Library Policies

Study Carrels Use and In-House Circulation

Carrel Use: Carrels are open to anyone on a first come, first-served basis. Decorating a carrel or leaving personal items in a carrel does not reserve a carrel for the use of the patron. The library staff regularly clean out carrels. If it appears obvious that someone has just stepped away for a few minutes, we will not disturb materials left in a carrel. Library workers will make every effort to retain most items left in carrels for at least a few weeks. Patrons who believe that library workers may have recently removed their personal items left in a carrel should note the carrel number and inquire at the Circulation Desk.

Charging material to Carrels: Currently enrolled Law Students may check out library materials to a carrel. This is known as In-House Circulation. If you wish to check out materials to a carrel, note the carrel number and take them to the Circulation Desk for check-out. Any library material not properly checked out to a carrel will be removed on a regular basis. Books checked out to an individual patron and not to the carrel should not be left unattended in a carrel.

The In-House Circulation Policy allows the storage of some library materials in carrels as long as certain regulations are followed. It is important to note that these materials are checked out to the carrel so that other patrons may locate the material if necessary. Consequently, once checked out, the material is expected to remain in the carrel, and not locked up in a locker or taken somewhere else.

Materials may be checked out to a carrel through the end of the current semester.
Material checked out through In-House Circulation must have a blue check-out slip (available at the Circulation Desk) inserted in the top of the book with the due date clearly visible. If Library staff must retrieve the material from the carrel they will attempt to notify the patron of this action.

Acceptable Use of Public Computers

The public computers on the first floor are primarily for research and reference assistance. Use of these computers for playing games, shopping, conducting financial transactions, or participating in chat rooms is not permitted.
The public computers on the other floors are for use of the On-line Catalog only.
Library personnel offer assistance, guidance, and instruction on using the Internet as an information resource. They do not routinely monitor or control the information accessed on public computers except as may be necessary to enforce the provisions of the policy.
All uses of computing and networking resources must be legal and conform to the applicable University of Tennessee information technology rules and policies.
Any disruptive or harassing users may be subject to arrest or removal by law enforcement officials and to revocation of computer and/or library access privileges at the sole discretion of the library staff. University students or employees engaging in disruptive or harassing behavior may be subject to additional University disciplinary action.
Patrons must not add, delete, or modify any hardware, software, or setting on the public computers.
Printing costs ten cents per page and is controlled via the library's print management system. For further information or assistance in printing, ask at the Circulation Desk.
Word processing is not generally available on public computers. Downloading and uploading has been disabled on the public computers.
Minors under the age of 15 should be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Any violation of these policies may result in suspension or revocation of computer and/or library access privileges, and/or disciplinary action.

Food & Drink Policy

Where there is food and drink, cockroaches, ants, and silverfish follow. Not only are these vermin unhealthy and unpleasant for people, they can and do cause serious damage to library materials. Drinks in open containers can spill, damaging library materials, computers, and carpets. Therefore, library patrons may not eat in the Law Library; nor may they have drinks in containers that spill easily. Drinks are permitted if they are in spill-resistant containers and if they are kept away from computer workstations, photocopiers, microfiche readers, and other library electronic equipment.

Spill-resistant containers are sturdy enough to avoid tipping over easily and to avoid being crushed or cracked. They have tightly sealed tops that allow for minimal spillage if they are tipped over. Types of approved spill-resistant containers include commuter mugs with snap-on lids, thermos bottles with spill-resistant, closeable spouts; and sports bottles with pop-up tops or attached sealable straw tops. Containers that are not allowed include soda cans, juice boxes, open cups or mugs, disposable paper or styrofoam fast-food or coffee cups (including those with lids), thermos bottles with plain screw-on lids, and plastic, disposable soda or water bottles with screw-on tops.

The library staff reserves the right to approve or disapprove of any beverage container. If a library patron wishes to dispute the library staff member’s decision, or if there is disagreement between library staff members, the issue will be resolved by the Library Director when he is available, and until that time, the container will be considered non-approved.

Any spill should be reported to the library staff immediately so that it can be cleaned up and damage minimized.

Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in any type of container.

Library patrons may not bring drinks, in any type of container, to the Miller & Martin Rare Books Room.

Patrons who bring non-approved containers into the library will be required to leave the containers on the cart by the front door or to dispose of them in the garbage.

Study Room Policy

Group study rooms may be reserved by University of Tennessee students. Reservations are taken in person at the Circulation Desk in accordance with the rules posted there. At least two student names are required to reserve a group study room, and at least two people must be present in a reserved room to hold the reservation. Individuals may use group study rooms, but will be required to vacate the room if a group requests to use the room or has reserved the room.
For four weeks prior to and during exam times, the group study rooms are closed to all users except College of Law students.
All other library policies, including those related to food and drink and cell phone use, remain in effect in study rooms.
Library materials left in study rooms will be collected for re-shelving by library staff. Personal items left in study rooms and found by library staff will either be placed in Lost and Found at the Circulation Desk or disposed of, as appears to be most appropriate in the judgment of the library staff. The library staff cannot be responsible for personal items left in study rooms.
To inquire about the possibility of a dedicated study room for use by a College of Law intercollegiate competitive team (such as moot court or mock trial teams), please contact the library director, Bill Beintema, 974-6733. Although such rooms are not always available, we will try to accommodate you if possible. Library policies are still in effect in these locked study rooms. Occupants of dedicated, locked study rooms may not paper over windows or otherwise make the study rooms inaccessible to library staff and campus security personnel. Violation of library policies with respect to study rooms will lead to revocation of study room privileges and assignments.

Use of Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices

Cell phone conversations tend to be loud, distracting, and annoying. Ringing cell phones are similarly distracting and annoying. The Law Library strives to maintain a quiet atmosphere conducive to study and reflection. Therefore, cell phones should be turned off before entering the library. Cell phone conversations are not permitted in the library. Cell phones may be used to check for and send messages as long as no audible sounds are involved.
Pagers should be set to vibrate in the library.
Listening to iPods or other portable music players is acceptable, as long as the volume is low enough that the sound cannot be heard by other library patrons or library workers.

Reference Policy for Public Patrons

Librarians may:

Provide help in locating specific legal materials when a citation is provided.
Suggest general sources for research.
Assist in using library technology.
Help patrons navigate legal materials. Examples: demonstrate how to decipher a statutory history line and find corresponding session laws; show how to use CIS indexing and abstracting to locate a Congressional report on a specific bill.
Aid in interpreting legal citations that are incomplete or ambiguous.
Answer brief, factually-based questions when time permits. Examples: use directories to locate biographical information about attorneys or judges, read (over the telephone) short quotations from legal sources when a patron provides a specific citation, or assist in finding broad definitions of legal terms or phrases by helping patrons look them up in legal dictionaries or encyclopedias.
Locate bar directories and contact information for legal groups providing free or low-cost legal assistance.

Librarians may not:

Perform research on behalf of any patron. Examples: Please find for me the statute of limitations in California for tort actions. What forms do I need to file for bankruptcy?
Review or interpret legal documents.
Identify any statute, case opinion, regulation, rule, etc. as the answer to a legal question presented by a patron.
Make referrals to or recommendations of specific attorneys.

Policy Justification:

Advising people what the law is and how it applies to their particular situation constitutes giving legal advice. We are librarians, not lawyers, and we are not authorized to practice law in the State of Tennessee (or anywhere else). Only lawyers are permitted to advise people about the law and how it applies to them. Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 23-3-101 et. seq.; In re Rose, 314 B.R. 663 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. 2004).
Legal research can be complicated, even for what appears to be a simple question. The answer to any legal question might vary dramatically based on all sorts of different facts. We, as librarians, cannot know all of the facts that apply in each patron’s situation, and we would be doing a disservice to our patrons if we tried to perform research for them without knowing everything that could bear upon an cross-references to follow based on their knowledge of their own situations.
Doing legal research for all callers would quickly overwhelm our librarian faculty. It is fairer to all of our patrons and to our librarians to say to everyone, “please come in to the Law Library. When you come in, we will help you find and use the sources you need to do your own research.”

Credits: Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington, Reference Services Statement; State of Oregon Law Library, Legal Reference Policy; Connecticut State Law Library, Legal Reference Policy.

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