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The University System of Maryland & Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) is a consortium of seventeen academic libraries in the State of Maryland.

In addition to Law Library borrowing privileges, current students, faculty, and staff with a valid UMB One Card may borrow materials from any of the 17 libraries in the USMAI Library Consortium. You may either request that items be delivered to your library by placing a "patron-placed hold" or you may visit a member library to borrow the materials directly.

Patron-placed hold requests 

To place a hold request on an item:

1. Find the item record in the library's Discovery Service online catalog.
2. Click the "Place Hold" link.* 
3. Select "University of Maryland Law Library."
4. If prompted, login with your UMB credentials.
5. Choose a library where you would like to pick up the book. In most cases, you should choose "Thurgood Marshall Law Library."
6. Click the button to confirm your request.

Books requested via the "holds" system will be delivered to our library, or to another USMAI Library of your choice, and you will receive a notification when the item is available for pick up. The item will be held at the designated library for a limited time before others may borrow it, or it is returned to the owning library.

*Note: The holds request system is not available if the item you want is on the shelf at the same campus where you want to pick it up (for example, if the Thurgood Marshall Law Library has an item and you want to pick it up here), so please do not place a hold request on it. Instead, please pull the book from the shelf and take it to the circulation desk to borrow it. If you need help finding a book on the shelf, please ask the library staff for help. 

Direct borrowing from the owning library

To directly borrow materials by visiting the owning library, borrowers are strongly advised to call the owning library first to check the availability of material as well as the library's lending policy and requirements for proof of current eligibility to borrow. Direct borrowing rules require that the borrower present to the lending library a validated home institution identification card and any other requested documentation to verify current affiliation with one of the participating USMAI institutions. Each lending library reserves the right to deny borrowing privileges to any individual who fails to present sufficient proof of current affiliation with a participating institution. Individuals visiting any of the USMAI Libraries have the same on-site use of unrestricted library materials as users for whom that is the home institution. 

Loan periods and renewals

With both direct borrowing and patron-placed holds, the borrowing of library materials is a transaction between the individual borrower and the lending library. The borrower must abide by the rules and regulations of the lending institution. Loan periods are set by the lending library and will vary from library to library. Borrowers should verify with the lending library the loan period being offered to them. The fine schedule of the lending institution will apply to any delinquent transactions and fines are payable to the lending institution only.

Telephone renewals are not accepted at any USMAI library for materials borrowed at another library. However, materials may be returned to any cooperating USMAI library.

How do I borrow an item that is outside of the USMAI libraries?

To request materials including books and articles not found in the Thurgood Marshall Law Library collection or in the collections of other USMAI Libraries, use the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service provided by the Law Library.

What libraries are part of the USMAI Consortium? 

1. Bowie State University
2. Center for Environmental Science
3. Coppin State University
4. Frostburg State University
5. Loyola - Notre Dame Library
6. Morgan State University
7. Salisbury University
8. St. Mary's College of Maryland
9. Towson University
10. University of Baltimore
11. University of Baltimore Law Library
12. University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
13. University of Maryland, College Park
14. University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
15. University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library
16. University of Maryland Law Library
17. University of Maryland University College