Masks are strongly recommended on the California Western campus, and so masks are strongly recommended in the Law Library.
The Library strives to make the collection available conveniently to all who are authorized to use it in accordance with CWSL access policies and rules. We are open to all CWSL affiliated patrons. This includes the following:
All patrons are required to present identification and requisite documentation to Security before accessing the Library.
To ensure fair and comfortable use of the Library, we ask that all patrons abide by the Library's rules and procedures. The Library reserves the right to revoke access privileges to anyone who fails to abide by these rules or who engages in inappropriate or unprofessional conduct. Furthermore, California Western students may be subject to disciplinary action under the Code of Student Professional Conduct if they fail to abide by these rules.
We protect the confidentiality of Library patrons to the extent permitted under state and federal laws. The Library must comply with all lawfully issued court orders and subpoenas properly served upon it and furnish the documents and materials specifically listed in a lawfully issued court order or subpoena.
All material leaving the Library must be properly checked out at the Circulation Desk.
If you are eligible to use the CWSL library and do not have a Library Patron card yet, you may obtain one at the Circulation Desk. This card will be used both for checking out materials and for access to the building.
Reserve Room books and photocopies, all of the Library's reporters, codes, reference materials circulate for a two-hour period only. If no one else has requested use of the material, it may be renewed up to three times.
Students may renew by telephone. However, students must speak directly with the Circulation Desk Assistant to determine renewal eligibility. Students leaving a voicemail must include a return phone number in the event that the material has been recalled or cannot be renewed again. Leaving a voice message does not stop the process of fines accruing, if applicable.
Reserve Room items and other two-hour items incur a fine of $1.00 per hour for all patrons. If the item has been recalled and is overdue, the fine increases to $5.00 per hour.
Some Reserve items may circulate overnight. Overnight circulation begins two hours before closing; ordinarily that would be at 8:56 p.m. These items are to be returned to the library by 8 a.m. the following morning. No weekend checkouts (i.e., Friday to Sunday, or Saturday to Monday) are allowed.
Almost all books not located in the Reserve Room may be used freely in the Library, and there is no time limit on their use. The exception to this is the Open Reserve area next to the Self Checkout machine. Books in Open Reserve must be checked out before being used and checked back in with the Self Checkout machine and placed back on the shelf after use. Failure to check out books on Open Reserve will lower their usage count and may result in our subscription to updates being cancelled for lack of use.
We ask that courtesy and consideration prevail to make the books easily accessible to any who might need them.
Books will be reshelved if left unattended. If it is necessary to hold a pile of books on a table or carrel while completing research please be sure to place a "Do Not Reshelve" sign on the books with the date and your name. These notices can be obtained from the Circulation Desk and they must be renewed daily. Please reshelve your books on the 1st and 2nd floor.
Students will be notified of overdue fines and bills via their student email account. No other notification is sent. Students are responsible for checking their email for Library notices on a regular basis. Non-students will be mailed overdue notices, fines and bills to the postal address or email address submitted for the Library Patron card.
Overdue fines and bills are to be paid at the Administration Office on the second floor of the Library via cash or check. At the end of each semester, student bills of $25.00 or more are sent to the Business Office for collection. After being sent over, the bill will not be reduced or renegotiated by staff. Notification of grades will be withheld until the bill is settled.
If it is necessary for the Library to order a replacement of an overdue or lost item, the patron will be charged the current replacement cost of the item plus $15.00 for Library processing. Return of the overdue material does not negate the processing charge, overdue fine and cost of replacement if already ordered.
DVD's and CDs are located in the Reserve Room. Commercial DVD's may be checked out to any authorized CWSL patron for 24 hours. Most course reserve DVD's circulate for two hours and may be checked out only by CWSL students.
We have headphones that may be checked out for use in the building. CWSL students may check out portable DVD drives at the Circulation Desk. Other patrons must go off-campus for viewing.
Practicing Law Institute's Interactive Courtroom is available for checkout at the Reserve Desk. It must be used in the Student Computer Lab, and is available only to CWSL faculty, students, and authorized attorneys enrolled in our Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy (ICDA). A California Western I.D. card or ICDA registration must be presented for use of these materials.
California Western students or employees who wish to use material which our Library does not own should check with a Reference Librarian to determine the location of the books or documents needed and the feasibility of arranging an interlibrary loan or securing a photocopy.
Quite often the material is most conveniently available at a local library and can be used there, but check with the Librarian to verify the bibliographic information, the names of the libraries which own the books, and the terms under which they can be used.
We do not request materials from other libraries via Interlibrary Loan for any patrons other than California Western students and employees.