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What is the Library Courier Service

Requests for materials that are located at Newman Library are processed by the Courier Service and delivered to the appropriate branch library or participating department office via the Book Runner service for pick up. Staff at branch libraries also process requests for pickup and delivery by the Courier Service.

Library Courier Service also retrieves books from the return bins located across campus. The bins are checked several times a day and books are checked in as they are received.

How do I request materials?

To request items from Storage or the branch libraries, use the request button in Addison. There is a limit of 15 items per person per day that can be requested. The request will be emailed to the library where the requested item is located. Once received, the item will be searched, pulled, and delivered to the library pickup location of your choice.

Who can use the Courier Service?

The Library Courier Service is open to all patrons of the Virginia Tech Libraries. This includes all Virginia Tech faculty, staff, students (undergraduates and graduates), Virginia Tech Extension Agents and Virginia residents.

How long does it take? / What is the delivery schedule?

Storage material requests and on-campus branch library requests usually require a 48 hour processing time to be delivered to the selected on-campus pick up location. Occasionally requests may take up to 5 business days to process due to request volume or citation problems. There are no deliveries on Saturday or Sunday.

Items delivered from the Northern Virginia Resource Center in Falls Church usually take 7-10 days to be delivered to Blacksburg campus pick-up locations.

Deliveries are made to Newman Library and the other on-campus branches once a day with all deliveries completed by 5:00pm.

Where can I have my requests delivered to? 

Courier requests can be delivered to the Circulation Desk at any of the branches listed below.

On campus library branches

• Carol M. Newman Library. Located between the on-campus University Bookstore and Squires Student Center on University Mall.
• Art + Architecture Library. Located on the first floor of Cowgill Hall.
• Veterinary Medicine Library. Located in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine on Duck Pond Drive.

Book Runner participating departments

Off campus library branch

• Northern Virginia Center Resource Center. Located in Falls Church, Virginia. Items requested from this branch are delivered via UPS. Virginia Tech affiliated patrons who wish to have materials owned by other branch libraries delivered to the Northern Virginia branch should submit their requests using ILLiad. You can also choose to have these items mailed directly to your home address.

What materials can I request?

Library material that can be checked-out (i.e. circulate) can be delivered to you at one of the library pickup locations. Items that can be requested vary for the branch libraries and Storage. Items requested from Storage vary depending on which library department owns the item. The Storage facility contains books, journals, Special Collections items, and media items.

Books

Books that are located at any Virginia Tech branch library and are listed as Available on Addison can be delivered from one branch library to another branch library or participating department office via the Book Runner service. Use the request button in Addison for the item in question.

Articles

Articles in current, bound, or microformed journals located in any branch library can be scanned and downloaded through ILLiad and the Desktop Delivery service. Desktop Delivery scans material from our collection; if we don't own it, you'll want to use the regular ILLiad request form so we can obtain it from another library.

Journals

Current (unbound) journals do not circulate and are not eligible for delivery by the Courier Service. (Use the Desktop Delivery service listed above.)

Storage material

Books and journals that are located at Storage can be delivered to any University Libraries branch or participating department office via the Book Runner service. Storage books and journals may be checked out. Use the request button in Addison for these materials.

Special Collections material in Storage

Items from Special Collections that are housed at Storage can be requested using the Request icon found at the top of the item page. These items are not allowed to circulate and must be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room. Special Collections will notify you when the material is ready for viewing. (Special Collections staff can assist in making photocopies of most materials.)

Media items in Storage

There are media materials such as filmstrips, multimedia kits and phonorecords housed at Storage. Filmstrips and multimedia kits can be requested by faculty only. Phonorecords may be requested by faculty, staff, and students.