Columbia University is a member of SHARES, and Columbia students, faculty, and staff have on-site access privileges at member libraries outside the New York City area. These privileges typically include reading privileges and access to collections. Use of electronic and computing resources may be restricted. Borrowing privileges are not provided.

In order to facilitate access to other libraries, Columbia students, faculty and staff must present a valid Columbia ID card with a semester sticker upon request. An additional government issued photo ID card may also be required. Please consult the websites of member institutions in advance.

Columbia University also has a special agreement with New York University. Students, faculty and staff have access to the NYU libraries described here.

The New York Public Library and the libraries of Columbia University and New York University have launched a pilot initiative to expand access and use of collections and better serve their users.  The collaboration, dubbed the Manhattan Research Library Initiative (MaRLI), enables NYU and Columbia doctoral students, full-time faculty and librarians, and approved New York Public Library cardholders with a demonstrable research need not met by currently available resources, to borrow materials from all three institutions. For more information and to register for MaRLI privileges, please visit the MaRLI website.

As part of the 2CUL initiative, Columbia students, faculty, and staff may register to borrow books at Cornell University. Information about this initiative, and a link to the registration form may be found here.