Rules for Patrons

The Law Library’s purpose is to assist the Law School in fulfilling its mission of academic excellence, scholarship and service. In addition to supporting the curricular and research needs of our academic community, the Law Library’s collections and services are also available to the general public, including the local legal and business community, and to the undergraduate and graduate students of Rutgers and other institutions of higher education in our area.

The Law Library is committed to protecting the rights of individual users and sustaining the integrity of its collections. The Law Library abides by the Law School Code of Conduct, the Rutgers University Code of Conduct, all other University policies, and applicable state and federal laws.

Users who do not adhere to the following behavior guidelines may be asked to leave and may be subjected to loss of library privileges, appropriate administrative action within the university, and prosecution under state law. Flagrant or repeat violators may be banned from all University locations. Instances of non-compliance will be documented and kept on file.

Use of the Collections. The Rutgers Law Library’s collections are available to all members of the Rutgers community and to the public. Members of the public are welcome to use our resources on-site. All library patrons should be engaged in activities associated with the use of an academic library. These uses include reading, studying, or using library services or resources. Users not engaged in these activities will be required to leave the law library.
Registration Required. All non-Rutgers patrons are required to register with the security desk located at the entrance to the Law School, and again at the Law Library Circulation desk. Patrons who only wish to use the Government Documents collection may do so without registering at the Circulation desk.
Display of Identification. All Rutgers faculty, staff, and students are required to display or produce a Rutgers ID card while in the Law Library. At the Newark branch, all non-Rutgers patrons are required to wear the identification tag issued to them by the registration desk in the lobby of the Center for Law and Justice. At the Camden branch, all non-Rutgers patrons must sign in at the entrance to the law school building and at the law library’s Circulation desk.
Library Entrance and Exit. Patrons may enter and exit the Law Library only through the main doors by the Circulation desk. Using any other doors or means to enter or exit the Law Library is prohibited by the fire code as well as building policy.
Appropriate Use of Facilities and Equipment. The Law Library’s facilities and equipment are to be used for the purposes for which they are provided.
Destruction or Mutilation of Law Library Property. No person may willfully, maliciously, or wantonly mutilate, deface, tear, write upon, mar, or injure any Law Library materials, electronic resources, furnishings, equipment, or facilities.
Government Documents. At the Newark branch, Federal and state documents which are located in the Government Documents area on the 2nd floor may only be checked out or checked in by the Government Documents librarian or staff. Where duplicate copies of materials are available, the Government Documents librarian, in his/her sole discretion, may permit a patron to borrow such materials for up to one month. When the Government Documents area is closed, materials may be returned to the Circulation desk. At both the Newark and Camden branches, Government Documents may be accessed at the public computer terminals, located on the main level of the Law Library.
Re-shelving Materials. We ask patrons not to re-shelve books or other materials that they have removed from the shelves. Please allow Law Library staff to re-shelve all materials. Materials may be placed on any designated re-shelving cart or shelf to clear work space for other patrons.
Returning Materials. Law library materials that have been checked out must be returned to the Circulation desk for check-in. Materials borrowed from a patron’s non-local branch may be returned to the patron’s local branch.
Materials Left on Tables or Carrels. Materials left on Law Library tables or carrels will be re-shelved. Notes left with materials requesting that the materials not be re-shelved will not be honored unless written approval is obtained from the Circulation Librarian or the Associate Director for Public Services. Patrons who receive approval to leave materials un-shelved must bring the material to the Circulation desk to be held overnight.
Suspension of Borrowing Privileges. The Law Library reserves, in its sole discretion, the right to revoke, suspend, or modify the borrowing privileges granted to any individual.
Media Services. The Law Library has a collection of video and audio materials available for viewing/listening to in the Law Library. Patrons may request these materials and borrow headphones at the Circulation desk. Designated copies of certain audio or visual materials may circulate overnight; please see the Circulation librarian for information about particular titles.
Scanning Stations. The Law Library has several scanning stations available to patrons. Patrons may save digital copies to a USB drive, or send the digital copies to an email address at no cost. The scanning stations may also be used to make print copies; printed copies cost $0.10 per page.
Food and Drinks. Patrons may consume food and drinks in the Law Library, except at computer workstations, the Criminal Justice Library on the Third Floor in Newark or other designated areas. Patrons must avoid consuming items that create messes, smells, and noise. Patrons whose food disrupts others will be asked to consume it outside of the Law Library. All users are expected to act responsibly and courteously by disposing of trash and recyclables and cleaning up spills or crumbs. Major spills or messes should be reported to Law Library staff as soon as possible. The Law Library strongly recommends beverages be enjoyed from lidded, spill-proof containers.
Patron Conduct. The following actions and behaviors are not permitted in the Law Library:
1. Noise and other disruptive behavior that interferes with the use of the Law Library by another person. The Law Library is a quiet place for study and research. At the Newark branch, conversation is only permitted on the first floor, between the New Jersey Reference Room and the Foosaner Gallery. At both the Newark and Camden branches, group study should take place in the designated study rooms. All patrons are required to be courteous of others and refrain from harassing or annoying others through noisy or boisterous activities, by staring at another person, by following another person around the Law Library, by playing audio equipment so that others can hear it, by talking or singing loudly, or by behaving in any other manner that can be expected to disturb other patrons.
2. Bodily hygiene that interferes with the use of the Law Library by other patrons or staff.
3. Patrons who are not properly attired, such as patrons without shoes or shirts.
4. Any conduct that interferes with another person’s use of the Law Library or with Law Library staff in the performance of their duties.
5. Misusing a restroom, such as using the restroom as a laundry or bathing facility.
6. Solicitation of money, contributions, or signatures, or conducting surveys of any type.
7. Bringing animals into the Law Library, other than service or assistance animals.
8. Smoking, use of smokeless tobacco, or electronic cigarettes (“vaping”).
9. Speaking on a cell phone anywhere in the Law Library, including study rooms and stairwells. Texting is encouraged!
10. In Newark only: Conveyances. Users with disabilities are always allowed to bring assistive technology such as wheelchairs into the Law Library. No other conveyances are allowed unless 1. they can be neatly stored in a case or under the desk where you are seated, and 2. they do not have lithium batteries. Conveyances must not be left unattended, placed out in the open, or stored where they may cause a tripping hazard or other dangerous condition. Any non-compliance with this policy may result in conveyances being removed from the library by security.
Children. Anyone under the age of 18, with no Rutgers University affiliation, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times. Parents or guardians who bring children to the Law Library are responsible for their protection and safety and must never leave children unattended. Children are expected to abide by all Law Library conduct and safety rules. Library staff may request identification to verify the age and university affiliation of any unaccompanied young person.
Use of Study Rooms, Newark Campus. Only Rutgers Law School students and Rutgers School of Criminal Justice graduate students may reserve and use study rooms in the Law Library. Use of the study rooms is done by reservation on a first-come, first-serve basis, using the on-line form at: https://reserve.newark.rutgers.edu. Reservations are available for a maximum of four (4) hours per day; no reservations may be made more than 24 hours in advance; all Study Room reservations will be forfeited if the key is not picked up from the Circulation Desk within fifteen minutes of the start time of the reservation. Use of study rooms is limited to study groups; to individual students; LAWRS teaching assistants; and authorized tutors. Study rooms must be vacated at the end of the reservation period. LAWR(S) teaching assistants, and other authorized tutors, may reserve study rooms for up to four hours per day for an entire semester by request.
All Law Library rules apply to the use of study rooms. In addition:
- Study Room doors must be closed and locked at the end of the reservation period; the key must be returned to the Circulation Desk.
- Obscuring the windows in the study rooms is not permitted.
- Users must not make noise loud enough to disturb others.
- Users must keep rooms neat and clean.
- Food refuse must be discarded in bins outside the study rooms for odor control.
- Failure to pick up paper and other debris will result in the revocation of study room privileges for the group or the individual responsible.
Attorneys, non-Rutgers Law students, and the general public are not permitted to use study rooms at any time.
Use of Study Rooms, Camden Campus. Study Rooms in the Law School building may be reserved only by Rutgers Law students. There are two study rooms located within the library: Room 401 and Room 501. Students may reserve either room via the Law School’s intranet. Students will be prompted to login with their NetID and password. Scroll down to “Campus Specific Resources,” confirm you are looking at “Camden,” then choose look for “Room Reservations.” Students will there be prompted to use the BookView Study Room system.
The reservations system is managed by RCIT, not the library. Students should direct questions about the reservations system to RCIT. Students should leave study rooms unlocked as they exit. All Law Library rules apply to the use of study rooms.
Staff Areas. To assure the safety and productivity of librarians and library staff, unauthorized individuals are not permitted in staff areas unless invited to enter by staff as necessary for the conduct of Law Library business.
Use of Law Library Computers. The Law Library’s computing resources are intended to support legal research and Law School instruction and such uses are given priority. Access is subject to availability. Users may be asked to limit or cease their use of Law Library computers in order to accommodate others.
1. Access to all Law Library computing resources (individual computers and the computer lab) terminates fifteen minutes prior to the closing of the Law Library.
2. Computer terminals in the Law Library are for use by Rutgers University ID-holders and non-Rutgers patrons who have registered with the Circulation desk. All patrons must adhere to all Rutgers University policies relating to the use of its computers and network.
3. Alteration of the equipment, including terminals, keyboards, screens, printers, cables, or connections by a patron is not permitted; this includes attempts to alter the hard drive. Only the circulation staff may add paper to or clear jams from Law Library printers, or remove, switch, or replace ink cartridges. In Camden, any problems with student printers should be reported to Circulation staff, who will contact the Camden Office of Information Technology (which supplies the printers).
Reference Services.When assisting patrons, the role of reference librarians is to explain how to find or suggest sources of information to help patrons answer their own research questions. Reference librarians cannot provide patrons with legal advice, help patrons make decisions regarding legal rights and liabilities, assist patrons with preparing legal papers, or perform in-depth research for patrons. Reference librarians cannot interpret statutes, cases, or other legal materials for patrons. Licensing agreements may prohibit reference librarians from conducting legal research for patrons who are not affiliated with the Law School or Rutgers University.
Policy Changes. The Law Library, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to suspend, revise, or repeal the policies, procedures, and rules governing the Law Library and its facilities at any time without prior notice. Any changes to Law Library policy will be promptly posted to the Law Library’s website.

Privacy. The Law Library respects the rights of patrons to pursue their research and recognizes that the subject of their research is private. Protecting patron privacy and confidentiality is an integral part of the mission of the Law Library. In order to ensure this right, the Law Library has adopted the American Library Association Code of Ethics and the New Jersey Confidentiality of Library Records Law, N.J.S.A. 18A: 73-43.1-43.3, as the basis for its privacy policy.