Policies

• Current Loyola University Chicago students, faculty, and staff:
  • Must present a current and valid university issued ID card at the entrance of the library to gain access. 
  • Current Loyola law and paralegal students should obtain a current law/paralegal school validation sticker from the circulation desk.

• Alumni of Loyola University Chicago:
• Must present their official Alumni Card, a current government issued photo ID, and be signed in at the entrance of the library to gain access.
• Alumni are not permitted to bring in guests. 

• Practicing attorneys:
• Must present their current ARDC card and a current government issued photo ID, and be signed in at the entrance of the library to gain access.
• Practicing attorneys are not permitted to bring in guests.

• Visiting Law Students from ABA-accredited Law Schools
• Must present their current university issued student photo ID and be signed in at the entrance of the library to gain access.
• Visiting Law Students are not permitted to bring in guests.

This access ID Policy is intended to help ensure the safety of our patrons and the security of the building and its contents. Library staff and/or Campus Safety may ask any person using the library to show appropriate identification. Loyola University Chicago School of Law Library reserves the right to bar or remove any individual who causes disruption or poses a threat to library staff, other patrons, or the security of the library's collections. Anyone with questions about these policies may contact the Law Library at law-library@luc.edu.

To request that books from the Law Library or other Loyola Libraries be pulled from the shelf and held for pick-up at any circulation desk, find the item you want in the Library Catalog, then click on “Get Item”, and then “Log in to request”.  Sign in with your Loyola ID and password, then click on “Request Loyola copy.”  For the Pickup Location, be sure to select “Law Library” from the drop-down menu, then click on Request.  Books should be available within 2-3 business days and will be held for 10 days. Patrons will be notified by email when books are ready to be picked up. (Please allow extra time for delivery to or from the Health Sciences campus.)

Current Loyola University Chicago students, faculty and staff may check out circulating materials at the Law Library.  A current Loyola University Chicago ID must be presented for all charges. 

Alumni of Loyola University Chicago may check materials out by presenting a valid Loyola University Chicago alumni card and signing up for a separate library card.  Please see our Alumni Services Guide for more information.    

No other library patrons have direct check-out privileges.  Patrons not affiliated with Loyola University Chicago will need to inquire about interlibrary loan at your local academic or public library.

All check outs, renewals, and returns should be completed 15 minutes prior to closing time.  Please exit the library when asked by library staff; university security will be notified of any patron who has not the left the library after closing.

Access to the library's government depository documents will be given Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Visitors must present a government issued photo ID and sign in at the entrance to gain access.  Access to the Federal Depository Collection entitles members of the public to use those publications received through the Federal Depository Library Program only; it does not entitle use of the Law Library’s general collections, services, or physical space; users must remain within the depository use area at all times. Once the user has completed his/her use of the federal depository documents, he/she is required to leave the Law Library promptly.  Patrons who need access to the collection must request specific assistance at the reference desk in order to be directed to the appropriate depository resources.

At this time, the Law Library is open only to current Loyola University Chicago students, staff, and faculty due to precautions related to COVID-19. Guests are not allowed.

Loyola University Chicago School of Law students, faculty, and staff may request books, articles, and other library material not available in Loyola University Chicago Libraries through ILLiad, our interlibrary loan management system.

Before requesting any materials through interlibrary loan, please check the Library Catalog and Journals A-Z list for availability through Loyola University Chicago Libraries.

Please note that borrowed items must be returned on time. Fines may be assessed for late returns. Interlibrary Loan is a privilege and a courtesy. We cannot jeopardize our borrowing relations by failing to abide by the conditions set by the lending library.

Only current Loyola University Chicago Law students, faculty and staff may use the Law Library’s interlibrary loan to acquire books or articles not owned by any other Loyola library.  Students of other programs should contact the library appropriate to their program for interlibrary loan services.  Interlibrary loan usually takes 7-10 business days to complete.  Interlibrary loan should not be relied upon if material is needed quicker than this.

Damaged Item Fee

The charge for damaged items will be determined by Law Library depending on an assessment of the severity of the damage, up to the full replacement value of the item.

Fines for damaged interlibrary loan (ILL) items from other institutions are determined by the lending library, not by Loyola University of Chicago School of Law Library. Interlibrary loans (ILL) are the property of the lending library, and are subject to their policies and penalties. Please return or confirm renewal of all ILL items by the listed due date to avoid non-negotiable fines/fees.

Lost Items

If any Loyola Law Library item that you borrow is more than 34 days overdue, we will suspend your borrowing privileges and automatically charge you a $100 replacement fee until you return the item.

Items that are long overdue will be billed as lost. Lost item fee: $100 per item minimum. The fee may be increased for items whose value exceeds $100. Returning a lost item will result in a waiver of the lost item replacement fee; however, any overdue processing fees incurred for that item will remain.

In lieu of the lost item fee, the Loyola University of Chicago Law Library will accept a replacement copy of a lost or damaged item. A replacement copy must be in new condition. The replacement copy must also match the lost item to the satisfaction of the Law Library, based on the following criteria: title; author; editor; translator; edition; pagination; ISBN or ISSN. Any overdue processing fees incurred for that item will remain.

Not all lost items are eligible for replacement. If you've lost an item and would like to provide a replacement copy, contact the Law Library at law-library@luc.edu. 

Paying Fines & Fees

Users are responsible for paying all outstanding fines and other fees. The library is not responsible for notifying borrowers that materials are overdue. Users are responsible for paying all outstanding fines and other fees, including billing for damaged or lost items. Overdue fines apply at all times, including holidays, vacations and breaks.

To view your outstanding fines and fees, log into My Library Account and select personal details, then Fines.

The following payment methods are accepted. Pay in person at the Law Library Circulation desk with cash, or checks (made out to "Loyola University Chicago” with Law Library in the note field).

The following materials do not circulate, and cannot leave the library:

• case reporters
• digests
• codes
• statutes
• indexes
• unbound serials
• loose-leaf binders
• Shepard's citations
• reference materials
• rare books
• items with Restricted Building Use Only stickers

The Law Library does not disclose the identity of borrowers or their library records.  Please see the Library Records Confidentiality Act (75 ILCS 70/1) for information regarding Illinois state law and patron confidentiality.

The Library Proxy Service allows faculty to authorize students to check out library materials held by any Loyola University Chicago Library directly to the faculty member’s library account.  The proxy authorization does not permit student proxies to submit interlibrary loan requests on behalf of the faculty using Loyola’s automated interlibrary loan system (ILLiad).  The proxy authorization is usually extended to students who are assisting a faculty in his or her research, or for members of a law journal.  A library borrower can designate more than one proxy.  The length of the authorization is specified for up to one year.   

The faculty member is ultimately responsible for any material checked out to his or her account, including those materials that his or her proxy checked out. To obtain authorization, the faculty member or editor must complete and sign a "Proxy Form" available online here, or at the Law Library Circulation Desk. The application form requires both the faculty and proxy's identification numbers and signatures. The patron authorized to check out library materials for another individual must present his/her Loyola ID card at the desk and tell the staff member that he/she is checking out materials for another library borrower.

If an item owned by a Loyola library is checked out, you may request a Recall or Hold.

A recall informs the patron currently in possession of the book that their loan time has been reduced. They must then return the book sooner than the original due date, usually within 14 days of the recall. 

A hold prevents the patron currently in possession of the item from renewing the item. 

To place a recall or hold, find the item you want in the Library Catalog, then click on “Get Item”, and then “Log in to request”.  Sign in with your Loyola ID and password, then click on “Request Loyola copy.”  For the Pickup Location, be sure to select “Law Library” from the drop-down menu, then click on Request.  When the item is returned, you will receive an email notification, and it will be held for you at your preferred pickup location for 10 days.

Circulating material may be renewed in person at the circulation desk, or online via the Library Catalog. To renew in person, present the desk attendant with your valid Loyola ID.  If the items are overdue, you must have the items in hand and present them to the desk attendant at time of renewal.  To renew using the Library Catalog, sign in with your Loyola ID and password at the top right of the screen, then click on the “My Account” link at the top right of the screen, and then you can renew any (or all) of the books which are currently checked out to you.  Books that are already overdue cannot be renewed online.

Note: Items borrowed through Interlibrary Loan must be renewed through your ILLiad account.

Permanent reserves are materials with such high demand that a reserve copy has been deemed necessary to allow all patrons access to the item.  Permanent reserve items are restricted to use within the Law Library only, and require a valid Loyola ID to be checked out. 

Course reserves are materials placed temporarily on reserve by professors for their courses. Course reserves usually operate under regular permanent reserve policies, but faculty can make specific requests.  Contact us for more information.  To request that material be placed on reserve for a class, please stop by the library or contact us at law-library@luc.edu. 

All reserve materials must be returned to the circulation desk 15 minutes prior to closing time on the same day the item was checked out.

Law Library study rooms are for Loyola Law students only. Loyola Law students can now reserve Law Library study rooms online. Instead of having to come to the circulation desk to check out a room, students can view what rooms are available and reserve up to three hours of study time. Review and reserve now

The following policies and procedures should be followed:

• Study rooms are intended for two or more Loyola law students who need a place to study, work, and talk in a quiet area.
• Individual law students using a room, or groups without proper reservation, may be asked to leave if a group with a proper reservation needs the room.
• Rooms may be used for three hours only. Groups using rooms for more than three hours may be asked to leave if needed by other groups.
• Users should not cover the glass of the study room windows.
• All other library regulations apply in study rooms.

In order to facilitate preparation for final exams the law library allows full access to only current Loyola law students, Loyola law faculty, Loyola law staff, Loyola law alumni, and Loyola paralegal students. This period usually begins 4-5 weeks prior to the beginning of Law School exams. Other current Loyola students that need Law Library items or research assistance will be directed to the reference desk. Please see the library's calendars for the exact dates of our restricted access period.

If unable to locate a book on the shelf, go into the Library Catalog, search for the book title and confirm the location, call number and status. If the book is listed as “Law Library" with a status of "available" and you can't locate the item in the stacks submit a missing book search request. Submit this online form with the book’s information. The Library staff will search for the item over the next few weeks. We'll let you know via email if we find the item.  Please contact the circulation desk for items that have a status of "recently returned" or if you have any questions about the location of an item.

Please speak to the circulation desk attendants for help using library equipment. A three hole punch and staplers are located on the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th floors of the Law Library. 

A photocopier/scanner is located on the 3rd floor of the Law Library. You can scan for free to your Loyola email address or a USB device.  Copies cost $0.15/page. You can pay using your Loyola ID or a guest copy card.  The copier does not accept cash.  To learn how to add Rambler Bucks to your Loyola ID, visit the Campus Card Office.  Guest copy cards can be purchased in the lower level of the Corboy Law Center. 

All video and audio equipment should be requested through lawmediaservices@luc.edu.