Services
Ask a Librarian / Research Assistance
The Reference Team at Washington and Lee consists of law librarians who assist faculty, administrators, staff, students, and other patrons with their research needs. The Reference Team may not provide legal advice or services. For more information, please email us at LawRef@wlu.edu.
The Lewis F. Powell Jr. Archives contain the papers of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. and other primary sources of legal history; Rare Book Collection; W&L Law faculty publications; law school administrative records; teaching and examination materials; moot court materials; law school publications of record; and student organization records. For more information, or to request assistance with archival materials, please contact the Archives at powell@wlu.edu or visit the Archives on Level 1.
Research and Instructional Services for Faculty
The Reference Team assists faculty members in identifying and locating resources to support academic and scholarly interests, creating topic specific bibliographies, and providing assistance and instruction for faculty research assistants. Law librarians are also available to provide class instruction, guest lectures, or online assistance with research techniques and resources, database introduction and exploration, topical research guides in print or online, and library tours.
The Andrew W. McThenia Faculty Research Assistants, a pool of second- and third-year law students selected and overseen by a law librarian, provide curated research support for the scholarly activities of the W&L Law faculty and administration. The McThenia RAs assist with faculty projects of varying scope and duration.
For more information or assistance with any of your research or instructional needs, please contact Andrew Christensen at ChristensenA@wlu.edu.
Research Assistance for Law Students
The Reference Team assists law students in planning their research strategy, identifying relevant resources for their research endeavors, and locating materials for their academic studies. To schedule an appointment, please email us at LawRef@wlu.edu.
Current Awareness and Alert Services
To receive a customized current awareness newsletter or to set up alerts from Bloomberg Law, LexisNexis, Westlaw, Scholarly Commons, or SSRN, please contact Andrew Christensen at ChristensenA@wlu.edu.
Publishing Resources for Authors
The W&L Law Journal Rankings are a nationally recognized resource for authors looking to publish in law-focused scholarly periodicals. The tool allows authors to evaluate hundreds of law journals based on citation data. Users may rank journals in groups by subject matter and other characteristics to identify suitable publications for their submissions. It also serves as a directory of active law journals and provides links to their websites and submission policies. For more information regarding the Law Journal Rankings Project, please contact Andrew Christensen at ChristensenA@wlu.edu.
Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN): Faculty who wish to include their working papers on SSRN may contact Andrew Christensen at ChristensenA@wlu.edu for assistance posting, managing, and disseminating their work through the W&L Law Research Paper Series and accompanying eJournal subscription.
Carrels, Lockers and Study Space
The Law Library is designed to provide a welcoming space for study and collaboration with open study areas throughout the Law Library. The third floor reading room is specifically designed for quiet study. Please observe the following guidelines when using the third floor reading room: limit conversation and speak in subdued tones, mute or use headphones on all portable electronic devices including mobile phones, and be respectful of others studying. No smoking is permitted in the building. No alcohol is permitted in the Law Library.
Please direct all locker and carrel inquiries to Michelle Cosby at MCosby@wlu.edu or (540) 458-8576.
Dual-Monitor Stations
The Law Library has six dual-monitor stations near the third floor entrance. If you are looking for a quieter workstation, you might try one of our other dual-monitor stations. The Reserve Room has three dual-monitor stations. The study loft, where the chessboard is located, has one dual-monitor station. There are two additional quiet study stations with dual monitors in the Moot Court Alcove off the Moot Court Lobby. Additionally, each of the study rooms (305-309) has a large screen on the wall that you can access with your laptop for a mirrored desktop or an extended desktop.
Course and E-Reserves
Faculty members may place books and other materials on reserve. To place items on Course or E-Reserve, or to review the policies and procedures, please contact Milea Webb at MWebb@wlu.edu. Items in print that have been placed on reserve are available in the Law Library's Reserve Room on the third floor. Course reserve materials are also listed in the Library Catalog, where they can be searched by course name or number, instructor, title, or author.
Interlibrary Loans (ILL) and Document Delivery
For inquiries relating to Interlibrary Loans (ILL), or to renew a previously requested item, please contact the ILL department at interlibrarylaw@wlu.edu. For new ILL requests, please complete the ILL Form.
The Law Library offers delivery of books and other items (Document Delivery) from the Law Library, Leyburn Library, and the Science Library to law faculty and staff only. To request materials from one of these libraries, please contact Milea Webb at MWebb@wlu.edu.
Notary Public
Notary public services are available in the Law Library for members of the W&L community at no charge between 9:00am and 3:00pm, Monday through Friday. Please visit the Circulation Desk for notary services, or email Andrew Christensen at ChristensenA@wlu.edu to make an appointment or for additional information.
Past Exams
A selection of past exams for W&L Law courses is available online. (WLU credentials are required for access.) Please note that exams are only added to this collection at the request of the professor who wrote them. Students wishing to see an exam not currently online should contact the author of the exam they seek. Professors wishing to add their past exams to the online collection should contact Prof. Leila Lawlor at LLawlor@wlu.edu.
Archival paper copies of some past exams are held by the Powell Archives. Contact the Archives at powell@wlu.edu or visit the Archives on Level 1 to view these exams. Please note that access to exams of current faculty members is allowed only with the permission of the professor who wrote the exam.
Renew a Book
Materials may be renewed by accessing your Library Record online or by contacting Milea Webb at MWebb@wlu.edu. Renewals are subject to requests for the materials from another patron and the existence of overdue items. For more information regarding lending periods, please visit the Lending Policies.
Reserve a Study Room
The Law Library has five study rooms on level 3 that accommodate up to two people: Rooms 305, 306, 307, 308, and 309.
To reserve a study room, please visit W&L's 25Live Reservation System or scan the QR code on the study room's door. (WLU log-in credentials are required.) Reservations are permitted for a maximum of four hours per person per day, across all five study rooms.
During Reading Days and Exam Periods, use of Law Library study rooms is limited to law students. Students may not take exams in a study room.
During the times when Law School courses are not in session (i.e., winter holiday break or summer months), study rooms 305, 306, 307, 308, and 309 may be used in a "first come, first served" basis; reservations via 25Live will not be necessary.
Self-Checkout with Meescan
Use the W&L Meescan mobile app to check out an item anytime, anyplace in the Law Library using your phone. Download the app from Apple App Store for iPhone or Google Play for Android, or scan the QR code posted throughout the Library. Patrons may also use the self-service Meescan station at the Circulation Desk at any time to check out materials, which does not require the mobile app.