Distance Education Services

Home Delivery for Print Materials 

If you are a distance education student living in Canada and do not live local to a UBC campus, you are also eligible for delivery of print books to your home free of charge. Please review the instructions below to learn how to register for this service. Note that distance education services do not supply required course textbooks.  

Residence Restrictions 

• If you live in Canada, there is no cost to you to return your Library materials. 

• If you are eligible for home delivery but are having difficulty acquiring the material(s) you need, try contacting your course instructor to see if an alternate reading might be available.   

• Students living outside Canada are not eligible for home delivery of UBC library print materials.

• If you are not eligible for home delivery, contact your local public library to see if you can use the Interlibrary Loan service to obtain your course materials.

• If you are not eligible for home delivery but are a student, faculty or staff member from another Canadian or American university, you may be eligible for reciprocal borrowing privilege through consortial agreements. Please review our information on the Reciprocal Borrowing page to learn more. 

• If you are not eligible for home delivery, but do have access to UBC eResources, you may try requesting the print item to be purchased as an eBook, if available. You can do this by filling out UBC’s Suggest a Book form. Please note that there is no guarantee that suggested materials will be purchased.  

Registering for Home Delivery Services 

If you live at a distance from a UBC campus you can register for delivery services.  You will need to do this before requesting home delivery of print materials or interlibrary loans services.   

Research Help 

Do you need help navigating the library, or starting your research? Assistance is available! Start by taking a look on UBC’s Ask Us page for UBC’s virtual reference service, the subject librarian directory, writing consultations and more. 

Borrowing Print Materials 

To request home delivery of UBC Library print material: 

• Step One: Apply to get your Digital UBC Card online if you don’t already have one and are unable to come to campus to pick up your physical UBC Card.

• Step Two: Register for delivery services using the Distance Education Services form.

• Step Three: Find the item you want in the UBC Library catalogue. 

• If the status is “available”, click on Order via Document Delivery (DocDel) and note that you want it sent to “Extension Library”. 

• If the status is “on loan”, click on “Request this Item: Recall” and choose “Extension Library” as the pickup location. The item will then be mailed to you as soon as it is available.  

As a registered Distance Education student, your loan period for UBC books is a term. Borrowed materials are subject to recall by another borrower. 

• You can renew library materials online through the My Library Account portal except for items recalled by another borrower.

• Books and other print materials are delivered by mail free of charge within Canada and take a minimum of 10 days to 2 weeks for processing and delivery. Please consider these timelines when making your requests. 

Borrowing from Other Libraries for Home Delivery 

If you do not find a book or journal in the UBC Library catalogue, you may place an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request for it. 

• To do this, fill out the Interlibrary Loan Order form. Students will log in with your CWL. 

Make sure you select “Extension Library” as your home branch. Books ordered through ILL will be sent to you by courier. You are responsible for returning ILL books back to UBC Library by the due date. 

Online Access: Connecting from Home 

As a UBC student, you have full access to a wide range of print and electronic collections through the Library from home, as well as in person. Log in to OpenAthens to get instant access to online journals, indexes & databases, and other library licensed resources from off-campus locations.  

• Help with Open Athens

• OpenAthens is a resource that allows you to connect to UBC Library Materials. It is how the Library authenticates access.  

• To log in you will need: Your Campus-Wide Login (CWL)

• Once your CWL is activated you can login and gain access to UBC resources here. 

Troubleshooting Checklist: 

• Check your connectivity: Make sure that your internet service provider is working.

• If you can’t log in with your Campus Wide Login (CWL): Contact UBC IT Service Centre Help Desk, by phone, email or via the form at Contact UBC Information Technology.

• If your access problems are intermittent (you can access some online journals or databases from home but not others): There could be an issue with the journal/database itself. Report access problems relating to specific journals and databases here: Library Electronic Resources: Problems, Questions and Comments.