Welcome to the BorrowBooks service. Here, you can search the online catalogues and websites of Irish public libraries, and request books, CDs, DVDs etc. via Inter-Library Loan. 

Please search your own local library first, and use the library's catalogue to reserve and request books locally. Only if you cannot get what you are looking for from your local library should you request an item using BorrowBooks.ie.

 To use this service please click here

You may find reading the Guidelines useful before proceeding with your search.

Guidelines

These guidelines provide a quick guide and a step by step guide to locating an item and making a request through BorrowBooks.ie. You may also like to check the FAQs section for details on the service.

Quick Guide:

• Enter your search terms in the search box on the homepage
• Select the results from your chosen library service listing
• Check the catalogue listing for your item
• Fill in the BorrowBooks form
• Click the send your request button to have your request processed

Step 1: Start your search

There are two search options located on the homepage - a quick keyword search and an advanced search option.
 

Step 2: Enter your search terms

Your search can be customised according to the search option you choose:

1. The standard (keyword) search box on the homepage can be used for entering one or more keywords that could be either, author, title or keywords of both. Keywords will be searched through all the library services of BorrowBooks. 
2. The advanced search option can be selected from the homepage and provides extra options, i.e., author, title, keyword, search terms and the ability to choose specific library catalogues for your search.

The advanced search option can be customised by :

1. The Search Type option allows you to choose whether to search library catalogues using Keyword (the default), Title or Author. Note that if searching by Author it's most effective to specify the surname first (e.g. "Joyce, James")
2. Selecting the Select all button will select all of the checkboxes shown. 
3. Alternatively, if you want to search one or more catalogues in particular, you can mark just the check boxes of the library catalogues you wish to search. Having selected the libraries to search, now click the Search button. This brings you to the search results.
    

Step 3: Search Results

The search results appear in real time as the online catalogues are queried by the BorrowBooks.ie system and as they send back responses to the system. The BorrowBooks.ie system counts the 'hits' returned by each online library catalogue and presents them in a list. If the search website option is ticked, it also carries out a search of the website of each public library website and returns the number of hits from the website.

Some results will come back before others. Where the BorrowBooks.ie system cannot get a response from a particular catalogue, it may show that catalogue as 'down'. This does not mean, in all cases, that the online catalogue server is in fact out of service; it may be due to a network problem which slows down access to the particular server at that moment in time, or may be due to other external technical factors.
 

Step 4: Select a Catalogue

You can click on any of the search results. This will open the selected catalogue, as well as on online form which allows you to make a request. You are encouraged to request from your own local library where possible, before attempting an ILL request from a third party library.
 

Step 5: Make your Request

To make your request, first click on the catalogue link for the item you have requested and read the holding information for it to ensure that it is still available for loan. When you have chosen which copy of the item you wish to request from BorrowBooks, fill in the BorrowBooks request form on the top of the catalogue listing, using the information presented in the catalogue entry for that item.

Many of the form fields on the request form are mandatory; if you try to send a request without completing them, you will be prompted to complete them. Having completed the form, click the Send My Request button and the ILL request is now initiated. The request is sent to your own library service who will process it for you and keep you advised of progress.