Academic Success

The Law Library maintains a collection of assigned textbooks for student use. These books are kept behind the Circulation Desk and can be checked out for 2 hours.

Because these are high-demand items, their loan periods are short and strict. Overdue reserve materials are billed $2.00 for the first hour past due and $5.00 for each additional hour. To avoid being charged a late fee, make sure to return the textbook to a Circulation staff member.

If your class is longer than 2 hours or you would like to take your reading home with you, you can use one of the library’s scanners to scan and email yourself a PDF of your reading. For scanner instructions, visit the Library Tech page of the Law Library Orientation Guide.

West Academic Early eBook Access

The College of Law has partnered with West Academic to provide free, temporary eBook access to West Academic and Foundation Press textbooks selected by our instructors. Your free eBook access begins the week before classes start and lasts through the first two weeks of the semester.

How to start your free trial:

1. Go to eproducts.westacademic.com and click “Sign In” in the right corner of the screen. If you do not have a West Academic account, click “Create an Account” from the Sign In page. Be sure to use your law school email address when creating an account. You will receive a verification link in your inbox.
2. Once you are logged in, look for the available eBooks below “Materials Provided by My School.” Click on your assigned casebook to add the book to your bookshelf and start the free trial. You can add multiple casebooks to your bookshelf.

For visual instructions, see West Academic's Early eBook Access [PDF].

From the University Bookstore

Use the University Bookstore's Course Material Finder to see which textbooks your professor has selected. If your professor has not made a selection yet, check CarmenCanvas to see which course materials are listed on the professor's syllabus.

Ohio State’s partnership with Barnes and Noble provides students with several affordable options, including used and rentable textbooks. Another benefit is their Price Match Guarantee: Price Match Guarantee reimburses students the cost difference of a new or used print book if they find the exact textbook at a lower price on Amazon, BN.com, or a local competitor.

From the Publisher

Students also have the option of purchasing their textbooks directly from the publisher. The most common publishers are: Aspen Publishing, Carolina Academic Press, LexisNexis, and West Academic (which includes Foundation Press). The easiest way to find and purchase your textbook from a publisher's website is to search the ISBN, which is included in the University Bookstore's Course Material Finder results. 

Purchasing your textbook directly from the publisher provides students with affordable options like eBooks and discount programs. Specifically:

Aspen Access

Professors that select textbooks from Aspen Publishing can opt in to a program that offers students a 20% discount when they purchase the textbook while logged in with their verified .edu email address. To check whether your textbook is included, visit Aspen Access.

West Academic

Students that use the free, temporary eBook access to West Academic and Foundation Press textbooks are offered a 15% discount on the eBook at the expiration of the Early eBook Access program. For visual instructions, see West Academic's Early eBook Access [PDF].

Other Considerations

Before making your purchase, double check:

1. Whether the textbook is a required textbook or a recommended textbook. If it is a recommended textbook, consider talking to your professor before purchasing a copy.
2. Whether you are about to purchase the correct edition. Not all professors assign the newest edition of a particular textbook, so double check the edition before purchasing.
3. Whether the textbook is available through one of our digital study aid collections. A few textbooks are available on the Aspen Learning Library, LexisNexis Digital Library, or West Academic Study Aid Collection, so check these resources before purchasing.