August 19, 1999
LAWRENCE -- The University of Kansas Libraries have introduced a new borrower's card for Kansas residents who are not current KU students, employees or otherwise officially affiliated with the university.
The new card will allow holders to check out books and materials at any of KU's libraries on the university's Lawrence and Overland Park campuses. The card, which has an embedded microchip, also can be used at copying machines and printers in the libraries as well as to make purchases at campus vending machines.
The plastic cards, which feature a picture of the borrower, are available for $5 a year and may be acquired at Watson Library on the Lawrence campus. Kansas residents can also apply for the card at the Regents Center Library on the Edwards Campus, Overland Park. A picture ID is required, and minors must have a parent or guardian sign for their card.
The annual $5 fee is waived for members in good standing of the KU Friends of the Library and the KU Alumni Association. They should present their current membership cards when they apply for their new borrower card.
The libraries previously used a paper card for Kansas residents not eligible for the KU Card, the university's official ID card that employees, students and other affiliated people use to check out books. Besides being more durable, the new card allows the university to better track the location of its materials and their use by non-campus borrowers.
"While we regret the need to charge for the card, we think the benefits the card provides are worth it," said Marilu Goodyear, vice chancellor for information services. "This card will make using the libraries easier for our patrons."
KU Libraries offer approximately 3.5 million volumes; many thousands of manuscript, photographic and archival pieces;and almost 350,000 maps and aerial photographs. Other holdings include more than 30,000 serial subscriptions, large sets of microform materials, sound recordings and a growing collection of electronic media. For more information about the libraries and to access online resources, visit their Web site at http://www.lib.ukans.edu/. For more information about the new borrower's card, call Julia Rholes at (785) 864-8995.
Contact: Todd Cohen, University Relations, (785) 864-8858 or e-mail tcohen@ukans.edu