Library Policies

Students, Faculty, and Staff of the UDC Law School

The UDC Law Library is accessible to all students, faculty, and staff of UDC Law School at all times with the use of their UDC ID Card. If your UDC is lost, stolen, or damaged, or if you have any further questions about your UDC ID Card, please call the Office of Public Safety at (202) 274-5050 or email onecard@udc.edu.

Community Library Users

Members of the public are welcome to visit the library from 9am-7pm, Monday through Thursday. In order to visit the library, you must reserve a day and time 24 hours in advance by calling 202-274-7310 or emailing lawlibraryhelp@udc.edu.

Upon arrival, guests will be required to sign in and confirm their appointment time at the desk in the lobby. A library staff member will then meet you in the lobby and escort you to the library.

While in the library, members of the public are welcome to use any available space within the library You are also welcome to use the library’s print collection and wireless network (directions below). Members of the public do not generally have access to UDC Law Library databases.

Law library materials designated for circulation may be checked out by students, faculty, and staff of the Law School using their UDC ID cards.

Finding Law Library Materials

Users can locate specific materials by searching the library catalog by author, title, or keyword. For any questions about locating materials, please consult the Circulation Desk in person (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), or contact us by email (lawlibraryhelp@udc.edu) or phone (202-274-7310).

Reserves and Course Reserves

At the Circulation Desk, UDC Law students can access materials on reserve for current semester courses as well as current editions of study aids. Users may borrow them for a period of two hours, renewable once (for an additional two hours). Within two hours of the library’s closing, users may check out Reserve materials overnight. These items are due one hour after the Circulation Desk opens the following business day (9 a.m.).

D.C. Practice Collection

The D.C. Collections include the D.C. Official Code, other D.C. law-related books, and legal explanation materials that help users to find connections between cases. Materials in the D.C. Collection are non-circulating, and may not be checked out or removed from the law library.

Main Collection

The Law Library's Main Collection materials include monographs, treatises, general interest books, and other library materials. Users may borrow these materials for 14 days or until the end of the semester, whichever is shorter, and may be renewed once. UDC Law faculty may check out Main Collection materials until the end of the current semester.

Audio Visual Materials

The Circulation Desk also maintains a collection of audio-visual materials including DVDs. UDC Law users may borrow these materials for 24 hours, renewable one time (for an additional 24 hours).

Renewals

Borrowers may renew checked out materials in person at the Circulation Desk or remotely by logging into their My Library Account. UDC students, faculty, and staff should log in as "External Users" and use their UDC email and password to access their accounts.  

Please click the link here to view the UDC Law Library's full circulation policy.

Borrowing from UDC Main Campus Libraries

UDC has two main campus libraries - The Van Ness Library and the Lamond-Riggs Library. Students, faculty, and staff of the law school may check out books from UDC's main campus libraries using their UDC ID card. Materials borrowed from UDC's main campus libraries are subject to the policies of the lending institution. To view UDC Libraries' Policies, please click here.

Consortium Loan Service (CLS)

As a member of the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRCL), UDC Law students, faculty, and staff may borrow materials from other WRLC member schools. The requested items will be delivered to the UDC Law Library for your retrieval at the Circulation Desk. WRCL items are listed under the "Where/How to Get It" section of the law library catalog.

If you are viewing an item in the law library catalog that is not available at a UDC Library, but is listed as available at another WRCL member school, you can request the item through CLS by clicking the "CLS Request (2-3 Day Delivery)" link under the "Where/How to Get It" section of the item's page. Once you click the link, complete the form on the next page and click "Submit Request." The item will be shipped from the WRCL member school, and delivered to the UDC Law Library Circulation desk. Borrowers will receive a notice email to retrieve the requested item from the Circulation Desk within 10 days.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Faculty, staff, and students of the law school can request materials not available in the law library or UDC’s main campus library through interlibrary loan—a system based on cooperative agreements among participating libraries. Because interlibrary loan materials remain the property of the lending institution, they must be used in accordance with its policies. To ensure continued access to this valuable resource, Law Library users are expected to follow all lending library guidelines, including return deadlines. Adhering to these policies helps preserve UDC Law’s ability to borrow from other institutions. To submit an ILL requests, please complete and submit an ILL Request Form.

Study rooms are reserved for current UDC Law students within the Law Library and on the 4th and 5th floors of the Law School, offering a quiet and comfortable space for individual or group study.

Study Room Availability

The UDC Law Library manages 14 study rooms within the Law Library, 3 group study rooms on the 4th Floor of the Law School, and 4 group study rooms on the 5th Floor. Study rooms within the Law Library consist of a variety of independent, small group, and large group study rooms. ADA Accessible Study Rooms are located within the Law Library. Students may reserve a study room by clicking here. To preserve a fair and equitable learning environment for all UDC Law Students, students should only reserve study rooms in their own names and using their own UDC email.

Study Room Priority Access

All study rooms within the UDC Law School are openly accessible to all UDC Law Students; however, UDC Law Students who reserve a study room through the online study room system will be given priority access to their reserved room.

Reservation Length

Each UDC Law student may reserve a study room for up to 3 hours per day. To ensure a smooth reservation process, the student who books the room should be present during the reserved time. 

Food & Drinks

Light food and drinks are permitted within the UDC Law Library study rooms. Drinks must be in containers with secured lids. Snacks must meet the criteria outlined in the food policy. Please reference the Law Library's Food and Drink Policy for more information. We ask that you please remove all trash from the study room before leaving the study space. We appreciate your help in maintaining a welcoming space for everyone.

Furniture Removal

To maintain an organized study environment, we kindly ask that furniture not be moved or removed from the study space. 

Rights to Cancellation

UDC Law Library administration reserves the right to move or cancel a student reservation.

To provide an environment conducive to learning, all patrons are expected to respect the rights of others when using the library. Any offensive conduct or language within the library should be reported to a library staff member. Threatening or dangerous behavior will be reported to UDC Campus Police immediately.

Library policies are designed to ensure that all patrons have access to Library materials in an environment conducive to study and research. Please address any questions or concerns about Library policies to the Library staff at lawlibraryhelp@udc.edu.

Noise & Phone Use

Library patrons are expected to be respectful of other library users. To foster an atmosphere conducive to studying, please speak in a low tone, observe designated quiet areas, do not play music aloud anywhere in the law school, and keep the volume of music played through ear buds/phones low enough that the person sitting next to you cannot hear the music. The noise policy applies to the entire Library Level, including the elevator lobby and student printing area.

Cell phones should be set on vibrate or silent mode while you are in the Library Level or in any study room in the law school. Cell phone conversations are prohibited in all areas of the Library Level, with the exception of library offices. The cell phone policy applies to the entire Library Level, including the elevator lobby and student printing area. Cell phone calls should be made and received in 1st floor lobby of the law school, not in the Library Level or study rooms.

Food & Drink

Snacks are permitted in the law library, but patrons are responsible for properly disposing their trash and keeping library spaces clean. General food and beverage rules are as follows:

• Patrons may drink beverages from containers with secured lids, such as travel mugs, in all areas of the law library except near the scanners, copiers, and computers. Alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited.
• Patrons may eat items such as fruit, cold sandwiches, and candy bars in most areas of the Library.
• Noisy, aromatic, greasy, sticky, or messy foods – such as pizza, soup, tacos, burgers, noodles, and cooked sandwiches – are not permitted in either the Library Level or the designated study areas throughout the law school. These types of foods should instead be eaten in the Student Lounge / Open Market Café.
• Patrons are expected to clean up any food or drink spills. If the spill is large and requires cleaning from the maintenance staff, clean it up as well as you can and notify the circulation desk staff immediately.

The law library will not hold or serve as a pick-up location for personal items belonging to students, staff, or faculty. Unattended personal items will be removed from study rooms and spaces. The circulation desk is the temporary repository for personal items found in the Library Level and all study rooms, but library staff is not responsible for loss, theft, or damage to personal items. Unattended personal items will be removed from study rooms and public spaces. Every Sunday at 11:00 a.m., unclaimed items will be sent to Campus Police, which is located in Building 39, Room C04.

D.C. Municipal Regulations (D.C.M.R.)

In accordance with D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 8, § 2201, all materials purchased or acquired by the library, regardless of the source of funds, are considered the property of the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia.

Damaged or Lost Materials, Equipment, or Furnishings

To preserve our shared resources, we kindly ask that library materials be treated with care. Please avoid folding, tearing, writing, or highlighting in books, as these actions can cause lasting damage. Additionally, library books, equipment, and other materials should not be removed without proper authorization. 

If you notice any library materials, equipment, or furnishings in need of repair, please inform a member of the library staff. To keep the library organized and accessible, we ask that furniture not be moved. Any damage to books, equipment, or other library property may result in charges for repair or replacement. Thank you for helping us maintain a respectful and well-kept environment for all library users.

Activities prohibited in the law library include, but are not limited to:

• Exhibiting threatening or intimidating behaviors, e.g., abusive language, threats of violence, or harassment.
• Engaging in behavior that is potentially unsafe or harmful to self or others.
• Engaging in sexual activities, indecent exposure, harassment, or making unwanted or inappropriate advances.
• Using alcohol, tobacco, or controlled substances.
• Leaving children under the age of 16 unsupervised.
• Creating disturbances with disruptive noise, e.g., loud talking or audible electronic devices.
• Vending, peddling, soliciting, or petitioning in the law library.
• Posting or distributing materials without permission.
• Disturbing library users who are studying.
• Disturbing others with strong odors, e.g., perfumes, alcohol, or unsanitary personal conditions.
• Consuming food or drink in areas where they are prohibited.
• Bringing animals, other than service animals, into law library.
• Blocking means of egress, e.g., entrances, ramps and stairways.
• Denying access to law library materials through theft or deliberate misplacement.
• Defacing or damaging library materials including, but not limited to, underlining, highlighting, writing, or removing pages or security devices.
• Misusing, misappropriating, damaging, or defacing library furniture, spaces, or equipment.
• Leaving personal belongings unattended.

In cases of exceptional or repeated violation of library policies, the library reserves the right to revoke or refuse access to our facilities. Repeated or egregious violations of library policies by students will be considered violations of the Honor System Volume II of the Student Handbook.

The law library is not able to accept donations at this time. For archives or special collections, please email lawlibraryhelp@udc.edu.