The information on this page applies to:

  • Alumni
  • Students or faculty of a Canadian university outside of Quebec
  • BAnQ researchers
  • CEGEP faculty
  • Faculty members and 3rd-year Masters of Divinity students of the Montreal School of Theology
  • Visiting graduate students with a sponsored borrower card
  • Short term program participants with a sponsored borrower card

Requesting Items with a McGill Libraries Borrowing Card

With a McGill Libraries Borrowing card, you can request to have any regular loan item owned by any McGill library location (including the McGill University Collections Centre) retrieved for you and made available for pickup.

To request an item for pickup:

  1. Search for it in the Sofia Discovery Tool (Library catalogue),
  2. Click the "Request / Hold" button,
  3. Sign in using your McGill library account credentials,
  4. Select the library pickup location of your choice.

You will be notified by email when the item you requested is available for pickup.

The item will be held at your chosen pickup location for 7 days.

You can view details about your hold requests and cancel requests for items you no longer need via your library account.

Please note:

  • It is also possible to place hold requests on items that are "on order" or "in process".
  • Course Reserve items and eBooks cannot be requested for pickup.
  • You can only select a McGill library as your pickup location.
Wait Times for Hold Requests
  • Staff will retrieve available items by the next business day. 
  • In most cases, items requested from the McGill University Collections Centre for pickup at the Humanities & Social Science Library should be available within one business day. 
  • Items requested for pickup at other library locations may require two business days. 
  • Hold requests placed on McGill items that are currently checked out can take up to 30 days to fill.