BorrowDirect, E-ZBorrow and Interlibrary Loan: FacultyEXPRESS

See the Libraries' COVID-19 page for the latest updates on library services.

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries are currently closed and there is no access to our physical collections.  The same is true for many of our resource sharing partners.  Delivery of physical materials to departmental offices is suspended during the closure.  Requests for electronic articles and book chapters can be submitted.  To expedite delivery, please submit no more than one book chapter per request.  Requests for copies of entire books should be submitted via purchase request: https://faq.library.upenn.edu/friendly.php?slug=purchaserequests

FacultyEXPRESS is a service offered by the Penn Library to standing, tenure-track faculty.

We will:

• Deliver circulating Penn Library materials (books, videos, etc.) to faculty members' departmental administrative offices or any campus library.
• Provide web delivery of articles, papers, and book excerpts (50 page limit) from the Penn collections.
• Obtain and deliver material not available in the Penn Library collections.

Who is eligible to participate?

• Standing, tenure-track faculty, as identified by their respective schools, are eligible for delivery service. Currently, this includes Annenberg School for Communication, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Design, Graduate School of Education, School of Engineering and Applied Science , School of Dental Medicine, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Social Policy and Practice, and School of Veterinary Medicine faculty.

How fast is delivery?

• We will deliver items Monday through Friday.
• Articles from the Penn Library collections can usually be delivered via the web by the next business day.
• Other materials from the Penn Library collections will normally be delivered within two business days.
• Materials we obtain elsewhere will generally be delivered within a week.

How will I be notified when my item has been delivered?

• We will email you when the item is available in your departmental office.
• Penn books will be checked out to your library account before we deliver them to you.

Why do I have to authenticate in Franklin to use this service?

• When you log in with your PennKey and password, the system will verify that you are eligible for the delivery service. Your delivery options will automatically appear in the request form.

How do I request material for delivery?

The request form is available from a variety of places, depending on where you are searching:

• In Franklin, find the book you would like to have delivered. From the RECORD page, type your PennKey and Password in the boxes on the upper right corner of the page. After logging in, click on the FX button to place your request. The bibliographic information will automatically fill in the request form.
• From PennText, whether starting from Article Finder or a library database search, select the Document Delivery option from the PennText menu after you find a citation. Log in using your PennKey and Password.
• Standing, tenure-track faculty will see FacultyEXPRESS in the sidebar of this page. Select either "Request Article" or "Request Book." In the form, fill out the citation information.
• No matter which process you use, you will automatically be presented with the correct request form for the FacultyEXPRESS service.

What if I already have a citation?

• For articles, in the sidebar of this page, under FacultyEXPRESS, click Request Article.
• For books, videos or other media, in the sidebar of this page, under FacultyEXPRESS, click Request Book.

Can BorrowDirect and E-ZBorrow books that I order directly be delivered to me?

• Yes, indeed. You may continue to use both services to locate and request books from our partner libraries. When you receive the email notification alerting you that the item is available for pickup, please forward the message to us at pld@pobox.upenn.edu and let us know whether you would like it delivered to your departmental office or a Penn Library circulation desk.

Are there any restrictions on materials that can be delivered?

• Sometimes we receive items from other libraries that are marked "Library Use Only." In those cases, we will contact you and ask you which Penn Library circulation desk is most convenient for you.

Where will my material be delivered?

• We will deliver books and other physical materials to the administrative office associated with your department or to any Penn Library circulation desk if you prefer. The departmental address will automatically appear on the request form, but you may choose the library pickup option before you submit the request.
• Articles, papers and book excerpts will be delivered via the web (and thus more quickly) unless you specifically request delivery in paper.

Can I return books the same way?

• Yes, you can give books to the departmental office staff to hold for our delivery staff to retrieve. We will return them to the library to be checked in.

How does the service differ from other library services?

• We will deliver items directly to your department, not just to the most convenient Penn Library.
• If the Penn Library does not own the item you need, we will acquire it through Interlibrary Loan and deliver it to you.
• We will scan and electronically deliver, or copy and physically deliver, articles from journals located on campus in Penn Library collections, not just from Storage or from non-Penn sources.
• Faculty delivery requests will receive priority handling by FacultyEXPRESS staff, both for processing and for delivery.
• You may also continue to use existing services such as BorrowDirect, E-ZBorrow and Place Request through the regular channels (i.e., Library ID number) whenever you want.

Whom do I contact if I have problems?

Email us at pld@pobox.upenn.edu if you have any questions or concerns.