About the Library – BYU Law Library

Library Facilities

Construction Closure Summer 2024

The BYU Law Library has limited space and access to library materials during construction this summer in 2024 and will be locked and closed to the public beginning April 29, 2024, until further notice (likely until fall semester begins).

BYU Law Students: Please see your email for instructions on how to access the library and study carrels.

People outside the BYU Law Community, including non-law BYU students and faculty, attorneys, and local community patrons may request an exception for access to use our library materials. A request for access can be made using this form. Note that requesting access does not guarantee you access, and requests will only be granted for access to use our specialized library materials. Access for any other reason will not be granted (e.g. space to study and work, etc.). A decision regarding your request may take up to a full business day. Access, if granted, will always be brief, limited, and short-term (less than 2 hours) and will require an appointment made with a Reference Services employee to enter the library to use the access you’ve been granted.

For access to physical materials that are located on the 2nd floor, access will not be immediate.

Library Hours, Holidays and Exceptions

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 8:00am 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 Saturday.

The Law Library is closed on Sunday.

Holidays the Law Library is Open

(9:00am until 5:00pm):

Labor Day
Martin Luther King Day
Presidents’ Day

Holidays the Law Library is Closed:

Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve (or date observed)
Christmas Day (or date observed)
New Year’s Eve (or date observed)
New Year’s Day (or date observed)
Memorial Day
Independence Day (or date observed)
June 19^th | Juneteenth
July 24^th | Pioneer Day (or date observed)

Upcoming Exceptions to the Schedule:

Brigham Young University Academic Calendar.

Maps and Directions

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.

BYU Campus Map

Library Maps

First Floor (basement)

NOTE: We are undergoing renovation in some library areas. Please contact Circulation to request any item that is unavailable.

The first floor of the library houses documents from federal and state governments, as well as selected legal periodicals. Please ask Reference for assistance in locating specific records.

Second Floor (main)

The main floor of the library contains primary legal materials generated by federal and state governments, finding aids, selected secondary resources and items on reserve. The public Westlaw and HeinOnline computers are near the reference desk. Reference Assistants, located at the desk near these resources, can provide training on the use of the available digital and print collections.

Third Floor

The Law Library’s circulating book collection is shelved on the third floor. This floor is also the location of most law student personal study spaces. Non-students should avoid disturbing anyone who is studying, and must not remain on this floor any longer than is necessary to locate the books needed for their research. Circulating books may be carried to the main floor of the library where public study tables are provided for non-student patrons, or checked out from the Circulation Desk (also located on the main/ground floor).

Public Use of the Law Library

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.

After-Hours Access

Law Faculty, Staff, and Students

To access the library after 6 pm, approved patrons will need to swipe their ID card on the reader located by the second floor – east entrance of the Law Library. Approved patrons who forget to bring their ID card and need assistance accessing the library after 6 pm, please contact the circulation desk at 801-422-3593. For questions regarding ID card access or hours, please contact Melanie Chao at chaom@law.byu.edu or 801-422-9052.

BYU Patrons

Current BYU students, faculty, administrators, or staff can use the button below to request after-hours access. Upon approval, your BYU ID card will be activated to allow swipe card access after 6 p.m. Please allow 24 hours for your request to be processed and swipe card access activated.

Law Community Patrons

Eligible patrons include BYU Law School graduates, members of the Utah Bar, and UALC members. Use the button below to request after-hours access. Please allow one business day for a decision and to receive further information about after-hours access.

Public Patrons

This category encompasses all patrons that are not eligible for a Law Community account and are not currently a BYU student/employee. Use the button below to request after-hours access. Please specify why you need after-hours access and specify why you are unable to utilize the library before 6 p.m. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please allow 2 business days for a decision and to receive further information about after-hours access.

After-hours drop-in access is not permitted for Public Patrons.

Request Access

Library Facilities & Policies

Public Research Areas

Members of the public and BYU who are not affiliated with the Law School may research on the 2^nd (main) floor of the law library. The 1^st and 3^rd floors are designated as BYU Law School student study areas only. Public patrons are permitted to select books on the 1^st and 3^rd floors, but they should only remain on these floors for short periods of time while they use the collection.

Study Rooms

Study rooms are for law student use only.

Computer Use

Three computers near the reference desk are designated for use by the public for legal research purposes.

Noise

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 & Drink

Food and drink is not permitted on the 2nd (main) floor of the library.

Behavior

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:

Not attending children in the library
Behaving in a manner that threatens other users or staff
Engaging in sexual harassment, including viewing pornography
Physical or verbal threats of violence, or fighting
Intoxication
Damaging or vandalizing library premises, furnishings, equipment, or materials
Having offensive personal hygiene or body odor
Monopolizing or impeding the use of furniture by others
Refusing to leave at library closing time or impeding the closing of the library
Talking loudly or making noise that disturbs other library patrons
Engaging in uninvited conversations with other users
Soliciting legal advice from library staff or law students
Behavior in violation of federal, state, or local law
Behavior in violation of Brigham Young University policies

Enforcement

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.

Law Library Tours

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.

Lost and Found

The Circulation Desk receives lost & found items from the J. Reuben Clark Building. These items are taken to the BYU Lost & Found Department once a month. 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).

Gifts and Donations

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. Upon written request, at the time of donation, gifts not added to the library collection will be returned to the donor. 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. Contact Bonnie Geldmacher at 801-422-3572 for all gifts and donations.

Online Subscriptions

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 Reference Services for further information or for assistance with using these databases.

“Ask a Librarian” Options

Quick FAQs

How do I reserve a group study room?

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:

Agree to the terms of the study room policies (found here).
Enter net ID and password
Under “My Reservation Templates” click “book now”
On the left under “Date & Time” select which day and time you want to reserve a study room.
To view all room options, click “Search” under “Locations.
Select which room you want to reserve by clicking the “+” sign next to the room.
If you know which room you would like to request enter the room number under “I Know What Room I Want” and select it from the dropdown.
Click “Next Step”
Enter reservations details
Click “Create Reservation”

Is the Law Library open to the public?

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.

What are the library’s hours?

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):

Martin Luther King Day
Presidents’ Day
Labor Day

Holidays the Law Library is Closed:

Memorial Day
Independence Day (or date observed)
July 24^th | Pioneer Day (or date observed)
Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November)
Christmas Eve (or date observed)
Christmas Day (or date observed)
New Year’s Eve (or date observed)
New Year’s Day (or date observed)

Other Exceptions to the Schedule:

Day before Thanksgiving (8:00am to 5:00pm)
Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving (8:00am to 5:00pm)
Last day of Fall Semester Final Exams (6:00am to 6:00pm)
Christmas Break (8:00am to 5:00pm, generally)
Last day of Winter Semester Final Exams (6:00am to 8:00pm)
Winter Semester Graduation (Spring/Summer schedule begins; 8:00am to 8:00pm)

For More Info / Source(s) (Links open in new window.)

What are the Reference Desk hours?

The current Reference Desk hours are available here. Call the Reference Desk at (801) 422-6658 to inquire about future Reference Desk hours.

More FAQs

Text

You may text us now with your questions for librarians! We are trying out this option, primarily for BYU Law students. Text us at 801-422-3596. We strive to respond quickly during business hours.

Email

You may email us your reference question at reference@law.byu.edu. BYU Law faculty and BYU Law students will receive first priority for responses, and we strive to respond by the same business day. For public patrons, we will attempt to answer reference questions within two business days, and we remind you that we cannot offer legal advice; we can provide answers to brief, factual research questions and resource inquiries. For example, we can help identify and locate legal materials or provide guidance in using legal resources or tools.

The hours that reference services generally are available via email are listed here.

Reference Desk

The physical reference desk on the main floor of the BYU Law Library is open. See the hours for this service here. You may also make appointments to receive in-person reference services with a law librarian by emailing reference@law.byu.edu.

Additionally, many virtual reference options (like emailing, submitting a reference question, and calling) are available to both the BYU Law community and other BYU and community patrons to receive reference services. The hours that virtual reference services generally are available via the reference department are listed here.

Submit a Reference Question

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 and resource inquiries. For example, we can help identify and locate legal materials or provide guidance in using legal resources or tools. BYU Law faculty and BYU Law students will receive first priority for responses.

Call

To receive reference services by talking with a reference employee over the phone, call 801-422-6658. The hours that reference services generally are available via calling are listed here. If a reference employee does not answer, feel free to leave a voicemail because it is checked regularly. You may also email us your reference question at reference@law.byu.edu.

Library Organization

Library Faculty and Staff

Administration

Law Library Director

neverss@law.byu.edu