Facilities Information

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.

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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 19th | Juneteenth July 24th | Pioneer Day (or date observed)

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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.

Second Floor (main)

Third 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.