Access To Columbia's Libraries

The primary function of the Columbia University Libraries is to serve the teaching, research and scholarly activities of faculty, staff and students. Consequently to best fulfill this mission, access restrictions are in effect in most of Columbia's 22 libraries. Members of the University and of affiliated institutions are asked to show an ID upon entering the libraries.

Columbia welcomes the use of its collections by researchers and scholars not affiliated with a university. Non-affiliated researchers may have to pay for access or borrowing privileges. Please see below for details. Contact the Library Information Office to make arrangements for visitor access to the libraries. The Library Information Office is located to the left of the Butler Library entrance. The Office has more limited hours than the library, therefore it is essential to check office hours before arriving at Columbia.

Staff in the Library Information Office will issue either a reader's card or a photo ID card. There is a charge for the latter. Visitors must present a valid government issued ID card in order to obtain a reader's card.

Access to the Columbia University Libraries before or after normal service hours is restricted to current Columbia University students, faculty and staff.

Please Note: Arrangements to visit the libraries listed below must be made directly with those libraries, not with the Library Information Office.

• The Health Sciences Library
• The Law Library

Alumni

Alumni with degrees from Columbia University, Barnard College, or Union Theological Seminary may apply for a University Alumni Identification Card that grants renewable reading privileges. Alumni who wish to borrow books may obtain borrowing privileges for a $30 monthly fee.  Alumni of Teachers College must obtain their alumni cards in Grace Dodge Hall.

Recent alumni will retain full library privileges, including borrowing privileges and access to licensed electronic databases, for a period of three months beyond the degree conferral date.

Application can be made in person to the Library Information Office. Recent graduates who may not appear on lists maintained by the alumni offices should bring confirmation of graduation in the form of their diploma, official transcript, or letter from the Office of the Registrar.

Staff in the Library Information Office will issue either a reader's card or a photo ID card. There is a charge for the latter.  Alumni must present a valid government issued ID card in order to obtain an alumni card.

Residents of the New York Metropolitan Area

Residents of the New York Metropolitan area may use materials in the Columbia Libraries when items are not available elsewhere in the city. New York residents must have a METRO Courtesy Card referral from their local institution or public library (including the New York Public Library). METRO Courtesy Cards should be presented at the Library Information Office inside the entrance to Butler Library. It is essential to check the Office's hours before arriving at Columbia.

New York area residents who wish to use the Libraries for an extended period may do so by registering with the Library Information Office. The charge for extended reading privileges is $55 per month; the charge for borrowing privileges is $100 per month.

Staff in the Library Information Office will issue either a reader's card or a photo ID card. There is a charge for the latter. Visitors must present a valid government issued ID card in order to obtain a reader's card.

Please note that Metro card referrals will not be honored during final examinations. 

Persons living outside the New York Metropolitan Area.

Students and faculty of other universities outside the New York metropolitan area are granted reading privileges for up to 5 consecutive days in any one semester without charge. Students and faculty of universities outside the United States are granted reading privileges. Please contact staff in the Library Information Office for details. Appropriate academic credentials are required. Visitors wishing to make extended use of the collections may purchase reading privileges for $55 per month or borrowing privileges for $100 per month. To register for privileges, visit the Library Information Office in Butler Library. For information about the credentials necessary to qualify for privileges, write the Library Information Office at the address below, or call 212-854-7309, or send email to lio@columbia.edu.

Staff in the Library Information Office will issue either a reader's card or a photo ID card. There is a charge for the latter.  Visitors must present a valid government issued ID card in order to obtain a reader's card.

Please note that reader cards will not be issued during final examinations.

SHARES members

Students, faculty, and academic or professional staff of SHARES member institutions are entitled to reading privileges upon presentation of appropriate institutional identification to the Library Information Office in Butler Library. Persons affiliated with SHARES institutions located in the New York metropolitan area are governed by METRO see "Residents of the New York Metropolitan Area" above.

Staff in the Library Information Office will issue either a reader's card or a photo ID card. There is a charge for the latter. Visitors must present a valid government issued ID card in order to obtain a reader's card.

Government Documents

Visitors wishing to use U.S. Government or New York State documents, must get a pass at the Library Information Office. U.S. depository documents published after 1976 are shelved in the U.S. Government Documents Collection in the East Reading Room of the Lehman Social Sciences Library, located in the International Affairs Building, or the Law Library, 300 Greene Hall, although some documents may be housed in other campus libraries. New York State documents, 1983-1996, are also located in Lehman Library, on microfiche.

To consult a Columbia dissertation or master's thesis, please register with the University through the Library Information Office in Butler Library.  In order to obtain a reader's card, visitors must present a valid government issued ID card.

Guests of Columbia faculty, students and staff

Faculty and officers who plan to bring guests to the Libraries are encouraged to make arrangements in advance with the Library Information Office. Students who wish to bring guests into the libraries should check in advance with the Library Information Office to determine the level of access to which their guest is entitled.