Library Policies

Access Policies

Brooklyn Law School is a private law school. Brooklyn Law School faculty, students, and staff with valid identification cards are permitted to use the library without restriction. Brooklyn Law School alumni have unlimited access to the library’s print resources and limited access to certain digital resources for research purposes while in the library.

When asked, visitors must present valid identification to the lobby guard or to any member of the library staff. If a visitor does not have proper identification, access to the library will be denied.

U.S. Government Depository

Brooklyn Law School library is a member of the Federal Depository Library Program, serving as a selective depository for U.S. government documents. The BLS Library became a selective depository in 1974 and holds few government documents published prior to that date. The majority of our collection emanates from Congress and the Judiciary. We have a microfiche collection containing all Congressional hearings, reports, prints and bills from 1984 to date. Patrons who would like to access government documents in the collection should email the reference desk at askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu.

Research Requests from Incarcerated Individuals

The library will fill requests for specific materials with correct citations. Due to budget and staffing constraints, requests are limited to one per month with a limit of 100 pages per request. Please list the most desired materials first. In addition, due to licensing constraints, not all requests may be filled. Photocopies and printouts of sources will be mailed to an incarcerated individual’s return address. Please mail correspondence to:

Brooklyn Law School Library
250 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Circulation Policies

Most of Brooklyn Law School Library's research and reference materials do not circulate. The materials that do circulate are located primarily in the main and international collections on the lower level. Circulating materials may be borrowed upon presentation of a valid Brooklyn Law School identification card.

BLS Students may borrow circulating non-reserve materials for the semester. Staff may borrow circulating non-reserve materials for 30 days. BLS faculty members have extended borrowing privileges; please see the faculty library guide for details. Materials that have not been requested by other users may be renewed online, in person, or by phone at 718-780-7973. Alumni and other visitors do not have borrowing privileges.

The following materials do not circulate to students:

• Loose-leaf services
• Periodicals, bound or unbound
• Federal, regional and state primary sources (court reports, statutes, codes, administrative material, etc.)
• Finding tools (indexes, digests, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.)
• Form books
• Reference material

Certain heavily-used items, including current course materials, are kept on reserve behind the circulation desk. These materials may be borrowed for two hours, but they must be used in the library.

Anyone with borrowing privileges may also request that materials currently out on loan be recalled. The library will email the patron with the checked out items and ask that they be returned in two weeks. As soon as such materials are returned, they will be placed on hold for the requesting patron and the requesting patron will be notified of their availability.

Audio and video cassettes or DVD's that are not on course reserve may be borrowed for 48 hours. Board games may be borrowed for 24 hours at the circulation desk, and a list of available games is maintained at the desk.