Law Library User's Guide
Hours
Click here for information on Law Library Hours
A Few Reminders
The Law Library is primarily for the use of the Law School
students and faculty. Other members of the University community,
the legal profession, and the general public are freely admitted
when they need to use the specialized resources of this facility.
Contractual obligations, however, forbid access to certain
electronic legal databases by those outside the Law School
community.
Parking restrictions are strictly enforced. It is advisable
for those not having W&L parking decals on their vehicles to
phone ahead of time for advice on where to park and what
temporary permit might be required. These requirements can vary
with times of the day and year.
No pets are allowed in the library.
No food or drinks are allowed in computer areas.
Stacking of books is not permitted in public areas.
Smoking is not permitted in the Law School building.
Computing resources are supplied for the use of University
students, faculty, and staff. Others must yield the equipment
when it is needed by such users. Laptop computers are permitted;
electrical outlets are plentiful in the reading room. Scanners
may be used subject to the same copyright warnings posted at the
copy machines.
Copy machines are located on every level of the library,
except the Main Reading Room. University copy cards are accepted
by all of the machines. Only those in the stacks take coins as
well as cards.
Guide to the Levels
Faculty Level (4)
Faculty Offices
Main Floor (3)
Circulation
Reserve
Open Reserve
Current Periodicals
Reference
Loose-leaf Services
Media Center
Law Librarian's Office
Reading Room (3A)
Federal and State Primary Sources
Microforms
Upper Stacks (1)
Classified Treatises A-KF1500
Bound Periodicals
Special Collections/Powell Archives
Lower Stacks (1A)
Classified Treatises KF1501-Z
State Materials KFA-KFW
Federal Documents
Tax Materials
The following regulations have been approved by the Student
Bar Association, Faculty Law Library Committee, and the Director
of the Law Library.
Most of the materials in the Law Library may not be removed
from the building. Items in this category include court
reporters, loose-leaf reporters, session laws and codes, digests,
Shepards, bound law reviews, bound periodicals, and volumes in
the reference collection.
The Law Library has two circulation systems:
(1) A Shelf-slip system (used for the circulation of all
non-reserve items), and
(2) Annie (used for Reserve Room items, and for circulating
items out of the building). Faculty, staff and students should
use their University card to check out materials.
For non-reserve items circulated outside the building, a
user must use a shelf-slip as well as the University card
check-out system.
Circulation periods for W&L students are, in general:
Circulating stacks books: 2 weeks
Unbound periodicals: 1 week
Reserve books and photocopies: 4 hours
Open Reserve: 48 hours
Past examinations: 4 hours
Audio and video tapes: 24 hours
All items circulated through Annie may leave the building;
however, library materials may not be removed from the building
unless they have been checked out through Annie, and, for stack
books, there has been a shelf-slip left on the shelf. Items must
be returned when recalled and must be returned or renewed by the
expiration of the loan period. Items may be renewed a limited
number of times. Providing that no one has placed a hold on the
item, an item may be renewed by phone.
All items checked out for longer than 4 hours through Annie
are subject to recall by the Library staff. Annie determines the
due date based on the item and the category of user checking out
the item. Adjustments to some circulation periods will occur at
exam times.
If a law student has overdue items checked out through
Annie, then no library materials may be circulated out of the
building, or out of the reserve room, to that user.
Government Publications
A U.S. government publications depository since 1978, the
Law Library holds administrative decisions, agency reports,
congressional publications, U.S. Supreme Court records and
briefs, state statutes in chronological order, congressional and
regulatory sources, and U.N. documents. The bulk of the paper
collection of federal
documents is in the lower stacks. Microform, and some important paper collections such as current U.S. Code, Federal Register and Congressional Record, are found in the Reading Room. Paper documents
will usually circulate. Microform readers and printers are available.
Annie
W&L's on-line catalog, Annie, provides access to
more than 1,140,000 items in both the Law Library and in
Leyburn Library and its departmental satellites. All forms of
materials held by the libraries are included. Annie terminals are
available on every level of the library and any computer can access
Annie via the Web.
Internet
The W&L network provides access to a vast array of Internet
information services. PCs throughout the Law School are able to connect to the
Internet but visitors have access only to a limited range of
services.
Interlibrary Loans
Books and copies of articles not available in the Law
Library may be obtained through interlibrary loan. Requests may be
sent electronically by submitting a form at the Law Library Requests
web page, law.wlu.edu/library/requests/.
The papers of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F.
Powell, Jr. form the centerpiece of this unit. Use of the papers
requires advance permission of the Powell Archivist.
Among its holdings of other personal papers are those of
long-time faculty members Charles V. Laughlin and Wilfred Ritz.
Former U.S. Sixth District Representative M. Caldwell Butler's
papers are here as well. Butler's papers include extensive
documentation of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 and his
service on the Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment
proceedings. All of these materials are open for research use.
The archives also holds the record copies of all extant law
school publications. Retired records of the School of Law
are also housed here.
The rare book collection includes the law library of Judge
Charles E. Burks of Lynchburg, VA. Noted alumnus John W. Davis
also gave volumes that are now part of this collection.
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