Policies

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The Law Library is open to Golden Gate University law students, faculty and staff. University students needing access to legal materials may use the collection, but do not have access to group study rooms, hard-wired carrels, or computers and printers. GGU ID must be shown upon entry. Admission is also available to the general public for the purpose of accessing federal and state depository materials. Paid memberships are available to other members of the community; please ask at the Circulation Desk for details.

Golden Gate University Law Library is a Federal Depository Library and complies with Title 44 Cy11 of the United States Code by allowing the general public entrance to the law library without charge to use the federal depository materials. Patrons who wish to use government depository materials are asked to sign in at the Circulation Desk and indicate which material they are going to use. There is a computer near the Reference Desk dedicated to Government Documents use.

You must have a valid GGU ID card or Membership Card to borrow materials. Most Law Library materials do not circulate. Since law libraries are primarily reference collections, only a small percentage of the collection can be checked out. Circulating materials are generally loaned for two weeks, and may be renewed twice if no other patron has requested the material and they are not overdue. Overdue charges apply; please ask at the Circulation Desk for details.

Some Open Reserve materials check out for 24 hours; Course Reserve materials check out for a two-hour period. Use of the computer labs is restricted to Golden Gate University law students only. You may be asked to show ID while using the labs. Except in the Computer Labs, covered drink cups are allowed in the library. Food is not allowed at any time. NO DRINKS ALLOWED IN THE COMPUTER LABS. This policy is strictly enforced. Group study rooms are located in the lower level of the Law Library. Reservations in advance are not permitted; study rooms are checked out on a first come, first served basis. There is a two-hour time limit for each room, although they can be renewed for another two hours if no one else is waiting. A "group" consists of two or more persons. These rooms are available for the use of law students only. Law School students and faculty can request materials at the Circulation Desk or online by filling out an ILL Request form. At a minimum, we need the title and author of the book. However, any additional information (e.g., publisher, date, etc.) helps ensure that we order the correct book. It can take anywhere from a week to a month to receive the book, depending on how many libraries the loan request goes through and how quickly they respond. When a book is sent to us through ILL, it is subject to the loan policy of the lending library. Please access our ILL page for further information.

Students can also request photocopies of journal articles through ILL, but there is generally an initial processing fee which may be between $10 and $15, plus a per page photocopy cost (usually $.20). Therefore, students should only use this service when the article cannot be obtained electronically or from another local library. Membership categories include corporate, individual, and non-profit organizations. A non-transferable Day Pass is also available for $10. The Day Pass does not confer borrowing privileges. Please contact the Circulation Desk for detailed information, or see our Membership page. Cell phone usage is NOT permitted in the Law Library.