Current UC San Diego faculty, staff, and students may borrow materials from the UC San Diego Library and libraries worldwide. Your UC San Diego ID card is your library card. Other users may be eligible for borrowing privileges upon registration. See Library Card and Checkout Periods for details.
Your Library Card
You UC San Diego Campus ID Card is your library card! If you haven’t received a physical card or forgot it, you can also access your virtual ID card in UC San Diego Mobile app. Community borrowers will be provided with a physical library card upon their first visit to the Library.
Your Library Account
To access your library account, visit search-library.ucsd.edu. Current UC San Diego students, faculty, and staff will sign in with their Active Directory / SSO credentials. Those who have registered for library privileges will login with their email address and the password they created.
Checkout Periods
The number of print books, bound journals, CDs, LPs, and BluRay/DVDs you can have checked out varies by your affiliation as does the length of checkout. Details are available on our Library Card and Checkout Periods page.
Where to check out
Found something you want to take home? Visit one of the below locations to check out your items:
- Self Checkout Machines - Geisel elevator alcove and Service Hub, WongAvery Service Hub
- Staffed locations - Geisel Service Hub, WongAvery Service Hub
- BorrowBot (Select technology lending program items) - Geisel Service Hub
Where to return
Any non-book items should be returned to the location where they were checked out. Our external book returns are open 24/7, excluding campus closures. Drive up book returns are located at the North Point Information Kiosk (during construction only). You can also find external book returns outside each library entrance. If you will be visiting the library, you can stop by the Geisel or WongAvery Service Hubs to return materials to staff at those locations.
Need to return by mail? Send to the address below. We recommend purchasing tracking or insurance for your shipment.
UC San Diego Library
University of California San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive #0175L
La Jolla, CA 92093-0175
How to Renew
Many library items are eligible for renewal as long as they have not been requested for another user or met their maximum checkout period (see Library Card and Checkout Periods for more details). Check out the video below for a walkthrough of the renewal process
Renew UC San Diego Materials
- Go to UC Library Search
- Log in to your My Library Account
- Check the box next to the item(s) you want to renew, and select Renew Checked Items
You can also renew items at the Service Hub of Geisel Library or WongAvery Library, or by phone at 858-534-0134.
The following items are not eligible for renewal:
Renew Interlibrary Loan Materials
- On My Library Account, go to the LOANS tab and choose the item to renew
- For items from other UCs, you will need to filter to that institution to see items on your account
- Click on the Renew link associated with the item
If the Renew option doesn't appear, this means the item is not available for renewal at that time. Contact ill@ucsd.edu about other available options.
Contact LibraryBorrowing@ucsd.edu for any questions regarding your library account or privileges.
