Borrow: Borrowing, Requesting and Renewing Library Items

Everything you need to know to borrow or "check out" items from the VDOT Research Library.

Borrow, Request & Renew

VDOT employees have almost unlimited access to library collections, on a first-come-first-served basis, including:

Borrowing books and other items (aka "loans" or "check outs") from our extensive local collections.
Requesting items not available in the library catalog. Includes placing a "hold" so you'll be next in line to use a book when it is returned, "recalling" books checked out by others, or requesting copies of items not listed. Need a book we don't have? Use this Document Delivery Request Form to get the full text!
Renewing items you have already checked out – in person, by phone or online with your library card.

BORROWING PRIVILEGES BY PATRON TYPE:

Access to Other Library Collections

If you've checked the Library Catalog and are pretty sure we don't have the book or report you need, you can quickly search for it in libraries worldwide. Or you can just give us the citation and we'll find it for you! The WorldCat Discovery database is a global resource that reveals over 2.6 Billion items held by libraries worldwide. (Learn more...)

Believe it or not, a lot of research and information needed by transportation professionals is NOT held by transportation libraries. That's why we participate in OCLC WorldShare ILL, a global consortium of libraries that defrays overall operating costs and helps us quickly locate and borrow resources from libraries around the globe. The result is that your library is a gateway to other libraries. Every 5 seconds OCLC libraries use WorldShare to fill a loan request! Want the next request filled to be yours? Send details on the item you need us to borrow for you from this ILL Request Form and we'll do the rest. Learn more from our ILL & Document Delivery page.