Borrowing Materials

The Law Library's borrowing policies differ from the other UNB libraries. Please verify loan periods and other policies when you borrow from another UNB library, even if you pick the item up at the Law Library.

All UNB and STU students, faculty, and staff may borrow from any UNB library, including the Law Library. Borrowing may be done in person at the library holding the item or users may place a hold on a circulating item that is on the shelf at any UNB library. The requested item will be shipped to the library where the user wishes to pick it up. Requesters will receive an email notification from no-reply@oclc.org when the item has arrived at the location where they want to retrieve it. 

Please be aware that if a book is taken to the circulation desk for checkout by another borrower in the library prior to the item being retrieved by library staff to fill a “hold” request, the borrower with the item in hand will be allowed to borrow it, and the “hold” request will be referred to our interlibrary loan staff.

Borrowed items may be returned to any UNB library.

If an item is unavailable (i.e., checked out to another patron), law students and faculty should request it through the Law Library’s Interlibrary Loan Service.

Library staff may recall books if they are needed for course reserves or if no other copy of a title is available elsewhere to fulfill an interlibrary request from a UNB or STU borrower. 

General Law Library Borrowing Policies 

Please consult Appendix A for additional details about loan periods, renewals, and number of items that may be borrowed.

• UNB/STU borrowers must present a valid UNB/STU ID card, and external borrowers must present their borrower card in order to borrow library materials.
• The regular loan period for circulating materials is three weeks. UNB and STU faculty may borrow Law Library circulating books for a longer research loan period. Research loans are due at the end of April, August, and December.
• A borrower who has overdue materials from any UNB library will lose borrowing privileges at all UNB libraries, including Law, until the items are returned.
• Some materials are available for use only within the Law Library and cannot be borrowed. These include bound and unbound periodicals, bound and unbound law reports, statutes, regulations, indexes, digests, encyclopaedias, unclassified government documents, reference books, and other special items.
• Special rules apply for the use of materials in the La Forest Rare Books Reading Room. 
• Bound law reports and bound periodicals may be signed out for the term to upper-year law students on competitive moot teams until the date of their moot competition. They may also be signed out by UNB Law faculty to their offices in the Law School only. Other users may use them in the general study/reading areas of the library.

Borrowing Reserve Materials

• To sign out Reserve materials, UNB and STU borrowers must present their validated UNB/STU ID card, and external borrowers must present their borrower card. Members of the general public who do not have an External Borrower Card may inquire at the Circulation Desk.
• Users must provide the call number of the needed item to Circulation staff. To get the call number for a course reserve, check Course Reserves under the instructor, course name, or course number. A listing of all the loose-leaf texts on reserve is also available.
• Up to two Reserve books may be signed out at a time. For multi-volume sets, all volumes count as one Reserve book.
• The Reserve loan period for books is three hours during the day.
• If a user checks out a book within three house of closing, they may have it overnight (law faculty, law students, and non-law students taking Law or cross-listed courses only). Loose-leaf materials are not available for overnight loan. Overnight loans are due weekday mornings at 10:00 a.m. and one (1) hour after the library opens on weekends and holidays. 
• Non-law users and members of the public must use Reserve books in the library.
• A/V materials (VHS tapes and DVDs) on Reserve have a two-day loan period, with the item due back at closing on the third day. All users can take A/V materials out of the library for home viewing.
• The loan period for CD-ROMs on Reserve varies. Those that supplement a print book can be signed out for the same period as the book, usually three (3) weeks, and taken out of the library. CD-ROMS that are stand-alone products have a three-hour loan period and must be used in the library. Upon request, senior library staff can grant permission for users to take a CD-ROM out of the library, depending on the title.

Renewing Library Materials 

• All borrowers will receive an email reminder from no-reply@oclc.org shortly before their materials are due. UNB/STU borrowers will receive this notification in their UNB/STU email accounts.
• UNB/STU borrowers can renew library materials in person at any UNB library, by phoning the Law Library Circulation Desk (506-458-7983), or by signing in to their UNB WorldCat accounts in the UNB Libraries catalogue.
• Borrowers with a Law Library External Borrower Card may renew by phone (506-458-7983) or in person at the Law Library.
• Reserve materials and overdue materials cannot be renewed.

Overdue Materials 

• All borrowers will receive email notifications from no-reply@oclc.org about their overdue items. UNB/STU borrowers will receive this notification at in UNB/STU email accounts.
• There is no fine for overdue Law Library materials except for overdue Reserve items.
• However, a borrower who has overdue materials from any UNB library will lose borrowing privileges at all UNB libraries, including Law, until the items are returned.

Fines 

• Reserve items are due immediately upon the expiry of the three-hour, overnight, or two-day loan period. Fines are levied on Reserve overdues at the rate of $2.00 per item per hour (or any part thereof). Fines begin to be accrue on overnight Reserve loans at 10:00 a.m. on the date due (weekdays), or one (1) hour after library opening on weekends and holidays.
• A fine of $2.00 per day will accrue on any title recalled by library staff. Items are due four (4) days after the email recall notice is sent. 
• The maximum fine per title is $28.00. Fines are a debt owed to the university and are payable immediately.
• Failure to pay fines in excess of $25.00 from any UNB library will result in the loss of borrowing privileges. The Registrar's Office may withhold diplomas, grades, and transcripts until all library charges are paid.
• The Law Library accepts cash only as payment for fines (no credit cards, debit cards, UCards, or cheques).

Lost Materials

• An item will be considered lost 28 days after becoming overdue and a replacement fee will be levied. At that time, and upon email notification, the borrower will be billed for the replacement cost of the item(s).
• Minimum replacement cost is $100.00 per item, and may be more. If the item is not returned, replaced, or paid for within two weeks, the account is sent to UNB Financial Services for collection. The borrower will remain blocked from borrowing until the material is returned or replaced or the bill and any outstanding fines are paid.

Appendix A: Table of Loan Periods 

Book Loan Privileges (Excluding Reserve Materials)