Located on the ground floor of the Foundation Building, The Cooper Union Library is open seven days a week during the academic year. However, hours vary, so check the hours page before venturing over.
Your Cooper Union ID card is your library card. The Checkout, Renew, Return page has more detailed information on the services and policies.
| Cooper Union Faculty and Graduate Students | 120 days |
| Cooper Union Undergraduates and Staff | 90 days |
| All other borrowers | 90 days |
Closed Stack DVDs
DVDs that are listed as Closed Stack DVDs may be borrowed by professors for classes for one week or for in-house viewing by consortium patrons. Headphones are available for checkout at the Circulation desk.
Circulating DVDs
All consortium patrons may borrow DVDs listed in the circulating collection for one week.
16mm Films
The Cooper Union Library's collection of 16mm films may only be borrowed by a Cooper Union professor for an in-class presentation with a qualified projectionist. For more information, please contact Dale Perreault.
Books, eBooks, textbooks, or other library materials can be placed on reserve for your course, providing alternative access to course materials that may be supplemental, expensive, difficult to obtain, or in high demand. Course Reserves are located behind the circulation desk.
Course Reserve items can be placed in Library-Use Only or checked out by students for a limited time. Physical items can be checked out for 4 hours. After 4 p.m., they can be kept overnight and are due back by 11 a.m. the following morning. Due to high demand, reserve materials may not be renewed. Late fees are imposed for students who do not return the items on time.
EBooks, journal articles, streaming media titles, and other digital items can be added to Course Reserve. To see a list of the books, book sections or chapters, or other materials on reserve for your course, you can click on the "Course Reserves" link located in the main search box on the library's homepage.
Student can search for items on reserve for a course by entering the professor's name (e.g., Peter Cooper), the course name (e.g., History of Pop Art), or the course code (e.g., HTA-310).
If you wish to have readings or other items put on reserve for your course, please email Dale Perreault.
If you wish to request a license a film title for your course, please email Lisa Norberg.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us.
Our librarians welcome the opportunity to introduce your students to library and information tools and resources, and help build ability to think critically about the information they find. Please contact us to learn more about our instruction program.
In addition to the collections of The Cooper Union Library, Cooper Union faculty and staff have access to the NYU's Bobst Library, the libraries of The New School, and the New York School of Interior Design Library through our local consortium, the Research Library Association of Southern Manhattan.
We share an online catalog, so it is possible to search across the consortium libraries and request items for delivery. Unless you have an affiliation with one of the other institutions, it is important to use the Cooper Union Library interface, so you can login to your library account.
While licensing restricts remote access to NYU and TNS's online resources, onsite access is available. You can "tap" your Cooper ID at the turnstile to enter Bobst Library or show your Cooper ID to the security guards at TNS libraries for access. Once inside and connected to their WiFi, you have "onsite" access to their online resources. Please note that these libraries can close to affiliates with little notice. We apologize in advance if you run into any issues. Please let us know and we will reach out to our colleagues and try to get a date or time when access will be restored.
The Cooper Union Library is also a member of the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI), which offers an expedited interlibrary loan service (EZ Borrow) from 80 academic libraries including UPenn, Penn State, Rutgers, Swarthmore, and Villanova University, just to name a few.
If you need something that falls outside our network, you can complete our online request form and we will do everything we can to get it for you. If you have any questions, you can contact Michael Gundert for assistance.
We encourage you to contact us with your recommendations for physical or online book or ebook titles, journals, databases, or other materials to support your courses. Our budget is limited, so our purchases are targeted and designed to support the curriculum. To that end, faculty input is encouraged and invaluable.