With more students living off-campus this year, and some far from campus, it’s important to remember that – in addition to electronic resources, the Library Research Appointment service in Richmond, the week-day pick up service in Richmond, interlibrary loan, the ability to request Richmond items in Charlotte, Charlotte Library hours, and our virtual reference desk and virtual reference appointment services – UPSem students and faculty members also have circulation privileges at academic Libraries across the country through several reciprocal borrowing agreements. 

The most far-reaching of these agreements is ATLA’s Reciprocal Borrowing Program, which provides our students and faculty with borrowing privileges at 124 other theological libraries in North America, as shown on this map and this spreadsheet.  To participate, just show proof of current UPSem enrollment/employment to set up a circulating account at the other library, usually by logging into UPSem’s Blackboard from the other location.

We also participate in state-level reciprocal borrowing programs in Virginia, through the VIVA Consortium, and in North Carolina through the Carolinas Theological Library Consortium (CTLC).  The VIVA consortium provides our students and faculty with borrowing privileges at 50 other institutions of higher learning in Virginia, listed here, including all 10 universities in the greater Richmond area. The CTLC provides borrowing privileges at 14 other theological schools in North Carolina, listed here.

Finally, for those in the Charlotte area, we have a free-standing reciprocal borrowing agreement with Queens University of Charlotte.  For more information on that agreement, please contact our Library Director in Charlotte, David Mayo.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be a good idea to contact these other libraries directly before visiting, to learn more about how they’re operating under the circumstances. At our Library, for example, students and faculty from other schools may set up accounts using our online Patron Registration Forms for Richmond or Charlotte and then check out items through the week-day pick up service in Richmond or during Charlotte’s library hours.

We hope that these reciprocal borrowing agreements will provide additional support for your studies this year, and in years to come!

Dr .Christopher Richardson

Seminary Librarian