Document Delivery & Interlibrary Loan

Access to Materials not in The Research Libraries’ collections

There are several ways to obtain copies of materials that are not available at The New York Public Library Research Libraries: NYPL Express, interlibrary loan and METRO referral cards.

Ask NYPL Express, the Library's fee-based document delivery service, can obtain virtually any document quickly from document suppliers around the world. Photocopies of newspaper and journal articles, patents, proceedings, government documents, reports, and book excerpts from one of the world's largest repositories can be quickly obtained. NYPL Express can now deliver documents electronically for a fee. See Ask NYPL Express for details.

Interlibrary Loan provides access to library materials that are not available in the New York metropolitan area through agreements with libraries throughout the country. If you are unable to locate an item in the library catalog, please see a librarian at a reference desk at one of The Research Libraries. Bring all citation details with you. Librarians at each Research Library will assist you in interlibrary loan procedures. For further information about interlibrary loan policies, please contact the interlibrary loan staff at (212) 930-0878. If you would like to try our online form for articles which can be delivered electronically, or for loans, please click here. Some material may only be available for use in a research center.

METRO referral cards provide courtesy access to many academic, school, public and special libraries throughout New York City and Westchester County. If you are unable to locate an item in the library catalog, please see a librarian at a reference desk at one of The Research Libraries. Bring all citation details with you. Librarians at each Research Library can issue METRO cards referring users to participating METRO libraries.