You will need to do this once to get the first working copy from the server to your computer.

svn co server_url folder_where_you_want_to_have_your_working_copy

The "server url" isn’t actually a URL like in the internet most of the time. It can be a path to a file (this would work if e.g. if you are inside the IMS and want to access a SVN that is located in a folder that you have mounted) or something with svn+ssh or the like. The one who created the SVN for you should tell you the server URL.