Library Privileges for Courtesy Card Holders

Applications for Library Courtesy Cards are accepted by the University Librarian's Office, 8 am - noon and 1 - 5 pm, Monday - Friday. Please call the University Library Administrative Assistant (408-554-6830) with any questions.

With the exception of Courtesy Cards issued for the use of Course Reserve or Special Collections only, University Library Courtesy Card holders have the following privileges:

  1. Courtesy Card holders have access to open stack collections and general reference assistance in the Library.

  2. Courtesy Card holders may use materials from the Library's Special Collections by presenting their Courtesy Card at the Reference Desk and completing a request to have such materials paged. Special Collections are paged at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm, Monday - Friday. Materials will be held in the Reference Department as long as Courtesy Card holders are using them regularly. Courtesy Cards must be presented at the Reference Desk each time Special Collections materials are used. The Courtesy Card will be retained by the Reference Librarian until materials are returned at the end of each use.

  3. Courtesy Card holders may also borrow materials from the Library's general collections and government documents for the undergraduate student loan period (21 days). Courtesy Cards must be presented at the appropriate Circulation Desk to charge out materials. Materials may be renewed, as long as they are not needed by another user and the Courtesy Card holder's privileges remain in force. Courtesy Card holders are subject to all applicable overdue fines and lost materials charges. Frequent fees and/or other abuses of library privileges may result in the cancelation of borrowing privileges.

  4. Courtesy Card users may copy information from materials in the Library's open stack collections, in accordance with existing copyright restrictions, at the same price as Santa Clara students. Photocopy cards may be purchased from the card dispenser in the Library for this purpose.

The following limitations apply to privileges for Courtesy Card holders:

  1. Courtesy Card holders may not borrow periodicals, microforms, or non-print format materials for use outside of the Library.

  2. Courtesy Card holders do not have access to certain electronic databases which are reserved for use by Santa Clara University's clientele only.

  3. General Courtesy Card holders may not use materials on course reserve.

  4. Courtesy Card holders may not schedule appointments for online database searches. Reference librarians will conduct database searches at the Reference Desk for Courtesy Card holders when such searches fall within the guidelines of "ready reference" transactions.

  5. Courtesy Card holders may not request materials on interlibrary loan through Santa Clara University's Bronco Express / Interlibrary Loan Office. This service should be available to Courtesy Card holders through their local public, institutional, or corporate libraries.

  6. The Library reserves the right to limit use of microform readers and reader/printers, CD-ROM workstations, and other heavily used equipment to Santa Clara University faculty, students, and staff during periods of heavy use (e.g., end of academic quarter).

  7. Courtesy Card privileges in the University Library are not valid for use of the Heafey Law Library.

  8. Courtesy Card holders do not have access to the Student Technology Services Labs, located on campus.

Non-matriculating students and students from area colleges or universities who are enrolled in the ROTC program at Santa Clara University may obtain complimentary Courtesy Cards for the use of materials on course reserve. (Cards are issued only to those individuals identified by the appropriate program, e.g., School of Engineering, Military Science Department.) Holders of these cards have access to the Library's general collections, reference assistance, and use of photocopy machines. No other Courtesy Card privileges apply.

Individuals who need to use materials in the Library's Special Collections may apply for a complementary courtesy card for this purpose. If granted, Courtesy Card holders of this type have access to the Library's general collections and reference assistance and may use Special Collections materials under the conditions outlined above for general Courtesy Card holders.

Holders of this "Special Collections" only card may also photocopy materials from the Library's open stack collections in accordance with existing copyright restrictions, at the same price as Santa Clara students. Photocopy cards may be purchased from the card dispenser in the Library for this purpose. Owing to the age and/or physical condition of Special Collections materials, permission to photocopy portions of materials in Special Collections must be obtained from the Reference Librarian.