Visitors
University alumni, retirees, consortial partners, and other approved visitors may access most library locations with a valid Community CUID (Columbia University IDentification) Card. Approved Visitors without a Community CUID may present a physical, government-issued photo ID and check in for each visit at the Library Information Office.
Community CUIDs are library cards that grant physical access and, in some cases, borrowing privileges to a number of Approved Visitor groups.
If you currently have a Community CUID in your possession, please do not apply for a new one. If the expiration date on your Community CUID has not passed but your access and/or borrowing privileges have expired, please contact the Library Information Office directly to renew your privileges. The following people are eligible to apply for a Community CUID:
- Alumni of Columbia University, not including Barnard or Teachers College (free)
- Barnard alumni: please reach out to Barnard Library staff at fouyang@barnard.edu
- TC alumni: please reach out to the TC Alumni office
- Spouses, domestic partners, and dependents (ages 13-18) of Columbia University Officers ($20)
- Spouses and domestic partners of Columbia University students ($20)
- Consortial partners, including MaRLI, 2CUL, and Borrow Direct Plus (free)
- Jewish Theological Seminary faculty and students ($20)
There is typically a two-week wait time for cards. Special instructions will be provided via email for how to pick-up a Community CUID. Please do not visit campus until you receive an email notification that your Community CUID is ready for pick-up.
The Library Information Office offers walk-ins for CUID production during our drop-in hours on Thursdays, 1pm - 3pm. These drop-in hours are first come, first served. We are unable to accommodate walk-ins outside of these hours; thank you for your understanding.
Due to the routine processing maintenance, we are currently not accepting new Community CUID applications at this time. If you have already submitted an application, it will be processed and you will be notified when it is available for pick-up. Please check this webpage for updates shortly. We expect to resume processing in mid-April.
Approved visitors to the Libraries generally fall into these categories:
Alumni (excluding Teachers College and Barnard alumni)
Community Visitors, who are eligible to apply for a Community CUID through LIO:
- Consortial partners, including MaRLI, 2CUL, and Borrow Direct Plus
- Jewish Theological Seminary students, faculty and staff
- Spouses, domestic partners, and dependents (ages 13 - 18) of Columbia University Officers
- Spouses and domestic partners of Columbia University students
Temporary (Day) Visitors, such as:
- Consortial partners including SHARES, NYU, and METRO
- Users with appointments in Archival Collections
- Interview candidates or individuals with other appointments
- Users attending events, programs, or viewing an exhibition
- Individuals sponsored by a Columbia University Officer with a letter of introduction
- Faculty affiliated with other academic institutions
- Other special agreements as approved by the Libraries
Those who do not fall into the above categories may be eligible for access through another consortial partnership or special agreement that your home institution has with Columbia University Libraries. If you have questions regarding library access or your status as a Visitor, please contact the Library Information Office at lio@columbia.edu.