Borrowing
Law students may check out books and other materials at the Circulation desk. Law students may also check out course materials and sample exams placed on reserve by their professors for particular courses. University students may borrow single volume monographs for six weeks.
Temporary Restrictions on Physical Materials
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, resources that indicate Physical use temporarily prohibited cannot be requested or checked out:
Instead, they are available online through HathiTrust Digital Library's Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS).
Select the link for Full Text Available at HathiTrust:
If you haven't already signed in, you will be prompted to log in with your network username and password. You will have the option to Check Out the item for an hour (which will be automatically extended if you are still actively viewing it.)
HathiTrust ETAS does not allow downloading. If you would like a PDF scan of a chapter or article from one of these items, you can make a scan from the physical copy in the library.
Law Student Loan Periods for Law Library Items
| Item Type | Loan Period* |
|---|---|
| Reserve Books | 2 Hours / Building Use Only |
| Reserve Exams | 2 Hours / Building Use Only |
| Flash Cards | 5 Hours / Building Use Only |
| Study Aids / LRAW | 24 Hours |
| Audio CDs | 2 Weeks |
| Popular / DVD Collection | 6 Weeks |
| Books / Monographs | 6 Weeks |
| Law Reviews & Journals | Do Not Circulate |
| Microforms | Do Not Circulate |
| Serials & Looseleafs | Do Not Circulate |
| Reference | Books Do Not Circulate |
*Items, with the exception of Audio CDs and Study Aids/LRAW, may be renewed by phone [803-777-3367], by email, or online through your account.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If, after searching the law library and other University of South Carolina catalogs, you cannot find the item you need, you may request that we borrow it from another library by submitting an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request form. The ILL process may take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. Scanned chapters or articles may also be requested. You will receive an email when your item arrives. If you have any questions, please contact the Circulation desk [803-777-5942].
Study Rooms and Carrels
Study Rooms
During the COVID-19 pandemic, only one person is allowed in a study room at a time. Please use the cleaning materials provided to sanitize the space before you leave.
Study rooms may be reserved only by UofSC School of Law students, staff, and faculty. To reserve a room, view availability, or get more information, see our study rooms page.
Carrels
Open study carrels are available on each floor of the library for student use.
Printing & Computing
Computers and printers for law student use only are located in the Student Commons, adjacent to the first floor of the library. Each student is allotted a printing credit for the academic year. When the allotted pages are spent, you must add money to your Carolina Card account. Lexis-Nexis offers free printing of Lexis material to a printer in the Student Commons.
Study Materials
The law library lends a variety of study materials. See the Circulation desk, Reference desk, or browse the Study Aids LibGuide for a list of available titles.
CALI [Computer Assisted Legal Instruction] develops lessons covering over 30 different legal subject areas. Before using the lessons, students must create a free user account by visiting CALI.ORG. Each user must enter an Authorization Code at registration that can be obtained from your legal research instructor or by contacting lawref@law.sc.edu.
Appointments
The Law Library is accepting appointments from UofSC Columbia affiliates who wish to access the library's collections. Appointments will be accepted for use of specific materials and are limited to three consecutive hours between 9AM and 5PM.
By making an appointment, you agree to follow all UofSC and School of Law policies, including the wearing of a face covering and social distancing while in the Law School building. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, appointment availability is subject to change and the Law Library reserves the right to revise this appointment process.
Reserving an appointment:
- Please reserve a date and time on the Law Library appointment page. Please use your UofSC email address to sign up for your appointment. As part of the reservation process, you will be asked to provide information regarding the materials that you would like to view during your appointment.
- Please complete a health screening form and review the School of Law Visitor Policy. To enter the Law Library you must complete a health screening form, print it, and bring it with you to your appointment.
During your appointment:
When you arrive at the Law School, please contact the library's Circulation desk [803-777-5942] or Reference desk [803-777-5902] and a librarian will assist with your entry into to the building. Please remain on the first floor of the library during your appointment; materials from upper floors or the library basement will be retrieved for you by library personnel. When your appointment ends, please depart the Law School building after exiting the library.