Borrowing Privileges for UM community

The University Library offers a variety of borrowing programs for members of the U-M community. Those eligible for library cards are:

• Students
• Faculty or Staff
• Spouse or Significant Other of a U-M Faculty or Staff Member
• Faculty proxies
• Visiting Scholar

To borrow from a library, you must have a borrowing card with a machine-readable barcode. In most cases this will be your M-Card.

If you are not a member of the U-M on campus community, please visit the Borrowing Privileges for UM Alumni and Guests web page for information.

Students

Currently registered U-M students from all three campuses (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint) are eligible to borrow. New students can have their M-Cards activated at the circulation desks at the Graduate Library, Taubman Medical Library, Art, Architecture & Engineering Library, or the Undergraduate Library. Returning students can bring their M-Cards to any library circulation desk.

Graduate Student Borrowers

• Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) with current appointments and Research Assistants with a GEO contract may be eligible for faculty level borrowing privileges. You must inquire at the Graduate Library Circulation Desk to activate these privileges.
• Doctoral candidates who have fulfilled all U-M requirements except the completion of the dissertation may have library privileges extended for a period of up to two years from their most recent enrollment or until receipt of their degree, whichever comes first. Rackham students on detached study may also have library privileges extended to the extent of their leave as registered with the Rackham Graduate School. These extensions can only be made at the Graduate Library Circulation Desk.
• Graduate students from the three Michigan Research Libraries Triangle (MRLT) institutions, U-M, MSU, and WSU, can receive guest-borrowing privileges at any of the MRLT universities. For more information, check with circulation staff at the appropriate institution.

Please be aware that if you have more than one type of borrowing privilege, e.g., both a student and an instructional card, the privilege level used to borrow materials will determine the loan regulations and sanctions governing your transaction. Sanctions imposed on a student borrower will not be waived upon presentation of a higher level borrowing card.

Faculty & Staff

• All U-M faculty and permanent staff (staff must have appointments of 50% or greater) are eligible to borrow from the University Library. New faculty or staff who wish to register within one month of their appointment may do so at the Graduate Library, Taubman Medical Library or the Art, Architecture & Engineering Library. Otherwise they may register at any circulation desk. Please bring your M-Card.
• All regular faculty from universities and colleges in the State of Michigan are eligible for privileges to borrow from the University Library collections.

Spouse or Significant Other of U-M Faculty & Staff

• If you are a U-M faculty or staff member, you may request a library card for your spouse or significant other. The employee must have a faculty level position or a regular staff appointment at a 50% level or greater.
• Borrowing privileges are good for one year, renewable annually, or for the duration of the faculty/staff appointment, if less than one year.
• The spouse or significant other is responsible for any circulation activity occurring on the card including payment for all books or other library material that may be lost while charged to the card.
• Unless a title has more limited circulation, loan periods will be three weeks. Number of books that may be charged is unlimited, although number of renewals may vary among the libraries.
• Spouse/significant other borrowing applications are available at the Graduate Library North Circulation Desk or download the PDF.

Faculty Proxies

• Borrowing by proxy provides borrowing privileges to individuals working for or with a U-M faculty member who has a permanent teaching appointment. This card is issued only upon written authorization of the faculty member and, although the proxy carries the library card, the sponsoring faculty member is wholly responsible for all materials borrowed in his or her name. The borrowing privileges of both the sponsoring faculty and the proxy will be suspended if the proxy card is delinquent.
• The faculty member assumes full responsibility including:
  • Prompt communication with the proxy regarding all notices and correspondence.
  • Return or renewal of books on due date.
  • Immediate return of books that are recalled for use by other borrowers.
  • Payment for all library materials that may be lost while charged to the proxy.
  • Written notification if a proxy is to be revoked or canceled before the expiration date.
• Proxy cards are issued for no more than one year at a time and must be renewed each year. Applications are available at the Graduate Library North Circulation Desk, Taubman Medical Library or download the PDF.

Visiting Scholars

The University Library provides privileges to borrow from its collections to scholars who have been invited to the U-M campus to participate in research or instructional activities. All other visitors who do not have this invited status should refer to the Alumni & Guest Borrowing Privileges at the U-M Library page (link). Visiting scholar cards are issued at the Graduate Library and the Art, Architecture & Engineering Library. A visiting scholar application, which must be signed by your Dean, Director, or Department Chair, is available at the Graduate Library Circulation Desk or download the PDF.