Alumni Library Services

The Mildred F. Sawyer Library is happy to welcome Alumni back to campus—and to use our collection!

We allow alumni to check out any books from our circulating collection or use any reference books or paper or microform periodicals here in the library.  If you are interested in having check-out privileges here at Sawyer Library, you should first visit the ID booth on the 2nd Floor (upper lobby) of the Sawyer Building at 8 Ashburton Place and have an Alumni ID made.  Contact Campus Police (617-573-8333) if you have questions about this procedure.

Once your ID is made, you can use the ID’s magnetic strip as a “key” to the Sawyer Library main entrance on Tremont Place (at the back of the Stahl Building at 73 Tremont Street).  Make your first stop a visit to the Circulation/Reserves Desk, just to your left as you enter the library.  Ask the staff to add or edit your record in our library system.  This will allow you to check out books. You cannot check out non-circulating items like reference books and periodicals. Nor can you check out reserve books for current classes, check out our student-use laptops, or schedule/book a six-seat group study room.

You must be properly entered in the library’s administrative system to check out books, as your student ID will have expired.

Please note that the library reserves the right to terminate services to any user—alumni or other—who abuses their library privileges (For example: does not return or damages library materials.)

Mildred F. Sawyer Library Contact Information:
Circulation Desk: (617) 573-8535
Reference Desk: (617) 573-8532
Reference Email:sawlib@suffolk.edu

Alumni Access to Databases

Regrettably, our database vendors contractually restrict the access to their products very specifically to current faculty and students here at Suffolk. These legally-binding lease agreements cannot be broken, and therefore we are sad to say that we cannot offer our electronic resources to our alumni. Public Libraries contract for electronic services specifically for their citizenry, so we would encourage you to explore your options at your local library.  For those alumni still living in Massachusetts, consult the directory at the Massachusetts Libraries page (http://libraries.state.ma.us/). There is a search box on the opening screen that allows you to “Find a Library Near You.” Search results take you to a page that will either link you to that Library’s web pages or provide you with contact phone numbers. Outside of Massachusetts, Libweb Directory of USA Public Libraries (http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/Public_main.html) might provide useful links. And Libweb even maintains links to libraries in other countries (http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/).

InterLibrary Loan

We are also, unfortunately, unable to offer ILL services to alumni.  If you need to find a library in your area that holds a particular book or periodical, you can identify these through WorldCat.  Search for the item you need and once selected, enter your zip code. This should list nearby libraries and link to their online catalogs to check for availability. If you do not not have access to a particular library listed, try requesting an InterLibrary Loan through your local Public Library.