Research Library Cooperative Program

Woman reading a book

UCB faculty, academic staff and graduate students can borrow directly from the Stanford University Library using the Research Library Cooperative Program (RLCP). Eligible patrons may also visit Stanford and UT Austin in person and check out library material directly from the circulation desk at these two participating libraries.

RCLP is a cooperative agreement between UC Berkeley, Stanford and UT Austin.

Who is Eligible?

  • UCB faculty, academic staff and graduate students are eligible for the program.

What are the Service Features?

  • Request and receive Stanford material quickly and efficiently through unmediated requests
  • Make in-person visits to Stanford and UT Austin to access their library collections and check out material.
  • Materials from Stanford are delivered for pickup at the Main Circulation Desk in Doe Library.
  • Materials from UT Austin may be picked up at the Interlibrary Services department, 133 Doe Library.
  • Patrons who borrow Stanford material via RLCP are granted longer loan periods with easy access to renewal

To Access the Collections

UC Berkeley accessing Stanford owned material: No registration is necessary to request materials or scans from materials located at Stanford. You may also utilize your Cal1 Card in-person at Stanford.

UC Berkeley patrons visiting UT Austin: https://www.lib.utexas.edu/services/borrower/rlcp.html

To borrow from Stanford, find holdings at Stanford via SearchWorks.

  • Fill out the RLCP online request form
  • Enter your UCB ID number from your Cal1Card for the “RLCP Card Number or ID#” field.
  • Select “Stanford University” as the “Holding institution” on the second page of the form.
  • Include as complete a citation as possible for each book or scan requested.

Renewals for Stanford materials

Renew books from Stanford by sending an email to cooperative@stanford.edu

List each book by author, title and barcode number.

Returning materials

UC Berkeley users should return RLCP material from Stanford via the Book Return chute at the Main Circulation Desk in Doe Library, or to the ILL office at 133 Doe Library. UT Austin material should be returned to Interlibrary Services, 133 Doe Library. Users are responsible for materials until they have been returned to the library from which they were borrowed. We recommend you ask for a receipt at the Circulation Desk when returning materials. This will absolve you of responsibility for payment if an item becomes lost in the return process.

If you have questions about this service, stop by the ILL office, or send an e-mail to Patrick Shannon at pshannon@library.berkeley.edu

Post contributed by —

Elissa Mondschein, Unit Head, Interlibrary Borrowing