CUNY students, faculty, staff, and retired Grad Center faculty
CUNY doctoral faculty, visiting faculty & scholars
Guests of Grad Center students, faculty, staff, and retired Grad Center faculty
Graduate Center students on leave or arriving early
Graduate Center Faculty Research Assistants
CUNY Graduate Center and CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique & Interdisciplinary Studies Alumni
CUNY School of Professional Studies
Graduate Center Friends of the Library and Library Associates
Language Reading Program
Special program, inter-doctoral consortium, SUNY Empire State, Mountbatten, auditing, and non-matriculated students
METRO referrals from area libraries
Required for Access, CUNY Graduate Center Mina Rees Library (PDF)
CUNY students, faculty, staff, and retired Grad Center faculty with current CUNY photo ID may visit and borrow from any CUNY library except the CUNY Law School. Students maintaining Register on Record status at the doctoral level will receive a validation sticker for full library privileges (on-site access, remote access to e-resources, and borrowing). All CUNY users may request books from other CUNY libraries via CLICS. Access to licensed electronic resources is available to all on-site visitors. CUNY shares subscriptions to several CUNY-wide Databases available to off-site users with a current CUNY library barcode. Otherwise, GC library databases are available from off-site only to users with GC computer network user accounts: full-time Graduate Center students, faculty, staff, and retired Grad Center faculty with current CUNY Grad Center photo ID. Graduate Center interlibrary loan (ILL) services are also available only to full-time Graduate Center students, faculty, staff, and retired Grad Center faculty with current CUNY Grad Center photo ID.
CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies, those in the CUNY Baccalaureate Program receive a CUNY photo ID from a CUNY college home campus. Students in this particular program not registered for courses and requiring an extension of library access for coursework completion must contact the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies office at the Graduate Center for a temporary Grad Center photo ID from the Office of Security and Public Safety.
CUNY doctoral faculty, visiting faculty & scholars are eligible for all library privileges above for the period of appointment, with a valid CUNY Grad Center photo ID. All faculty Graduate Center appointments are authorized by the Provost’s office, often prompted by a letter from a Graduate Center department Executive Officer. The Provost’s office authorizes a CUNY Graduate Center photo ID card. Visiting scholars bring this photo ID card to the Graduate Center Library 1st floor circulation desk to register and receive a CUNY library barcode, providing borrowing and access privileges to all CUNY libraries. Generally, the privileges also provide a Grad Center computer network userid and password with a Graduate Center email account and off-site access through the library proxy server to library resources. Visiting scholars also qualify for Graduate Center Interlibrary Loan privileges for the period of their appointment. CUNY visiting scholars must keep GC network passwords current during the period of appointment for continued off-site access to GC licensed resources.
All library users including guests, METRO referral users, and CUNY ID holders described here must sign in at the lobby security desk and provide appropriate ID for weekend library access.
Guests (up to 3) with valid photo ID accompanying Grad Center students, faculty, staff with current ID may be admitted to the library at the discretion of Grad Center security staff. All guests are required to sign the log kept by security staff at all times. Children must be accompanied by an adult with current ID.
Graduate Center students on leaves of absence do not receive a validation sticker during leave, so they become ineligible for library access, borrowing, Grad Center network accounts, and off-site use of licensed resources. Students on leave may obtain a letter from a program Executive Officer to the Office of Security and Public Safety room 9123 for a Temporary CUNY GC photo ID to reinstate or continue these privileges. The Executive Officer must provide an expiration date within the current academic term. Students arriving before registration may obtain a temporary GC photo ID with a letter from a Graduate Center Department EO on Graduate Center letterhead delivered to the Office of Security and Public Safety (x7777) room 9123 for a temporary GC photo ID.
Graduate Center Faculty Research Assistants borrow materials from the GC library on a sponsoring GC faculty member’s library account. GC faculty, administrators, and HEOs may sponsor up to 2 research assistants. Obtain application Faculty Authorization Form at the 1st floor circulation desk. The sponsoring faculty member is responsible for all loans, fines, and fees. Library Research Assistants may be non-CUNY affiliates. A paper Library Research Assistant card is issued by library circulation staff. A photo ID also required for admittance. Interlibrary loan privileges are extended; but no off-site access to licensed resources is offered.
CUNY Graduate Center Language Reading Program and Summer Reading Program students obtain either a GC photo ID authorized by the program director, or a program ID from the program director for access privileges to the CUNY Graduate Center library only. The card must be presented to security staff with a government photo ID. No GC borrowing privileges or network accounts for off-campus access to licensed resources and no interlibrary loan privileges accompany the program ID card; only the director-authorized GC photo ID will be honored for borrowing privileges from the GC library only.
CUNY School of Professional Studies students obtain a CUNY Grad Center photo ID for 2-week borrowing privileges from all CUNY libraries, limit 10 items per borrower. SPS students must obtain a CUNY photo ID from the Graduate Center Office of Security and Public Safety (x7777) room 9123. Borrowing is permitted on-site only; no interlibrary loan and no intra-CUNY borrowing (CLICS) service is offered. SPS students do not have GC network accounts for off-site access to GC library databases. SPS students may reach the CUNY-wide databases from off-campus using the 14-digit SPS library barcode to authenticate through the CUNY portal.
CUNY Graduate Center alumni may visit and borrow from the Grad Center library after graduation with a Master’s or PhD. Upon graduation, obtain a new GC alumni photo ID from the Office of Security and Public Safety (x7777) room 9123. Graduate Center alumni are not offered interlibrary loan privileges or intra-CUNY borrowing. Library databases are available to Graduate Center alumni up until one year after graduation with current GC network user accounts, which require password changes every6 months. Log in at least once every 6 months to maintain your account, in other words. On-campus use of licensed library resources is allowed to all visitors, including alumni with or without current GC network accounts.
CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies alumni obtain an alumni ID from CUNY college home campus offices. Along with a photo ID, the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies alumni ID provides access to materials in and use of the Graduate Center Library, excluding borrowing privileges, off-site access to licensed resources, and interlibrary loan. CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies alumni also have access to CUNY college home libraries. No alumni privileges to the CUNY Graduate Center Library are extended to CUNY baccalaureate students other than those enrolled in the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies program.
Graduate Center Friends of the Library and Library Associates welcomes all visitors to join at the $250 level for on-site access to the Graduate Center library for 1 year. A $1000 contribution is acknowledged by a year of borrowing privileges at the Graduate Center library only. Off-campus access to databases, interlibrary loan, and intra-CUNY borrowing is not possible given the structure of licensing agreements. For more information contact Miriam Capua, Director of Major and Special Gifts, rm. 8204, 212-817-7030
Special program students, inter-doctoral consortium students, SUNY Empire State College, Mountbatten students, auditors, and non-matriculated students enrolled in one or more GC classes (not continuing ed) are eligible for a GC photo ID card and GC computer network user accounts for remote access to library resources. After completing registration for a GC course bring a current photo ID (or an ID from any CUNY school) to the IT Help Desk to apply for a GC network user account. Inter-doctoral consortium students include those from Columbia, NYU, Fordham, Rutgers, Princeton, and SUNY Stonybrook taking one or more courses at the Graduate Center. Mountbatten students must have a GC photo ID for access and are extended authorized network accounts by the Provost’s office. SUNY Empire State College student IDs may be honored for on-site library access only; a CUNY photo ID is required for borrowing. Writer’s Institute and Language Program students who are students elsewhere in CUNY may also use any current CUNY ID for library access.
METRO referrals from area libraries are honored with a signed yellow card from another library reference desk for one-day, on-site access and use of the item cited on the card. METRO membership provides reciprocal access for users seeking access to resources unavailable in home libraries.
