UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students know the University Libraries as a place to find course materials and resources or a quiet place to study. As one of the largest research libraries in the United States, the Libraries supports the research success of Penn State faculty and students. Perhaps less well known is the positive impact the Libraries has on the information needs of all Pennsylvanians — and even those beyond the commonwealth.
The Statewide Library Resource Center network
As one of four Statewide Library Resource Centers (SLRC) in Pennsylvania, the University Libraries is part of a network of public libraries, district library centers and regional resource centers created with the passage of the Pennsylvania Library Code in 1961.
Funding received through the SLRC program supports various library operations, including the Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service. Through agreements with other libraries, ILL supports Penn Staters’ scholarly research and curriculum needs by procuring books and materials not available at Penn State library locations. In turn, Penn State loans books and materials to other libraries for their patrons’ use.
“As a statewide resource center, we’re committed to providing all Pennsylvania residents with materials from our collection,” said Meg Massey, manager of Interlibrary Loan. “Our lending operations support this mission, as we are committed to providing free interlibrary loan services to all Pennsylvania libraries. This means that any Pennsylvania resident can go to a local public or academic library and request materials from our collections via their interlibrary loan service.”
SLRC funding also supports other library operations and services, including collections, borrowing privileges for Pennsylvania residents, and on-site access to some firewalled online-only licensed content otherwise contractually limited to use by Penn State students and employees.
Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation: A grassroots partnership
When Interlibrary Loan receives a request for a book, article or another resource that is unavailable through the Penn State system, they look at their partnerships with various request networks to determine the most efficient way to get the item. One of these is EZBorrow, an expedited service that allows eligible users at participating institutions to request physical materials. EZBorrow is available to the University Libraries as a member institution of the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI), a grassroots federation of academic libraries with a mission to enable cost-effective, sustainable access to information resources and services for its members.
“Until early 2023, PALCI stood for ‘Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium Inc.’,” said Mihoko Hosoi, the Libraries’ chief officer for collections, research and scholarly communications and a former PALCI board member. “The name changed when the organization expanded its membership beyond Pennsylvania. PALCI membership now includes more than 70 academic institutions — both research libraries and smaller academic libraries — from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.”
Massey said, “Through PALCI, we support library users — many of whom are Pennsylvania residents — by providing expedited interlibrary loan service to any library that is a member of the consortium,” Requested materials are delivered to the requesting member library, usually within three to five business days.
PALCI also offers a faculty borrowing program, which gives Penn State faculty reciprocal borrowing privileges at PALCI member institutions. This program requires a letter issued by the University Libraries, which must be presented with the faculty member’s Penn State ID card when they travel to the participating library.
PALCI members can also participate in a variety of opt-in collaborative collection development programs, including subscriptions, content purchases and digital services and projects. Penn State University Libraries frequently takes advantage of these offerings.
“PALCI has always been one of our strongest and valued partners in supporting Penn State’s land-grant mission, foremost of which is our commitment to providing accessible higher education and fostering research and outreach to benefit all Pennsylvanians,” said Faye Chadwell, dean, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, who was recently appointed to the PALCI board of directors through December 2026. “I am honored to have the opportunity to help shape PALCI’s strategic direction and advance its mission. I look forward to contributing to that.”
Other reciprocal borrowing and on-site programs
In addition to PALCI, the Libraries participates in a number of reciprocal borrowing and on-site programs that provide information resources and broader access to scholarly material. These programs may require additional authorization beyond Penn State identification.
- Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) — grants faculty members from participating OCLC institutions borrowing privileges and on-site access to participating academic research libraries.
- Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) — faculty and graduate students have reciprocal borrowing privileges at BTAA libraries. Undergraduate students have on-site access only.
- Shared Resources, Staff and Service (SHARES) — allows faculty, emeritus faculty, students and library staff of partner institutions to use the collections and services at SHARES libraries. This program does not include borrowing privileges.
Information about how Pennsylvania residents can receive a University Libraries borrowing card is available online.