Carrels: Carrel Reservations

March 1 - Cleanout Deadline for August & December graduates

Aug 1 - Cleanout Deadline for May graduates

First Monday of fall semester until 1 p.m. Wednesday

• LLMs & 3Ls can request a new or first carrel reservation at the Information Desk
• 2Ls who want a first or new carrel reservation must sign up for the 2L Carrel Lottery TWEN course

First Thursday and Friday mornings of fall semester, 8:30-9:30 a.m. - 2L and 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.

3Ls or LLM Students who want to keep a current carrel reservation do not need to do anything. All others should follow these instructions. 

LLM students and 3Ls may reserve carrels for immediate use from Mon., Aug. 25 at 8:00 a.m. until Wed., Aug. 27 at 1 p.m. 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 carrel reservations will be taken after 1 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 27, so we can prepare for the 2L lottery.

After the second 2L lottery session on Friday, Aug 29, 3Ls can continue to return and check out new carrels through the end of the day on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, although availability will be limited. 

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. 

1. Students must sign up for the 2L TWEN Carrel Lottery course before Wed. Aug. 27 at 1 p.m.

The 2L Carrel Lottery TWEN course will be open for registration starting Monday, August 18th. 

By signing up for this TWEN Course, 2Ls have officially entered the carrel lottery. After Wed. Aug. 27 at 1 p.m., library staff will use a random number generator to create an ordered list of all 2Ls who signed up for the TWEN course. Later that afternoon, an email from the TWEN course will be sent to everyone who signed up for the course sharing the results. This information will also be put on the TWEN page.

2. Students (or their representative) must attend their assigned lottery session to select a carrel.

Students in the first half of the list will attend the Aug. 28, 2025 carrel lottery to select a carrel, while those in the second half will attend the Aug. 29, 2025 session. Both sessions will be in Opperman Hall, Lower Level 19, from 8:30 a.m. –9:30 a.m.

If a student cannot attend at their assigned time, they may ask another student to act as their proxy. If you can neither attend your assigned lottery time nor find a proxy, send an email to law-circulation@drake.edu by 7 a.m. the day of the lottery. Indicate which carrel locations you want (or want to avoid), and library staff will use that information to assign a carrel to you when it’s your turn.

Because of scheduling constraints, each lottery session will take around 60 minutes. We strongly recommend that students come prepared with a list of carrels they’d want to select (including backup ideas in case their first choice is taken). This will help the lottery move faster.

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. 
• Students will be called in the order they were randomly assigned when splitting the group between the two lottery sessions.
• Come to the front in the order in which your name comes up. Bring 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 name, we will assume you no longer want to participate in the lottery.
• You will then choose a carrel, which 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."
• If a student fails to sign up for the TWEN course before the deadline, or they fail to attend the first lottery session as they were assigned, they can attend the second lottery session and wait until after everyone else has gone for a chance at selecting a carrel.
  • NOTE: Lottery sessions cannot go for more than an hour due to class schedules. Last-minute attendees may not get a chance to select a carrel if we are running low on time.  
• 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 second 2L lottery, 2Ls can continue to return and check out new carrels through the end of the day on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025 by asking at the Information Desk during staffed hours. Note that carrel availability will be limited. If two students want to swap carrels, they can do that through Thursday, September 4, 2025; both students must email law-circulation@drake.edu to request the swap.