The Access Services Department is responsible for circulating library materials, borrowing and loaning materials through library consortia and interlibrary loan, and maintaining the collection for the easy access of faculty, staff, and students. 

Access & Borrowing Privileges

• The Legal Research Center is located on the 3rd floor of the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at 3320 Market St. Philadelphia, PA.
• Access to the Legal Research Center and borrowing privileges for materials is determined by patron type. See Access & Borrowing Privileges for detailed information. 
• Hours

Courtesy In The Legal Research Center

The Legal Research Center’s goal is to provide all Drexel students a professional environment for study and research. To help us meet this goal we have the following basic rules that apply to all patrons:

• No food of any type is permitted in the Legal Research Center. Drinks with lids are allowed.
• Several areas of the Legal Research Center, including group study rooms and the tables and carrels in the Annex (opposite the Library Assistance desk), are reserved for law students.
• The public computers in the Legal Research Center are reserved for law students.
• The seating on the 33rd Street side of the Legal Research Center (east side) is a designated quiet study area.
• No phone calls should be taken inside the Legal Research Center.

Please respect your colleagues and comply with these simple rules. Patrons not complying with the rules will be asked to leave the Legal Research Center.

If you have questions about the rules please contact Becka Rich, Director of the LRC (rar355@drexel.edu; 215.571.4770).

Loan Periods

• Books: 28 days
  • Circulates to faculty for 180 days, subject to recall after 28 days if requested by another patron.
• Periodicals: Non-circulating
  • Circulates to faculty for 3 days, subject to recall if requested by another patron.
• Reference: Non Circulating
  • Circulates to faculty for 3 days, subject to recall if requested by another patron.
• Reserve Materials: 2 hours
  • Circulates to faculty for 3 days, subject to recall if requested by another patron.
• Interlibrary Loan materials: determined by lending library

Loan periods may be adjusted for special reasons - e.g., faculty requests for reserve.

Renewing Borrowed Items

• Except for reserve items, items may be renewed online at any time by using your University email ID and password to view your library record. This method of renewal is recommended.
• Patrons can also renew items by calling the Library Assistance Desk:
  • 215-571-4772
• The limit is 2 consecutive renewals per book.
• Items for which there is an outstanding request may not be renewed.
• Items may not be renewed by a patron whose borrowing privileges are blocked.

Borrowing Limits

A total of 20 items may be checked out at one time. (Interlibrary Loan and E-Z Borrow items are not included in this total.) Law Faculty have no borrowing limit.

Overdue Fines

• A due date receipt is printed at checkout for circulating (non-reserve) items. However, your online record will more accurately reflect due dates if items have been recalled or renewed.
• Non-reserve items: $.25 per day.
• Reserve items: $1.00 per hour, plus $10.00 if not returned to the SAME library from which they were borrowed.
• Recalled items: $1.00 per day for items not returned within the recall period.
• Borrowing privileges and remote access to the libraries' online resources will be suspended for patrons owing $10.00 or more in fines.
• Cash must be used to pay fines or lost book fees in the LRC. Change may not be available.

Recalling Items that are checked out

• Materials are subject to recall after they have been in circulation for 28 days.
• Failure to return a recalled item within 5 days of the email recall notice will result in fines of $1.00 per day.
• If faculty recall items for reserve use, the loan period may be shortened and the item will be due within 5 days of the new due date.
• Use EZ Borrow to quickly obtain another copy of a book that is checked out.

Requesting a Hold

• Checked-out non-reserve materials may be placed on hold, using the Request link on the item's page in the Catalog. Books from any of the Drexel University Libraries may be requested and may be picked up at any Drexel University Library.
• Books that are currently available will be placed on hold the following business day. Please allow 3-5 days for books to be transported between libraries. Items will be kept on hold for 5 days.
• Patrons will be notified via email when the item is available for pick up.
• Only 5 items may be placed on hold at any one time, although faculty may request more than 5 for research, reserves, etc.

Returning Borrowed Items

• When returning items, if possible, ask the staff member to check in your items immediately to clear your record and to avoid "claims returned" problems.
• Upon request, the staff member will give a receipt for any library transaction.

Claims Returned

If you are notified that an item you returned is overdue or subject to billing, please ask at the Library Assistance desk to check the shelves for that item. Please be sure to show your check-in receipt to avoid any complications. If the item is not on the shelf, normal lost fines will be incurred.

Lost Library Materials

• Please report lost library items immediately.
• Generally, the charge for a lost book will be the cost of the book, plus a processing fee. If a specific price cannot be determined, the charge will be $90 ($70 for the book and a $20 processing fee).
• Cash must be used to pay fines or lost book fees in the LRC. Change may not be available.

Study Room Checkout 

• Only one member of a study group needs to book a reservation.
• Back-to-back reservations between group members are not permitted.
• Rooms may be reserved for a maximum of 4 hours per day.
• Reservations made in advance online can be booked for up to 4 hours.
• Reservations made at the Library Assistance Desk will book your room for 2 hours. If there is no waiting list for your study room when you return your key, you may request a renewal.

Remember: Study room keys, just like any other Reserve items, accrue overdue charges at the rate of $1.00 per hour. Please be sure to return them on time.

There are also three study rooms within the Law School building (221, 222, and 223) which are not available for checkout through the LRC, but can be used by law students when not specifically reserved for Law School groups (as posted on the doors).

Blocked Privileges 

• Circulation privileges are automatically blocked for borrowers who owe fines or fees that exceed $10. In extraordinary cases off-campus access to the libraries' online resources may be blocked as well.
• Borrowing privileges will be temporarily suspended until the Libraries' bill is paid in full.
• Suspended privileges
  • ALL PRIVILEGES will be temporarily suspended when a Hold is placed on a student record. To identify the reason for the hold, check BannerWeb through the DrexelOne portal. Once the Hold is cleared, privileges will be restored promptly.
• Cash must be used to pay fines or lost book fees in the LRC. Change may not be available.

Faculty Assistants

Faculty assistants will be able to borrow library materials for faculty provided they present all of the following items to the Library Assistance desk:

• Faculty Drexel ID
• The student's validated Drexel ID
• An authorization form for the current academic year, or equivalent letter.

Although the assistant's name will be recorded, (s)he should never take out materials for faculty with his/her own Drexel IDs, as students have different borrowing periods than faculty. Authorization letters from faculty are valid for one academic year.

Address Changes

Borrowers are responsible for supplying correct and current addresses. Students must notify Student Administrative Services of address changes or make changes themselves in BannerWeb via the DrexelOne portal. All others should notify the Libraries of home and email address changes.

Note: Library notices and communications to Drexel students, faculty, and staff are sent to the official Drexel University email address. IRT offers an option for forwarding email from a Drexel University email address to another email address.  See Drexel Accounts.

Access to Other Area Libraries

Many other academic and special libraries in the Philadelphia area are open to the public, although sometimes public access hours are restricted. While few allow direct borrowing by non-affiliated individuals, most allow use and photocopying of material within the library. The Free Library of Philadelphia, with its extensive system of branch and regional libraries, grants borrowing privileges to anyone who lives, works or attends school in Philadelphia.

Through Interlibrary Loan Services and other cooperative agreements, materials can be borrowed from other libraries on behalf of students, staff and faculty.

Interlibrary Loan Services

Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law faculty, students, and staff can borrow books via E-Z Borrow from cooperating academic libraries (PALCI). Most E-Z Borrow requests are filled within 4 days and Patrons are notified by email when their book is available for pickup.

ILLiad interlibrary loan service can be used to borrow books not available through E-Z Borrow and/or journal articles and other materials not owned by Drexel University Libraries, or not currently available. E-Z Borrow is only available to Drexel students, faculty and staff.

Services for Patrons with Disabilities

The Legal Research Center is committed to serving all members of the law school community and strives to provide equal access to library materials and services to all patrons, including those who have disabilities. We will make every effort to accommodate reasonable requests for assistance from patrons with disabilities. To ensure the best possible service and whenever possible, we ask that you make any requests in advance by contacting the Circ Desk at 215-571-4772 and asking to speak to an AS supervisor.

Additional accessibility information is available from the University Libraries’ Services for Persons with Disabilities policy. For campus-wide disability resources, please contact Drexel University’s Office of Disability Services.

Collection Development Policy

The Legal Research Center's Collection Development policy can be viewed below. This policy, consistent with the mission statement of the Legal Research Center, states the rationales and criteria for the development of the Legal Research Center’s collection. This Policy will facilitate the consistent selection of resources, tailored to the needs of the faculty, staff, and students of the School of Law, the Legal Research Center’s primary patrons. This Policy will provide a basis for reasoned allocation of acquisitions funds, and will inform the members of the School of Law community of the scope and nature of the Legal Research Center’s existing collection. This Policy will also facilitate cooperative arrangements with other libraries in the provision of access to resources.

• Collection Development Policy (PDF)