Policies
Access Policy
Heafey Law Library is a private library. Access is limited to Santa Clara University faculty, staff, law school students and attorneys who purchase a Heafey Law Library Courtesy Card. Non-Law SCU students have restricted access to the library collection upon presenting a valid pass from the University Library staff to Heafey staff. Click here for a listing of other Bay Area law libraries. For more information, please review our Public Access Policy.
SCU law school graduates may continue to use all law library facilities and borrow circulating materials until the first day of the month immediately following the first Bar exam after graduation, which is August 1st for May graduates and March 1st for December graduates.
During this period, your Access Card will continue to work in the law library’s card readers and computer labs. Your Novell Account ID will continue to be active for 90 days following your graduation date. At the end of this 90-day grace period, your Novell Account will be deactivated, and you will no longer be able to access Groupwise e-mail or use the SCU wireless network. Please be aware that SmartPrint funds are removed after graduation. You will need to add money to a flex account on your Access Card in order to print in the library. Finally, you should be aware that Lexis and Westlaw will limit or eliminate your access to electronic research databases at some point after graduation (check with Lexis or Westlaw representatives for exact dates).
Beginning on the first day of the month immediately following the first Bar exam after your graduation date, your borrowing privileges, computer lab access, and conference room access will terminate. SCU law school graduates may request continued access to the library at no charge for up to two years after your graduation date or until you pass the Bar exam, whichever comes first.
If two years or more have elapsed since the date of graduation, all SCU law school graduates must purchase a $50 Courtesy Card in order to obtain access. Borrowing privileges are not permitted to SCU law school alumni who are not members of a State Bar.
SCU law school graduates who have passed a state Bar exam must purchase a Courtesy Card in order to obtain continued access and borrowing privileges at Heafey Law Library. Courtesy Card access does not include access to computer labs or conference rooms. Currently, the law library charges an annual fee of $50 for SCU Law alumni who have been in practice for less than five years and an annual fee of $100 for SCU Law alumni who have been in practice for five or more years.
The library welcomes graduates who wish to use the law library to study for the Bar exam. However, individuals who are preparing for the Bar should be aware that the library will remain fairly busy during the weeks before the exam as faculty, current students, and other patrons continue to use the library during this time. While we strive to minimize noise in study spaces as much as possible, the library staff’s daily activities, including furnishing reference assistance to patrons, providing library tours, shelving and updating materials in the collection, and repairing equipment, will occasionally generate some noise in library study spaces.
Borrowing and Renewal Policies
Patrons with borrowing privileges must present a valid Access Card or Heafey Courtesy Card to borrow material. Not all patrons have the same borrowing privileges or access to material. Generally, patrons with borrowing privileges may check out circulating material from the stacks for 3 weeks, from the California Collection for 3 days, and from the Stauffer Reserve Collection for either 2 or 24 hours. Most periodicals, statutes, case reporters, and reference material cannot be checked out. If you have questions, please contact the Circulation Desk at (408) 554-4072.
Patrons may renew checked-out materials in person at the Circulation Desk, by phone at (408) 554-4072, or online. Renewals on some materials may be limited or restricted. Material that has reached the maximum number of renewals must be physically returned to the library.
Inter-library Loan Policy
Interlibrary Loan is a service which provides materials not available in the Heafey Law Library or on the Santa Clara campus. This service is available to law students, faculty, and staff. ILL staff will attempt to borrow books, or obtain copies of journal articles needed for scholarly research. Besides books and articles, selected dissertations, theses, and microforms may also be obtained through Interlibrary Loan.
ILLiad is the new resource-sharing software used by the Heafey Law Library. ILLiad allows you to place Interlibrary loan requests, track the status of your requests, check due dates, request renewal of items you have, and view your request history.
How Do I Request an Item? Requests for interlibrary loans should be submitted through our web form.
What is the Turnaround Time? Materials are usually received within 5-14 working days but this depends on how quickly other libraries respond to our requests. Patrons should be aware that we try our best to obtain requested items as quickly as possible, but it is always best to anticipate your needs when placing requests.
What is the Loan Period? The lending library determines the loan period, which can be a week to a month. The borrower is responsible to the lending library for overdue fines and must abide by the rules and policies of the lending library. Due dates are written on a book band that will be wrapped around the cover of the requested material.
Can I renew an ILL book? Most books may be renewed unless the book band indicates "NO Renewals". This may be done by emailing lawill@scu.edu, calling the Interlibrary Loan office at 408-554-5133, or stopping by rooms 123 or 125E in the Reference suite. You may also renew online using the following instructions:
- Log in to your ILLiad account
- In the “Main Menu” (left side of the ILLiad screen) under the “View” section click on “Checked Out Items”.
- Click the Transaction Number for the item you want to renew.
- Click “Renew Request” in red above the Transaction Information, and the ILL staff will submit your renewal request.
- Renewals usually take less than 24 hours.
- Login to your ILLiad account; and write the new due date on your book band.
How will I know my materials have arrived? Heafey faculty, staff, and, law students will be notified by e-mail when their requested material arrives. Interlibrary Loan materials are always picked up and returned to the Heafey Circulation Desk. All requested articles are sent via electronic delivery to the patron's ILLiad account.
What materials can I NOT request via ILL?
- Books being used in law school classes
- Books on reserve for law school classes
- Books available via the Link+ system
Holds and Recall Policy
Patrons with borrowing privileges may place a hold at the Circulation Desk on materials currently checked out to another patron. A hold prevents renewals of this material. When the item is returned to the library, Circulation staff will place the item on the hold shelf for a limited number of days and notify the patron who placed the hold. If the patron who placed the hold does not pick up the item by the deadline specified by Circulation staff, the library will either reshelve the item or check it out to the next patron who requested the item. Material designated for Course Reserve, processing or updates will be recalled by library staff. A recall may reduce the due date for checked-out materials. Every effort will be made by staff to contact the patron by phone and e-mail. The library may impose additional fines if patrons do not return hold or recall items by the due date.
Fines
Library material is considered overdue the day or hour after the due date, depending on the type of loan period. The library imposes fines of 25 cents per day (or 25 cents per hour) on overdue materials. Overdue material with a hold is also assessed a one time $2.00 "In Demand" fee in addition to the regular overdue fines. The library imposes a fine of $2.25 per day or hour for overdue materials that are also subject to a hold. Patrons who lose library material will be charged the list price of the item (or $100) and a $20 processing fee. Patrons with SCU library fines that exceed $10 may not renew or borrow materials until they pay outstanding fines. The library may restrict patrons' library privileges and/or place a hold on patrons' library or academic records if patrons have not paid all fines in full by the end of the semester in which fines were assessed. Patrons pay fines at the Circulation Desk; the library accepts cash, checks, or flex account funds. For more information please review our Library Regulations & Fine Schedule.
Food, Drink, and Smoking Policies
Food, drink and smoking are strictly prohibited in the library. However, patrons may bring drinks in approved spill-proof mugs into the library. Bottled drinks and cardboard coffee cups, even with a cover, do not qualify as an approved, spill-proof container. Patrons will be asked to enjoy their food and drink outside the library if they are found to have them inside the library.
Noise and Cell Phone Policy
The primary purpose of the library is to create a quiet and stress-free environment for patrons to study and do research. Please be considerate and keep conversation and noise down while using the library. Cell phone use is not permitted in the library -- please make and take calls outside the library.
Non-Disclosure Policy
Library patron records are considered strictly confidential and protected by state and federal law. The library will not disclose the contents of a patron's record to any third party unless the library is required to do so by federal or state law. For more information, please click here.
Theft Policy
Heafey Law Library is not responsible for any lost or stolen items. We highly discourage patrons from leaving personal items unattended in the library. For more information, please review our Theft Policy.
Policy Regarding Patrons With Disabilities
The law library makes every attempt to meet the needs of patrons with disabilities. All areas of the law library are wheelchair accessible, including several carrels and computer stations. Also, the library has a TTY machine for patrons with hearing disabilities. If you require accommodations in order to access the library, please contact the Circulation or Reference staff. Additional resources for patrons with disabilities are available at Drahmann Center's Office of Disability Resources.
Updated: March 13, 2013
