RCLL Access Policies
Access Policies
General Access Policy
Stanford University ID (SUID) cardholders and Stanford Hospital affiliates are welcome to access the Robert Crown Law Library during regular operating hours, with some exceptions (see the Limited-Access Policy below).
The law library may also close or limit access at any time.
Access to the Law Library is not available to:
- Those with library cards issued by other campus libraries.
- Continuing Studies students who do not qualify for a SUID.
- Summer program attendees.
- Stanford Law School affiliates that do not hold an SUID.
- Members of the general public.
- Individuals who only a SUNet ID sponsorship.
Please contact circulation@law.stanford.edu with questions about the law library’s access policies.
The Robert Crown Law Library reserves the right to revoke the access privileges of any category of user.
Limited-Access Policy:
During Stanford Law School reading and examination periods, the law library reserves physical study space within the library for the exclusive use of current Law students. With the exception of Munger residents and non-Law students currently enrolled in Law classes, all other members of the Stanford community will be limited to the following:
- Checking out Print Material. Please look up the record item in Searchworks and click on the request button.
- Reference Assistance. The Reference Desk provides research assistance to all members of the Stanford community throughout the academic year. Simply email reference@law.stanford.edu for help.
- Accessing e-resources. Please visit or contact the Reference Desk for assistance with e-resources.
Non-Law Stanford IDs will not activate Law Library entry points during these limited access periods. All exceptions, mentioned above, must check-in at the Borrowing Services Desk. Please be prepared to display your ID to library staff at any time so that we may maintain the study space for the exclusive use of SLS students during our reading and exam periods.
Borrowing
Circulating library material may be checked out at the Borrowing Services Desk during normal operating hours or by using our self-checkout app available in the App Store or in Google Play. Course reserves and Permanent Reserves are available in self-checkout cabinets in the Teaming Room on the second floor. SLS students may borrow bicycles by reserving them online.
SLS Faculty: Email reference@law.stanford.edu when you need to borrow library material from any campus library or from another institution. Material will be delivered to your office by library staff or mailed to your residence at your request.
Non-Law Stanford SUID Cardholders: Access to the physical space may not always be available and some law library material is exclusively available to SLS users. Eligible users may request Law Library material using the request feature in SearchWorks in lieu of entering the physical space. After material is requested in Searchworks, library staff will retrieve your material to be sent as a hold to other campus libraries. Alternatively, you may choose to pick up materials at the Law library.
Loan periods vary based on user affiliation and the collection type. To view your due dates and to manage your charged material, login to MyAccount. If you have questions about your charges, please email circulation@law.stanford.edu.
The Law Library is fine-free, but we do impose replacement fees of $150 for lost or damaged material. Alternatively, we accept exact, new copies as replacements, plus a $25 processing fee. If you lose material charged out to you or if a book is damaged, please notify the circulation@law.stanford.edu as soon as possible.
Law material may be returned to any campus library or to any library return bin on campus. An external book drop near the Law Library is located at the northeast corner of the Crown Law building.
An active SUID is required to borrow from the Law Library. SUL fee cards are not accepted. All library material is subject to recall and due dates may change as a result of a recall.
SLS Alumni/Alumnae & Recent Grads
All Stanford Law School alumni/alumnae are eligible to obtain an SLS Alumni Card from the Stanford ID Card Office which grants limited access and borrowing to the Robert Crown Law Library. If you already have acquired an alumni card in previous years, this card should continue to work. If you wish to have us verify that your card is still valid in advance of a visit, please contact us at circulation@law.stanford.edu.
If you need to apply for your very first SLS Alumni Card, you will need to complete this form so that we can verify your eligibility. After verification, library staff will place a request with the ID Card Office who will issue the card to you. Please note that It could take up to two weeks for the ID Card Office to process the request. You will receive a follow-up email from the library when the ID Card Office has pre-processed your request. The library will send you a follow-up email with details about scheduling a time to pick up your card from the ID Card Office. The ID Card Office charges a fee for the creation of the card in the amount of $25. You will need to pay this fee to them when you pick up your card.
If your issued-card is ever lost or stolen, or if you need a replacement, you will need to go directly to the ID Card Office to get a replacement. The replacement fee charge is $25 paid to the ID Card Office.
Your card entitles you to use the study space in the library during regular operational hours. You may also borrow from most of the Law circulating collections with a checkout limit of five items at a time.
OCLC Shares Members
The Robert Crown Law Library provides access to OCLC SHARES members during normal operating hours. You must present your active Institutional ID as proof of membership at our Borrowing Services Desk to gain access. We strongly encourage you to verify your eligibility prior to visiting the library by emailing us at Circulation@law.stanford.edu
Sponsored SUNet IDs
Base and full-level SUNet ID sponsorships alone do not provide access to library e-resources. The SUNet ID sponsorship process includes an add-on request for access to some, but not all, library electronic resources. This step ensures that research conducted using Stanford library resources is for verifiable, Stanford-related, academic use. SUNet ID sponsors must affirmatively include an e-resources business purpose request to base and full-level SUNet IDs.
If you have a sponsored SUNet ID, please contact your department administrator or sponsor to confirm that you have been granted an additional sponsorship for selected library e-resources. Administrators should refer to the Stanford UIT Sponsorship page for sponsorship instructions. If you are a designated sponsor, please fill out the Sponsored SUNet ID Request form and submit it for consideration.
Please note that even when requested and approved, not all law library e-resources are available to sponsored SUNet ID holders, due to license restrictions. Notably, the following electronic resources (databases) are not available for use by sponsored SUNet ID holders: Bloomberg Law, LexisNexis, and Westlaw. Please contact the reference@law.stanford.edu for alternate resource recommendations.
Finally, please note that approved SUNet ID sponsorship of library electronic resources does not include physical access to the Robert Crown Law Library or borrowing privileges. Please contact circulation@law.stanford.edu with questions about law library access.