FAQs

Alumni of the Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) and the Graduate School of Medical Sciences (WCGSMS) are eligible for borrowing privileges at the library.

Alumni of Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) and the Weill Cornell Graduate School wishing to visit the library as well as borrow materials must present a letter of verification from the Office of Alumni Relations (email: alumni@med.cornell.edu or call: 646-962-9560) as well as a photo ID to the staff at the Library's SmartDesk. A library "dip" card will be issued to eligible alumni at that time. This card will allow you to access the gates at the Library's entrance as well as borrow library material.

Please note that alumni privileges do not include Interlibrary Services, TripSaver Requests, off-site access, or access to any of our affiliated institutions.

Almost all of the e-journals and databases that the library makes available online have restrictions on use and access, that are specified in the licensing agreements signed by the library and respective publishers and vendors. Access is restricted to faculty, students, staff, employees, and other authorized users. Alumni have not been included as authorized users for remote access. Alumni onsite at the library have access to these resources, as they are all licensed for onsite use.

All resources on the Electronic Resources page marked "FREE" can be accessed from any location. Additionally, inside of OneSearch, the library catalog, alumni can filter literature results by using the 'Open Access' filter. Links to possible freely available versions are also included in each article record, though this is not always accurate.

Alumni who are residents of New York State may be able to access databases, online journals and newspapers from the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library.

WCMC Information Services can help you locate other health science libraries which may have the items you need - use the Ask a Reference Question online form. Your local public library may also be able to borrow items for you from libraries around the country, through an interlibrary loan system.