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Services

REFERENCE
  Reference Office
  Reference Services

Circulation Desk Location and Services

The Circulation Desk is located on the third floor near the library entrance.  Please consult Circulation staff for assistance with

• Call number locations
• Circulation status of materials
• Missing books
• Recall or "hold" of books checked out to other users
• "Rush" on books indicated on PEGASUS as "in process"
• Shelf collection locations and assignments
• Copy cards and photocopier problems
• The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory

Borrowing Privileges

All current Columbia University students, faculty and staff with valid identification cards may borrow circulating materials for one month subject to recall after two weeks. Please note, however, that most of the Library's collection, including primary sources of law, periodicals, multi-volume works, materials published prior to 1850, and certain other categories of materials, may not be removed from the Library.

Returns, Renewals, Overdue Fines

Please return books to the Circulation Desk or the "drop box" located outside the Library's entrance. The Library cannot be responsible for Law Library books returned to other Columbia libraries or by campus mail. Renewals can be made at the Circulation Desk, by phone at 854-3922, or online from your Pegasus Patron Record.  The system will prompt you to enter your Law-School user name (ex: jsmith or jsmith1) and your Law-School password. (These are the same credentials you use to access LawNet.) Overdue fines are charged at a rate of 50 cents per day. Please note that registration, diplomas, and transcripts will be blocked until all materials are returned or replaced and all fines paid.

Shelf Collections

The Library realizes that students frequently need to gather both circulating and non-circulating books for long-term use. Shelves have been set aside for this purpose and may be reserved at the Circulation Desk. After a location has been assigned, Library materials may be checked out to that shelf for the current semester. Please note that some high-demand materials are not available for shelf collection circulation, including case reporters and statutory code volumes. Desk collections are not permitted.

Course Reserves

The course reserves collection is in the 3rd Floor Reading Room of the Law Library. The permanent reserve collection is also located here. Law School faculty members may select and set aside books, articles, videotapes and other resources (including personal copies) for course reserves or in-library use only. The Law Library has an online system for submitting requests to place items on reserve for your courses. You will find a link to the electronic form on both the left side of the Law Library’s main page (http://www.law.columbia.edu/library) and on the lower part of the Pegasus home page (http://pegasus.law.columbia.edu/).

Reference Office

Near the Circulation Desk, and to your right as you enter the Library, is the Reference Office (212-854-3743).  Staffed by professional librarians who have earned both law and library science degrees, the Reference Desk is open as follows:

 Reference Summer schedule (May 18 - August 11):

 The Reference Office, and the Library, will be closed Monday, May 27 for Memorial Day, and Thursday, July 4, for Independence Day.

Reference Services

The reference librarians are happy to answer any questions regarding the Library's collections, services, policies and procedures. While they cannot conduct research for patrons or provide legal advice, they are pleased to suggest appropriate resources and research strategies and to assist in locating resources not available on campus. Tours and tutorials on research and electronic resource are available by appointment. The telephone number of the Reference Department is 212-854-3743.

At the reference desk, Columbia Law School students, staff and faculty may also request interlibrary loan services for materials not available at the Library or any other Morningside-campus Columbia libraries. (Non-law Columbia University students, faculty and staff should contact the Butler Library Interlibrary Loan Office).

Terminals in the Reference Office provide access to the Library's catalog, PEGASUS, to a wide variety of electronic services and the World-Wide Web.

Materials with the PEGASUS location 3rd Fl REFERENCE are shelved in this room.