Circulation
User Privileges
The UDM Law Library provides reference services and resource materials for all faculty and staff of the university, students, alumni, and the
general public. However, borrowing privileges are restricted to law faculty, adjunct law faculty, and currently enrolled law students. These
patrons must present a valid UDM Law Library ID or other form of identification in order to borrow materials and request their library account
information. Please note: students and faculty from other UDM campuses must request materials through interlibrary loan - they may
not borrow directly from the Law School. Occasionally, with the Director's permission, courtesy library cards are issued to people not affiliated
with the law school.
Patron records at the UDM Law Library are protected from disclosure. Information concerning names, borrowing records, addresses, etc.
will not be released to any other individual or organization.
The Library Staff may add information notes (in the notes field) of borrowers' records (i.e. patrons behaving in an inappropriate manner,
comments on patrons' missing items).
Circulating Materials
Monographs
The loan period for circulating monographs is twenty-eight days. There is no limit to the number of monographs that may be checked out at one time. Patrons are allowed to renew items twice (up to an additional eight weeks); however, if an item has been requested by another patron, the library may recall a renewed item (after the initial four week check-out period) and request it be returned to the Law Library.
Course Reserves
Course reserves are designed to enable professors to make limited quantities of course-related materials available to students in an efficient way. All requests for service need to be submitted on Course Reserves forms so the material can be processed and made available to students.
Course Reserves forms are processed in order of receipt. A minimum of three working days is necessary for processing traditional reserve materials. If a Course Reserves form includes books which are not in the UDM Law Library collection at the time the form is submitted, the books will be ordered and added to the collection; however, this process may take several weeks, and the material may not be available. The circulation of course reserves is determined by the professor.
Government Documents
The loan period for circulating government documents is twenty-eight days. There is no limit to the number of documents that may be checked out at one time. Patrons are allowed to renew items twice (up to an additional eight weeks); however, if an item has been requested by another patron, the library may recall a renewed item (after the initial four week check-out period) and request it be returned to the Law Library.
**Please note: not all government documents circulate. Their circulation is determined by item type (i.e. government documents that are monographs do circulate, government documents that are loose-leaf publications do not circulate).
Non-Circulating Materials
Items that do not circulate include the following: reserves, monographic sets, loose-leaf publications, serials, DVDs and VHS.
**Please note that UDM law professors are permitted to check-out non-circulating items.
Audio-Visual Equipment
The loan period for audio-visual equipment is dependent upon the needs of the students, professors or staff members. Requests for equipment must be submitted to the Audio-Visual Technician through the online request form located here.
Missing Items
If a patron has trouble locating an item on the shelf, a search card may be filled out for that item at the circulation desk. A member of the circulation staff will search for it within one business day. When the item is found the patron will be notified and the item will be placed on hold at the circulation desk.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan is a service offered by the Law Library to aid students, faculty, and staff in research. It is designed to complement the resources of the UDM Law Library, not to supply the major part of materials for extended research. Policies are based on the National Interlibrary Loan Code of the American Library Association and on the regulations of the individual lending libraries.
The time involved in processing interlibrary loan requests is dependent upon the nature of the material requested - esoteric materials may take longer to identify and if located at another library, often taking up to a month or more. More common titles may be obtained within a shorter period. The majority of items will arrive within two weeks of their request. The loan period is determined by the lending library. In most cases, the loan period is two weeks. Institutions that loan materials have the right to place restrictions on the use of their material (such as requiring it to be used within the Library) and may recall material at any time.
We try to accommodate all research needs, but during especially busy periods, we reserve the right to limit the number of requests that may be submitted at any one time to four per person.
**Please note: Interlibrary loan service is available for faculty, staff, and students ONLY.
Renewals
Items can be renewed up to two times, but only if they have not been requested by another patron. Interlibrary loans are limited to one renewal unless otherwise indicated.