Borrowing Materials

Follow these steps to easily reserve, check out, and return items

Library Account

Use your library account to borrow materials, check due dates, renew loan periods, and pay fines. Log in using your Ohio State username and password.

Library Catalog

The library catalog contains entries for all Ohio State University Libraries materials, including those held at the Moritz Law Library. This includes books, periodicals, government documents, audiovisuals, microforms, and more.

Checking Out Materials

To check out a material that you find while browsing the law library, simply bring the item and your BuckID to the Circulation Desk. Please note that our most heavily used items are non-circulating and cannot be checked out.

You can also request items held at any University Libraries location, including the law library, using the library catalog. Follow these steps:

1. Click the red "Request this item" button
2. Log into your library account using your Ohio State username and password
3. Choose "Law Library" as your pickup location and click the gray "Submit" button
4. Enter your Ohio State username and password, select "Law Library" as the pickup location, and click the green "Submit" button

You will receive an email when the item is available to pick up. Bring your BuckID to check out the material.

Renewing Materials

Check due dates and renew loan periods using your library account. You will be unable to renew an item if another user has requested it.

The typical loan period is 17 weeks for University Libraries materials and 3 weeks for OhioLINK materials. However, high-demand items like study aids have shorter loan periods. Information about a particular item's loan period can be found in the item's catalog entry or by asking Circulation.

Returning Materials

Return materials by dropping them off at Circulation. If Circulation is closed, place the book in the drop box near the entrance of the library, and it will be marked as returned on the next operating day.

Interlibrary Loan

OhioLINK

Sometimes the material you are looking for is checked out, missing, or simply not available at Ohio State. In this situation, use the item's catalog entry to check whether a copy is available through OhioLINK.

Our catalog is integrated with OhioLINK's catalog. OhioLINK is a statewide academic library consortium that connects library services and print digital collections among its member institutions. This means you can borrow materials from all over the state with just your Ohio State username and password.

To check whether a material is available through OhioLINK, follow these steps:

1. Click the blue "OhioLINK catalog" button to see the item's availability through OhioLINK
2. If the item is available, click the green "Request" button
3. Select "Ohio State U" from the dropdown menu and click the gray "Submit above information" button
4. Enter your Ohio State username and password, select "Law Library" as the pickup location, and click the green "Submit" button

You will receive an email when the item is available to pick up. Bring your BuckID to check out the material.

ILLiad

If an item is not available through University Libraries or OhioLINK, you can submit an interlibrary loan request through ILLiad, University Libraries' interlibrary loan management site. Follow these steps:

1. Search for the item on WorldCat@OSU
2. In the item's catalog entry under Access Options, click the red "Request through Interlibrary Loan" button
3. Log into ILLiad using your Ohio State username and password
4. Select the Law Library as your delivery location and submit the request form

You will receive an email when the item is available to pick up. Bring your BuckID to check out the material.

Questions?

For answers to common circulation questions, see University Libraries' Frequently Asked Questions. For answers to specific questions, visit the Law Library's Circulation Desk or find our contact information on the Law Library's homepage.