Carrels: Carrel Reservations

March 1 - Cleanout Deadline for August & December graduates

Aug 1 - Cleanout Deadline for May graduates

First three days of fall semester - LLMs & 3Ls can request a new or first carrel reservation at Information Desk

First Thursday of fall semester, 3 p.m. - 2L & 2nd year MJ Carrel Lottery

Early Sept. - 1Ls and 1st year MJs should check library signage for information about remaining carrels

Please clean out your carrel by the cleanout deadline!

Location Overview

1st floor: 1-8; 215-228

• Far north end of floor: 1-8
• Northeast windows: 215-228

2nd floor: 9-102; 235-249

• Iowa Wing: 9-46
• Tax Room: 47-54
• Tax Room alcove: 52A & 52B
• North rail: 55-68
• Near study rooms: 69-73
• East windows: 74-94
• AV room: 95-102
• Southeast corner: 235-238
• Southwest corner: 229-234
• Top of stairs: 239-249 (249 is alone)

3rd floor: 103-171A

• By rail: 103-119; 124-127A
  (from center stairs to North)
• By elevator: 119A-123
• Near study rooms: 128-133
• East windows: 134-153
• South wall: 154-157
• By rail: 157A-171A
  (from south end to center stairs)

Lower level: 172-214

After everyone has a slip, we will use a random number generator to determine the order in which your number will be called.

Carrel reservations are taken the first week of classes each fall semester on a tiered basis, with LL.M. students and 3Ls having the first opportunity, followed by 2Ls and second-year M.J. students, and then, if any carrels remain, 1Ls and first-year M.J. students.

Carrel reservations extend through a student's Drake Law School enrollment. For May graduates, carrel reservations end the following Aug. 1; for December and August graduates, carrel reservations end the following March 1.

Students must remove all items from their carrels by the last day of their reservation. Library staff will dispose of items left in carrels after that time. Graduates who do not need to keep their carrels through the bar examination are encouraged to contact Information Desk staff to release their carrel reservation, making the carrel available for another student.

The reservation of Law Library carrels is a privilege. To retain carrel privileges, students must follow the Carrel Usage Guidelines, including keeping carrels in good order, using non-damaging adhesives (e.g., Post-It Notes or Blu-Tack) to affix items to the finished wood, refraining from the use of items with exposed heating elements, and properly checking out all library materials kept in the carrel.

Lockers in Cartwright Hall are available to all law students to secure personal belongings. The Law Library is not responsible for the loss of any personal items from carrels.

Note: Textbooks and laptops left in carrels are among items that have been stolen in the past, so you are advised to secure your belongings. Laptop locks are available for check out at the Information Desk.

For more information, ask the Information Desk staff or see the Carrel Reservation Policy.

LLM students and 3Ls may reserve carrels for immediate use during the first three days of classes of the fall semester (For 2024: Mon., Aug. 26-Wed., Aug. 28) by asking in person at the Information Desk during staffed library hours. 

LLM students and 3Ls who currently have a carrel but want a different one should make these arrangements with Information Desk staff during this same time period.

No reservations will be taken on Thursday, Aug. 29, so we can prepare for the 2L lottery.

After the 2L lottery, 3Ls can continue to return and check out new carrels through the end of the day on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, although availability will be limited. 

If you want to keep your current carrel reservation, you do not need to do anything.

2Ls or second-year MJ students who want to keep a current carrel reservation do not need to do anything. All others should follow these instructions.

Students, or a proxy, must attend the carrel lottery meeting on the first Thursday of the fall semester (Aug. 29, 2024), at 3:00 p.m. in Opperman Hall, Lower Level 19, to enter their names and select a carrel.

If this is not possible, send an email to law-circulation@drake.edu by 1 p.m. on the day of the lottery, and library staff will put your name in the lottery and randomly assign a carrel to you when your name is drawn.

The lottery will probably take between 75-90 minutes, although it could go longer. The length depends on how many students are participating and how quickly they select their carrels when it is their turn.

The 2L Lottery procedures:

• Before the meeting, check out the Carrel Floor Map and Carrel Photos to get an idea of where you would like your carrel to be. 
• As you enter LL19, you will print your name on a numbered slip. If you are representing one or more other students, be sure to print their name(s), each on a separate slip, and stay in the room until the names of everyone you are representing have been called.
• A random number generator will determine the order in which students can select a carrel.
• Come to the front in the order in which your number comes up. Bring the slip and your Drake ID with you. (You do not need to have an ID for anyone else you are representing.) If you do not come up when we call your number, we will assume you no longer want to participate in the lottery.
• Carrel selections will be made at the meeting. Please bring your Drake ID and the slip of paper with you. The carrel you choose will be checked out to you in the library circulation system; ignore the listed due date in favor of the reservation period described under "About Carrel Reservations."
• A student can add his or her name to the carrel waiting list if the student does not get a carrel reservation. Students may choose to go on the waiting list rather than take an unacceptable carrel reservation. However, students may not be on the waiting list if they already have a carrel reservation.
• The carrel waiting list is only for the current academic year, so students on the waiting list who do not get a carrel before May graduation will need to follow procedures to request one the following fall. Note: You can only ask to be put on the waiting list on or after the date we begin taking reservations for people in your class.

After the 2L lottery, 2Ls can continue to return and check out new carrels through the end of the day on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, although availability will be limited. If two students want to swap carrels, they can do that through Thursday, September 5th; both students must email law-circulation@drake.edu to request the swap. 

The 1L carrel lottery is now complete. If you signed up for the First-Year Carrel Lottery TWEN course, you should have received an email on Sept. 6 with the results.