Library Account Login: All current students, faculty, and staff have access to Tipasa services through their library accounts in WorldCat Discovery. Go to your library account and click on the "Requests" tab. If you have any difficulties, contact librarian@paloaltou.edu for assistance.
Library Account Navigation Features: Click on the "Requests" tab in your library account to submit or resubmit a Tipasa request form, keep track of your ILL request history, access your electronic deliveries for 30 days from the date of receipt (5 downloads maximum), and cancel Tipasa requests you no longer need.
Resubmission of Expired Requests: Do not resubmit a request if it's currently active, as this action will duplicate the pending request. Please download and save your ILL delivery files well before they expire, to minimize the need for resubmission and to mitigate costs for duplicate processing.
Terms and Conditions: Tipasa services are free and unlimited for PAU faculty, students, and staff, but each user may have no more than fifteen (15) active requests at any given time. Once a request has been filled or canceled, it no longer counts as an active request. Requests that are no longer needed should be cancelled as soon as possible to allow additional requests to be submitted. Please take care not to submit duplicate requests.
Requests for Available Materials: Before submitting a request, please check to see if the item is available through the PAU Library or as an open-access publication online, as described in Step 1: Search for Materials. This will keep unnecessary request volume to a minimum and speed processing for bona fide requests. Requests submitted for library materials owned or licensed by the PAU Library or available free online will be provided electronically via document delivery or cancelled, depending on request volume. Cancellation notices will include access information.
Requests for Materials Not in English: ILL requests are only filled for non-English materials when the request form is filled out accordingly. Translation services are not available.
When searching for research materials, please read the full item record for a detailed description to determine the language of publication before you submit a Tipasa request. You can usually find this information by clicking on the title of the item in your search results list. Abstracts for non-English materials are usually provided in English even if the full text is in another language, so see if you can find the language of publication listed in the record. Another indicator is when the chapter or article title is enclosed in brackets, [like this], as the brackets indicate the title was translated into English when the record was created.
A request for material in a non-English language can be time consuming and costly to fill, so please verify that you can actually use the material before submitting your request, and then fill out the request form accordingly. Go to Step 2: Submit a Request for help. Requests for non-English materials that do not include the required information on the request form will be canceled, and you will be directed on how to proceed.
Multiple Requests from the Same Resource: You may request individual book chapters and journal articles for electronic delivery through ILL. Due to copyright law and licensing terms, multiple requests for articles from the same journal issue or chapters from the same book usually result in either a complete or partial cancellation if one of the two ILL forms is used. If you need more than the allowed amount of content from an item, you'll need to submit the "Other Items" request form to notify the PAU Librarians regarding the item you need. Free content will be provided whenever possible, and potential purchases will be given full consideration in accordance with the PAU Library's collection development policies. Please note, however, that textbooks generally cannot be purchased for whole-class use through libraries, so students should plan on purchasing their textbooks through the online bookstore.
Unavailable Materials: You may also use the "Other Items" request form to locate items that are not available through the PAU Library or online, or that can't be supplied by another library through ILL.
ILL Services Schedule: ILL requests are processed on weekdays, excluding staff holidays and vacations, during regular business hours. Updates to the schedule are posted on the request form for easy reference. After-hours service and rush delivery are not available.
Request Processing Timeline: Fulfillment time varies depending on availability from other libraries, but ILL requests are often filled within 1-3 business days (not including weekends or holidays) and usually within one week. The request form requires that you indicate a "Need By Date," after which the request will automatically expire and be cancelled. Please allow sufficient time for delivery. A two-week minimum is recommended so your request doesn't expire before it can be filled, unless you won't need the item after a specific date.
Document Deliveries: When a request is filled, an electronic document will be delivered automatically to your library account in WorldCat Discovery. Sign in to your library account using valid PAU email credentials and click on the "Requests" tab to retrieve your document, then download and save it as soon as possible. Each document will expire after 30 days or five (5) downloads, whichever comes first.
Delivery Notifications: Delivery notifications are available via email and/or SMS. To set or verify your delivery notification preferences, sign in to your library account using valid PAU email credentials and click on the "Profile" tab. Please note that email notifications will include the download link and password for direct access. The 30-day, five (5) download limit applies regardless of the link you use, so make sure to save your documents accordingly.