The main entrance to the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center is now open. Van Pelt Library and the Fisher Fine Arts Library are currently open to Penn Card holders, Penn affiliates, and certain visitors. See our Service Alerts for details.

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Service Alerts

Find announcements, policy changes, and up-to-date information about temporary service disruptions across the Penn Libraries. 

Access to the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center and Fisher Fine Arts Library

The main entrance to the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center is now open. Access to Van Pelt Library and the Fisher Fine Arts Library is limited to the following:

  • Current students, faculty, and staff with a valid PennCard.
  • University of Pennsylvania alumni with an Alumni PennCard
  • Those with a photo ID from the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), HUP, CHOP, Pennsylvania, or Presbyterian hospitals, or UPHS affiliate.  
  • Those who have registered to attend events being held in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center or Fisher Fine Arts Library.
  • Visiting researchers with prior arrangements, including reciprocal borrowers and courtesy borrowers. Contact a library staff member at the location you wish to visit to make arrangements and receive a guest pass.

All visitors should enter the College Green from checkpoints on the east and west sides of Woodland Walk. Those without PennCards should tell posted security officers that they are visiting the Libraries. See Access and Visitor Information for the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center for a list of acceptable identification. 

Changes to the Franklin catalog

  • The Penn Libraries is building a new, user-focused library catalog.
  • Students, faculty, and researchers across the university are invited to preview and test the new system.
  • The new system is expected to launch in Fall 2024.

Masks are optional in all Penn Libraries spaces. 

  • In accordance with the latest campus guidelines, masks are optional in all Penn Libraries spaces. Masking is always an option for anyone who chooses to wear a mask for any reason.

More information 

Please note that the safety of our staff and our users is our top priority. All services are subject to change; revisions will be made as necessary with guidance from the University of Pennsylvania, city and state officials, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.