Skip to Main Content

Guide to the Law Library at UH Manoa : Library Services

A guide to the University of Hawaii Law Library.

Introduction

Law Library Services – as of June 1, 2024.

Hours of Service: See the front page of this LibGuide for our current hours

Access: Access is limited to all currently enrolled law students holding a 24-hour access card. For more information on Access Cards, access this guide.

There are new Law Library policies regarding COVID 19.  As of Sep. 16, 2022:

  • Face masks are not required to be worn in the Law Library
  • Visitors to the Law Library will not be required to demonstrate their vaccination or COVID negative test results before entry
  • Non-Law School patrons must schedule an appointment with a Law Librarian for access to the library.
  • Continue to use the hand sanitizer and consider donning a mask when leaving your study space to exit or stretch your limbs

Other Law Library services:

If you need reference assistance, it is offered remotely by contacting a Law Librarian.

Request & Pick Up Items During COVID-19

Request & Pick Up Items from the Law Library

What is eligible to be borrowed?
  • Treatises and other monographs, laptops, adaptors, reading lamps and other items (see the tab on this guide for Cool Stuff to review the non-textual materials available) can be checked out from the Law Library. 
  • Non-circulating items such as reference, periodical, microform, archives or “Library Use Only” are not eligible to be borrowed. 
How does it work?
  • As a UH patron, log into the Law Library's Primo
  • Search for the title, then click “Request Specific Copy” for the physical item (unavailable online) you would like to borrow. 
  • After your request has been submitted, you will receive a Hold or Cancel letter, confirming if the item will or will not be processed.  
    • If the item can be retrieved electronically, your request will be cancelled and you will be directed to access your item that way. But if your item is only available as a physical copy, you will receive a Hold letter.
  • If you receive a Hold letter, you will receive an email from the Law Library Circulation Desk (lawcirc@hawaii.edu) to schedule a time for you to pick up the item during the library’s open hours. Expect to receive this email within 24 hours if your request is sent during the work week, or within 72 hours if your request is sent during the weekend. 
    • If you do not pick up the item during your scheduled time, we will cancel the hold and you must “Request Specific Copy” on Primo again.  If you need to change your date and time of pick up, please give us 24 hours notice.  
  • If you have any questions, please contact the Law Library’s circulation desk at 956-7583.
Picking up your items
  • Please bring your UH I.D. when you arrive at the library.  
  • Front desk services will been during library open hours.
  • Inform the front desk of the items you have come to pick up and show them your I.D. 
  • The staff will retrieve the items from the Holds Shelf and check them out to you before handing them over.
  • Return items by placing them in the outside Book Return slot, to the left of the Law Library’s front doors. 

Safety reminders 

For those who enter our library, feel free to disinfect and use wipes provided throughout the library to sanitize your hands, chair handles, and table tops before and after using library surfaces and resources. 

Mahalo!  

Digitization Requests

Digitization Requests

Making a Digitization Request allows you to request 1 chapter, or 10% of a resource, which is within the fair use, copyright guidelines. Make sure to fill out the Digitization Request form with the requested Chapter/Article title, and start to end pages. The item will be electronically sent to you within 1-2 business days.  

The request can be cancelled if the item is missing, or the chapter title and/or page numbers are not specified, or the request exceeds 10% of the resource. If you want to access more chapters of a book, it is best to "Request a Specific Copy" to borrow and pick up the physical book.

What Happens When You Submit a Request?


Once you send these requests, the library staff will fulfill or cancel the request. 


If you are requesting a digitization, and the item is already Available Online, you will be directed to the electronic copy.  

 

If you are requesting a physical copy, you will be sent an email from lawcirc@hawaii.edu.  If you do not pick up the item during your scheduled time, we will cancel the hold and you must “Request Specific Copy” on OneSearch again.  If you need to schedule a change in a date and time of pick up, please give us 24 hours notice.  If you have any questions, please contact the Law Library’s circulation desk at 956-7583 or lawcirc@hawaii.edu.

Course Reserves Instructions for Students

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS: 

To check out items placed on course reserves,

  • Log into the Law Library Primo
  • Enter the title of the book, course number, course name, and/or faculty name into the search bar. 
  • Use the drop down menu on the right of the search bar to find all books on course reserves connected to your course. The left side of the window should list the Course Instructor and Course Name

  • Course Reserves items can only be requested at the front desk.  Please inquire at the front desk and the library staff will check if there are copies available for use in our Course Reserves collection.
  • Course Reserve items can only be borrowed for 2 hours at a time so that other students can have a chance to use the resource that day. 
  • Course Reserve items can only be borrowed while you are in the library.  Any extensions or special requests must be pre-approved by the faculty member.
  • See our schedule for front desk circulation hours. You may pick up items during this time. Please follow all health and safety rules as you approach the front desk.

 

Course Reserve Instructions for Faculty

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FACULTY:

Course Reserve services allow Faculty Members to...

  • Place a book, DVD, or digital resource from their personal collection to be discoverable through Primo's Course Reserves search function.
    • Course Reserves allows your students to search Primo and find books and resources set aside for your class. Through Primo, your students will be able to request items for borrow in the library at 2 hour intervals.
    • The item will be processed, shelved in our course reserve section behind the front desk.
    • The item will be discoverable on Primo by your course number, course name, instructor name, or title.
    • If sending a physical item from their personal collection, send it with the Course Reserve Form to the Law Library Evening Supervisor. 
    • If you would like to connect an eBook title to Course Reserves, please contact our Acquisition Librarian to inquire about purchasing an eBook title for your class.  If the purchase is successful, the eBook can easily be linked to your class syllabus and it does not have to be a course reserve resource.
    • But if you have a pdf of a reading that you do want to add to Course Reserves, then, send the file along with the Course Reserve form.
  • Download, print, and fill out the Course Reserve Form. 
    • Please note that the default loan period for items on course reserve is two hours, for in-library use only. This is to ensure the resource would be available for other students in the class.
    • Physical course reserve resources can be requested through Primo or at the Law Library's front desk. 
    • Depending on their licensing, some eBooks may limit 1 viewer at a time and may limit page downloading and printing capabilities.  Copyright rules may also apply for reproducing course reserve materials.
    • If there are any special requests, such as extending the resource's loan period, or other needs, please write the details on the course reserve form.

For any questions, please contact the Evening Supervisor at ellenrae[at]hawaii[dot]edu or at ext. 62867.