Due to the pandemic, almost all academic libraries in the metropolitan area are only open to their own students (as is Mendik Library).
Because of this, the rest of the information on this page is currently not applicable.
WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, YOU CANNOT GAIN ACCESS TO ANOTHER AREA LIBRARY WITHOUT FIRST HAVING GOTTEN A PASS FROM THE MENDIK LIBRARY REFERENCE DESK.
Always check our library catalog before requesting access to another library.
Even if you can't find an item you are looking for in our On-Line Catalog, you should check with a reference librarian before assuming the item is not owned by the library. Sometimes the reference or footnote you are working with could be slightly incorrect or confusing and the Reference Librarian may be able to find what you need in our library -- Prehaps saving you a trip to the other side of the city or even further afield.
When you come to the Reference Desk, please bring as much infomation as you have regarding the source you are looking for -- this will help the librarian to better help you.
The facilities and collections of many of the other research libraries in the metropolitan area are available, under prevailing reciprocal agreements, to students pursuing research projects. Arrangements for access to these libraries must be made through our library’s reference department. It is important that Law Review members understand and abide by the access rules which other libraries impose.
The general rule is that law schools and other private institutions in the metropolitan area do not grant non-affiliated users access to their libraries simply to look for books which may or may not be there. Rather, these libraries will grant access to a guest researcher only to make use of materials which are owned by the host library and which are not available in the guest’s library. Upon arrival at a host library, the guest researcher is expected to show personal identification, and also to present a pass from the guest’s library. The pass must indicate which materials the guest is looking for, that those materials are available in the host library and certify that these materials are unavailable in the guest’s library.
If an item you need isn't owned by the Mendik Library, please e-mail your request to Michael McCarthy at michael.mccarthy@nyls.edu.
Provide as much bibliographic information as possible (If you are cite checking, attach the relevant page from the document). You will get an e-mail back telling you which local libraries own at least part of the title in which you are interested.
(Note: There is no guarantee that the particular volume or copy you need is available.).
If you are Cite Checking, take this information back to the Article Editor so that he or she can most efficiently decide which Member should be sent to which area library. If you are working on a project of your own, choose which library you would like to use.
After it has been decide which library on the list you are going to visit, go to the Reference Desk. The Reference Librarian will issue the necessary pass, which you must then present at the host library. For metropolitan area law school libraries the access pass is called a "Green Letter;" for other research libraries it is called a "METRO Pass." When you come to our reference desk to obtain a pass, please be sure to bring your NYLS ID and the e-mail showing which area libraries own what you need (this will speed things up for you and the reference librarian).
Take note, too, that different libraries will have different access policies. Some libraries are completely closed to non-affiliated researchers, while others place restrictions, such as no weekend access, on guest researchers. On the other hand, a few law school libraries in the metropolitan area are open to our students, and require only presentation of a NYLS ID card for access. And the metropolitan area’s public library systems are, of course, open to everyone. Our reference librarians keep abreast of the access rules of all local libraries, and will issue passes only when appropriate.
Researchers visiting other libraries should be aware that research libraries do not grant borrowing privileges to non-affiliated users. Thus, as a visitor you must be prepared to use all materials on the premises, and you must bring change for making copies if necessary. Our reference librarians will help you determine in advance what you need to bring.
If you are cite checking and require longer-term access to materials not available in our library, tell the Article Editor so that he or she can talk with the Editor-in-Chief about getting the item via Inter-Library-Loan (ILL). See the ILL sub-page for details.
If you are working on a project of your own, including your Note or Case Comment, and require longer-term access to materials not available in our library, you may request that those items be gotten through Inter-LibraryLoan. Be aware, however, that this type of ILL is the same as is available to any other NYLS student and that you, and not the Law Review, will be personally responsible for any borrowing charges, overdue fines, damage repair or replacement costs associated with any item you get through this type of ILL.