Information for Alumni and Visitors
Alumni of any University of California campus who have a paid membership in any of the ten campus alumni associations may obtain a UC Berkeley library card. All applicants must provide proof of California residence and a current government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport. Please bring your alumni association membership card and required identification to the Library Privileges Desk. The library borrowing card is good for the length of your annual membership. Lifetime alumni association members will receive cards with three-year terms. All cards must be renewed in-person as warranted by expiration date on the Library Card. Visitors who are California residents may purchase a borrowing card, currently priced at $100 for one year. All applicants must provide proof of California residence and a current government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport. Payment may be made by VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, bank debit card, personal check or money order, made payable to The Regents of the University of California. Please purchase your borrowing card at the Library Privileges Desk. Visitors who are registered with the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) Program are considered visiting scholars, and should consult our Library Services for Visiting Scholars page for more information. Access to Collections and ResourcesVisitors, please begin your research at your local public or academic library. UC Berkeley Library material may be borrowed by placing a request for an item through your local public or academic library. If your library is unable to satisfy your research needs, including interlibrary services, you may speak with a reference librarian about access to UC Berkeley materials. Campus visitors are accorded free on site access to reference assistance, electronic research resources, reference collections, government reference materials, and the Library's reading rooms. Priority access to UC Berkeley Library services and resources is accorded to UC students, faculty and staff. Many campus libraries have open stacks and visitors can use most collections on site, such as all government depository publications. Based on a visitor's information need and the Library's ability, arrangements may be made for use of restricted-access collections such as The Bancroft Library and Gardner (MAIN) Stacks. All Library users may be requested to present current photo identification at all library service points. Library computers provide access to the online catalogs and educational resources only. You do not need to have a library card to access the online catalogs OskiCat (UC Berkeley) or Melvyl (all UC campuses and worldwide) from off campus. RestrictionsCardholders may not have access to items on reserve for UC Berkeley classes. Access to some special collections such as the Media Resources Center is granted selectively. Interlibrary borrowing services are not available to cardholders or visitors. Remote access to databases involving contractual arrangements between the University and the database vendor are not available to cardholders or visitors. The restrictions on remote access is a condition placed on the Library by the database vendors, however most of the electronic resources are available to you at public computers in the Library. Please see off-campus alternatives for wireless connectivity for non-research related purposes. Loan PeriodsLoan periods and due dates vary among the campus libraries. It is your responsibility to note the due dates for materials and to return or renew them by those dates. Please familiarize yourself with the circulation policies of each library from which you borrow. Returning MaterialsReturn material to the circulation desk during library hours. After hours, return books to a library book drop. Refer to the owning library for information on returning non-book materials. Return interlibrary loan material to 133 Doe. InventoryLibrary borrowers who wish to review a list of materials they have checked out can do so by examining their inventory via My OskiCat. Searches, Recalls and HoldsAt any circulation desk, borrowers may place a search request for materials not found on the shelf and not checked out. Borrowers will be notified by email when search requests have been located. Via My OskiCat, you may update your email address if it changes. Materials checked out to one borrower may be recalled by another borrower. Only library card holders with borrowing privileges are entitled to place recalls. You may recall an item online at OskiCat as well as at the circulation desk of any campus library. You must supply the title or call number of the item needed. You will be notified by postcard or e-mail when the item is available to be picked up. Recalled items should be available within one week. When it is returned, the item will be put on hold. If more than one person has recalled it, these will be handled in the order the recalls were placed. If an item you have checked out is recalled, you must return it by the new due date. Overdue, Lost or Damaged MaterialLibrary borrowers are responsible for returning or renewing items by their due date. When an item becomes overdue, borrowing privileges will be blocked until the item is returned. Some libraries charge a fine for overdue items. If an item is damaged or lost, borrowers are liable for charges incurred to repair or replace the item. A borrower may replace lost or damaged materials with copies acceptable to the lending library. Such arrangements should be made with the lending library before a replacement is purchased. Please see Finding Replacements for Lost Library Books and Serials for further details. Replacement costs ($150 default/book or the actual cost of the item, which ever is higher) and processing fees are charged for overdue materials that are not returned. The University Campus Accounts and Receivables Office adds a late fee to unpaid bills every 30 days an account is delinquent. Unpaid bills are forwarded to a collection agency. Questions about bills and blocked or revoked privileges should be directed to the Library Privileges Desk (Doe Library, floor 1). Scanning and printingCampus libraries provide printing and scanning options. Self-service printing is available from many library workstations; dedicated bookscan stations offer printing and scanning capabilities. For more information about the above (cost, capability, location) visit the library printing and scanning page. The Moffitt Library houses a full service Copy Center, which provides expanded services. Responsibilities of BorrowersBorrowers are responsible for library materials charged out to them until they are returned to the lending library. Borrowers are prohibited by Library policy from lending their library card to others. Borrowers are responsible for maintaining a current address on file with the Library Privileges Desk. Borrowers planning to be away from their mailing address for a week or more should return material to avoid recall fines. Borrowers who abuse Library borrowing privileges may have these privileges suspended throughout the Library. Examples of abuse of library borrowing privileges include repeatedly not returning materials on time, not paying replacement bills, not responding to recall notices, not returning library materials even after replacement bills have been issued, and mutilation or damage of library materials. Policies for Library UsersThe Library Code of Conduct and Library Computer Use Policy detail standards for Library use intended to create a safe and pleasant research environment for all Library patrons. The Library is responsible for safeguarding the confidentiality of a borrower's transaction, as mandated by the California Information Practices Act of 1977. Please see the Library's Privacy Policies for more information. Borrowing/circulation information for UC Berkeley libraries
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