Below is a summary of responses to my recent posting inquiring about lending
of materials to attorneys by academic law libraries.
Many thanks to all who responded.
To whom do you extend borrowing privileges?
Most respondents extend privileges to individual attorneys
who are current members of the state bar.
One library lend to its alums only.
Two libraries lend to any member of the pubic, and attorneys are
considered part of that group.
What materials do you lend to attorneys?
All except one library lends all circulating materials.
One library lends all circulating material plus selected
non-circulating materials for a
brief period. No specifics were given.
How long is your attorney borrowing period, and how does it compare to
borrowing periods for students?
Most libraries responding offer attorneys the same borrowing
period as students.
Two libraries have lending periods for attorneys that are half that
extended to students.
Two libraries extend a longer borrowing period to attorneys than to
students. One library stated that this is because most materials circulate
to attorneys by mail, and the extra time is to cover transit time.
What sort of registration, borrower card or other documentation do you
require?
Most libraries require presentation of a state bar card. Two
libraries require a photo ID in addition to the bar card.
Whether libraries issue borrower cards primarily depends on
whether they use a manual or automated circulation system. Most with
automated systems issue bar-coded cards to attorneys who register for
borrowing privileges.
Do you impose fines for overdue materials, and are they the same as those
charged students?
Those libraries that impose fines (the majority of those responding)
charge attorneys the same rates as students are charged.
Three libraries reported that they do not impose fines, but do
charge for replacement of lost materials.
Is you lending program free or do you have a fee-based membership?
One library reported that they are required by their system to
impose a fee of $25 for the first year and an annual renewal fee of
$15 thereafter.
One library charges attorneys $100 per year for borrowing
privileges. They have about 20 attorney members, which they attribute as
much to geography (location and lack of parking) as to the fee.
What problems, including loss of materials and uncollectible fines, and
payoffs have you seen as a result of lending to attorneys?
Slow returns and losses were the only problems reported and
they were said to be minimal.
They payoffs were related to public relations and good will in the
legal community.
Barbara West
Associate Director for Research and Instruction
Thurgood Marshall Law Library
University of Maryland School of Law
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