The Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center serves the faculty, staff, residents, and students of Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. The library is not open to the general public (see list, Other Health Sciences Libraries in Chicago). Individuals without affiliation must have prior approval to use the library (outlined below) and must register at the library's front desk when they visit the library. They must also wear a visitor badge issued at the Ward or Searle Building security desks. The table below defines privileges for each user type.
| Affiliation | Type of ID | Check out materials? | Interlibrary Loan | Photocopy services | Searches & Systematic Reviews | Off-campus Access |
| Feinberg Faculty, Staff, Resident, or Student | WildCard or affiliated hospital badge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Other NU Faculty, Staff, or Student | WildCard | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Feinberg Alumni* | Feinberg Alumni Card | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Other NU Alumni | Alumni Association Card | No | No | No | No | No |
| NMH Staff | Hospital Badge | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| SR AbilityLab Staff** | Hospital Badge | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Lurie Children's Staff** | Lurie Children's badge | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Lake Forest Hospital Staff** | LFH badge | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Contractors | WildCard with Contractor Status | No | No | No | No | No |
| Visiting PhD or Medical Student | letter from NU Sponsor | Check with front desk | No | No | No | No |
| InfoPass holder | InfoPass - requires prior approval granted to the requesting library for one time access. | N/A |
*Feinberg alumni are welcome to contact us for brief reference assistance.
**Feinberg School of Medicine faculty and residents who work at Lurie Children's, SR AbilityLab, Lake Forest Hospital, or other Northwestern Medicine locations have off-campus access privileges (i.e. remote access to online resources using their NU NetID). Staff and physicians without a Feinberg School of Medicine faculty appointment do not.
Learn more about Online Resource Access. For categories not mentioned in the above access grid, contact User Services at (312) 503-8126.
Guest or Visitor Privileges
Occasionally, it may be necessary to request privileges to the Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center for an individual, i.e., a long-term visitor or a special employee, who is not a regular staff or faculty member of Northwestern University or the McGaw Medical Center. Requests for privileges should include:
- Name of the visitor(s) and name of the supervisor, sponsor or host in the department.
- Duration of the visit or appointment.
- A statement of whether library privileges should include borrowing, online resources access, or inhouse use only.
If borrowing or services privileges are requested, provide the name of the Northwestern faculty or staff member who is responsible for the visitor. This name will be listed jointly on the library's record and this person will assume responsibility for the visitor's borrowing activity, fines or bills. Borrowing privileges are extended to individuals who will be here three months or longer only. Access to electronic resources is available to visitors only on campus. Temporary guest NetID logins are issued at the Galter Health Sciences Library Circulation Desk.
Requests for privileges should be sent to:
Library Deputy Director
Galter Health Sciences Library
Ward 2-212
Chicago campus
Mailing address:
303 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Fax: 312-503-1204
Phone: 312-503-8133
You will be notified of the library's decision and we will be happy to arrange a tour or orientation for the new library user. Please contact Library Administration if you have any questions.
Updated: January 3, 2022