Faculty & Officer Borrowing Privileges
Loan Periods:
Semester Loan: Biology, Burke, Business, Butler, Chemistry, East Asian, Engineering, Geology, Geoscience, Journalism, Lehman/Social Work, Math, Milstein Collection in Butler Library, Music & Arts, Prentis, Teachers College, Physics, Psychology and the Ware collection in Avery.
4-week Loan: Barnard, JTS, and Law.
3-week Loan: Health Sciences Libraries.
Children: Current and retired faculty of Columbia University, Barnard College, Teachers College or Union Theological Seminary may register their children without charge for Library borrowing privileges. Cards will be valid for the academic year (September through August), and may be renewed annually. To register, the child of the faculty member should come to the Library Information Office, to the left of the entrance to Butler Library. Children should be accompanied by the faculty member or should present a letter on University stationary requesting the privilege. Please note that children must be junior high or high school students.
Deputy Borrowers: Faculty/officers may designate a Deputy Borrower to charge books on their behalf. Instructions and Application Form.
Further information is available at the Library Information Office and at the Health Sciences Library Circulation Desk.
Extended Leave: If you will be away for an extended leave please return library materials before your departure.
Fines: With the exception of the Health Sciences Library, Interlibrary Loan/Borrow Direct, and Barnard Reserves, faculty/officers using the appropriate faculty/officer identification card are not charged fines but are asked to return or renew materials when they are due. Borrowing privileges are blocked for failure to return recalled books on time or if fines exceed $99. Overdue fines will be removed when overdue materials are returned. Faculty/officers with registered Deputy Borrowers should note that borrowing privileges for these borrowers will also be suspended.
Spouses/Domestic Partners: Faculty and non-student Officers of the University may register their spouse/domestic partner for borrowing privileges at the Columbia Libraries at no charge. The borrowing privilege is not valid at the Health Sciences Library. To register, the employee and spouse/domestic partner must go to the Library Information Office inside the front entrance of Butler Library. Employees must present a valid Columbia University ID and provide documentation of marriage/domestic partnership. If the marriage/partnership is dissolved, please notify the Library Information Office. The Libraries will not accept another spouse or domestic partner registration until six months after notification of the dissolution of the relationship.
