Individuals qualifying for one of the following user categories may apply for a NYSL Borrower's Card or a New York State Resident Borrower's Card. A NYSL Borrower's Card or NYS Resident Borrower's Card allows individuals to borrow books and other materials, as well as, access online journals, online newspapers and other online resources 24/7 from work or home.
Attorneys who are New York State residents and are admitted to practice in New York State are eligible to receive a NYS Library Attorney Borrower's Card. These borrower's cards begin with a "P" number.
With a NYS Library Borrower's Card you can:
Attorneys must complete a NYSL Attorney Borrower's Card application
(45 KB) and present personal photo-identification that includes their home address (such as a current NYS driver license or current photo-identification issued by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles) AND verify their status as an attorney by presenting one of the following:
Photocopies or scans are acceptable when mailing, faxing or e-mailing your proof of status.
NYSL Attorney Borrower's cards must be renewed every two years.
Municipal historians who are appointed by NYS city, town, village or county governments are eligible to receive a NYS Library Historian Borrower's Card. These borrower's cards begin with a "P" number.
With a NYS Library Borrower's Card you can:
Municipal historians must complete a NYSL Historian Borrower's Card application (45 KB) and must present personal photo-identification (such as a current NYS driver license or current photo-identification issued by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles) AND verify their status as a duly appointed municipal historian by presenting one of the following:
Photocopies or scans are acceptable when mailing, faxing or e-mailing your proof of status.
A NYSL Borrower's Card is issued for individual use and is non-transferable. Please do not share your NYSL Borrower's Card number or PIN with others.
NYSL Historian Borrower's Cards must be renewed every two years.
New York State Government (State Agency, Legislative and Judicial) employees are eligible to receive a NYS Library State Government Employee Borrower's Card. These borrower's cards begin with a "P" number.
With a NYS Library Borrower's Card you can:
NYS government employees must complete a NYSL State Government Employee Borrower's Card application (44 KB) and must verify their status as a NY state government employee by presenting one of the following:
You can white out the salary information on the pay stub if you'd like. Photocopies are acceptable when mailing, faxing or e-mailing your proof of status.
A NYSL Borrower's Card is issued for individual use and is non-transferable. Please do not share your NYSL Borrower's Card number or PIN with others.
NYSL Government Employee Borrower's Cards must be renewed every two years.
All New York State residents, 18 years and older, are eligible to receive a NYS Resident Borrower's Card from the New York State Library. NYS Resident Borrower's Card numbers begin with an "R".
With a NYS Resident Borrower's Card you can:
This program gives New York State residents, who are not eligible under other NYSL Borrower categories, on-site borrowing privileges; books and other materials will not be mailed to individuals under this program. The NYS Resident Borrower's Card does not provide individuals with free photocopies or interlibrary loan privileges.
Applicants must complete a NYSL NYS Resident Borrower's Card application (43 KB) and present one of the following forms of personal identification:
New York State residents listing a post office box as a mailing address must also provide their resident address. A college dormitory is not considered a resident home address. Proof that a resident is 18 years or older may be required.
Photocopies or scans are acceptable when mailing, faxing or e-mailing your proof of residency or personal identification.
A NYSL Borrower's Card is issued for individual use and is non-transferable. Please do not share your NYSL Borrower's Card number or PIN with others.
NYS Resident Borrower's Cards must be renewed every two years.
Licensed Physicians ("M.D." and "D.O.") who are residents of New York State are eligible to receive a NYS Library Physician Borrower's Card. These borrower's cards begin with a "P" number.
With a NYS Library Borrower's Card you can:
Physicians must complete a NYSL Physician Borrower's Card application (45 KB) and present personal photo-identification that includes their home address (such as a current NYS driver license or current photo-identification card issued by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles) AND verify their status as a physician by presenting one of the following:
Photocopies or scans are acceptable when mailing, faxing or e-mailing your proof of status.
NYSL Physician Borrower's cards must be renewed every two years.
A NYSL Physician Borrower's Card can also be issued to a physician's practice or group. A NYSL Physician Borrower's Card for a practice or group must be signed by one of the partners of the practice and someone in the office must be designated as the office contact. (The office contact could be a librarian, physician's assistant, nurse, office manager, etc.)
Retired New York State Government employees are eligible to receive a NYS Library Retired State Government Employee Borrower's Card. These borrower's cards begin with a "P" number.
With a NYS Library Borrower's Card you can:
Retired NYS government employees must complete a NYSL Retired Government Employee Borrower's Card application (43 KB) and provide personal photo-identification (such as a NYS driver license or current photo-identification card issued by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles). In addition, applicants must verify their status as a retired New York State Government employee by providing a letter from the NYS Agency that they retired from attesting to their valid retirement from a unit of NYS government.
Photocopies or scans are acceptable when mailing, faxing or e-mailing your proof of status.
A NYSL Borrower's Card is issued for individual use and is non-transferable. Please do not share your NYSL Borrower's Card number or PIN with others.
NYSL Retired NYS Government Employee Borrower's Cards must be renewed every two years.
NYSL Borrower's Card applications are now available online. Click on the appropriate borrower category listed above. A link to the related NYSL Borrower's Card application can be found under the image of the Borrower's Card.
Individuals can also request a New York State Library Borrower's Card application or a New York State Resident Borrower's Card application one of the following ways:
Please specify the type of NYSL Borrower's card that you are applying for.
A NYSL Borrower's card is issued for individual use and is non-transferable. Please do not share your NYSL Borrower's card number or PIN with others.
All other individuals can borrow circulating materials from the New York State Library via Interlibrary Loan through their local public, school, special or college/university library. Members of the public are welcome to use the Library's collections on-site.
