In addition to the regular services the law library staff, upon request, is prepared to provide for a handicapped patron, additional help such as getting books and material from the shelves, reserving a study table at a convenient location, and making photocopies etc. The Supreme Court of Ohio Law Library occupies the fourth and fifth floors, plus a fifth floor mezzanine, of the forty-two story State Office Tower building. The library is built around a center opening and without a main door. The traffic and security of the library are controlled entirely by keying the elevator on or off at the building security office on the ground floor. During business hours the elevator stops at the fourth floor.
Patrons can walk up to the fifth floor by using the stainless steel stairway.
Handicapped patrons may use the amll elevator to travel between the fourth and fifth floor. Viewing from any point within the library, one can almost see all areas of the library through the glass walls located at the center opening of each floor. This special feature of the architectural design permits the use of the color coded signs on the end panels of the shelves. No matter where a patron stands, after consulting the floor map or asking the librarian about the location of a book, the patron can proceed directly to the stack area where the book is shelved. All individual study tables in the stack areas are situated alongside the plate glass walls, which, covered by custom draperies, provide soft natural lighting for tired eyes.