What is McGILL?

McGILL is the electronic system you use to request articles/documents, books and other materials. You can also monitor the status of your requests, view pending requests, download electronically received articles, view your requesting history and modify your account information.

The name McGILL can be thought of as an acronym for MCG InterLibrary Loan.

How is McGILL better than traditional Document Delivery systems?

1. You will find it easier to submit your document delivery requests. With McGILL, you enter your name, address, and other personal information into the system only once, at the time of your first request.
2. Your request will be handled more rapidly and accurately as problems relating to misinterpretation of hand-written requests are eliminated.
3. You can get many of your photocopies more quickly through Electronic Delivery.
4. You can get information about the status of your request through the Web at any time from any location without having to call the Document Delivery Department.
5. Library personnel are able to serve you better because all data about your request and its handling is stored in a searchable database. We are able to respond quickly to your inquiries about your request. We are also able to gather statistical information about the performance of the libraries that lend to us, enabling us to make better decisions when choosing a lender to supply an item.

Are there any disadvantages to the electronic system?

Some people might find it troublesome to have to log into McGILL using a username and password. We believe this is less trouble than traditional paper and electronic systems which require you to enter your personal information with each new request.

Why do I need a username and password to use McGILL?

Your username and password allows us to give you secure access to information about your document delivery requests. We can also enable you to edit your personal information such as your address or phone number.

You may choose your own username, such as your name, abbreviations, or an alphanumeric code. You may also choose your own password. We recommend that you follow good security practice and choose a password that is different from those you use to access other systems. However, no one but you will know your password, not even the library staff. The password you set is stored in an encrypted file.

What if I forget my password?

In the event that you forget your password, you have the ability to re-set it. Click the Forgot Password link on the Login page and enter your email address. A message will be sent to your email account with instructions on re-setting your password. There is a one hour time-frame to which you can log in to your account using the re-set password.

If you encounter problems with automatically resetting your password, the Document Delivery staff can reset it for you. You can contact the Document Delivery Office at (706) 721-6374 or mcgill@mcg.edu. We suggest that you change your password once you logon to McGILL.

What Web browser should I use?

You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferrably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We recommend the current versions of either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?

Yes. Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation. This allows a subsequent user of the workstation to access the system under your name if they use the browser's Back button to recall a page from the cache, or by finding a page with your personal information in the browser's history file. If you are concerned about the security of your document delivery requests, you can take the following steps:

1. Access McGILL only from your personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation.
2. Access McGILL from a public workstation in the Document Delivery office in the library. These computers are supervised by the library staff.
3. When using a public access workstation:

• Delete from the history file those pages that contain your personal information.
• Exit from the Web browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from accessing the pages you were using.

Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?

From time to time we purge older records from McGILL. We generally keep requests online for several years order to comply with record keeping requirements of the copyright law.

What is electronic delivery?

Many libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. Through McGILL, we are able to offer you the option of electronic delivery of these articles in PDF format (Adobe's Portable Document Format). You can read more about electronic delivery on the Electronic Delivery Information page.

Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about McGILL?

Document Delivery office at (706) 721-6374 or e-mail to mcgill@mcg.edu

Why does my browser say that you're sending a cookie? What's in it?

The technology that we use sends a Session ID to be stored on your machine. You can refuse this cookie and still be able to use McGILL without any problems.