Approved Visitors and Partnerships
Columbia University Libraries offers students, faculty, and staff from other institutions access based on a number of consortial partnerships and reciprocal agreements. These affiliates are considered “Approved Visitors” to Columbia, and may be eligible for physical access and borrowing privileges at the Libraries.
If you would like to visit Columbia University Libraries through one of these partnerships, please see below for details on these partnerships. For further information, please contact the Library Information Office at lio@columbia.edu.
If you are a current Columbia student, faculty, or staff member looking to visit one of our partner institutions, please check the Access to Other Libraries webpage.
Community Visitors
Current students, faculty, or staff members that are part of the following institutions or consortia partnerships are considered Community Visitors. They are eligible for a Community CUID.
The 2CUL partnership is a reciprocal access and borrowing program for current students, faculty, and staff members of Columbia University and Cornell University. Please note that this agreement excludes affiliates of Weill Cornell Medical Library in NYC.
2CUL affiliates are eligible for a Community CUID, which grants physical access to the Libraries. There is no fee for a Community CUID, though replacement cards are $20. Current Cornell affiliates must register through Cornell University before applying for a Community CUID. For more information, visit Cornell’s 2CUL website.
2CUL users have physical access and borrowing privileges at all the Columbia libraries except the Law Library, Teachers College, the Health Sciences Library, and the Business Library at Manhattanville.
The maximum number of items that may be checked out on your borrowing account is 100. DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
2CUL affiliates do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
Bard Graduate Center and Columbia have a reciprocal access and borrowing program for select faculty members only. This does not include faculty members from Bard College. Students from the Bard Graduate Center may be eligible for access to Columbia Libraries through the MaRLI program (see below).
BGC faculty are eligible for a Community CUID, which grants physical access to the Libraries. There is no fee for a Community CUID, though replacement cards are $20. Please speak to a staff member in the Library Information Office directly for information on applying for a Community CUID.
BGC faculty have physical access and borrowing privileges at all the Columbia libraries except the Law Library, Teachers College, the Health Sciences Library, and the Business Library at Manhattanville.
The maximum number of items that may be checked out on your borrowing account is 20. DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
BGC faculty do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
Borrow Direct Plus is a reciprocal access and borrowing program for current students, faculty, and staff members of the Ivies+ institutions, which includes:
- Brown University
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth College
- Duke University
- Harvard University
- John Hopkins University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Princeton University
- Stanford University
- University of Chicago
- University of Pennsylvania
- Yale University
BD+ affiliates are eligible for a Community CUID, which grants physical access to the Libraries. There is no fee for a Community CUID, though replacement cards are $20.
BD+ users have physical access and borrowing privileges at all the Columbia libraries except the Law Library, Teachers College, the Health Sciences Library, and the Business Library at Manhattanville.
The maximum number of items that may be checked out on your borrowing account is 20. DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
BD+ affiliates do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia have a reciprocal access and borrowing program for current students, faculty, and staff.
JTS affiliates are eligible for a Community CUID, which grants physical access to the Libraries. There is a $20 fee for all new and replacement Community CUIDs.
JTS affiliates have physical access and borrowing privileges at all the Columbia libraries except the Law Library, Teachers College, the Health Sciences Library, and the Business Library at Manhattanville.
The maximum number of items that may be checked out on your borrowing account is 20. DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
JTS affiliates do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
MaRLI (the Manhattan Research Library Initiative) 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.
MaRLI affiliates are eligible for a Community CUID, which grants physical access to the Libraries. There is no fee for a Community CUID, though replacement cards are $20. Any MaRLI user who wishes to use Columbia University Libraries must first be registered through their home institution before applying for a Community CUID. For more information, visit the MaRLI website.
MaRLI users have physical access and borrowing privileges at all the Columbia libraries except the Law Library, Teachers College, the Health Sciences Library, and the Business Library at Manhattanville.
The maximum number of items that may be checked out on your borrowing account is 100. DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
MaRLI affiliates do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Columbia have a special agreement wherein Met employees are entitled to physical access and borrowing privileges to the Libraries. Staff from the Met who wish to gain access to the Libraries must be pre-approved by their supervisor.
Staff from The Met are eligible for a Community CUID, which grants physical access to the Libraries. There is a $20 fee for all new and replacement Community CUIDs. Please speak to a staff member in the Library Information Office directly for information on applying for a Community CUID.
Affiliates have physical access and borrowing privileges at all the Columbia libraries except the Law Library, Teachers College, the Health Sciences Library, and the Business Library at Manhattanville.
The maximum number of items that may be checked out on your borrowing account is 20. DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
Affiliates do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
Temporary (Day) Visitors
Current students, faculty, or staff members or registered users that are part of the following institutions or consortia partnerships are considered Temporary (Day) Visitors. They are eligible to use Butler Library during LIO’s open business hours, or may check out a Temporary Visitor CUID to gain access to a department library.
METRO referrals provide courtesy access to many academic, school, public, and special libraries throughout New York City and Westchester County. Through METRO's referral program, library users can search across METRO's member libraries for a specific book or item, or can visit another member library to view materials across entire subject areas.
To access Columbia University Libraries with a METRO referral, please register first through your home institution. Your local librarian will reach out to staff in the Library Information Office, who will then reply to you directly regarding your request. Please note that it may take up to two weeks for LIO staff to review your request and register you for access to the Libraries.
METRO referrals have physical access to the Library where the item they need is housed. This is for one-time access only. Users will only have access to the material listed on their referral for a same-day, in-Library use only view. You may use public scanners or other public workstations as needed.
New York University and Columbia have reciprocal access for current students, faculty, and staff. NYU affiliates have physical access to Butler Library during LIO’s open hours, or may be eligible to charge out a Temporary Visitor CUID for access to other Libraries. Check with staff in the Library Information Office for more information.
NYU affiliates have physical access only. Books, DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
NYU affiliates do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
Please check out the MaRLI program if you are an NYU faculty member or PhD student who is interested in borrowing materials from Columbia’s collections.
Columbia has a special partnership with a number of museums around New York City wherein current students get discounted or free admission. Full-time staff from these museums are also granted free physical access to the Libraries. These staff have physical access to Butler Library during LIO’s open hours, or may be eligible to charge out a Temporary Visitor CUID for access to other Libraries. Check with staff in the Library Information Office for more information.
Affiliates have physical access only. Books, DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
Affiliates do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
SHARES is a reciprocal access program that gives each participating institution’s current faculty, students, and staff on-site access to partnering institutions. All students, faculty, and staff from a SHARES institution outside of New York City are entitled to physical access privileges at Columbia University Libraries.
These affiliates have physical access to Butler Library during LIO’s open hours, or may be eligible to charge out a Temporary Visitor CUID for access to other Libraries. Check with staff in the Library Information Office for more information.
Affiliates have physical access only. Books, DVDs, recording, VHSs, music CDs, laptop loaners, and other items may not be checked out. Users may access electronic resources by using a public terminal at a Columbia University Library location. Remote e-resource access is not provided.
Affiliates do not have access to Columbia’s resource sharing services (the Pick-Up Service, Scan & Deliver, Interlibrary Loan, or Borrow Direct). However, you may use public scanners at a Library location to scan materials on your own.
What to Know Before Visiting the Libraries
Please check Morningside Campus Access Levels before coming to campus. Columbia University Libraries staff are only able to provide access to the Libraries, not to campus.
Library locations may be found on the campus map. Library hours may be found here. Each library has its own webpage. Please visit this page for details. Information about various study spaces may be found here.
Hours of access may be restricted in some libraries. For instance, you may use Butler Library from 9am to 11pm. During midterms and finals, the Business Library restricts access during the day to Columbia business students and students majoring in economics.
Lockers and study carrels are not provided. Group study rooms may be used if vacant, but may not be reserved in advance.