If online renewal is unsuccessful, contact the Milner Library circulation desk at (309) 438-7321 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for assistance.

Questions about materials not appearing on the library account may be directed to the Interlibrary Loan service at (309) 438-3461 (same hours as the circulation desk).

Patrons from any of the 55 other Illinois institutions affiliated with the Illinois Library Computer Systems Organization (ILCSO), which share the ILLINET Online catalog system, can renew items borrowed from Illinois State University in their personal library accounts following the same procedures described above. Calls for assistance in renewing Illinois State University library materials should be directed to the circulation desk at the patron's home library, not to Illinois State University library staff.

Patrons affiliated with any other institution, including public libraries or academic libraries not part of the ILCSO system, should contact the interlibrary loan office at their affiliated library for renewal assistance.