Welcome
Our primary goal is to support the needs of faculty, students, and staff. We strive to assist all library users, including members of the Bar and the local community.
The library staff is here to help meet your legal research needs and to assist you in finding and using library resources. If you have questions or need something that may seem out of the ordinary, please ask the library staff. They are trained to help you. Never hesitate to ask for their assistance.
The law library is committed to a high level of service to students. If you have questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to bring them to us. We hope you enjoy your law school studies and find the law library a useful and helpful aid in your endeavors.
Library layout
The only entrance and exit to and from the law library is from the law school lobby. An elevator is available for those needing assistance. To obtain an elevator pass card for assisted access, please see David Fatula in the administrative office.
The main floor of the law library consists of the reference and circulation areas and primary law materials for state and federal jurisdictions. In the lobby are the printers and scanners that deliver copies for the university’s PrintLess system. Printing can also be ordered via the coin-operated machines beside the printer.
The lower level of the library consists of historical materials, a large collection of law reviews and journals, and the Roundtable Symposium Law Journal office. There are six group study rooms and ample seating for quiet study. The lower level has been designated as the quietest part of the library.
The upper level of the library consists of treatises in law and related fields. Books in this collection are shelved in call number order. They are located by using Primo, the university library catalog. Searching by title, author, or subject will lead to a call number. Following the numerical order will take you to the book. The upper level also houses the Acquisitions and Cataloging Department, other library offices, and two computer labs for public use. Carrels and study tables offer extensive seating for study. The upper level of the library has also been designated as an area for quiet study.
Access to the lower and upper levels of the law library is through the stairway at the back, right wall area of the main level.
Law Library computersThe desktop computers in the law library labs provide word processing on Microsoft Word 2007 and the Internet via Windows Internet Explorer. All terminals have a T-1 data line for high speed Internet access. For those who bring a laptop, the entire library is equipped with wireless access, and connection is instantaneous. For printing, laptops must be configured by the Information Technology Department, which is located on the lower level in room LL10 (ext. 1122.). All printing in the law library is managed by the university’s PrintLess system. Print jobs are named and sent from library computer or configured laptops or from the scanners located in the library lobby. A swipe of an active UMass Pass at the printer will release the job. Students’ UMass Pass cards are loaded with 300 free copies per semester. Additional printing costs fifteen cents per page. Money must be on the card to release print jobs. |
On-line services
All students will be trained to use the premier legal databases: Westlaw, Lexis, and Loislaw. These sources are accessed by passwords, which will be distributed in the course of training. E-mail accounts for all students are set up by the university. Library staff is available to provide one-on-one training for use of any computer application. Key Internet sites for legal information are available through the law school website.
Interlibrary loan
The law library maintains a cooperative agreement through a nationwide network of academic, public and special libraries. Through this vast network, we can locate and borrow an extraordinary range of materials. See a librarian to ask for materials you cannot find. Interlibrary loan requests can also be placed directly by anyone with a current and activated UMass Pass and library account, through the Massachusetts Library Virtual Catalog and Boston Library Consortium WorldCat, which may be accessed here.
Reference materialsReference materials include dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, almanacs, and legal research and writing materials. These materials are available Through our database subscriptions and those of the university and through the Internet, a great array of scholarly, medical, business, and general interest journalism can provide endless reference resources. If you are searching for obscure information, legal or not, please see a librarian. Reserve materialsReserve materials are located behind the circulation desk and may be borrowed for two hours for library use only. Please ask the staff for reserve materials. All materials placed on reserve by a faculty member are shelved here. All Massachusetts materials are considered reference materials, to be used in the library only. Massachusetts materials are shelved in open stacks in wooden shelves along the left-hand walls of the library lobby. |
for library use only.Supplies
Staplers, tape, paper punches, paper cutters, and pencil sharpeners are available at the circulation counter. The library does not supply paper, envelopes, pens and pencils, disks, or other office supplies.
