Glossary of Borrowing Statuses
VCU Affiliates
VCU Students:
Included are currently enrolled VCU graduate, honors, undergraduate, MCV campus graduate, MCV campus undergraduate, and special students. Students may borrow material between semesters providing they are enrolled the previous semester and they are able to provide proof of registration for the upcoming semester. A student not enrolled in summer sessions may borrow material if they are enrolled for Fall or if a full-time faculty member furnishes a written request.
Honor students are undergraduate students who have been accepted in the VCU Honors Program. VCU Honor Students are granted loan privileges equivalent to graduate students.
VCU Faculty:
This group includes teaching, administrative, collateral, adjunct (part-time), and clinical faculty members employed by VCU. Also included are retired and emeritus faculty. Full-time faculty who are currently employed by VCU may designate a proxy to borrow materials in the faculty member's name. The faculty member is responsible for any material borrowed by a proxy.
VCU Staff:
This category includes full and part-time classified employees (not student workers) from VCU as well as the School of Medicine fellows, interns and residents in the schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy.
VCU Board of Visitors / SCHEV:
Current members on the University's Board of Visitors and a select list of the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV) members are included in this group. A list of the current members is forwarded to Circulation once a year so that patron records may be created. Members are granted loan privileges equivalent to faculty. Members are granted life-time borrowing privileges.
VCU Postdoctoral:
This category may be referred to as research fellow, postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral associate, or research associate. Postdocs are a scholar or researcher involved in academic study at VCU beyond the level of a doctoral degree to gain additional research experience in preparation for a professional career. The postdoc must be entered into the VCU Person Database as "postdoctoral" in order to receive faculty borrowing privileges from VCU Libraries.
VCU Health System:
This category includes employees of the VCU Health System who are not part of the educational/teaching programs of VCU.
VCU Affiliate Programs:
This category includes faculty and students enrolled in VCU Management Center, Community School of the Performing Arts, and the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program. Registration forms or letters must be forwarded from administrators of affiliate programs prior to first library use. Exceptions will be handled by a supervisor.
Faculty are granted borrowing privileges equivalent to Preceptors. Graduate borrowing privileges will be given to students enrolled in the Management Center & Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Programs. Other students will be granted undergraduate privileges. There is no registration fee.
Preceptors
Preceptors include experts in various fields who provide teaching, training, supervision and mentoring to VCU students in an on-the-job apprenticeship type environment for a specified length of time. The apprenticeships are in the surrounding communities and are not at VCU.
These experts are commonly called Preceptor on the MCV Campus. Other schools and departments at VCU may refer to these experts by names other than Preceptors, such as clinical faculty for the School of Education and field instructor or coordinating teacher for the School of Social Work.
Friends of the Library:
The VCU Friends of the Library strengthen and advance the VCU Libraries, one of Virginia's most outstanding research library systems. The Friends are committed to helping the VCU Libraries build its resources and collections to provide for the ever-expanding needs of VCU's world-class teaching and research missions. By supporting the VCU Libraries, the Friends also promote and advance the prestige and accomplishments of the entire university. Membership in the Friends of the Library program is open to any individual, alumni, or family.
The VCU Friends of the Library is as diverse as VCU's student body. Friends include community members, students, VCU alumni, corporate partners, and many others. Different levels of giving, from annual Friends membership ($50) to Friends Family membership ($100) to Friends Life membership ($1000), allow anyone to participate and support the VCU Libraries. Donations are tax deductible. A full description of giving levels and benefits is available online on the VCU Friends of the Library web page.
Borrowing privileges begin with Friends registration and may be renewed annually. Any individual who is 18 years of age or older may register for a Friends membership. Family membership is valid for up to 5 immediate family members, over the age of 14, who reside at the same home address.
VCU Non-affiliates:
Virginia BioTechnology Research Park:
Employees of Virginia BioTechnology Research Park tenants can register for borrowing privileges. BioTech Park employees must first obtain a VCUCard BioTech Park ID. Complete a BioTech Park registration form and present your VCUCard at the service desk of either library. Registration is valid for one year, when it can be renewed with verification of continued employment.
BioTech Park employees who are affiliated with VCU departments as research partners or as faculty preceptors who supervise or instruct interns, students, or postdocs may be eligible for additional privileges (see above). If you are a VCU affiliate, bring a letter from the VCU department with which you are affiliated to the library with your registration form. If you are not sure if you have a formal affiliate status, contact the VCU department you work with for more details.
Richmond Academic Library Consortium:
Included in this group are faculty, staff and students from institutions which have entered into a formal agreement with VCU Libraries. The Richmond Academic Library Consortium (RALC) is an agreement among the area academic institution libraries. The consortium includes:
- J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
- John Tyler Community College
- Richard Bland College
- Randolph-Macon College
- Union Theological Seminary
- University of Richmond
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia State University
- Virginia Union University
- Library of Virginia (the State Library)
Each library extends borrowing privileges to undergraduates, graduates, staff, and faculty of the other institutions. VCU borrowers must obtain a "borrowing pass" from VCU Libraries before visiting the other consortia libraries. Non-VCU RALC borrowers must bring a borrowing pass from their library and register using the VCU Consortia Registration Form.
OCLC Reciprocal Faculty Borrowers Program (RFBP):
The OCLC Reciprocal Faculty Borrowers Program (RFBP) participants include major research libraries throughout the United States. Through this program, visiting faculty from participating institutions may have borrowing privileges and on-site access to VCU's collections.
Institution/Consortia Agreements: Catholic University, SLIS
Registration forms for faculty and graduate students with the Richmond site of The Catholic University of America, School of Library and Information Science must be submitted by the school's representative before the first library use. Please direct eligibility questions to the teaching assistant for Richmond site classes, who will be designated at the first meeting of the semester.
Catholic University borrowers are subject to the same fines as other borrowers. Fines for lost, overdue and damaged material will be billed to the school and to the attention of the school's representative at the standard rates outlined in the Circulation Fines Regulations.
Conference Participants:
Conference Borrowers are pre-registered for conferences at VCU. Conference Borrowers must matriculate with VCU for at least three weeks and have written permission from the hosting department or conference.
More information about Conference Borrowers can be obtained from Valerie Vaughn in Conference Services, (804) 828-6500, or from Teresa Doherty, Head, Circulation and Information Services, (804) 828-1111.
High Schools:
Faculty and students employed or enrolled in specific area high school or high school programs may register as community borrowers. (NOTE: Governor's School students enrolled in VCU credit class, see Undergraduate Circulation Loan Regulations). Registration forms must be submitted by the school's representative before the first library use.
High School borrowers are subject to the same fines as other borrowers. Fines for lost, overdue and damaged material will be billed to the school and to the attention of the school's representative at the standard rates outlined in the Circulation Fines Regulations.
For more information, contact Teresa Doherty, Head, Circulation and Information Services, (804) 828-1111, mtdohert@vcu.edu.
Scholars:
Access to the Cabell Library Media and Reserve Services media collection and equipment is available to members of the general public who have scholarly research needs. General public users are required to complete a Scholar's Registration Form and be approved by the MRS staff. For more information see the Public Access and Use of Materials web page.