Guests and Alumni

Hekman Library is open to the public and welcomes guests from outside the Calvin community, including members of the public, former students and faculty, students of other schools, area clergy, and more. Some electronic resources may only be available off-campus to current Calvin students, faculty, and staff, but when you visit the library in person, you have full access to our resources through our public computers. You can also purchase a guest library card to check out materials and use our guest printer cards to print or make copies here.

Keep in mind, there are a few differences for guest/alumni users when it comes to accessing library materials at Hekman.

• Wifi: Connecting to the Internet wirelessly in Hekman Library is free for all users. You may connect your device(s) to Calvin Guest using either an existing login from one of your social media accounts or your phone number. Instructions and information can be found on the Information Technology Department web site.

• Check-out: All you need is a guest library account and card to check out items from the library; bring them to the circulation desk and remember to return them later by their due date. Most general collection materials from Hekman can be borrowed by guests/alumni for 28 days, although items will be immediately recalled if they're needed by a Calvin student or faculty member. (For more information on loan periods for special collection items, see our Borrowing page.)

• Logging in to a Guest/Alumni Account: Use your e-mail address as your username and your card's barcode number as password. (You may also change that password to another of your choice, when prompted in the system.) Note that as of summer 2024, this process has been updated for our new catalog system: if you are having trouble logging in, please contact library staff for assistance.

• The Guest library card does not include remote access to the library's Research Databases, but all guests are welcome to use these resources in person at our public computers. Alumni do have access to select databases (see below for more info).

Guests who wish to check out materials from Hekman Library may purchase a Guest User card for $20, good for six months. Cards are available at the main check-out desk.

Users who are exempt from the guest card fee include Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary faculty, emeriti, staff, Calvin and high school students, CALL members, and alumni. 

Alumni may receive a guest card or reactivate an old card with no fee by following the steps below:

1. E-mail librarycirc@calvin.edu
2. Enter "Alumni Account Request" as the subject
3. Include your
   • Name
   • Calvin graduation year
   • 7-digit student ID number (if available)

You will then be invited to pick up your library card at the main check-out desk when your request is processed.

Please note that if your card is lost, you will need to get a new card.

Although most Calvin databases and ebooks are restricted off-campus, Calvin alumni can access the following:

• Project MUSE for Alumni
  Full-text current and archival articles from 600+ scholarly journals of major university presses.
• ATLASerials for Alumni
  Online full-text collection of major religion and theology journals.
• Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries and Dictionary for Alumni
  Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries: span over 86 volumes, comprising a long-running scholarly commentaries series for biblical studies scholars.
  Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary: 6-volume Bible dictionary offering current and comprehensive treatment of biblical subjects and topics.

You may be prompted to log in to view these resources through the library website when off-campus - enter your entire library card barcode (including any leading zeros) as both username and password.

Alumni Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Alumni may request up to five (5) ILL items per year. If you are enrolled at another institution, we ask that you use that institution's ILL service.

Guests should use their local public libraries or the services offered by the educational institutions where they are enrolled. The purchase of a guest user card at Hekman does not include Interlibrary Loan service.

Area high school students are welcome to visit and use the library resources on their own or as part of a class visit (please review the section on this page for obtaining a Guest User card to check out Hekman materials).

Teachers interested in arranging a class group visit should contact Research Assistance staff.

This service (also known as CRC Minister's Loan) is extended to ministers and retired pastors in the Christian Reformed Church (based on the current CRC Yearbook) who wish to check out books from Hekman Library. Policies and privileges are the same as for other guests or alumni; see above for more information.