Starting Oct. 1, Cornellians visiting 11 other universities will be able to use materials from those libraries. Under a new agreement, students, faculty and staff from participating institutions will have reciprocal borrowing privileges, thanks to a pilot project, Borrow Direct Plus.

The project includes Cornell, Brown University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Yale University.

When visiting one of these libraries, members of the Cornell community will need to show their Cornell ID and log into their Cornell University Library accounts to show their current status. Once verified, they will be issued a library card.

Items available vary by institution. The lending library’s policies and loan periods apply to guest borrowers, and it is recommended that users considering a visit to another library view their policies ahead of time. Borrowed items may be returned at either the lending library or the user’s home library.

Most materials at the participating libraries are already available through Borrow Direct, a rapid book request and delivery system used by all the participating institutions except Duke. The new agreement expands the system to include this in-person component.

In-person use of another library isn’t new to Cornellians; through the 2CUL partnership, reciprocal borrowing privileges have been in place with Columbia University Libraries since 2011. Over the past year, about 130 Cornell students, faculty and staff have registered at Columbia and used its resources while in New York City.

“Students and faculty who spend time in New York City have been pleased with the 2CUL borrowing initiative; their feedback prompted us to explore reciprocal privileges with other institutions,” said Wendy Wilcox, Cornell University Access Services librarian. “The Borrow Direct partnership was the perfect platform on which to build this new service.”

Jessica Withers is a writer for Cornell University Library.