Interlibrary Loan FAQs

Please first check the library catalog for required reading textbooks and study aids that may be housed in the Reading Room, Circulation Desk Reserves, Course Reserves, or Casebook Reserves. See our Library FAQ "Does the library have my casebook? Or other textbooks?" for more tips.

If you are experiencing difficulties getting a casebook in time for your assignments, e.g., back order or mail delivery delays, please inform the faculty as it may be more of a widespread problem. The faculty may be willing to consider addressing the issue by placing a copy of the first few readings on Canvas or TWEN for your class.

Also, please consider asking your faculty to donate a copy of the textbook to the Law Library and we will place it on reserves for a three hour loan.

However, we do not accept ILL requests to borrow publications that are casebooks or study aids nor any assigned textbooks and requests to obtain copies of syllabus readings within books, even if copies do not exist in the Law Library.

• Why? ILL libraries simply will not lend nor provide such publications because they reserve their copies for their own patrons to use, just like us. We will not lend out our casebooks to other libraries so you will have as much access to our copies as possible.
• Obtaining copies of syllabus readings infringes on fair use so we are unable to process such ILL requests.
• Due to licensing, we cannot borrow electronic formats of casebooks via ILL. 
• Unfortunately, casebook publishers will not sell electronic licenses with unlimited users to law libraries, and we are unable to purchase individual access for you. Each academic year it is expected that students will purchase required casebooks and readings.

For study aids, see our Library FAQ "Do I have access to electronic study aids?"

If you are assigned to read only certain pages out of a casebook, study aid, or textbook that is not accessible electronically or readily available in print, please ask your faculty to place a copy in Canvas or TWEN for your class. 

If you need pages out of a casebook, study aid, or textbook for anything other than for an assigned reading, i.e., class paper, journal note, source collection assignment, or seminar research, you must include into the ILL request the name of your class / seminar and faculty, or journal. The textbook title may be checked against a required reading list for your class, or the requested citation may be verified with the journal editor.