| Mondays | 8am-9pm |
| Tuesdays | 8am-6pm |
| Wednesdays | 8am-9pm |
| Thursdays | 8am-4pm |
| Fridays | 8am-9pm |
| Saturdays | 1pm-5pm |
| Sundays | No Reference Hours Offered |
| Friday, July 23, 2021 | No Reference Hours Offered Due to Pioneer Day |
| Saturday, July 24, 2021 | No Reference Hours Offered Due to Pioneer Day |
Call 801.422.6658
to inquire about additional exceptions to Reference Services hours.
EFFECTIVE until further notice —
Access to the BYU Law Building and in-person Law Library Services are currently restricted to members of the Law School community. Services to other patrons are being offered virtually.
See information for BYU faculty and students below.
See information for non-BYU patrons below.
Visit the BYU Law School COVID-19 Policies page.
All library services are currently still available to law students and faculty; however, some services are only offered virtually.
See the main law library page for the hours for today and for future library hours.
Contact the circulation desk with questions about checked-out books, including overdues: colemanm@law.byu.edu or 801-422-3656. Due dates can be extended and overdue fines forgiven.
Contact Melanie Coleman (colemanm@law.byu.edu or 801-422-3656) to request an extension for due dates on ILL books. The library that owns the book will make the final determination; however, most are extending due dates as many ILL offices have closed.
Carrel keys may be returned to the circulation desk during operating hours. The email from Dianne Davenport has detailed information on checking out of your carrel.
The reference desk is now closed for the safety of our librarians, student employees, and patrons.
The hours that reference services are available virtually are listed here. We recommend you email when possible. However, the options include:
For trouble accessing electronic resources, contact Iantha Haight (haighti@law.byu.edu or 801-422-9023).
Library liaisons are continuing to provide the full range of faculty services. You may contact them by email or phone.
This service is currently still available for law faculty. To request assistance with a research project please contact your library liaison.
This service is also currently still available to law faculty, with some limitations. To request assistance with a data project, please contact your library liaison.
Beginning Friday, March 27th, on-site access to the Law Library is restricted to members of the law school community. However, many law library services are still available virtually to other BYU faculty and students.
BYU faculty and students can still check out books and other library materials, including government documents. Please call the circulation desk for assistance (801-422-3593). Requests may also be submitted by emailing Melanie Coleman at colemanm@law.byu.edu. Please include your name, BYU ID number, and the title and/or call number for the materials you would like to check out.
Contact the circulation desk for questions regarding checked-out books (including overdues) at: colemanm@law.byu.edu or 801-422-3656. Due dates can be extended and overdue fines forgiven.
For materials that do not circulate, please contact Melanie Coleman at: 801-422-3656 or colemanm@law.byu.edu.
Document Delivery is available for BYU community patrons that do not have access to the Law Library. Patrons can request copies of journal articles or book chapters. Submit requests to Melanie Coleman at colemanm@law.byu.edu. Please provide the book title/journal title and the chapter, article, or specific pages you would like scanned.
Please note:
The reference desk is now closed for the safety of our librarians, student employees, and patrons.
The hours that reference services are available virtually are listed here. We recommend you email when possible. However, your options include:
Beginning Friday, March 27th, on-site access to the Law Library is restricted to members of the law school community. However, many law library services are still available virtually to non-BYU patrons.
Non-BYU patrons may still be able to check out books and other library materials, including government documents. Please call or email the circulation desk for assistance (801-422-3593 or colemanm@law.byu.edu). For example, attorneys may still check out CDs for CLE credits. They simply need to coordinate their account, what they need, and the time they will pick it up with colemanm@law.byu.edu.
Contact the circulation desk for questions regarding checked-out books (including overdues) at: colemanm@law.byu.edu or 801-422-3656. Due dates can be extended and overdue fines forgiven.
For materials that do not circulate, please contact Melanie Coleman at: 801-422-3656 or colemanm@law.byu.edu.
Document Delivery is available for non-BYU patrons that do not have access to the Law Library. Patrons can request copies of journal articles or book chapters. Submit requests to Melanie Coleman at colemanm@law.byu.edu. Please provide the book title/journal title and the chapter, article, or specific pages you would like scanned.
Please note:
The reference desk is now closed for the safety of our librarians, student employees, and patrons.
Virtual reference is available to non-BYU patrons. The hours that reference services are available virtually are listed here. We recommend that you email when possible. However, there are several options including:
Westlaw Patron Access
Westlaw is providing a means whereby the public can access Westlaw (with some time limitations) since the library is closed to public patrons. For information on how to do that, see this law library blog post.
EFFECTIVE June 1 – July 31, 2021
Access to the Law Library for the general public will resume on August 2, 2021. Information about the many services offered virtually to all patrons is provided below.
Patrons of the Law Library are expected to comply with the BYU Covid-19 policies (see https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/ ).
While the Law building is closed, most law library services are available virtually to all patrons.
Eligible patrons may check out books and other library materials, including government documents. Please call the circulation desk for assistance (801-422-3593). Requests may also be submitted by emailing Melanie Coleman at colemanm@law.byu.edu. Please include your name, BYU ID number, and the title and/or call number for the materials you would like to check out.
Attorneys may check out CDs for CLE credits. They simply need to coordinate their account, what they need, and the time they will pick it up with colemanm@law.byu.edu.
Contact the circulation desk for questions regarding checked-out books (including overdues) at: colemanm@law.byu.edu or 801-422-3656. Due dates can be extended and overdue fines forgiven.
For materials that do not circulate, please contact Melanie Coleman at: 801-422-3656 or colemanm@law.byu.edu.
Document Delivery is available for all patrons while the library is closed. Patrons can request copies of journal articles or book chapters. Submit requests to Melanie Coleman at colemanm@law.byu.edu. Please provide the book title/journal title and the chapter, article, or specific pages you would like scanned.
Please note:
The following reference services are offered to all patrons while the Law building is closed.
The hours that reference services are available virtually are listed here. Virtual reference options include:
The physical reference desk is still closed for in-person reference services due to the low traffic of BYU Law community patrons in the summer. If you are a BYU Law student or faculty member, you may make an appointment to receive in-person reference services with a law librarian by emailing reference@law.byu.edu.
If you have trouble accessing electronic resources, contact Iantha Haight (haighti@law.byu.edu or 801-422-9023).
Library liaisons are assigned to each full-time law school faculty member. These liaisons act as intermediaries between the Law Library and the faculty. Liaisons meet with their assigned faculty regularly to determine individual library needs and research interests. They also ensure that faculty members are aware of library services and collections and seek suggestions regarding how library services can be improved. Library liaisons are available to assist faculty members with their research needs. They obtain library material for faculty members and arrange for other library services that are needed or requested.
Specific services might include:
| Curtis Anderson | Kory Staheli |
| Clark Asay | Shawn Nevers |
| Kif Augustine-Adams | David Armond |
| Stephanie Bair | Annalee Hickman |
| Elizabeth Clark | Dennis Sears |
| Will Clayton | Iantha Haight |
| Justin Collings | Dennis Sears |
| Ben Cook | Kory Staheli |
| Brigham Daniels | Annalee Hickman |
| Elysa Dishman | Iantha Haight |
| John Fee | Laurie Urquiaga |
| Cliff Fleming | Dennis Sears |
| Fred Gedicks | Iantha Haight |
| Kristin Gerdy | Kory Staheli |
| Brook Gotberg | Iantha Haight |
| Carl Hernandez | Kory Staheli |
| Christine Hurt | Iantha Haight |
| Matthew Jennejohn | Annalee Hickman |
| Eric Jensen | Dennis Sears |
| Cree Jones | Shawn Nevers |
| David Moore | Shawn Nevers |
| Aaron Nielson | Iantha Haight |
| Carolina Núñez | Annalee Hickman |
| Bradley Rebeiro | Iantha Haight |
| Brett Scharffs | Dennis Sears |
| Gladriel Shobe | Shawn Nevers |
| Jarrod Shobe | Shawn Nevers |
| Gordon Smith | David Armond |
| Paul Stancil | Annalee Hickman |
| Michalyn Steele | Annalee Hickman |
| Lisa Grow Sun | Shawn Nevers |
| Dane Thorley | Shawn Nevers |
| Lucy Williams | Annalee Hickman |
The Law Library employs law student reference assistants to assist law faculty with their research needs. These law students provide support for law faculty who either do not have enough ongoing work to justify hiring their own research assistants or need assistance beyond their own research assistants. The reference assistants are meant to complement, not replace, individual faculty research assistants. The reference assistants work primarily on research requests
In addition to providing research support to law school faculty, the reference assistants also provide reference services to library users virtually and at the reference desk on the main floor of the Law Library.
Data project support is a faculty service the Law Library provides to law faculty. The support is provided by data assistants (undergraduate BYU students), who collect data and/or enter data that does not require being a law student or having any legal knowledge or background. The data assistants also work on data projects supporting corpus linguistics. The data assistants are hired, trained, and managed by the Data Project Manager, Teresa Odam. Faculty requests for data project support may be made through library liaisons who will coordinate with the Data Project Manager to ensure the carrying out and completion of the requested data project.
The reference assistants will continue to provide support for data projects that require some legal knowledge or background learned through the first-year legal research and writing program in law school, though traditional research requests may receive
The Law Library faculty are available to work with and train law faculty research assistants in the process of legal research and to suggest research strategies for particular research projects. Contact your library liaison for individual training for your research assistant(s) any time through the year. General summer RA training takes place shortly after Winter semester. Contact Shawn Nevers for more information. Law Professors are also welcome to send their RAs to class sessions of Advanced Legal Research, scheduled during Winter semester. For the syllabus or more information, contact Shawn Nevers at (801) 422-8784 or neverss@law.byu.edu.
The Law Library subscribes to a growing number of electronic databases. A full list is available on the Law Library website. View the list of BYU Law Library databases here. Contact Iantha Haight at (801) 422-9023 or haighti@law.byu.edu with questions about access and training. Contact your library liaison if you are unable to find a database that meets your research needs.
Faculty members are encouraged to recommend new titles for the Law Library collection. Requests for purchase should be sent to the Law Library Director, Kory Staheli, at (801) 422-9223 or stahelik@law.byu.edu. You may have those new materials routed to your office as well.
Interlibrary Loan is a FREE service that the Law Library provides through agreements with other libraries to expand the walls and provide access to a variety of materials that we may not have in our own collection.
ILL pulls materials first from the Law Library. If the material cannot be found here, then the search extends to the Lee Library and to other libraries after. It is rare for materials not to be available through this process. The library may purchase materials that are important to your research. Contact your library liaison about doing so.
— Or —
Set up an appointment with Melanie, who is the Access Services Librarian; she will be able to help you navigate through the ILL process and help you obtain the materials you need.
To set up your account, go to illiad.lib.byu.edu/ILLiad/ and sign in using your net ID and password, and then fill out your account information.
You may also set up an appointment with Melanie and she will be able to assist you in creating your account.
In most cases we are able to obtain the items you need, but occasionally some items cannot be sent physically. The Access Services Librarian will work with you to reach a solution. There are many other specific items that can be scanned and obtained rather than entire publications, textbooks, or print including:
Melanie Coleman—Access Services Librarian
Email: colemanm@law.byu.edu
Phone: 801-422-3656
Feel free to set up an appointment with Melanie if you have any questions about ILL.
Due to past experience, our recommendation for law faculty when materials are needed from the Lee Library is to contact their Liaison, the Law Library Reference Desk, or Melanie Coleman; or to submit an online request through InterLibrary Loan (ILL). We have developed procedures to retrieve materials quickly and to automatically reroute requests to other libraries (ILL) if a requested item is not immediately available at the Lee Library.
However, if needed, law faculty may request proxy privileges for a secretary or a research assistant that allows the designated proxy to check out materials from the law library in the faculty member’s name. Research assistants should never be encouraged or required to use their personal accounts to borrow materials for faculty members.
Law Library proxy privileges should be requested through Melanie Coleman via email. The Harold B. Lee Library also provides proxy privileges according to their established policies.
The Law Library maintains several reserve collections, described below. Reserve collections may consist of both materials purchased by the Library and personal copies. To place an item in one of the reserve collections, faculty members should contact Melanie Colaman at (801) 422-3656 or colemanm@law.byu.edu.
Locked Reserve: Locked reserve consists of course reserve, audio/visual reserve, software reserve, professor files, and hard-copy sample exams. All of these items are located behind the Circulation Desk and may only be borrowed for a limited time. Course reserve and professor files may be borrowed for 2 hours at a time. Audio/visual and software reserve items circulate for 24 hours.
Course Reserve: Course reserve consists of texts and supplementary materials for courses presently being taught. It is located behind the Circulation Desk. There is a binder at the attendant’s desk that lists the title and call number of all items in course reserve. Items in this collection may be checked out for 2 hours. Overdue Course Reserve items carry a fine of $2.00 per hour.
Electronic Reserve: Electronic reserve consists of selected reading materials which are made available online in various formats. The Library maintains access to sample exams. Readings for specific courses are most often available through individual class pages or through TWEN.
Reserve Library: The Reserve Library is located on the second floor, in room 280 JRCB (near Circulation). The Reserve Library consists of high-use monographs (texts, outlines, restatements, etc.), current legal newspapers, 3 week’s worth of popular reading newspapers, 1 year’s worth of popular reading magazines, bulletins from other law schools, unbound/current legal periodicals, along with most of the Utah Law Collection — including copies of the state code, and the codes for various Utah cities. The Biblical Law and Benson Collections are also located in the Reserve Library.
Law Library faculty are available to come into law classes to teach students how to conduct legal research in specialized areas and demonstrate how to use specific library and research resources. Librarians can give students an overview of the Library’s print holdings and relevant electronic databases. This type of instruction can be very useful to students, especially in seminar courses where a paper is required. Requests for such lectures can be arranged through library liaisons.
The Law School is committed to the enforcement and protection of copyrights as both a legal and an ethical imperative. A copyright is a set of exclusive rights that vests in the author of an original work of authorship (including literary, musical, dramatic, pictorial, sculptural, and motion picture works). The copyright attaches upon the work’s creation (when it is “fixed in a tangible medium of expression”); current law does not require the formalities of registration or of a copyright notice such as the “©” symbol. The exclusive rights covered by copyright include the right to (1) copy or reproduce the work or portions of the work (including by making electronic copies); (2) prepare “derivative works” based on the original; (3) distribute copies of the work or portions of the work (including by electronic means); and (4) publicly perform or display the work.
Any faculty member, staff member, or student who intends to copy or distribute any material that is not in the public domain and is, therefore, protected by copyright must first receive copyright clearance from the law school’s Copyright Coordinator under the procedures set forth here, unless the copyright is held by that faculty member, staff member, or student. Copyright clearance is required even if the material is believed to be covered by the doctrine of fair use, and even if permission has already been secured from the holder of the copyright by the individual faculty member, staff member, or student. “Copying” and “distributing” include not only making and distributing hard copies, but also making any digital or electronic copies, posting such copies on the internet or the law school’s web page, or distributing copies via e-mail.
Any faculty member, staff member, or student seeking copyright clearance must contact the law school’s Copyright Coordinator. Requests for clearance should be submitted on a form approved by the Copyright Committee. The request should be submitted as far in advance of the use of the material as is reasonably possible (preferably at least one month in advance). The form for the written request may be completed in hard copy or on the law school’s web page, and will require the person submitting the request to (1) identify the copyrighted works in question by author, title, publication date, journal citation (where applicable), publisher (if known), and ISBN/ISSN (if known); (2) describe the nature of any copying and/or distribution (e.g., hard copies, scanning, uploading, etc.); (3) identify the name of the course and number of students to whom the material will be distributed; (4) indicate whether the person submitting the request has ever previously received permission to use the material in question, and attach any documents memorializing such permission; and (5) indicate whether the person submitting the request believes that a fair use privilege applies, and provide a brief justification for such privilege.
Many single copies made purely for research purposes will be covered by the doctrine of fair use, particularly where only a portion of the original work is copied. For such uses, the Copyright Coordinator may provide clearances that may cover certain uses, without requiring specific clearance requests for each individual copy.
If a faculty member disagrees with a decision of the Copyright Coordinator, appeal may be made to the Associate Dean for Faculty & Curriculum.
The Law Library provides copyright and course material/packet support services to assist faculty in seeking copyright permissions for projects and preparing and distributing supplemental readings, course packets, and reserve materials. These services are governed by the Law School Copyright Policy.
Faculty should plan for 4 weeks of processing time for licensing requests.
The BYU CLO has posted the following guidelines for all supplemental course materials:
Links to supplemental resources are always the recommended option, because links do not involve making copies. Linkable resources include authoritative sites on the open web, LexisNexis, Westlaw, HeinOnline and other library-licensed material. The Law Commons is an open-source repository of scholarly legal content, including law review articles from many highly-ranked journals. The Library of Congress provides access to online federal legal resources, as well as links to state primary legal resources. Cornell’s Legal Information Institute is another good portal to legal resources and information. Google Scholar can be also be useful as a tool for locating authoritative legal content, including case opinions.
If the supplemental material to be shared with a class is not available online, we will likely need to obtain copyright permission for that use. Faculty should keep in mind that permission to scan books or articles often requires payment of royalties, which must then be collected from each student enrolled in the class. Copyright permission must be secured before items can be copied and distributed.
Please contact your liaison or Annalee Hickman if you would like help with locating sources for supplemental course materials.
Questions regarding copyright issues and requests for clearance should be directed to Laurie Urquiaga at (801) 422-6657 or urquiagal@law.byu.edu.
Faculty who use copyrighted content as supplemental course material must obtain clearance before asking Library Circulation to scan and print or the web support team to post the material. For tracking purposes, clearance requests should either be submitted using the online form (option 1 below) or emailed to urquiagal@law.byu.edu (email requests should contain all of the information required on the form – multiple requests can be included in a single email). The requestor should plan to submit requests 4–6 weeks before the material will be needed, to allow time for processing.
Alternatively, faculty have the option to obtain clearance themselves, and then provide that permission record to Laurie Urquiaga. (This approach is often the best choice if the copyright owner of the desired content is a known colleague. A fillable PDF form letter is provided for convenience as option 2 below, but a less-formal email is sufficient if it contains adequate detail.)
Copyright Clearance Request Option 1 (on-line form for request to be processed by the Library)
Copyright Clearance Request Option 2 (PDF form letter allowing faculty to request permissions directly)
After the use of copyrighted content has been cleared, requests for help with scanning and printing course materials or packets may be directed to Melanie Coleman. Melanie will forward scanned items to the web team if they are to be posted on Canvas or TWEN.
The Digital Services Librarian is available to help with course-related copyright permission requests. When requesting assistance, please submit the information below as soon as possible. It is preferable to work with authors directly, but that process can take 4-6 weeks. The alternative, processing materials through the Copyright Clearance Center, almost always involves royalties that must be paid by students.
Educational uses are not, per se, Fair Uses. An educational use is most likely to be considered fair when it is one-time, last-minute, does not involve fiction or drama*, and is limited in scope. In those circumstances, obtaining timely permission is recognized to be difficult. But even the Fair Use of copyrighted items should be reported to the Digital Services Librarian for record-keeping.
Please be aware that the Law School never assumes that using teaching materials more than once will be considered fair. And “consumables” (such as worksheets or problem sets) are never eligible for Fair Use.
Fortunately, in the United States many primary legal materials are deemed to belong to the public domain. Federal and State statutes, regulations and case opinions are increasingly available online as well as through LexisNexis and Westlaw. It is also generally reasonable to link to openly-available secondary resources without asking permission or paying royalties. Taken together with available LexisNexis and Westlaw resources, it is often possible to completely avoid making actual copies of most materials needed for preparing and teaching law classes.
Faculty should contact the help desk for assistance in preparing an interactive syllabus with links to required or recommended readings for any Law School class (“deep” links to LexisNexis or Westlaw resources may be included). The form below should be used to request permission processing for paper or electronic copying.
* A separate provision, §110 of the Copyright Act, exempts the use of many audiovisual formats for face-to-face classroom teaching. In interpreting §1201, the U.S. Librarian of Congress has ruled that capturing short excerpts of digital works for use in education can be a permissible circumvention of technical protection measures.
Password-protected digital copies of past law school examinations supplied by faculty members are available to current law students. Access to these exams requires an authorized ID and password.
Please mail any exams you would like to make available to law students to Laurie Urquiaga at urquiagal@law.byu.edu.
Thank-you for submitting this request. You should receive a confirmation email shortly.
Do you need permission to use additional resources?
American Bar Association Affiliated Upcoming Events
SSRN Legal Scholarship Network’s Professional Announcements
ExpressO — contact Shawn Nevers for help setting up an account
(UC Berkeley electronic submission service for law review articles)
Scholastica — contact Shawn Nevers for help setting up an account
Information for Submitting Articles to Law Reviews & Journals
Writing for and Publishing in Law Reviews (By Mary Whisner & Ann Hemmens, University of Washington Law Library)
Resources for Keeping Up and Staying Current (By Mary Whisner, Stacy Etheredge, & Cheryl Nyberg, University of Washington Law Library)
Law faculty can receive notifications when their articles are cited by signing up for various citation alert services.
HeinOnline
On HeinOnline, faculty can sign up for email alerts in their HeinOnline author profile page for whenever their articles on Hein are cited by new publications and cases on Hein. View instructions on how to manage author alerts from HeinOnline here: https://help.heinonline.org/kb/how-to-manage-author-alerts/.
Google Scholar
You can make a Google Scholar profile and receive alerts any time your articles on Google Scholar are cited by other works in Google Scholar. You can read more about Google Scholar profiles and how to receive alerts here: https://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/citations.html#citations. If you need help making your Google Scholar profile, see the screencast made by the BYU Law Library here: http://huntersquery.byu.edu/google-scholar-profiles/.
Contact your library liaison for any assistance you may need.
Because keeping up with current events and scholarship is important for faculty research and writing, the Law Library provides a number of current awareness tools. This page summarizes some common current legal awareness resources. Most of these resources are also available to students and can be utilized in teaching. Contact your library liaison with questions or to develop a current awareness plan tailored to your needs.
The following electronic news websites are available via site access and email newsletter subscriptions (in most cases):
BYU Law faculty can subscribe to eJournals from SSRN’s Legal Scholarship Network (LSN) and the Entrepreneurship Research & Policy Network (ERPN) for the latest scholarship on topics of interest because the BYU Law Library is a subscribing institution. Contact your library liaison for help setting up your subscriptions, or follow the directions on SSRN’s website: https://www.ssrn.com/index.cfm/en/lsn/lsn-subscribe-orgs/.
You can modify your eJournal subscriptions through your SSRN account at any time. Contact your library liaison for assistance.
The Law Library can also assist with posting your scholarship to SSRN and including it in subject-matter eJournals. Contact your library liaison or Annalee Hickman, hickmana@law.byu.edu.
SmartCILP is a weekly email alert providing customized notifications of recently published law journal articles organized by topic, e.g. “Administrative Law” and links to the full-text publications on HeinOnline. Editors at the University of Washington’s Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library have been providing this service for over 80 years, and they currently index over 600 publications using 104 subject headings. To set up your SmartCILP research profile and begin receiving weekly SmartCILP notifications, contact your library liaison or click on the following link for instructions: https://help.heinonline.org/kb/creating-a-smartcilp-profile/.
You can change your profile as often as you like. Contact your library liaison or click on the following link for instructions: https://help.heinonline.org/kb/managing-your-own-smartcilp-profile/.
Many electronic resources have the option to create custom email alerts that can notify you when new legislation is proposed, new citations are available for a case or an article, or can run a set keyword search periodically and email you the results. For assistance, contact your library liaison.
The Law Library receives print copies of several national, local, and legal newspapers. The most current papers are available in the fourth-floor faculty lounge. Older papers are stored in the Reserve Library for six months, after which they are discarded. For assistance with locating a newspaper article, contact your library liaison.
The following is a list of contacts for some of the major services provided by the Law Library. If the service you need is not listed, please contact reference or your library liaison to request assistance:
| Bindery | Bonnie Geldmacher |
| Bloomberg Passwords | Iantha Haight |
| Book Checkout and Renewal | Circulation Desk or Melanie Coleman |
| Carrels | Dianne Davenport |
| Cataloging | Andrea Howard |
| CILP Service | Bonnie Geldmacher or your library liaison |
| Collection Development | Kory Staheli |
| Copyright Questions & Permission Requests | Laurie Urquiaga |
| Course Reserve | Melanie Coleman |
| Document Digitization Requests | Melanie Coleman |
| Electronic Database Training | Iantha Haight |
| Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery, & Lee Library Requests | Melanie Coleman |
| Gifts and Donations | Bonnie Geldmacher |
| Government Documents | Reference Desk or your library liaison |
| Group Study Rooms | Dianne Davenport |
| Keys | Dianne Davenport |
| Lexis Passwords | Iantha Haight |
| Library Instruction | Annalee Hickman |
| Library Policies | Kory Staheli or Shawn Nevers |
| Lost & Found | Circulation Desk |
| Microforms | Reference Desk or your library liaison |
| Missing Books | Chelsea Frandsen |
| New Material Requests | Kory Staheli or your library liaison |
| Notary Requests | Melanie Coleman or Bonnie Geldmacher |
| Overdues/Fines | Melanie Coleman |
| Preservation/Book Repair | Bonnie Geldmacher |
| Reference Questions | Reference Desk or any Reference Librarian |
| Routing Material | Teresa Odam |
| Security | Dianne Davenport |
| Website Feedback | Laurie Urquiaga |
| Westlaw Passwords | Iantha Haight |
For more information about employees, see the Library Directory.
 |
Name: |
Kory D. Staheli |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Law Library Director | Policy, planning, management services, reference assistance, select publications for purchase, and teach Legal Research courses. | |
Email: |
stahelik@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.9223 |
 |
Name: |
Shawn G. Nevers |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Deputy Law Librarian | Facilitate faculty research and support. Oversee and maintain the library's electronic resources. Provide reference services and assistance to students, faculty and public patrons. Teach legal research. Assist with Westlaw/Lexis Nexis user passwords. | |
Email: |
neverss@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.8784 |
 |
Name: |
Maureen Holman |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Administrative Assistant | Library maintenance, supply orders and inventory, basic support of Law Library Faculty and Staff. Schedule Law Library conference room and the Lee Reading Room. | |
Email: |
holmanm@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.7475 |
 |
Name: |
Melanie Coleman |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Access Services Librarian | Manage the overall process of circulation and supervise the student employees. Process routed and hold materials to law school faculty and ensure law school faculty needs are being met quickly and efficiently. Process InterLibrary Loan and Document Delivery requests to meet the needs of the law school faculty, staff, and students. Processes overdue items, damaged materials, fines and the overall process of requesting materials from libraries. | |
Email: |
colemanm@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.3656 |
 |
Name: |
Dianne Davenport |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Collection and Student Services Librarian | Library public relations, student study carrels, building security and keys. | |
Email: |
davenportd@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.9052 |
 |
Name: |
Chelsea Frandsen |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Collection Maintenance Assistant | Assist with collection organization, shelf management, and weeding of obsolete materials. | |
Email: |
frandsenc@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.7474 |
 |
Name: |
Dennis S. Sears |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Foreign & International Law Librarian | Responsible for the foreign, comparative, and international law (FCIL) collections. Teach first year legal research course. Provide reference assistance. | |
Email: |
searsd@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.7472 |
 |
Name: |
Iantha Haight |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Electronic Resources & Research Librarian | Legal reference, faculty research support and development, management of the library's electronic collections, and legal research instruction. | |
Email: |
haighti@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.9023 |
 |
Name: |
Annalee Hickman |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Head of Reference and Faculty Services | Oversee faculty services and reference services, teach legal research courses, and provide faculty research assistance. | |
Email: |
HickmanA@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.3596 |
 |
Name: |
Bonnie R. Geldmacher |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Acquisitions Librarian / Head of Technical Services | Acquires legal materials for the law library collection. Oversees cataloging and serials, looseleaf filing, donations, and the bindery. | |
Email: |
geldmacherb@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.3572 |
 |
Name: |
Andrea Howard |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Cataloging Specialist | Catalogs newly acquired print and electronic legal resources, processes old law material, and assists in paying for legal material for the Law Library. | |
Email: |
howarda@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.1632 |
 |
Name: |
Teresa Odam |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Serials Librarian and Data Project Manager | Responsible for maintaining the serials collection in the Law Library; checks in all serials, routes serial publications to faculty and processes serials for the bindery. Coordinates with other Law Library employees to process Data Project requests from Law School and Law Library faculty. | |
Email: |
odamt@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.3571 |
 |
Name: |
Melanie Chao |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Technical Services Assistant | Provides assistance within the technical services department, including ordering/receiving, processing/maintaining the library catalog, mending/binding, and other related work as assigned. | |
Email: |
chaom@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.5192 |
 |
Name: |
David L. Armond |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Head of Infrastructure and Technology | Lead the Library and Networked Information Department (LNIS) which supports, develops, and implements information technology within the Howard W. Hunter Law Library. Coordinate support with the Law School Computing Support Department for law school enterprise-wide information technology | |
Email: |
armondd@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.4258 |
 |
Name: |
Mark Harris |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
LNIS Manager & Programmer | Oversee technical aspects of the Library's electronic database collection. Maintain electronic resources to ensure they are accessible to faculty, students, and patrons of the Law Library and meet patron and institutional needs. Evaluate, implement and support programs and applications to better support the delivery of electronic information in the academic environment. | |
Email: |
harrism@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.9050 |
 |
Name: |
Laureen C. Urquiaga |
Primary Responsibilities: |
Title: |
Digital Resources Librarian / Law School Copyright Coordinator | Manage the Library's presence on the web; overseeing website development, the digital archive, libguides and other web-related resources. Provide course packet support and monitor law school copyright compliance. | |
Email: |
urquiagal@law.byu.edu | ||
Phone: |
801.422.6657 |
Law faculty have 24-hour access to the collection with their campus ID card.
Law school faculty have special borrowing privileges at the Law Library. Regular library materials are due in May of each year and may be renewed as needed. Journals may be checked out for one month. Non-circulating and reserve materials may also be checked out by special arrangement. No overdue fines are charged to law faculty for regular Law Library material. However, all items are subject to recall by the Lee Library or other patrons. Be aware that any fines accrued due to the late return of a recalled item are non-waivable.
To request material from the collection, faculty members may contact either their liaison or Melanie Coleman at (801) 422-3656 or lawill@law.byu.edu. Faculty may also come to the Circulation Desk on the second floor of the Library for assistance.
The Howard W. Hunter Law Library gratefully accepts gifts of books and other materials. Gifts are accepted with the understanding that the law library retains discretion to utilize or dispose of the items as warranted by library needs. Gifts not added to the library collection will be returned to the donor upon written request at the time of donation. Unless requested otherwise, a letter of acknowledgement will be sent to the donor of each gift. The library does not assign a value to gift materials. All gifts should be directed to Bonnie Geldmacher in 260B JRCB.
Group study rooms are for the exclusive use of BYU law students. Study rooms are available for students to reserve for up to two hour blocks. You can find the online reservation system and study room policies here.
Step by step directions to using the online reservation system are as follows:
Yes, the Howard W. Hunter Law Library is open to members of the public needing to conduct legal research. Members of the public may use law library materials on-site and have access to certain electronic resources through 3 computer terminals on the main floor that are reserved for legal research. Members of the public may also access BYU’s wireless guest network within the law library. BYU Law School alumni and members of the Bar may borrow law library materials that circulate.
Members of the public needing reference assistance should visit this page to see the hours that reference services are offered. Reference employees cannot give legal advice.
During Fall and Winter Semesters, the Law Library is open from 7:00am until 12:00 midnight, Monday through Thursday; 7:00am until 10:00pm on Friday; and 9:00am until 10:00pm on Saturday. The Fall Semester Schedule begins on the first day of 1L Orientation — Wednesday of the third full week in August.
For Spring/Summer, the Law Library is open from 8:00am until 8:00pm, Monday through Friday and 10:00am until 6pm on Saturday. The Spring/Summer Schedule begins on the first day of Spring term classes.
The Law Library is closed on Sunday.
Holidays the Law Library is Open (8:00 am until 5:00pm):
Holidays the Law Library is Closed:
Other Exceptions to the Schedule:
For More Info / Source(s) (Links open in new window.)
The Reference Desk hours for the week are available here. Call the Reference Desk at (801) 422-6658 to inquire about future Reference Desk hours.
More FAQs
Due to COVID-19, the reference desk is closed for the safety of our librarians, student employees, and patrons. However, many virtual reference options are available to both the BYU Law community and other BYU and community patrons to receive reference services.
Patrons may use the Contact Us form to submit reference questions. We will attempt to answer reference questions within two business days. We remind you that we cannot offer legal advice. We can provide answers to brief, factual research questions
To receive reference services over the phone, call 801-422-6658, and you will be transferred to a law student reference assistant or a reference librarian if one is available. The hours that reference services generally are available via the phone are listed here. It is not recommended that you leave a voicemail as it is not checked regularly. Rather, call back during the times reference services over the phone are available or email us your reference question at reference@law.byu.edu.
Patrons may chat with a reference
Law students may access library resources during regular hours. Law students also have 24-hour access to the J. Reuben Clark Building with their campus ID card, and may enter the library after the outer building doors are locked at 10pm. ID card access is governed by the Law School Security Policy.
The J. Reuben Clark Law School Building (JRCB) is open to the general public during normal operating hours. The Law School provides after-hours access to law faculty, staff, and students as described by this policy. The University has installed a swipe card security system that is designed to restrict access for the general public after normal operating hours* and provide managed access to authorized individuals after-hours.
The normal operating hours of the JRCB are defined as:
Fall and Winter Semester
Monday through Saturday 5:55 am until 10:00 pm.*
Sunday 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 pm.
Spring and Summer Term
Monday through Saturday 5:55 am until 8:00 pm.*
Sunday 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 pm.
Holidays and other restrictions
Monday through Saturday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm.
Sunday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm.
Or as posted.
* The Law Library is not open to the public beyond the JRCB normal operating hours. However, library patrons who enter the Law Library before the building closes may remain in the Law Library until library closing. After the JRCB building doors are locked, Law Library patrons who are not authorized for swipe card access to the building cannot re-enter the building or Law Library until the building next opens, even though the library may not yet have closed.
After-hours access is managed by the C-cure security system. Building access is defined by predetermined assigned roles. Faculty and staff typically have 24/7 access to virtually all areas of the building. Law students have access to the co-curricular offices, the student commons (211, 213, 215), vending machine area (224), and other open areas (excluding administrative areas) of the law school after hours. There is no access to the Library once the Library has closed. The third floor doors exiting the library to the law school are secured at 8:00 pm Monday through Friday and are closed on Saturday and Sunday. Exiting through these doors after closing hours is a violation of the security agreement and may result in fines.
To receive after hours privileges for the law building, law students must agree to the terms of the JRCB / HWHLL Security System Policies. New Faculty, Staff, and Students must present their BYU ID card to Dianne Davenport to be assigned the appropriate privilege.
Anyone found inside the building after the normal operating hours should be willing and able to provide his or her BYU ID card upon request or exit the building immediately. Any staff member who feels uncomfortable requesting such credentials from a person within the building is encouraged to contact University Police who can appropriately evaluate the situation. For Police verification purposes, the C-cure system can be used to verify that an individual is authorized to access the building after-hours.
Because full-time and part-time custodial staff members perform most of their labors after the outside doors have been locked and before the public is let in to the building in the morning, Law Students should be cooperative with requests to vacate areas during normal cleaning operations.
Failure to abide by this policy may lead to a loss of after-hours access as well as Law School and University disciplinary action.
(Policy Date: September 2016)
As a courtesy, the Law Library assigns study carrels to regularly admitted law students in good standing. First-year law students are randomly assigned carrels in the “1L area” at the beginning of the school year. Second- and third-year students are able to select their carrels based on a randomly-generated lottery order. All law students are expected to abide by the terms of the “Carrel Occupancy Agreement.” (pdf version), including the Carrel Use Policy. (Repeated failure to abide by the terms of the Agreement may result in the loss of carrel privileges. It may also result in the denial of carrel privileges in future years.)Each carrel has locking cabinets and file drawers and is provided with power and data outlets. Carrel problems should be reported online or to the Circulation Desk.
Thank-you for letting us know of any problems you are having with your carrel. Please use this form to report non-urgent problems. For urgent concerns, such as electrical malfunctions or water leaks, please contact the circulation desk immediately (801-422-3593).
I, _____________________________________, agree and understand that my occupancy of a carrel is conditioned upon compliance with the terms stated below and may be terminated at any time, with or without cause. I also agree that I will be financially liable for any damages to the carrel resulting from my occupancy of it and acknowledge that failure to pay for damages may affect the receipt of my law school diploma and/or certification to take the bar exam.
As a condition of carrel occupancy, I promise to conduct myself in a manner that is in harmony with the primary purposes of a library and bolsters an environment conducive to learning and study. By signing this agreement, I acknowledge that I must abide by the following rules:
| §1. | ______ | I understand that I am responsible for maintaining the carrel in a clean and orderly condition, suitable for a professional work environment. I agree to thoroughly clean the carrel before checking out at the end of occupancy. I recognize that a $25 fine will be assessed for the cleaning and removal of items left in my carrel at the end of occupancy. |
| §2. | ______ | I agree to immediately report any existing damage to the carrel and its surroundings by email to davenportd@law.byu.edu. I also agree to report any damage or deterioration due to normal wear and tear as soon as it becomes apparent. I understand that all carrels are inspected following check-out, and that I will be liable for any damage outside of normal use. |
| §3. | ______ | I understand that an approved Library chair is provided for each carrel, and that no other furnishings are permitted. (See “Furnishings” in the Carrel Use Policy printed on the back of the form.) If I require special accommodations for ADA or medical reasons, I will seek prior approval (in writing) from the Law School’s Dean of Students. |
| §4. | ______ | I agree to keep all books, decorations, personal belongings, and food consumption within the confines of the carrel assigned to me. I understand that any objects placed on top of the cabinets, or around or underneath the carrel assigned to me may be removed and taken to Circulation’s Lost & Found. |
| §5. | ______ | I agree that the library staff has the right to inspect all carrels (including locked portions) at any time without notice. I acknowledge that I need not be present for an inspection to occur. |
| §6. | ______ | I will treat my fellow students, library and law school employees, faculty, and others with respect; and I will cooperate in whatever manner requested to maintain a professional working environment. |
| §7. | ______ | I understand that penalties may be imposed for violations of this Agreement, which includes the Carrel Use Policy. I understand that ongoing disregard of these policies may result in the loss of carrel privileges for the duration of the current academic year, or denial of privileges for future years. |
| §8. | ______ | I understand that I am responsible for the cleaning out and returning of the carrel key on time. I understand that these fines may not be waved and if not paid may affect the receipt of my law school diploma and/or certification to take the bar exam. |
By signing this form, I accept all of the terms of this Agreement, including the Carrel Use Policy printed on the back of the form.
Signed: ___________________________________ Date: _________________
Students at the J. Reuben Clark Law School are expected to comply with all the requirements of the CES Honor Code, the Dress and Grooming Standards, and the standards of conduct established for the legal profession. These include “maintain[ing] the highest standards in their personal conduct regarding honor, integrity, morality, and consideration of others … ‘at all times and in all things, and in all places’.” To foster a professional atmosphere, demonstrate respect for others, and protect the Law School’s large financial investment in providing each student with a personal space conducive to study, BYU Law Students are expected to comply with the following rules:
Note: Room 388 has been designated as a study room. This room does not have a speaker installed. With the door closed, the occupants may not hear library or building announcements.
For questions about the study room policy or to report monopolization of a study room, contact the SBA by sending a message to “sbaweb -at- law.byu.edu.”
For concerns about how the program is functioning, please contact Dianne Davenport through email.
| Circulation: | 801-422-3593 |
| Reference: | 801-422-6658 |
There are 15 study rooms in the Law Library, designated exclusively for Law School use. The rooms may be reserved for two consecutive hours by groups of two or more law students. Study groups may sign up for only two 2-hour blocks in a given room each day. Groups must occupy a room within 15 minutes of their scheduled reservation, or lose their reservation for that hour. Unoccupied study rooms are available on a first-come-first-served basis to any group of two or more law students. No food or drink is allowed in any study room.
For tips on study groups (including best practices, study group activities, and study group technology tools), see the Student Groups for Law Students research guide.
For personal study, consider instead the Quiet Study Room on the second floor.
A Quiet Reading Room in the northeast corner of the main floor of the library is available for law student study during all hours the library is open. This room, which was specifically designed to create a place for quiet study, is restricted to law students and is accessible only with a law student ID card. The room will accommodate up to fifty students and includes a mix of soft seating as well as tables and carrels.
The Rex E. Lee Room (393 JRCB) has popular magazines and newspapers from several cities around the United States. There is a growing collection of popular novels in the room that law students may choose from to read and then return to the shelf. Many students donate their paperbacks to the collection when they have finished reading them.
The Rex E. Lee Room is a great place to take a break, relax, and socialize with friends and family members. There is a “kiddie” corner where children can read and play. In addition to the items stored in the Rex E. Lee Room, games and puzzles for all ages can be checked out at the Circulation Desk.
The Circulation Desk receives lost & found items from the J. Reuben Clark Building. These items are collected by the BYU Lost & Found Department once or twice a week. Be aware that it often takes a few days for items to be turned in. In addition, some “finders” of lost items take them directly to the campus lost & found.
Individuals who have lost items in the JRCB are encouraged to check several times with the Circulation staff to see if the items have been turned in, and also with the BYU Lost & Found Department (1055 WSC, (801) 422-3024).
Graduating law students have access to Lexis through December 31, 2021. You must redeem your student rewards points by June 30, 2021. After July 9, 2021, when you sign on to Lexis you will see the Graduate Homepage where you can select a gift from Lexis (Law360, Intelligize, Lexis for Microsoft Office, Lexis+ Practice Guidance, or a LexisNexis e-book).
Graduating law students have access to Bloomberg Law for six months after graduation.
Westlaw provides access for six months after graduation for up to 60 hours per month. You must register for “Grad Elite” status by logging in at lawschool.tr.com and select “Grad Elite Status” from the drop-down menu by your name in the upper-right corner. Just like with summer access, you may NOT use Westlaw to do research for a client— only for personal learning.
The Law Library also has two computer terminals near the reference desk with public Westlaw access. They are available for use by anyone when the library is open to the public. Researchers must limit their sessions to 30 minutes when someone else is waiting.
All attorneys who have bar membership in the United States have free access to Fastcase or Casemaker. Check your bar association’s website for details.
BYU Law School alumni have access to two electronic databases through the Law Library: HeinOnline’s Law Journal Library and the LexisNexis Digital Library. Students lose access to all other databases on the August 31 following graduation. Alumni can access some databases like HeinOnline (all BYU Law content), Westlaw, and Cheetah by visiting the Law Library in person when it reopens to the public.
HeinOnline Alumni Access: Alumni can access HeinOnline’s extensive library of over 2,800 law journals. Use the HeinOnline Alumni Access link at the bottom of the Law Library’s home page under “Helpful Links” and log in with your NetID and password.
LexisNexis Digital Library Attorney Access: Alumni and members of the Utah Bar can sign up for an account to checkout e-book versions of legal treatises and volumes of the Utah Code Annotated. For more information and a complete list of titles, go to https://lawlibrary.byu.edu/information/digital-library-attorney-access/.
Carrels are available for graduates for bar study. Students who graduate in December are able to continue using the carrel they are currently assigned. Students who graduate in April will need to vacate their current carrel and pick a carrel for the summer via the carrel pick website. Further instructions regarding carrel picks will be sent to graduates prior to graduation.
Security and building access to the J. Reuben Clark Building remain the same until August 15 of the year you graduate. Graduating students have 24/7 access to the building and the quiet reading room in the library during library hours until August 15.
Graduates are always welcome to contact the reference desk or the law librarians with research questions! Contact information is available at https://lawlibrary.byu.edu/information/ask-a-librarian/.
Full checkout privileges last through the end of the August following graduation. Afterward, graduates can sign up for a Community User account. Open the Community User Agreement.
In addition, we can provide scans of pages from non-circulating materials and email them to you. Send the title, author, and page range, along with a link to the book in our library catalog, to Melanie Coleman. Please allow 24 hours for turnaround. Requests are not processed over the weekend. Requests received after 3 p.m. on Friday are processed the following Monday. Requests that violate copyright law will not be processed.
Access to books and databases provided by the Harold B. Lee Library ends the August 31 following graduation. You can get circulation privileges by becoming a “friend of the library” for a $50 donation. For larger donations you can get remote access to some databases. For more information, see https://lib.byu.edu/services/friends-of-the-library/.
The Utah State Bar has authorized a limited number of recordings on CD and DVD for self-study CLE credit. Utah attorneys can check out these materials from the Law Library for free for a short time. For more information and a list of available recordings, see https://lawlibrary.byu.edu/information/self-study-cle-materials-for-2020/.
Graduating law students have access to their @law.byu.edu email addresses for one full year following graduation (until May 1 of the next year). Law School IT will contact alumni approximately one month before accounts expire to give you a chance to move your emails to another account.
In addition, BYU alumni have access to a permanent @byu.net email address that can be forwarded to the email service provider of your choice. For information go to https://alumni.byu.edu/email-forwarding.
Graduating students have access to BYU software for 30 days following graduation. For more information go to https://law.byu.edu/departments/it-services/laptop-initiative/software-and-services-for-students/ or email the Help Desk.
Locked Reserve: Locked reserve consists of course reserve, audio/visual reserve, software reserve, professor files, and hard-copy sample exams. All of these items are located behind the Circulation Desk and may only be borrowed for a limited time. Course reserve and professor files may be borrowed for 2 hours at a time. Audio/visual and software reserve items circulate for 24 hours.
Course Reserve: Course reserve consists of texts and supplementary materials for courses presently being taught. It is located behind the Circulation Desk. There is a binder at the Circulation Desk that lists the title and call number of all items in course reserve, indexed by course and professor name. Items in this collection may be checked out for 2 hours, and substantial fines will accrue for late returns.
Electronic Reserve: Electronic reserve consists of selected reading materials which are made available online in various formats. The Library maintains access to sample exams. Reading lists for specific courses are most often available through individual class pages or through TWEN.
Reserve Library: The Reserve Library is located on the second floor, in room 280 JRCB (near Circulation). The Reserve Library consists of high-use monographs (texts, outlines, restatements, etc.), current legal newspapers, 3 week’s worth of popular reading newspapers, 1 year’s worth of popular reading magazines, bulletins from other law schools, unbound/current legal periodicals, along with most of the Utah Law Collection — including copies of the state code, and the codes for various Utah cities. The Biblical Law and Benson Collections are also located in the Reserve Library.
Reference librarians and reference assistants are available to help direct patrons to information and resources that may answer their questions or aid in their research. Be advised that library policy prohibits reference librarians and reference assistants from doing research for patrons or answering specific legal questions; however, they can direct patrons to relevant sources and give instruction on their use. The full-time reference librarians are also responsible for teaching and conducting the legal research classes offered at the law school.
The Reference Desk is located on the main floor of the Library, and reference services are also offered virtually. Reference services are provided by both full-time librarians and part-time law student reference assistants. For reference hours, see here. For methods to contact the reference employees, see here.
Reference librarians are also available for additional assistance, like research consultations, by appointment and may be contacted by telephone at (801) 422-6658 or by email at reference@law.byu.edu.
Digital copies of past law school examinations supplied by faculty members are listed below. Access to these exams requires an authorized ID and password.
Faculty participation in the sample exam bank is voluntary. Ask your professor to contact Laurie Urquiaga if he or she would like to contribute recent past exams to the collection.
The Law Library purchases a number of study aids to assist law student with exam preparation. Current editions of study aids are generally shelved in the Reserve Library and may be checked out for 2 hours (subject to the reserve circulation policy). Older editions are shelved in the main collection and can be checked out for the normal loan period. For specific titles, check the library catalog.
Additionally, check out this research guide on Study Aids for Law Students, which gives more details about the different types of study aids and how to access some of them electronically.
The AccessLex Law School Scholarship Databank for Writing Competitions is the internet’s largest collection of writing competitions for law students. Essay contests provide students with opportunities to display the exceptional legal research, analysis, and composition skills developed and honed in law school.
Law students with a current BYU Student ID may borrow materials from the library:
Law students may check out up to 50 items at one time. Items may be renewed either in person or by telephone at (801) 422-3593. Each item may be renewed up to two times if the item is not on hold. Once items are more than five days overdue the law student is blocked from checking out any more items until the matter has been cleared up.
All books are subject to hold and recall. A patron is guaranteed a minimum of two weeks use per book before a recall will be allowed. When a book is recalled, the borrowing patron will be notified via e-mail.
If any material is lost, the patron will be assessed the cost of replacing the item and a $15.00 processing fee. An item is considered lost if it is not returned within 28 days of the due date.
| General Collection Items | 90 days |
| Periodicals | 21 days |
| Audio cassettes, videos & software | 24 hours |
| Course Reserve & Professor Files | 2 hours |
| Non-circulating materials (e.g. Reference, Reserve) | None |
There is no grace period on overdue items.
| General Collection Items | $1.00 per day per item / $20 maximum per item |
| Periodicals | $1.00 per day per item |
| Audio cassettes, videos & software | $1.00 per day per item |
| Course Reserve & Professor Files | $1.20 per first minute per item, then 10¢ per additional minute per item / $20 maximum per item |
Because of the teaching and research needs of an academic law library, much of the material must remain on site and does not circulate. The following types of materials cannot be checked out: administrative regulations, codes, dictionaries, digests, encyclopedias, materials in the second floor looseleaf collection, materials in the Reserve Room, microforms, periodicals, rare books, reference books, reporters, restatements, session laws, and Shepard’s citators.
Abuse of any of these policies or of the library personnel may result in the loss of library privileges. Any appeals of fines or other policies should be directed to the Access Services Librarian.
Because law students and faculty enjoy extended loan periods, the Law Library reserves the right to recall circulating materials when necessary. If an item is required for a class, it may be subject to immediate recall. A rush recall requires the borrowing patron to return the book within 24 hours of notification.
A regular recall may be placed on any item that has been out of the Library for more than two weeks. The first patron is then given 7 days from notification to return the item. Recalls DO change the original due date of the item. Recall notifications are made by telephone and/or email (both if possible). The Library considers notice to have been given on the date the message was emailed or left on an answering machine. Overdue fines for recalled materials are double the normal rate ($2/day up to $20.00). Library policy prohibits forgiving overdue recall fines.
Law students should be advised that many law faculty like to be informed about any research within the law school that might be related to their own interests. In circumstances where both parties agree, students desiring access to material borrowed by a law professor may be directed to consult directly with the professor instead of recalling the specific item. This is an entirely voluntary option, and the student retains the right to request a recall.
Interlibrary Loan is a FREE service that the Law Library arranges through agreements with other libraries to provide access to materials that we may not have in our own collection for academic use.
ILL pulls materials first from the Law Library. If the material cannot be found here, then the search extends to the Lee Library and to other libraries after. It is rare for materials not to be available through this process.
Set up an appointment with Melanie, who is the Access Services Librarian; she will be able to help you navigate through the ILL process and help you obtain the materials you need.
To set up your account, go to illiad.lib.byu.edu/ILLiad/ and sign in using your net ID and password, and then fill out your account information.
You may also set up an appointment with Melanie and she will be able to assist you in creating your account.
In most cases we are able to obtain the items you need, but occasionally some items cannot be sent physically. The Access Services Librarian will work with you to reach a solution. There are many other specific items that can be scanned and obtained rather than entire publications, textbooks, or print including:
Melanie Coleman—Access Services Librarian
Email: colemanm@law.byu.edu
Phone: 801-422-3656
Feel free to set up an appointment with Melanie if you have any questions about ILL.
To recommend a book purchase, please email suggestions to Kory Staheli, Law Library Director: stahelik@law.byu.edu.
If the catalog indicates that an item the Law Library should have has not been checked out, but it is not on the shelf, patrons can email Chelsea Frandsen. If the item is found, the patron will be notified by email. Missing books searches may take up to two weeks. Students may find the item quicker by checking the maroon “reshelving” shelves near where the item is usually shelved, by checking near the copy machines, and by checking on the study tables. After a student has verified that the item really is missing, it can be requested through ILL without penalty.
BYU Law provides Co-Op printers for BYU Law students. To learn more about the cost, how to install it and use it, see the BYU Law page on Co-Op printing.
The Co-Op printers are located as follows:
You can also print to a Co-Op printer from any computer, even if it does not have the Co-Op drivers installed on it. See steps below:
Lexis printers are available for BYU Law students to use to print for free from Lexis’s website. Lexis printers are available near the entrance of the basement on the 1st floor, behind the reference desk on the 2nd floor (the ground floor), and on the 3rd floor near the Rex E. Lee room. There is also a Lexis printer outside the law library in the BYU Law Student Commons.
There is a color printer in the law school for student and community use. This printer is a BYU Pharos printer (named BYU Public Color), and it works like the other BYU Pharos printers across campus. It is on the third floor of the law library near the Rex E. Lee room. There is actually a BYU Public Color printer and a BYU Public B&W printer there. There is also a BYU Public B&W printer (but not a color printer) in the following additional location: on the second floor (the ground floor) of the law library by the reference desk.
To print in color from your computer at the law school, you must download the BYU Pharos Printer drive.
To print to the BYU Public Color printer (or the BYU Public B&W printer):
Please note:
Faxing services are available for law students at the Circulation Desk for a minimal fee. Law students can both send and receive faxes. The Law Library fax number is (801) 422-0404. Students will be notified by email if a fax arrives for them.
| Sending (Cover pages are excluded; there is a one page minimum fee) | |
| Local or toll-free | $.25/page |
| Long Distance | $.50/page |
| International | $1.00/page |
| Receiving ( cover pages are included) | $.10/page |
During Fall and Winter Semesters, the Law Library is open from 7:00am until 12:00 midnight, Monday through Thursday; 7:00am until 10:00pm on Friday; and 9:00am until 10:00pm on Saturday. The Fall Semester Schedule will begin on the first day of 1L Orientation — Wednesday of the third full week in August.
During the Spring/Summer Terms, the Law Library will be open from 8:00am until 8:00pm, Monday through Thursday; 8:00am to 6:00pm on Friday; and 9:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday.
The Law Library is closed on Sunday.
Holidays the Law Library is Open (8:00am until 5:00pm):
| Holidays the Law Library is Closed:
|
Upcoming Exceptions to the Schedule:
Brigham Young University Academic Calendar.
The Howard W. Hunter Law Library is open to members of the public to engage in activities associated with the use of a law library, including law-related research, reading, studying, and writing. Because the primary mission of the Law Library is to serve members of the BYU Law School community, public patrons must be conscientious of law students and faculty and carefully adhere to the policies outlined below.
Members of the public may research on the 2nd (main) floor of the law library. The 1st and 3rd floors are designated as student study areas. Public patrons are permitted to select books on the 1st and 3rd floors, but should only remain on these floors for short periods of time while they use the collection.
Study rooms are for law student use only.
Three computers near the reference desk are designated for use by the public for legal research purposes.
The Law Library provides borrowing privileges to BYU Law School alumni and members of the Utah State Bar. Borrowing privileges are also available for students and faculty of Utah universities and colleges whose libraries are members of the Utah Academic Library Consortium. Other public patrons may use law library materials within the Law Library, but will not be given borrowing privileges.
Noise should be kept to a minimum in the law library. Talking loudly or making noise that disturbs other library patrons is prohibited. Conversations should be conducted in quiet tones and in locations that do not disturb others. Cellular phones should be silenced within the library (alternative ring modes such as vibrate are permitted), and all telephone conversations should be conducted outside the library.
Food and drink is not permitted on the 2nd (main) floor of the library.
Library patrons may not engage in behavior which results in health and safety risks, property damage, or nuisance to other library users and library staff. The following are examples of behaviors not permitted in the library.
Library staff will provide a warning to users whose behavior violates library policy.* If the violator fails to heed the warning and continues violating library policy, library staff will contact University Police to remove the patron from the building. Patrons required to leave the library for policy violations may not be permitted to return to the law library.
*Serious threats to health and safety of library patrons or staff will be reported immediately to University Police without warning.
View the BYU Law School location in a larger map (get directions from Google maps).
The J. Reuben Clark Building (JRCB) is located on the east side of the BYU Campus, between the Wilkinson Student Center and 900 East, and south of Heritage Drive. Visitor parking is available just south of the JRCB. The Law Library occupies the north wing of the building.
Library Maps
First Floor (basement)
Second Floor (main)
Third Floor
For prospective law school applicants, BYU Law School tours (which may include a tour of the BYU Law Library) may be scheduled through the Law School Admissions Department.
BYU Law Library tours for other reasons may be scheduled by contacting the BYU Law Library Administrative Assistant at (801) 422-7475.
All patrons who have a BYU ID card may borrow Law Library materials. Students should use their university identification card. Law school alumni and local attorneys may check materials out from the Law Library using their bar membership card. In general, members of the bar may borrow items for three weeks. Members of the general public may not borrow materials, but are welcome to use Law Library resources while on the premises. We provide scanners and printers for patron use (USB flash drives may be used to save scanned pages).
The Circulation Desk can provide information about specific check-out periods and policies for various types of materials: (801) 422-3593.
The Howard W. Hunter Law Library gratefully accepts gifts of books and other materials. Gifts are accepted with the understanding that the law library retains discretion to utilize or dispose of the items as warranted by library needs. Gifts not added to the library collection will be returned to the donor upon written request at the time of donation. Unless requested otherwise, a letter of acknowledgement will be sent to the donor of each gift. The library does not assign a value to gift materials. All gifts should be directed to Bonnie Geldmacher in 260B JRCB.
The Circulation Desk receives lost & found items from throughout the J. Reuben Clark Building. These items are collected by the BYU Lost & Found Department once or twice a week. Be aware that it often takes a few days for items to be turned in. In addition, some “finders” of lost items take them directly to the campus lost & found.
Individuals who have lost items in the JRCB are encouraged to check several times with the Circulation staff to see if the items have been turned in, and also with the BYU Lost & Found Department (1055 WSC, (801) 422-3024).
Legal research lectures may be arranged for BYU undergraduate classes. These lectures are particularly helpful for students asked to conduct research in the law library. Law librarians can adapt their lectures to the subject matter of the course. To schedule a lecture, contact Dennis Sears: (801) 422-7472 or searsd@law.byu.edu.
Law Library tours for teaching support may be scheduled through Annalee Hickman: (801) 422-3596 or HickmanA@law.byu.edu.
The Utah State Bar has pre-authorized a limited number of recordings for self-study CLE credit. A fee is not charged to the attorney. The recordings approved for credit in 2021 are:
| Title | Media Type | Call Number | CLE Credits | # of Copies | Checkout Period |
| 1L Mandatory Civility Meeting (2014)* | DVD | KF 306 .C57 2014 | 1 | 5 | 24 Hours |
| Administrative Law (Gilbert) (2016) | CD | KF 5402 .B67 2016 | 5 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Antitrust (Gilbert) (2006) | CD | KF 1649 .L475 2006 | 6 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Bankruptcy Law (Sum+Substance) (2012) | CD | KF 1524.85 .E66 2012 | 7 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Civil Procedure (Sum+Substance) (2016) | CD | KF 8841 .M6 2016 | 10 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Constitutional Law (Sum+Substance) (2016) | CD | KF 4550 .Z9 .C43 2016 | 14 | 1 | 2 Weeks |
| Contracts (Sum+Substance) (2018) | CD | KF 801 .Z9 .W42 2018 | 16 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Corporations (Sum+Substance) (2014) | CD | KF 1384 .C69 2014 | 8 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Criminal Law (Sum+Substance) (2018) | CD | KF 9219.85 .D74 2018 | 8 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Criminal Procedure (Sum+Substance) (2018) | CD | KF 9619.85 .D74 2018 | 8 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Evidence (Sum+Substance) (2016) | CD | KF 8935 .Z9 .G66 2016 | 9 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Family Law (Sum+Substance) (2018) | CD | KF 505 .Z9 .P74 2018 | 4 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Federal Income Tax (Sum+Substance) (2018) | CD | KF 6369.3 D67 2018 | 3 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Immigration Law (Gilbert) (2008) | CD | KF 4819.3 .S22 2008 | 4 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| International Law (Sum+Substance) (2015) | CD | KZ 1242 .B87 2015 | 6 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Legal Research (Sum+Substance) (2016) | CD | KF 240 .B467 2016 | 3 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Professional Responsibility (Gilbert) (2010)** | CD | KF 306 .C44 2010 | 3 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Property (Sum+Substance) (2014) | CD | KF 570 .Z9 .J83 2014 | 12 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Securities Regulation (Sum+Substance) (2015) | CD | KF 1439 .C685 2015 | 8 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Torts (Sum+Substance) (2019) | CD | KF 1250 .Z9 .F56 2019 | 11 | 1 | 24 Hours |
| Wills and Trusts (Sum+Substance) (2016) | CD | KF 755 .B48 2016 | 10 | 1 | 24 Hours |
* 1L Mandatory Civility Meeting (2014) is approved for 1.0 CLE credit, including 1.0 Professionalism & Civility credit.
** Professional Responsibility (Gilbert) (2010) is approved for 3.0 CLE credits, including 3.0 Ethics credits.
All of the CLE materials must be picked up in person from the law library circulation desk at BYU and may be borrowed for a 24-hour loan period. Please call ahead to determine availability (801-422-3593).
You also have the option to listen to or watch these materials at the law library when the law library is open to the public. To listen or watch in the library, when you pick up your CLE materials from the Circulation Desk, you may also check out headphones and an external drive (which is compatible with DVDs and CDs), which will allow you to watch or listen to the CLE materials on any computer that has a USB port and applications for CD listening and DVD watching. An employee at the Reference Desk can get you set up on one of the law library computers to watch or listen to CLE materials.
After you have listened to the recording, please contact Annalee Hickman (HickmanA@law.byu.edu) to have your credit posted. When contacting her, you must include the following information: (1) your name, (2) your Utah bar number, (3) the name of the recording, (4) how many hours of the recording you listened to, and (5) the date(s) that you listened to the recording.
The Law Library provides borrowing privileges to law school alumni and members of the Utah Bar at no charge. Attorneys who wish to arrange for circulation privileges at the Harold B. Lee Library as well should contact the Circulation Desk at (801) 422-3593 for instructions.
The BYU Law Library provides access to the LexisNexis Digital Library through its Attorney Access program to the following individuals:
The LexisNexis Digital Library contains ebook versions of the following Utah legal titles:
Ebook versions of well-regarded legal treatises including Nimmer on Copyright, Collier on Bankruptcy, and Business Organizations with Tax Planning are also available in the Digital Library. View the complete list of titles.
Interested patrons may apply for Attorney Access by filling out the form below and agreeing to comply with the terms and conditions of this policy. Processing the form and establishing access may take up to two weeks. Upon enrollment in the program, participation in Attorney Access lasts for one year provided the patron complies with the terms of use.
Participants in Attorney Access may check out up to two ebooks in the LexisNexis Digital Library at one time. The check-out period is seven days and may be renewed if the title has not been requested by another patron. The BYU Law Library reserves the right to recall an ebook and/or terminate the patron’s check-out early and without notice. The BYU Law Library cannot guarantee access to titles in the LexisNexis Digital Library. The BYU Law Library reserves the right to terminate the Attorney Access program or the patron’s participation in the program at any time and for any reason. Patrons agree with to comply with all applicable copyright laws and the terms of use of the LexisNexis Digital Library.
Questions? Email Iantha Haight at haighti@law.byu.edu.
Open the Google Form
Law Firms and Attorneys may request PDF scanned copies of library material by contacting the InterLibrary Loan Department at 801.422.3656 or lawill@law.byu.edu. Items from electronic databases may not be loaned or distributed. However, in-person access for many databases is available on site.
The Howard W. Hunter Law Library provides a scan-and-send service for law firms in the State of Utah free of charge. The Library will also lend print materials free of charge. However, the law firm must provide a UPS or FedEx account number to cover shipping costs.
The Howard W. Hunter Law Library provides a scan-and-send service for out-of-state law firms for a fee of $5.00 for up to 50 pages. Print materials will only be lent if a request is submitted through Illiad and an ILL number is generated.
BYU students use the BYU Pharos printing system with their BYU ID cards.
Patrons who are not BYU students may use the Pharos system to print with a courtesy card. Courtesy cards may be purchased at the Circulation Desk. These reusable cards cost $1.00, and come pre-loaded with a $.50 balance. You may always deposit more money onto your reusable courtesy card. There are several ways additional funds can be added to Courtesy Cards. Circulation clerks can make deposits with cash or checks. Credit card deposits can be completed by using this BYU webpage and following the instructions.
There is a color printer in the law school for student and community use. This printer is a BYU Pharos printer (named BYU Public Color), and it works like the other BYU Pharos printers across campus. It is on the third floor of the law library near the Rex E. Lee room. There is actually a BYU Public Color printer and a BYU Public B&W printer there. There is also a BYU Public B&W printer (but not a color printer) in the following additional location: on the second floor (the ground floor) of the law library by the reference desk.
Anyone can print from one of the public computers in the law library on the second floor (the ground floor).
To print to one of the Pharos printers from your own computer, you must download the BYU Pharos Printer drive.
To print to the BYU Public Color printer or the BYU Public B&W printer from a law library computer or your own computer that has the BYU Pharos Printer drive:
Please note:
The Law Library subscribes to dozens of online legal research tools. These resources are available off-campus only to authenticated law school users. However, most subscription resources are available within the law library for public use. Contact the Reference Desk for further information or for assistance with using these databases.
Westlaw Patron Access is a version of Westlaw open to the public. It is available on two of the three computers that are currently open to the public near the Reference Desk. Westlaw Patron Access allows access to all federal and state cases and statutes, KeyCite, ALR, and AmJur (plus many different parts of the AmJur series, like Forms and Causes of Action).
Use of the Patron Access terminal is limited to 30 minutes when someone else is waiting.
Because of COVID-19, the BYU Law Library is currently not open to public patrons. Westlaw is providing a means whereby the public can access Westlaw (with some time limitations). For information on how to do that, see this law library blog post.
As an alternative to photocopiers, the Law Library provides document scanners, which allow the option of saving a document as a PDF and/or printing the scanned material to paper.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The person using the equipment is liable for any infringement.
Please note that scanning all or even a substantial portion of a book in order to avoid purchasing a copy is not a Fair Use (see § 107(4)).
Scanned PDFs may be saved to USB flash drives, uploaded to cloud-based systems like your own Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox account, emailed using web-based accounts such as Yahoo or Gmail, or sent to a BYU Pharos printer. For information on how to use the BYU Pharos printer, see Printing for BYU Law Students or Printing for the Public.
Scanner Locations
The Law Library currently has:
Employees at the Circulation and Reference Desks are trained and ready to assist anyone who needs help with scanning.
Microform
Copies of documents on microform can be made as digital scans on the public computer in the Microform area (first floor). Patrons may email those scans on that computer to themselves or send them to one of the Pharos printers to print.
Law Library Director
Kory D. Staheli
277B JRCB | 801.422.9223
Deputy Law Librarian
Shawn G. Nevers
277C JRCB | 801.422.8784
Administrative Assistant
Maureen Holman
277 JRCB | 801.422.7475
Access Services Librarian
Melanie Coleman
256B JRCB | 801.422.3656
Collection and Student Services Librarian
Dianne Davenport
256B JRCB | 801.422.9052
Collection Maintenance Assistant
Chelsea Frandsen
260 JRCB | 801.422.7474
Foreign & International Law Librarian
Dennis S. Sears
274C JRCB | 801.422.7472
Electronic Resources & Research Librarian
Iantha Haight
277A JRCB | 801.422.9023
Head of Reference and Faculty Services
Annalee Hickman
274E JRCB | 801.422.3596
Acquisitions Librarian / Head of Technical Services
Bonnie R. Geldmacher
260B JRCB | 801.422.3572
Cataloging Specialist
Andrea Howard
260A JRCB | 801.422.1632
Serials Librarian and Data Project Manager
Teresa Odam
260C JRCB | 801.422.3571
Technical Services Assistant
Melanie Chao
260 JRCB | 801.422.5192
Head of Infrastructure and Technology
David L. Armond
396 JRCB | 801.422.4258
LNIS Manager & Programmer
Mark Harris
459K JRCB | 801.422.9050
Digital Resources Librarian / Law School Copyright Coordinator
Laureen C. Urquiaga
457 JRCB | 801.422.6657
Thank-you for submitting your request/comment.
The appropriate library department should respond to you within a couple of days. Feel free to contact hunterlawlibrary@law.byu.edu if you don’t hear back after 3 working days.
BYU Law Faculty/Students – please use the priority reference form for quick research help.
