Loansome Doc: First Steps

An Article Ordering Option

After you have searched the biomedical literature using PubMed™, you may want to order the full text (usually a photocopy via mail or fax) for references you have retrieved. You can do this for several National Library of Medicine™ (NLM) databases using Loansome Doc™. Begin at the registration site; as part of the registration process you will view a list of libraries that provide Loansome Doc service and you can select from that list. Then you will need to establish a service agreement with the library that you choose. Contact information is provided at the registration site.

NOTE: MANY LIBRARIES CHARGE FEES FOR LOANSOME DOC SERVICE. Each library sets its own document delivery service policies and charges. Call each library, decide which one best meets your needs, and set up a service agreement with that library.

If you are in the United States:

If you regularly use a particular medical library, contact that library to see if it provides Loansome Doc service. If not, use NN/LM's Find a library that can help you with health information service to search for Loansome Doc providers or contact your NN/LM regional office at 800-338-7657 for a list of libraries in your area that provide Loansome Doc service.

If you are in Canada:

Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI)
National Research Council of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario KIA OS2, CANADA
Telephone: 800-668-1222 Fax: 613-952-8244
cisti.medlars@nrc.ca

If you are outside the US and Canada:

The US National Library of Medicine has an extensive network of International MEDLARS Centers which provide services to users outside the US and Canada. In addition, some non-US health libraries provide Loansome Doc services. There are also many U.S. health libraries that serve international users.

Questions to Ask Your Loansome Doc Provider

What fees will I pay for the articles I order? (There is no set minimum or maximum fee.)
If my ordering library does not have the journal I need, will my request be referred to another library automatically?
What delivery methods are available -- mail, e-mail, fax, pick-up? What is the fee for each?
How long, on average, does it take to receive an article ordered via Loansome Doc?
Is there a limit to the number of articles I can order in a specified time period?

For more information about Loansome Doc

NLM Factsheet: Loansome Doc.