Public Library Collection

Step 1: Find the book listed in our law library website’s search (“the catalog”).  

Step 2: Write down or take a picture of the collection name, the call number, and any further information listed. Example: 

In the picture above, the collection name is “Law Library Main Collection,” the call number is “K 3258 .D874 2010”, and the further information is that it is available on the 3rd floor. The main collection is–you guessed it–our main collection and what most of our shelves are a part of. 

Step 3: Check the map (link to maps here) to see more or less where it will be and then go scouting. The ends of the shelves have labels to say which call numbers are down that aisle and they are all alphabetically and then numerically in order.

Step 4: You either successfully found the book (yay!), or you may need to ask Reference Services for help. You can call (801) 422-6658, text (801) 422-3596, or email reference@law.byu.edu for help. A link to the book on our website is always helpful to share with them. For reference hours, see here. 

Note: Most call numbers for law library books begin with KF, which is the category for “law.” So any call number in the main collection before KF is in the northwest corner of the 3rd floor of the law library. Anything after KF tends to be on the 1st floor (the basement floor) of the law library. 

For other collection names besides “Law Library Main Collection,” the green information will tell you which floor it is on. You may also want to ask Reference Services for help on finding where that collection may be located.

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

First Floor (basement)

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).

Students and faculty of Utah universities and colleges whose libraries are members of the Utah Academic Library Consortium may check materials out from the Law Library after setting up a Community Patron Account. Please contact Melanie Coleman for information on how to set up an account. Circulating items check-out for 3 weeks.

Members of the general public may not borrow materials but are welcome to use Law Library resources while on the premises. We provide scanners and printers for patron use.

Materials located in the Rare Book Room are available to patrons from 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday. Patrons, including BYU faculty, should contact the Reference Desk for help accessing materials from the Rare Book Room. A librarian will locate the book and bring it to the patron in the Law Library Reserve Room next to the Circulation Desk. Patrons are not permitted to remove any items from the Rare Book Room from the Reserve Room. The book will be checked out to the patron during use. Patrons must return all materials from the Rare Book Room to the circulation clerk when finished.

The BYU Law Digital Repository contains open access copies of the scholarly works of Law School faculty, annual reports and other official publications, and the online archives of the various legal journals published at BYU Law.

Open-access consortia seek to make high-quality academic work available throughout the world at minimal cost to students, academics and scholars of all levels. The full archives of the BYU Law Review, BYU Journal of Public Law, BYU Education and Law Journal, and BYU International Law & Management Review are available through the Law Review Commons. Other publications such as the Clark Memorandum, Advocate (and annual reports), Life in the Law and the scholarly works published by Law School Faculty are all accessible to researchers through the more-expansive Law Commons. The Digital Commons network includes works from all areas of scholarly and academic inquiry, and contains millions of individual articles produced at hundreds of universities.

Digital Repository Readership

Scholarly articles and other works uploaded to the repository by BYU Law have accessed and downloaded almost 3.5 million times since the repository was established. We average over 750,000 downloads/year from over 200 countries/regions by thousands of institutions and individuals.

A map displaying readership activity
for the first 6 months of 2024. ≫