Use RACER to Borrow Materials from Other Libraries

If a resource you need isn't in one of the OMNI library collections, try searching for it with RACER.

You can use RACER to search library catalogues from around the world, and request to borrow resources from these libraries.

If you have used RACER before: Click here to login to your RACER account. Enter your seven (7) digit student number or Datatel number (for staff & faculty) as listed on your TrentU card.

If you are a new RACER user: click here to create an account.

Read below to find out how to search and request resources through RACER:

Search Racer for a Resource

The fastest way to find, request, and receive a resource is by using the RACER search tool. You can use this to search multiple library catalogues at once and request the resource you want.

Search For a Book/Print Resource

You can find & request full copies of physical resources, like books, that will be shipped to you from another library. To find an article or book chapter, read the instructions below.

  • Use RACER's Advanced Search to search in multiple fields at once (ex., Title AND Author). 
  • To search for an entire book/resource, you will get the best results if you search for the title in quotes (" ") or the ISBN (International Standard Book Number). Do not abbreviate the title. 
  • You can also search for the author, or by Subject Heading. 
  • Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, AND NOT) to combine or limit search terms. You can use truncation (*) to expand your searches. Learn more about Advanced Search techniques.
  • If you get too many results, you can narrow your search with filters: publication date, material format, language, and reading level. 

Search For a Journal Article/Book Chapter

If you don't need an entire physical resource, you can find and request scans or copies of an article or book chapter. These will be sent to you so you can access them on your computer. 

  • You'll get the best results by searching for the title of the journal/book that the article is published in rather than the title of the article/chapter itself. Search for the journal or book title in quotation marks (" "). 

Search for a journal article or book chapter in RACER by searching for the title of the book or journal it's published in.

Select a Search Profile

If your initial search did not return what you want, try searching in other library catalogues. RACER organizes groups of library collections into Profiles by geography (e.g. Ontario university libraries), function or discipline. 

  • Look under the Profile heading. Select a Profile from the drop-down menu.
  • Searchable Collections lists the library collections within the Profile you are searching in. If you want to search specific library collections, click Deselect All at the bottom of the list, and then select the name of the university catalogue(s) you want to search.

Select a different profile to change which university catalogues you are searching.

Create a New Search Profile

You can custom-create your own Search Profile with specific library collections that you want to search in. 

  • Click Search Profiles in the left-side menu under My Account.
  • Click Create.
  • Enter a name for your new search profile. 
  • Under Collections, select the names of the university library collections that you want included in your Search Profile. When you search with this profile, RACER will search in all of the library collections that you have selected.
  • Click the blue information icon beside each collection name to learn more about that collection. 
  • Click Save to create your new search profile. 
  • When you enter Advanced Search or Standard Search and look under Profile, click the Current Profile drop-down menu. You will now see the new search profile you have created. Select it to search the library collections in your new search profile. 

Request a Resource From the Search Results Page

It may take a few minutes for RACER to find what you're looking for. 

  • When you have a list of results, select the item that you want:
    • Click Get It! to go to the request form for the item.
    • Click Details to learn more about the item and the library it is housed in.
    • Click Save to save the item's citation to your Saved List.
  • After clicking Get It!, you will see a request form automatically filled-in with information about the item you want.

Search results - users can click Get It!, Details, or Save to find out more about results.

Request Form

  • Beside Service, click the Loan option if you want a loan of an entire, physical copy of a book/resource to be sent to you
  • Or, click the Scan/Copy option beside Service if you want a scan/copy of an article/book chapter to be sent to your computer.
  • Make sure the title, author(s)/editor(s) and other details in the form are correct.
  • If you want a loan of an entire book, leave the Part Details sections blank.

A loan form for an item to be requested through RACER.

Select Scan/Copy if you only want part of a book or a specific journal article from a publication.

  • If you want a scan/copy of an article/chapter (part of a journal/book), enter the following information under Part Details:
    • Full title of the article/chapter you want copied/scanned 
    • Name(s) of the article/chapter's authors
    • Publication date of when the article was published in the journal 
    • Including information like the ISSN will help the lending library process your request faster. What is an ISSN?

Be sure the information in the Additional Information section, and check the format & reference source in the Publication Details section.

  • Under Additional Information, enter the date when you will no longer need the item to be sent to you. This tells the loaning library how long they have to send you the item. 
  • If you are borrowing a physical book/resource, select the Pickup Location where the item will be delivered and you will receive it (Bata Library or Durham). 
  • When the form is complete, click Request

Fill Out a Blank Racer Form

If you can't find the resource you want using RACER's search tool, you can fill-out a blank request form with information about the item. The Blank Request Form is found under the "My Account" section in the side navigation.

The link to the Blank Request Form is found under the My Account section in RACER.

Follow the directions below:

Format: Select the format of the item you want to request. E.g., if you want a scanned/copied chapter in a book, select "Part of book." 

Service: Select Loan if you want a full copy of a physical/print item. Select Scan/Copy if you want an article or section of a book to be copied/scanned and sent to you electronically.

Title: Type in the full title of the item (book, DVD, computer file, etc.) that you want. 

Author(s)/Creator(s)/Editor(s): Type in the names of the authors or creators of the item. 

Part Details: Fill out these sections if you are requesting a scan/copy of an article or book chapter/section. Do not fill in these sections if you are requesting a loan of a full book, journal, DVD, etc.

Title of Paper/Chapter/Article: Enter the full title of the the article, paper, or book chapter you want scanned/copied and sent to you.

Author: Enter the name(s) of the article/chapter's authors or creators.

Date Part Published: You will see this option if you are requesting an article. Enter the date the article was published in the journal. 

Volume/Issue: You will see this option if you are requesting an article. Enter the volume and issue number of the journal that the article is published in. 

Pages: Enter the page numbers that the article/book chapter can be found on in the journal/book. 

Publication Details - ISSN: You will see this option if you are requesting an article. Click here to learn how to find the ISSN for an article. What is an ISSN?

Publication Details - ISBN: You will see this option if you are requesting a book/a part of a book. Click here to learn how to find the ISBN for a book. What is an ISBN?

Publisher / Place of Publication: Including these details may help to process your request faster.

This Item is Not Needed After: Enter the date when you will no longer need the item to be sent to you. For example, if you need the item for a project due June 20, 2022, enter the date: 20 JUN 2022. This tells the lending library how long they have to fulfill your request. 

Special Instructions: Leave this section blank unless you have necessary instructions. Adding specific instructions may make your request take longer to process.

Pickup Location: If you are requesting a loan of a physical item, choose the location where you want to pickup that item once it is sent. You can choose Trent's Bata Library (in Peterborough) or Durham Library (in Oshawa). 

Click Request once you have filled out all necessary (sections in red) information. 

Check the Status Or Cancel Your Request

  • Click My Requests in the left-hand side navigation menu to see your requests.
  • Check the status of your request to find out when it will be ready for pickup, or when it will be sent to you electronically (if it is a scan/copy). 
  • Cancel a request by clicking the red Cancel icon to the right of the screen. 

In the My Requests area of RACER, you can check the status of your request or cancel it.