University Library > Services > Bronco Express / Interlibrary Loan

Bronco Express / Interlibrary Loan FAQ

What is Bronco Express?

An interlibrary loan/document delivery service for SCU students, faculty, and staff provided by the Library to obtain books, magazine or journal articles, conference proceedings, dissertations and other research materials not available on-campus.
How Do I Make a Bronco Express Request?

From the Bronco Express homepage, select the form of material you are requesting from the menu and click on it. Complete the online form. Be especially thoughtful about the date you fill in under Cancel if not filled by. Be sure to click on the SUBMIT THIS REQUEST button and wait for the reply confirming that your request has been sent to the library.

The same day or soon after you have made your request, you will receive an e-mail message estimating when you can expect your request to arrive.

How Long Do I Have to Wait?

  • Electronic Delivery - 1 to 3 days
    If you are lucky, we can get an article electronically. Many recently published articles can be supplied within 1-48 hours.

  • Mail Delivery - 7 to 15 days
    Books, proceedings, dissertations and some articles not available electronically will come through the mail.

  • Difficult Item Delivery - Every effort will be made to obtain resources needed in 3 to 15 days.
    However, certain types of items may take longer:

    • very recently published items
    • items owned by few libraries
    • foreign language items
    • rare or very old items
How Can I Get Items Faster?
  • Try requesting a book using the LINK+ option in OSCAR
  • Many conference proceedings, government documents, some dissertations and technical reports also may be from LINK+
  • Look up the journal title in the Electronic Journals List
  • Provide accurate and complete information
    • do not guess at abbreviations - just give us the abbreviation as you got it
    • include volume and page numbers when requesting copies
    • include ISSN/ISBN number if available. Write this number after the title
    • indicate where you learned about this item in the "cited in" line on the OSCAR interlibrary loan form
  • If you cannot find a periodical that the Library owns, see staff at the Circulation Desk to start the search process
  • Provide any other helpful information in the Cited in field
How Do I Check the Status of My Bronco Express Request?
  • Call 408-554-5428
  • E-mail cbradley@scu.edu or cbird@scu.edu
  • Come to the Circulation Desk and ask to speak with Cindy or Carolee in Bronco Express Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 4:30 PM.
  • Access My OSCAR from the library homepage. You will see In Process & Ready for Pickup for book requests. For article requests you will see In Process only. When your article request has been removed from your file, it means either your article has arrived or a cancellation e-mail has been sent to you.
How Do I Know When My Item Has Arrived?
Where Can I Pick Up My Bronco Express Items?
  • If the item is a book, you can pick it up at the Circulation Desk.
  • If the item is an article reprint, it can be sent to your GroupWise e-mail, picked up at the Circulation Desk, sent to your on-campus address, SCU box or U.S. mail address. You choose when you make the request.

NOTE: We will hold articles for 2 months and books for 10 days.

How Long Can I Keep Bronco Express Items?

Copies or faxes are yours to keep.

For other items, loan periods are set by the lending library and generally vary from two to four weeks. All material is subject to immediate recall if requested by the lending library. Failure to return or renew items on time can jeopardize Santa Clara's borrowing privileges with other libraries. Please be considerate of other users. Borrowers who consistently disregard due dates may be refused future service.

The availability of renewals is governed by the lending library and are rare. Request for a renewal must be made before the due date. On rare occasions, renewals may be requested once for one week only. To request a renewal call the Circulation Desk at 408-554-5020.

What Can't I Borrow through Bronco Express?

Items generally not available are rare books, manuscripts, reference books, text books, genealogical materials, some dissertations and theses (especially foreign), videos, films, slides, whole issues of periodicals, and bulky or fragile materials which are difficult and expensive to mail. The University Librarian's office can provide letters of introduction for faculty requesting on-site use of these types of materials. Library materials on reserve or in non-circulating collections will not be requested through Bronco Express. However, items whose OSCAR status is missing or on hold may be requested. Items will not be requested for use in Course Reserves.
Are There Any Restrictions on My Use of the Item?

The lending library may place restrictions on the use of an item. For example, an item may be restricted to the library (building use only), photocopying may be prohibited, or the item may be non-renewable.
Do I Have to Pay a Fee?
SCU students, faculty, and staff are not charged for Bronco Express services. The Library pays all fees associated with borrowing items or acquiring copies.
What Happens if I Lose or Damage a Bronco Express Item?
The borrower is financially responsible for any damage or loss of materials from the time an item is picked up until it is returned. Please remember that photocopying may cause damage. If any damage occurs, do not attempt to repair the item. Report the problem to the Bronco Express office.