About the Library

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.

Upcoming Exceptions to the Schedule:

Brigham Young University Academic Calendar.

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).

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.

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.

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. 

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 Melanie Coleman. 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.

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).

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.

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.

Administration

Law Library Director

neverss@law.byu.edu

Shawn G. Nevers

801.422.8784

277B

Primary Responsibilities:

Direct library operations. 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.

Law Library Deputy Director

haighti@law.byu.edu

Iantha Haight

801.422.9023

277A

Primary Responsibilities:

Legal reference, faculty research support and development, management of the library's electronic collections, and legal research instruction.

Administrative Assistant

holmanm@law.byu.edu

Maureen Holman

801.422.7475

277

Primary Responsibilities:

Library maintenance, supply orders and inventory, basic support of Law Library Faculty and Staff. Schedule Law Library conference room and the Lee Reading Room.

Circulation

Access Services Librarian

colemanm@law.byu.edu

Melanie Coleman

801.422.3656

256B

Primary Responsibilities:

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.

Student Services and Outreach

chaom@law.byu.edu

Melanie Chao

801.422.9052

294

Primary Responsibilities:

Oversees library marketing and outreach. Manages student study carrels, study rooms, reference computers, building security, and keys.

Collection Maintenance Assistant

marilyn.porter@law.byu.edu

Marilyn Porter

801.422.7474

256

Primary Responsibilities:

Assist with collection organization, shelf management, and weeding of obsolete materials.

Public Services

Senior Law Librarian

stahelik@law.byu.edu

Kory D. Staheli

801.422.9223

274A

Primary Responsibilities:

Oversee collection development, select publications for purchase, provide faculty research assistance and support, and teach Legal Research courses.

Head of Reference and Faculty Services

HickmanA@law.byu.edu

Annalee Hickman Pierson

801.422.3596

274E

Primary Responsibilities:

Oversee legal reference and faculty services, provide faculty research assistance and support, and teach legal research.

Legal Technology Librarian

nick.hafen@law.byu.edu

Nick Hafen

801.422.2658

277A

Primary Responsibilities:

Oversees legal technology trainings, law student technology certifications, and advanced technology learning platforms.

Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Librarian

kristen.kellems@law.byu.edu

Kristen Clarke Kellems

801.422.7472

274G

Primary Responsibilities:

Responsible for providing both general research and reference services and services for foreign, comparative, and international law inquiries. Maintains and enhances BYU Law's FCIL law collection. Teaches LLM and legal research classes.

Technical Services

Acquisitions Librarian / Head of Technical Services

geldmacherb@law.byu.edu

Bonnie R. Geldmacher

801.422.3572

260B

Primary Responsibilities:

Acquires legal materials for the law library collection. Oversees cataloging and serials, looseleaf filing, donations, and the bindery.

Cataloging Specialist

howarda@law.byu.edu

Andrea Howard

801.422.1632

260A

Primary Responsibilities:

Catalogs newly acquired print and electronic legal resources, processes old law material, and assists in paying for legal material for the Law Library.

Serials Librarian and Data Project Manager

odamt@law.byu.edu

Teresa Odam

801.422.3571

260C

Primary Responsibilities:

Responsible for maintaining the serials collection in the Law Library. Coordinates with other Law Library employees to process data project requests from Law School and Law Library faculty.

Library and Networked Information Systems

Head of Infrastructure and Technology

armondd@law.byu.edu

David L. Armond

801.422.4258

396

Primary Responsibilities:

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

LNIS Manager & Programmer

harrism@law.byu.edu

Mark Harris

801.422.9050

459K

Primary Responsibilities:

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.

Systems and Digital Content Librarian

blazzardg@law.byu.edu

Garrett Blazzard

801.422.6657

260D

Primary Responsibilities:

Manage the Library's presence on the web; overseeing website development, the digital archive, libguides and other web-related resources.

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:

For more information about employees, see the Library Directory.