If both Gottesman Libraries and Columbia University Libraries do not have the materials you are looking for, we can help you get access. The first place to start will be to submit an Interlibrary loan (ILL) request. We can obtain digital and physical materials from most US research libraries and some public libraries.

We can also help you to identify libraries elsewhere in the metropolitan area where the materials may be found. You have access to some libraries, such as those that make up the New York Public Library system, without restriction.

To determine what libraries in the area have the materials you are looking for, search Worldcat--the largest collection of searchable library catalogs you can find. Enter your zip code once you find the material you are looking for and see what libraries in the area have it. 

In some cases--to visit the Bank Street College Library, or NYU Bobst library, for example, or any of the City University of New York (CUNY) libraries--you must obtain official referral from our library to gain access to the collections. Our library participates in the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) consortium of libraries, and a librarian at Teachers College can issue you a METRO card for use either of a specific item or of a subject collection at another METRO library. A METRO card will allow you access to another library for a limited period of time, and you must use materials onsite. Ask for details at the Services Desk on the first floor of the library.