Policies and Access
The Access Services Department is responsible for circulating library materials, borrowing and loaning materials through library consortia and interlibrary loan, and maintaining the collection for the easy access of faculty, staff, and students.
Borrowing from the Earle Mack School of Law Legal Research Center
Access to the Legal Research Center
- Earle Mack School of Law Students, Faculty, and Staff: Upon presentation of a valid DragonCard, Earle Mack School of Law students, faculty, and staff may access the Legal Research Center.
- Earle Mack School of Law students, faculty and staff may bring in guest(s). The guest(s) must sign in along with the law student, faculty member or employee and present a photo ID to the security guard.
- Drexel University Undergraduate and Graduate Students: Upon presentation of a valid DragonCard, undergraduate and graduate students may access the Legal Research Center during off-peak hours (Monday-Friday after 6:00 pm and Saturday-Sunday during all open hours). The Legal Research Center does welcome those students whose academic work requires the use of the LRC’s collection and resources. Please check in with the LRC reference desk for assistance with your research.
- Drexel University Faculty and Staff: Upon presentation of a valid DragonCard, faculty members and University staff may use the Earle Mack School of Law Legal Research Center.
- Alumni: Upon presentation of a Drexel University Alumni Card, Drexel alumni and alumnae may use the Earle Mack School of Law Legal Research Center.
- Attorneys and judges: Upon presentation of a current bar card or business card any attorney or judge may use the Earle Mack School of Law Legal Research Center.
- Area Law Students and Faculty: Upon presentation of a Law School ID, area law students and faculty may use the Earle Mack School of Law Legal Research Center.
- Other individuals not covered in the above categories who wish to use specific library resources during the hours of 9-5, Monday through Friday, must make prior arrangements by contacting the Head of Access Services at 215-571-4726.
Borrowing Books
Borrowing privileges are based on status (e.g., student, faculty, staff, etc.) and types of library materials.
- Books: 28 days
- Circulates to faculty for 180 days, subject to recall after 28 days if requested by another patron.
- Periodicals: Non Circulating
- Circulates to faculty for 3 days, subject to recall if requested by another patron.
- Reference: Non Circulating
- Circulates to faculty for 3 days, subject to recall if requested by another patron.
- Reserve Materials: 2 hours
- Interlibrary Loan materials: determined by lending library
Loan periods may be adjusted for special reasons- e.g., faculty requests for reserve.
- Except for reserve items, items may be renewed online at any time by using your University email ID and password to view your library record. This method of renewal is recommended.
- Patrons can also renew items by calling the Circulation Desk:
- 215-571-4772
- The limit is 2 consecutive renewals per book.
- Items for which there is an outstanding request may not be renewed.
- Items may not be renewed by a patron whose borrowing privileges are blocked.
A total of 20 items may be checked out at one time. (Interlibrary Loan and E-Z Borrow items are not included in this total.) Law Faculty have no borrowing limit.
- A due date receipt is printed at checkout. However, your online record will more accurately reflect due dates if items have been recalled or renewed.
- Non-reserve items: $.25 per day
- Reserve items: $1.00 per hour, plus $10.00 if not returned to the SAME library from which they were borrowed.
- Recalled items: $1.00 per day for items not returned within the recall period.
- Borrowing privileges and remote access to the libraries' online resources will be suspended for patrons owing $10.00 or more in fines.
- DragonCard Funds or checks must be used to pay fines or lost book fees.
Recalling Items that are checked out
- Materials are subject to recall after they have been in circulation for 28 days.
- Failure to return a recalled item within 5 days of the email recall notice will result fines of $1.00 per day.
- If faculty recall items for reserve use, the loan period may be shortened and the item will be due within 5 days of the new due date.
- Use EZ Borrow to quickly obtain another copy of a book that is checked out.
- Checked-out non-reserve materials may be placed on hold, using the Request function of the Catalog; books from any of the Drexel University Libraries may be requested, and may be picked up, at any Drexel University Library.
- Books that are currently available will be placed on hold the following business day; please allow 3-5 days for books to be transported between libraries. Items will be kept on hold for 5 days.
- Patrons will be notified via email when the item is available for pick up.
- Only 5 items may be placed on hold at any one time, although faculty may request more than 5 for research, reserves, etc.
- When returning items, if possible, ask an attendant to check in your items immediately to clear your record and to avoid "claims returned" problems.
- The attendant will give a receipt for all library transactions. You should hold on to the receipt in case of any problems.
- Please only return books to the Legal Research Center Circulation Desk.
If you are notified that an item you returned is overdue or subject to billing, please ask the circulation staff to check the shelves for that item. Please be sure to show your check-in receipt to avoid any complications. If the item is not on the shelf, normal lost fines will be incurred.
- Please report lost library items immediately.
- Generally, the charge for a lost book will be the cost of the book, plus a processing fee. If a specific price cannot be determined, the charge will be $90 ($70 for the book and a $20 processing fee).
- Patrons will be billed for the loss of or damage to library materials through the Comptroller's Office.
- Fines and lost book fees can be paid for using DragonCard funds or checks.
The Legal Research Center has five study rooms in the LRC and three in the law school, available for use by law students during LRC service hours.
- The study rooms in the LRC -- L320, L321, L322 and L323 -- are located along the east end of the shelving, and room L319 is located behind the copy room on the Market Street side of the LRC. The study rooms in the law school are 221, 222 and 223.
- All rooms are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
- Keys for the rooms can be checked out at the Circulation desk for two hours.
- The LRC reserves the right to cancel a checkout due to lack of use.
- Circulation privileges are automatically blocked for borrowers who owe fines or fees that exceed $10. In extraordinary cases off-campus access to the libraries' online resources may be blocked as well.
- Borrowing privileges will be temporarily suspended until the Libraries' bill is paid in full.
- Suspended privileges
- ALL PRIVILEGES will be temporarily suspended when a Hold is placed on a student record. To identify the reason for the hold, check Bannerweb through the DrexelOne portal. Once the Hold is cleared, privileges will be restored promptly.
- DragonCard Funds or checks must be used to pay fines or lost book fees.
Faculty assistants will be able to borrow library materials for faculty provided they present all of the following items:
- Faculty Drexel ID
- The student's validated Drexel ID
- An authorization form for the current academic year, or equivalent letter.
Although the assistant's name will be recorded, (s)he should never take out materials for faculty with his/her own Drexel IDs; this is because students have different borrowing periods than faculty. Authorization letters from faculty are valid for one academic year.
Borrowers are responsible for supplying correct and current addresses. Students must notify Student Administrative Services of address changes or make changes themselves in BannerWeb via the DrexelOne portal. All others should notify the Libraries of home and email address changes.
Note: Library notices and communications to Drexel students, faculty, and staff are sent to the official Drexel University email address. IRT offers an option for forwarding email from a Drexel University email address to another email address. See https://accounts.drexel.edu.
Many other academic and special libraries in the Philadelphia area are open to the public, although sometimes public access hours are restricted. While few allow direct borrowing by non-affiliated individuals, most allow use and photocopying of material within the library. The Free Library of Philadelphia, with its extensive system of branch and regional libraries, grants borrowing privileges to anyone who lives, works or attends school in Philadelphia.
Through E-Z Borrow and other cooperative agreements, materials can be borrowed from other libraries on behalf of students, staff and faculty, through Interlibrary Loan Services.
Interlibrary Loan Services
Earle Mack School of Law faculty, students, and staff can borrow books via E-Z Borrow from cooperating academic libraries (PALCI). Most E-Z Borrow requests are filled within 4 days and Patrons are notified by email when their book is available for pickup.
ILLiad interlibrary loan service can be used to borrow books not available through E-Z Borrow and/or journal articles and other materials not owned by Drexel University Libraries, or not currently available. E-Z Borrow is only available to Drexel students, faculty and staff.
Services for Patrons with Disabilities
The Legal Research Center is committed to serving all members of the law school community and strives to provide equal access to library materials and services to all patrons, including those who have disabilities. We will make every effort to accommodate reasonable requests for assistance from patrons with disabilities. To ensure the best possible service and whenever possible, we ask that you make any requests in advanced by contacting the Head of Access Services at 215-571-4726.
Additional accessibility information is available from the University Libraries’ Services for Patrons with Disabilities policy. For campus-wide disability resources, please contact Drexel University’s Office of Disability Services.
The Legal Research Center's Collection Development policy can be viewed here. This policy, consistent with the mission statement of the Legal Research Center, states the rationales and criteria for the development of the Legal Research Center’s collection. This Policy will facilitate the consistent selection of resources, tailored to the needs of the faculty, staff, and students of the School of Law, the Legal Research Center’s primary patrons. This Policy will provide a basis for reasoned allocation of acquisitions funds, and will inform the members of the School of Law community of the scope and nature of the Legal Research Center’s existing collection. This Policy will also facilitate cooperative arrangements with other libraries in the provision of access to resources.
Courtesy In The Legal Research Center
The Legal Research Center’s goal is to provide all Drexel students a professional environment for study and research. To help us meet this goal we have the following basic rules that apply to all patrons:
- No food of any type is permitted in the Legal Research Center.
- Only drinks in approved covered containers are permitted in the Legal Research Center.
- Several areas of the Legal Research Center, including group study rooms and the tables and carrels in the Annex (opposite the circulation desk), are reserved for law students.
- The public computers in the Legal Research Center are reserved for law students.
- The seating on the 33rd Street side of the Legal Research Center (east side) is a designated quiet study area.
- Cell phone use is limited to the designated cell phone area near the bathrooms.
Please respect your colleagues and comply with these simple rules; patrons not complying with the rules will be asked to leave the Legal Research Center.
If you have questions about the rules please contact Mark Bernstein, Director.
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Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University • 3320 Market Street • Philadelphia, PA 19104 • 215.895.1LAW |