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Alumni Use of the Libraries

Many of the resources of the Penn Library are available for use by Penn alumni. For information about weekend and holiday access to the libraries and courtesy borrowing see below.

We invite all interested alumni to come to library events & exhibits.

Weekend and Holiday Access

Alumni who wish to consult materials in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center and in most school and departmental libraries on weekends and on holidays may do so upon presentation of a valid Alumni PennCard or Penn Fund Library Alumni Access Card. The Alumni PennCard is issued at the PennCard Center at Suite 150 Franklin Building, 3451 Walnut Street. Applications may also be made by mail. To check on dates and times when the Center is open call (215) 898-2646. Alumni Relations charges $25 for the card, which is valid for 5 years. Alumni should understand that this card allows access to Van Pelt-Dietrich and is not transferable. It is also valid in most, but not all, departmental and school libraries. When planning a visit to any of the libraries it is advisable to check individual library Access Policies.

Alumni Courtesy Borrowing Services

Alumni who want to borrow materials from the Library's collections may apply for courtesy borrowing privileges at the special alumni rate of $200.00 per year. The Alumni PennCard must be presented upon application for courtesy borrowing privileges.

Application for courtesy borrowing should be made Monday through Friday to the Van Pelt Circulation Department. Call (215) 898- 7566 for more information.

Access to Library Electronic Resources

Access to library subscription electronic resources is available to alumni within library buildings.* Upon presentation of an Alumni PennCard or Penn Fund Library Alumni Access Card at the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center Circulation Desk, 9am-8pm weekdays, a credential will be issued that will provide single-day access to a public computer and the library's collection of e-resources.

Due to the limited availability of computing resources the following policies govern availability:

• Any one individual will be provided with a credential up to a maximum of 10 days per calendar month.
• The maximum number of credentials available daily to the alumni community is 10. The library reserves the right to decrease this number at its discretion.
• The service will not be offered during reading or exam periods when all library computing resources must be available for current students.
• Computer access is available in the following libraries: Van Pelt-Dietrich⁺, Biomedical, Dental, Fine Arts, Museum, and Veterinary.

For additional information please contact the Van Pelt Library Reference Desk at 215-898-7556 or library@pobox.upenn.edu.

* Due to license restrictions, not all resources are available. for information on specific resources, please consult reference staff.

⁺ Certain public computing areas in Van Pelt-Dietrich are unavailable to visitors. These include: The Undergraduate Student Center (ground floor), Weigle Information Commons (1st floor west), and the Lippincott Business Library (2nd floor west).