Document delivery

If the required material is not available in our online or print collection, we are happy to get it for you. We will search for the documents in other Swiss and foreign libraries and order them for you.

Document Delivery Form

The following documents can be ordered: articles, books, book chapters, standards, patents, reports, etc.
Delivery Time: DocDel offers fast turnaround times. Generally, documents such as articles, book chapters, standards, or patents are shipped within two business days. Book deliveries might take a little longer but should not exceed 2 weeks, particularly if available from a Swiss library. Should you have requested an item which is difficult to obtain and takes longer, you will be informed via email within two business days.
Fees: The service is free of charge and only available to affiliates of the four research institutes within the ETH Domain (Eawag, Empa, PSI and WSL).

Prior to your submission, please try to obtain the document from our media collection (online or print, incl. swisscovery). The search query can be done most conveniently by using Lib4RI’s search box. Should you be unsuccessful to get a hold on the desired document the following options to contact our document delivery unit (DocDel) are at your disposal:

from within swisscovery just select «Document Delivery Service», double-check the pre-filled form and provide your name and e-mail prior to submission.

Manually fill-in the online form below for your document delivery

Send us an e-mail or drop by at your nearest library desk.
Form of delivery (print or electronic), loan period and conditions for the use of the material is up to the lending library. Copyright regulations of the lending library apply.

Usually, we try to send articles, book chapters, standards and patents as PDFs to your institutional e-mail address. However, some material may be restricted to print only. In order to keep fast turnaround times we order print documents via fax. As this might affect the quality of the copy, please specifically ask for a high quality print if needed. Please note that we can’t guarantee a PDF delivery.

Documents supplied are only intended for personal use and must not be used commercially.

Generally, interlibrary loan periods are at least three weeks. We send the book directly to your institutional address. The due date is given on your receipt but can also be double-checked in your swisscovery user account. Renewals can be requested via e-mail prior to the due date. Please note that automatic renewals as well as renewals via swisscovery are not suported.

Interlibrary loans need to be returned either at your institute’s library or via regular mail to Lib4RI: WSL.