Courtesy Borrowing Cards (Library Cards)
Obtaining Courtesy Cards
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
Types of courtesy cards and eligibility
-
COURTESY BORROWERS
-
UIUC Courtesy Borrower Type LH
: Visitors sponsored by an academic department;
Members of UI President's Council; Holders of CIC ID Card; OCLC Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing
Program Card holders from in state or
surrounding states;
members of
Allied
Agencies and K-12 Illinois teachers)
-
UIUC Courtesy Borrower Type LL
: Non-UIUC affiliated state of Illinois
residents with valid ID; persons holding UIUC Spouse IDs; UI alumni living in Illinois;
Non-registered UIUC doctoral students living in Illinois; Extra Help workers and Research Park
Employees
-
Building Use Only Permits : Non UIUC
affiliated persons residing outside the state of Illinois with valid ID
How to Obtain/Renew/Update a UIUC Library Courtesy Borrowing Card
- Turn in a completed courtesy card application at the Main Stacks Circulation Desk on the second
floor of the Main Library. You will need to present a photo identification
andproof of your current address. The ONLY acceptable documents for these purposes are
listed below. Expired documents will NOT be accepted.
Acceptable Photo Identification:
- State of Illinois driver's license or identification card
- U.S. Military Identification Card
- Passport
- Out-of-state driver's license or identification card
- Student/staff identification card from another college or university
Acceptable Current Address Verification:
- Lease agreement
- Utility bill in applicant's name from current or previous month only
- Credit card bill or bank statement from current or previous month only
- Your courtesy borrowing card will be mailed to you. You will not be able to borrow any
materials until you have received your card in the mail. If your courtesy card is returned to
our office as undeliverable to the address you provided on your application, you will not be able
to reapply.
-
Renewals only- Please bring your old card when you apply for renewal. If
necessary, we can extend the expiration date so that you will be able to use your old card
until your new card arrives. Patron accounts, borrowing history, and previous conduct will be
taken into consideration when a renewal application is received.
Courtesy card application (98KB PDF)
If you will be visiting from out of town please contact us in advance.
Borrowing Cards for UIUC Guests and Visiting Scholars
- UIUC guests and visiting scholars may apply for a Courtesy Borrowing Card at the Main Stacks
Circulation Desk by presenting a photo ID,
proof of current address, and a letter
from their UIUC sponsoring academic department. This letter should be on departmental
letterhead, signed by an authorized representative of the sponsoring department, and should state
that 1) the named person is a guest of that department until a specified date; and 2) the
sponsoring department will assume financial responsibility for any library materials checked out by
card holder. A
sample letter template is provided for
your convenience to assist with this process. Additional
information for departments with visiting scholars
may also be useful.
Courtesy Card Borrowing Responsibilities
- Courtesy card borrowers are expected to update their card when their mailing or email address
changes.
- Courtesy cards are valid for one year. Valid photo ID and proof of current address are required
to renew your card. Lost cards require a new application.
- Your library ID number is the 14 digit number printed below the barcode on your card. You will
need this number to access the "My Account" function to check the status of your account in the
online catalog.
- Courtesy cards may be used at any of the libraries in the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. UIUC courtesy cards cannot be used to borrow library materials from other
libraries in our statewide library consortium and are not valid on-site in other libraries in the
consortium. However, the I-Share Universal Catalog and the local catalogs are accessible to the
public at
https://I-Share.carli.illinois.edu.
- Courtesy card borrowers are
not eligible for interlibrary loan services at the UIUC Library. Courtesy card borrowers
are expected to use the interlibrary loan services of their local public libraries.
- Most courtesy cards do not provide entrance to the Main Bookstacks. Please inquire at the
Main Circulation desk if you wish to have materials paged from the Bookstacks collection.
- Please return or renew all materials on time. Courtesy card borrowers will receive a notice
when an item they have checked out is recalled for another borrower.
Materials recalled for another borrower must be
returned by the recall due date on the notice, or overdue recall fines will begin accruing at
$5.00/day up to a maximum of $25.00. Courtesy card patrons are responsible for all library
materials charged to their IDs. Courtesy card borrowers will be charged a
minimum of $125.00 for each non-returned item; a non-refundable "late return fine" of
$10.00 may also apply.
