What is Direct Borrow?
Direct Borrow is a service to request materials from the Hirsh Health Sciences Library for those not currently employed/enrolled at Tufts University or Tufts Medical Center and for libraries that do not participate in standard interlibrary loan networks, such as DOCLINE, OCLC, and Rapid.
Eligible Users
- Individuals not currently employed/enrolled at Tufts University or Tufts Medical Center
- Libraries that do not participate in standard interlibrary loan networks, such as OCLC, DOCLINE, or Rapid
All others should see the Interlibrary Loan page for information about our ILLiad service.
Applicable Documents
- Articles, books, theses, and other materials available at the Hirsh Health Sciences Library (HHSL)
- Check JumboSearch to verify HHSL owns the item(s)
Registration & Login
- First time users, complete the Direct Borrow registration form
- Once registered, log in to Direct Borrow using the username and password you created to submit requests and check your account
Number of Requests
- Ten requests maximum processed, per user per day
Turnaround Time
- Allow five to ten business days for items through normal processing
- Articles are usually available within five business days
- One-day rush service, for an additional fee, is available for non-returnable items only, such as journal articles or book chapters, which are sent electronically
- Three-business-day rush service, for an additional fee, is available for both electronically delivered documents, as well as textbooks, theses, and other items that must be shipped
Notification Pickup
- Users are notified by email when items are available
- Articles and chapter excerpts are sent electronically as PDF attachments
- All other items are shipped to the user (charges apply)
Loan Periods
- Typically, items that must be returned, such as books, theses, and audiovisual materials are checked out for 28 days
- Renewals are made on a case by case basis
- Call 617.636.3787 to renew materials
Returning Items
- Articles and book excerpts are sent electronically and do not need to be returned
- Please return all other items to the Library Service Desk on the 4th floor of the Tufts Center for Medical Education or mail, by the due date, to:
Tufts University
Hirsh Health Sciences Library/ILL
MEB 610
37 Tyler Street
Boston, MA 02111
In the event items are not returned, accounts will be temporarily blocked until overdue items are returned or replacement fees are paid. When accounts are blocked, users are not able to request additional items.
Services Charges
| Items from HHSL | |
| Normal Processing | $20 |
| Rush Delivery | $40 |
- Charges doubled if over 50 pages must be scanned
- For all items that must be mailed, we can either bill to a recipient's account with a shipping carrier (e.g., UPS, FedEX) or we will include a $25 flat fee covering domestic shipping
- Invoices are sent out quarterly following the request completion. They can be paid via credit card or (US) check made out to "Trustees of Tufts College" and mailed to:
Interlibrary Loan Department
Tufts University Hirsh Health Sciences Library
145 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02111
Contact Information
- Contact us at 617.636.3787 or hhsl-docdel@tufts.edu
Copyright Restrictions
Under certain conditions specified in the copyright law of the United States (U.S. Code, Title 17), libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later users, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.