The BYU Law Library can be a little tricky finding some books because we have many library collections within the three floors of the BYU Law Library. Each collection has the books listed alphabetically and then numerically, so once you are in the correct collection, it is fairly simple to find the book you need. Getting to the correct collection could be more difficult. Follow these steps to help you find your book:
Step 1: Find the book listed on our law library website. Go to the law library’s main search bar at lawlibrary.byu.edu to search for the book. (This is our library “catalog.”)
Step 2: Check all the “holdings” for the book to ensure you are finding the year and edition you want. “Holdings” is the library word for all the places where this book may be held/located, as we may have multiple copies of the book, or multiple editions of the book. The holdings show up on the lefthand side when you are looking at a book in the catalog. In the screenshot example below, there are three holdings for the book, two first edition books from 2010 and one second edition book from 2019.
Step 3: Gather the relevant information about the book to find it more easily; simply having the call number or the title is not enough. Take a screenshot or a picture of all the information included in the screenshot above: title of the book, the author, the year it was published (Ensure you are looking at the year/edition you want for the book.) the library collection name (in gray) (This is crucial information you need!), the call number for the book (a letter and numbers in black), and where the book is available (in green) and which floor (in light gray).
In the screenshot above, the title is “Law and Religion: National, International, and Comparative Perspectives.” The author is “W. Cole Durham, Jr.” The year it was published is 2010. The library collection name is the “Law Library Main Collection.” The call number is “K 3258 .D874 2010.” The book is available at the Law Library on the 3rd floor. All this information will help you find the book more easily.
Step 4: Figure out which library collection has your book. Most of the BYU Law Library is the library collection called “Law Library Main Collection.” However, we have lots of library collections inside our library; the rest of the collections are just smaller and do not contain that many books. Some of the other library collections at the BYU Law Library that you might see listed in gray for other books include “Law Library Reserve,” “Law and Religion Studies Collection,” “Law Library Govt. Documents,” and “Law Library Self Help Collection.”
Step 5: Use the library maps. Choose the library map for the floor listed in light gray in your screenshot to find where the library collection you need is located. The library maps are linked on the law library website here. Note that the main floor / ground floor of the BYU Law Library is the second floor. The first floor is the basement. There is also a third floor of the library. Look to see where the collection is located; then go scouting. The ends of the shelves have labels to say which range of call numbers are on that aisle of shelves, and the books are all alphabetically and then numerically in order within the collection.
If your light gray listing for which floor says “Law Library, Reserve Room 2nd Floor (280 JRCB)” then the map may not list the library collection name; instead, you will go to the “Reserve Room” on the map. Once in the Reserve Room, you can look on the signs on the ends of the shelves to find the library collection you are looking for. The same is true for light gray listings for the Circulation Desk. The rest of the collections should be listed on the maps.
Step 6: You either successfully found the book (yay!), or you may need to ask a library service point, like Reference Services or the Circulation Desk for assistance. For Reference Services, you can call (801) 422-6658, email reference@law.byu.edu, or visit the physical Reference Desk on the second floor (which is the main floor of the law library) for help. A link to the book on our website is always helpful to share with them so that they have all the relevant information for finding the book. For reference hours, see here. You may also visit the Circulation Desk at the law library main entrance for help finding a book if Reference Services is not available.
Missing Books: If you cannot find the book after trying these steps and talking with a library service point employee, the book may be missing. You may follow the “Missing Books” steps on this webpage to request that a search for the missing book take place.
Note: Most call numbers for law library books begin with KF, which is the category for “law.” So any call number in the “Law Library Main Collection” before KF is in the northwest corner of the 3rd floor of the law library. Anything after KF that are in the “Law Library Main Collection” tends to be on the 1st floor (the basement floor) of the law library.
