The Law Library



Students

Services

Circulation

Services

Reference Desk

The Reference Desk is located to the left as you enter the Library. This desk is staffed by experienced reference librarians. They are available to assist with research questions.

LawReference

LawReference is Seattle University Law Library’s e-mail reference service. With this service, law students, faculty, staff, and alumni may e-mail a question and a reference librarian will answer it, generally within one business day. This service provides legal research information, not legal advice. Send your question to LawReference@seattleu.edu or for more information, please read the Law Reference Policy.

Appointments

Reference librarians are available either at the Reference Desk or by appointment. Use the staff directory to contact a librarian to schedule a convenient meeting time.

Independent Studies

Law students working on independent studies should contact the Library Director, Kristin Cheney, for assignment of a research librarian. This librarian will assist the student in crafting successful research strategies, identifying relevant materials and creating a complete bibliography.

Starting Points

These legal research guides have been written by Seattle University law librarians. They are designed to introduce student researchers to research areas, and to provide suggestions for efficient and effective research.

Lexis and Westlaw: Training and Passwords

Lexis and Westlaw are available to students through the Library's educational contract with the companies. These contracts require that the systems be used for law-school related work only: they may not be used for employment-related work. Misuse of these systems is a violation of the Law School's Code of Conduct.

Westlaw and Lexis require passwords, which will be distributed during orientation. Printouts may be picked up in the DDC.

Lexis and Westlaw instruction is initially provided to students during their first year; advanced and refresher courses for all students are scheduled throughout the year.

ID Cards and University Identification Number

You will need your ID card to check out library materials. Fines do accrue for overdue materials so get in the habit of returning materials on time. A self-check out machine is located in Reserve for your convenience. Keep your nine digit university identification number handy to borrow books from Summit libraries in Washington and Oregon. Your university identification number is available under “registration information” on SU Online

Circulation

Policy

The Library has a wide variety of materials available for research. The majority of items in the collection (case reporters, statutes, periodicals, looseleaf services, etc.) may not be checked-out. The policies for each type of material are enumerated below.

Overdue notices are mailed to your home and e-mailed to your SU e-mail address. If books are not returned or fines have not been paid by the end of the semester, a hold will be put on student records, including grades. You may renew books by phone at 206.398.4228 if they are not already overdue.

Document Delivery Center (DDC)

The DDC is located next to the circulation desk. You can pick up your printouts outside the DDC or at the printers located on the south (the flagpole) side of the 3rd and 4th floors of the library.

Treatises

Treatises are texts which provide substantial treatment and analysis of a broad area of law. The treatises in this Library are generally shelved on the 3rd and 4th floors. To determine if a treatise can be checked-out, look at the listing for that book in the Law Library Catalog. If under status it says "not checked-out," the book may be checked-out. If under the status it says "lib use only," the book may not leave the Library.

  • Circulation period: 36 days
  • One renewal for 14 additional days allowed if no one is waiting for the book
  • Fine: 50 cents a day

Casebooks

The library maintains one copy of each required first year casebook for two-hour check out (no overnight check outs). The first year casebook collection is to be used for quick reference or limited photocopying and is not intended to be a substitute for purchasing casebooks. The library does not purchase copies of required supplementary materials/handouts or upper division course materials. The casebooks are located in Reserve on the 2nd floor of the library near the circulation desk. Search our catalog for specific titles.

Exams

Want to see what you’re getting into? The library retains a collection of past law school exams through summer semester 2003 in Reserve. Current exams are placed on the faculty TWEN sites at the discretion of the faculty member. For more resources on exam taking, consult our Exam Taking Resources research guide

Reserve

Reserve materials, located on the 2nd floor of the Library, include study aids (hornbooks, nutshells, etc.), videotapes, faculty course reserves, multi-volume works, looseleaf services, restatements, formbooks, practice aids (Washington Practice series, Washington Lawyers Practice Manual, deskbooks and court rules), and bound exams.

The location of reserve material will be indicated in the catalog by reserve. Reserve materials are not to be taken from the building, except as mentioned below for overnight check-out.

  • Circulation Period: 2 hours
  • One renewal for an additional 2 hours allowed if no one is waiting for the book
  • Fine: 25 cents per hour for the first four hours; $1.00 per hour thereafter

Selected reserve materials, mostly hornbooks, other study aids, and course reserve materials, may be checked-out overnight. Overnight materials are marked with a star on their spines.

  • Circulation Period: Overnight books may be checked-out after 3 p.m. each day and are due back by 11 a.m. the next day for day students, and by 6 p.m. the next day for evening students
  • Fine: 25 cents per hour for the first 4 hours; $1.00 per hour thereafter

The circulation period for overnight books may be extended through the weekend on Thursdays, from 3 p.m. onward. Overnight books (those reserve books with stars on their spines) checked-out between 3 p.m. on Thursday and closing time on Sunday are not due back until 11 a.m. Monday for day students or 6 p.m. Monday for evening students. Note that weekend checkout is not available during exam periods.

  • Fine: 25 cents per hour for the first 4 hours; $1.00 per hour thereafter

Professors who place materials on course reserve sometimes specify a circulation period which is different from those listed above. Either the professor or the circulation staff will advise of any special circulation policies.

Research stations for those without laptop computers may be used to access the Library's research databases and for internet searching. Research sessions should be limited to 30 minutes to allow others an opportunity to use the stations.

Ready Reference

The Ready Reference area (wooden shelving directly behind the Reference Desk) contains general reference material, including indexes, directories and dictionaries. Use of these materials is limited to the reference desk area.

Reference Stacks

The Reference Stacks area, located on the 2nd floor behind the Reference Desk, contains federal and state codes and Washington materials. Materials located in this area will have a designation of "reference" in their catalog record. Records for some items may also indicate the stack number location.

  • Circulation: Reference materials are for Library use only and do not circulate

Micromedia Room

The Micromedia Room (Room 204 in Reserve) houses the Library's collection of microforms (microfiche and microfilm). Microform holdings include international, federal, and state materials, bar journals, briefs from the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington State Supreme Court, the Washington Appellate Court, and much more.

Microform materials are listed in the catalog as located in "micromedia." The Microform Collection Guide in Room 204 organizes this collection by title and author and further indicates the cabinet drawer and tray in which a specific title can be found.

  • Circulation: Microforms may only be used in the Library
  • Microform reader/printers are available in Room 204
  • Prints cost $0.10 per copy; payment is made at the Circulation Desk.

Library Regulations

The Library is run on an honor system. Please handle materials with care and be thoughtful of other library users. Do not remove materials from the Library unless you have checked them out. Violating a provision of the Library’s regulations is a serious offense subject to Law School disciplinary proceedings. Some of the Law Library’s regulations have been incorporated into the Law School’s Code of Conduct. The Library reserves the right to amend its regulations by publication and posting.