The University of Texas Libraries Courtesy Borrower Services provides access privileges to:
These borrowers have access at library workstations to all electronic databases except those few restricted to University of Texas at Austin students, faculty, and staff. They do not have remote access to databases, nor access to Interlibrary Services. Their cards are not accepted at the Jamail Center for Legal Research, the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, or The Center for American History. Questions about the use of those collections should be directed to the respective libraries. Most of these borrowers are eligible to use online renewal and recall services.
Courtesy Borrower Services also validates for checkout University of Texas at Austin ID cards for:
The TexShare Library Card Program is a reciprocal borrowing program coordinated by the Texas State Library. The patrons of participating Texas public libraries and the students, faculty, and staff of participating Texas colleges and universities are eligible for this program, which provides access to materials in many Texas libraries.
Research Library Cooperative Program (RLCP)
A resource sharing program among the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California Berkeley and Stanford University, RLCP provides onsite and remote borrowing privileges to faculty, professional/academic staff and graduate students of the participating institutions.
The Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program
This program is sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries/OCLC Research Libraries Advisory Committee and provides access to many of the major research libraries in the United States and Canada. RFBP is for faculty only.
The University of Texas System Reciprocal Borrowing Program
This program provides access to materials at all University of Texas System component institutions and is for faculty only.
Members of the University of Texas Alumni Association may annually present verification of membership and a photo ID at the Courtesy Borrower Desk and receive a complimentary borrower card.
Blanton Museum Director's Circle Members Members of the Blanton Museum at the Founding, Contributor, and Patron levels are eligible for a complimentary borrower's card upon presentation of a photo ID at the Courtesy Borrower Desk.
Spouses and Domestic Partners of University of Texas at Austin Faculty and Staff
Spouses and domestic partners of full-time permanent classified staff, professional staff and faculty may obtain Courtesy Borrower cards free of charge. These cards are made according to the following policies and procedures:
The staff or faculty member whose spouse or domestic partner requests a card must be appointed full time.
The spouse or domestic partner must show a photo ID and provide documentation that he/she resides at the same address as the staff or faculty member. For example, the spouse or partner's Texas driver's license or Texas state ID should show the same address as is listed for the faculty/staff member. For questions about providing this documentation, contact Courtesy Borrower Services.
Cards are valid until the ending date of the staff or faculty member's appointment, normally August 31 of each year.
Adult Texas residents not affiliated with institutions offering reciprocal borrowing privileges may, upon showing proof of Texas residency and a photo ID, pay a $100 annual fee to obtain borrowing privileges at the University of Texas Libraries.
Corporations and organizations may pay a $400 annual fee to obtain five borrower cards for use by their authorized employees. The organization assumes responsibility for prompt response to notices and billings and assigns a contact person to communicate with Courtesy Borrower Services and oversee use of the cards.
Visiting Scholars and UT Staff with Special Appointments
Courtesy Borrower Services validates the University of Texas at Austin ID cards issued to visiting scholars and researchers and to staff with special appointments. This validation is required for library checkout privileges and in many cases for access to electronic databases.
These visiting scholars, researchers and staff with special appointments must present their University of Texas at Austin ID card at the Courtesy Borrower Services Desk, PCL 2.122, and provide to Courtesy Borrower Services a letter, showing the term of their affiliation, from the University department with which they are affiliated.
University of Texas at Austin Faculty and Professional Staff may appoint up to four concurrent individuals to act as their proxies in borrowing library materials to support the faculty/staff member's library research. Formally appointed Visiting Scholars and University of Texas System Regents, administrators and professional staff may also appoint proxies. Proxy borrowers must be at least 16 years old. The faculty/staff member completes an application, available at the PCL Circulation Desk and online as a printable form , which the proxy borrower presents along with a photo ID at Courtesy Borrower Services. All proxy card transactions are part of the sponsor's record: items checked out using the proxy card are indistinguishable from items checked out with the sponsor's ID.
