Services for BYU Patrons

Reference services 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 employees 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 physical 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 law library faculty members and part-time law student reference assistants. If you need a full-time library faculty member’s assistance, you should make an appointment to guarantee their availability by emailing reference@law.byu.edu. Simply state in the email that you would like an appointment with a librarian, what your research question is, what your research question is for (which class, internship, job, etc.), and a few times (between 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday) that would work for you to have the appointment.

Research consultations are recommended for BYU faculty and students who are doing academic legal research. A consultation consists of an appointment with a full-time librarian where your research question is submitted to them in advance so they can prepare resources that may be good for your research. To request a research consultation for academic legal research, email reference@law.byu.edu. 

For reference hours, see here. 

The following are methods for contacting the reference employees virtually:

Email

You may email us your reference question or schedule an appointment at reference@law.byu.edu. 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.

Call

To receive reference services by talking with a reference employee over the phone, call 801-422-6658. If a reference employee does not answer, feel free to leave a voicemail because it is checked regularly.

All patrons who have a BYU ID card may borrow Law Library materials. BYU employees and BYU students will need to use their university identification card to check out materials.

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.

Patrons will be assessed the cost of replacing any lost/unreturned library items plus a $15.00 processing fee. Alternatively, a replacement copy may be accepted. Replacement copies can be new or used, if they are in good condition. For items that are out of print and not available to purchase used, the amount charged will be calculated based on the subclass value listed on the Library of Congress’s Insurance Valuation spreadsheet. An item is considered lost if it is not returned within 28 days of the due date.

Loan Periods:

General Collection Items-Students	3 weeks
General Collection Items-Faculty	6 months
Audio cassettes, videos & software	24 hours
Course Reserve/Study Guides	2 hours
Non-circulating materials (e.g. Reference, Reserve)	None

There is no grace period on overdue items.

Overdue Fines:

General Collection Items	Items overdue for 4 weeks are billed for replacement
Course Reserve/Study Guides	$1.00 per hour / $20 maximum per item
Audio/Video	$1.00 per day per item
Periodicals	$1.00 per day 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 Melanie Coleman.