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Inter-library loan

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a service that enables a network of French and foreign libraries to send or receive requests for documents (originals and photocopies) that they do not possess.

(crédits : Marta Nascimento / Sciences Po)
Section #peb-demandeur

Ask for a document from another library

Sciences Po internal readers (teachers, researchers, students, staff)

The Sciences Po library makes requests :

  • for the loan of books, dissertations or theses held in French libraries (except Paris and the Île-de-France erea) or libraries abroad
  • for photocopies of periodical articles held in French or foreign libraries.

The Sciences Po library does not accept requests for : 

  • comics, graphic novels and novels, ebooks and book chapters
  • printed periodicals
  • books held in libraries in the Île-de-France area.

The reader must fulfill an online ILL request form.

To prepare your request, we invite you to check if the item is not in our collections or in those of Paris and Ile-de-France libraries, which you can visit :

To get the requested documents quickly, it is important to fill in the form with the most precise references possible:

  • For books : author, complete title, year of publication;
  • For journal articles : title of journal, full title of article, author of article, year, volume, pages and ISSN;
  • For theses : author, year of defense, university of thesis submission.

To help you: 

  • SUDOC, the common catalog of French university libraries,
  • Worldcat, which aggregates library catalogs from all over the world.
  • processing time is 3 working days
  • Document delivery takes an average of 15 days.
  • Readers are notified by e-mail when documents arrive.

The loan period is variable, set by the lending library.

Books from other libraries can only be consulted by appointment in the consultation area on the 2nd floor of the Bibliothèque Saint-Guillaume.

This service is free of charge (except for documents requested from the British Library, for which the cost is payable by the reader: €27 per book / €8.50 for an extension / €17 per article).

Section #peb-fournisseur

Providing document

Institutions in France (excluding Île-de-France) and abroad

The Sciences Po library sends :

  • Monographs
  • Photocopies of journal articles (up to 50 pages)
  • Theses and dissertations
  • Microfiches

The Sciences Po library does not send : 

  • copies of book chapters.
  • theses available on the "thèses.fr" platform
  • books in direct access abroad

Reader requests must be sent via their institution's ILL service.

  • For libraries participating in the Sudoc network, requests must be made via Winibw.
  • For other establishments (outside Ile-de-France), requests should be sent by email to peb.bib@sciencespo.fr.

Processing time is 3 working days, depending on the location of the documents.

  • direct access monographs (in high demand by our students): 1 month maximum
  • monographs in bookstacks, theses and dissertations: 2 months maximum
  • All documents must be consulted exclusively on site at the requesting library. 
  • Photocopies are sent by post; we do not supply digital copies.  

There is a charge for this service for books, dissertations and theses: 

  • France: 12 euros or 1.5 IFLA vouchers per volume
  • European Union: 16 euros or 2 IFLA vouchers per volume
  • Outside the European Union: 32 euros or 4 IFLA vouchers per volume

If payment is made by the reader, a cheque for 12 euros payable to the "Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques" must be sent by the requesting library.  

Photocopies of journal articles and microfiche are sent free of charge.

Section #contacts

How to contact us ?

Requests to other libraries:

Jenna Disseau / peb.dem@sciencespo.fr / 33 (0)1 45 49 51 94

Requests from other libraries:

Sonia Baujouan / peb.bib@sciencespo.fr / 33 (0)1 45 49 56 04

Postal address:

Sciences Po
La Bibliothèque
Service du PEB
27, rue Saint-Guillaume
75337 Paris Cedex 07
FRANCE