The Law Library

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6.1 Introduction

The primary mission of the UW Law Library is to support the research and learning of the Law School community. The Law Library also is an important center for legal research for the campus, the UW System, and the State of Wisconsin. Law students have full access to the rich array of campus library resources, and all UW students are able to use the Law Library.

The Law Library’s website provides comprehensive information about the library, including access to resources and services, virtual tours and maps of the library, and other useful links: http://library.law.wisc.edu

Extensive information about Madison campus libraries can be found at:http://www.library.wisc.edu

The Law Library staff welcomes comments and suggestions about how the library might improve its services. Comments can be sent to: comments-library@law.wisc.edu

6.2 Policies

6.2.1 Library Hours

Law Library hours are posted outside the main door of the library and on the Law Library website, and handouts are available at the Circulation Desk. Please check for revisions because library hours are subject to change: http://library.law.wisc.edu/about/information

6.2.2 After-Hours Access

Students are not permitted in the library when it is closed.

6.2.3 Study Carrels

Students enrolled in the graduate MLI, LLM, and SJD programs can reserve individual study carrels for ongoing research to the extent that carrels are available. Graduate law students can apply for a reserved carrel in the administrative office on the sixth floor of the Law Library. Unreserved carrels are open to all library users. Library materials that are not checked out are routinely removed from carrels. Reserved carrel occupants should ask for “flags” when checking out materials at the circulation desk. These flags indicate to the library staff that the materials are charged to the carrel occupant.

6.2.4 Study Rooms

The Law Library has seven small rooms for group study. One of the rooms is equipped with a television with a built-in DVD/VCR player. Rooms can be reserved for two hour blocks at the circulation desk. Keys for study rooms are checked out to students as reserve materials and reserve policies apply.

6.2.5 Food and Beverages

Beverages in covered containers are permitted in the library. However, beverages are not allowed at any computer workstation. Food is not permitted anywhere in the library, including study carrels.

6.2.6 Cell Phones

Cell phone use is not permitted in the Law Library. As a courtesy to other library users, please turn off your cell phone in the library and go to an area outside the library to use your cell phone.

6.3.1 Reference and Research Assistance

Reference librarians are available to assist law students with their research.

You can consult a librarian:

-In person at the reference desk on the fifth floor of the Law Library.

- By phone at 608-262-3394

- By email at askuwlaw@law.wisc.edu

- By instant messaging at AskUWLaw

- By live chat from the Law Library website at (http://library.law.wisc.edu).

Reference librarians are generally available at the following times during the academic year:

Monday-Thursday 8:00 am to 9:00 pm

Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Saturday and Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Hours may vary during vacations, holidays, inter-session, and the summer. A schedule of Reference Desk hours is posted at http://library.law.wisc.edu/about/information/hours/reference.html.

Reference librarians are also available by appointment for in-depth research assistance. Contact askuwlaw@law.wisc.edu to schedule an appointment.

6.3.2 MadCat Online Library Catalog

The online library catalog, MadCat, includes six million bibliographic records for books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, maps, music scores, microforms, and electronic resources currently owned by over 30 Madison campus libraries.

MadCat includes an increasing number of important Web resources either licensed for UW-Madison use or openly available to everyone.

Use the Find-It feature in MadCat to locate journal articles when you have a specific citation or as a guide to all of the e-journals available on campus. Use the “My MadCat Account” link to see a list of books and/or interlibrary loan items checked out on your ID, to renew items, to check the status of library requests, and to monitor any overdue fines and fees.

6.3.3 Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery

There are numerous services for obtaining books and articles outside the scope of the Law Library’s collections. The "Place Requests" link on the top of the MadCat screen allows users to retrieve books located at other campus libraries (including books in storage). By using the “Place Requests” feature in MadCat, books from any campus library will be delivered to the campus library of your choice within 1-3 business days. Another option in MadCat is the “UW System Search” for submitting requests for books from all of the University of Wisconsin libraries. This material is typically delivered to the campus library of your choice within 2-4 business days.

Use Library Express to obtain research materials not owned by UW-Madison libraries or to submit requests for campus document delivery. Electronic copies of articles are delivered to your desktop in 1-5 business days. The turn-around time for borrowing books is 1-3 weeks. Since Library Express supports the research and scholarly activities of faculty and students, the service is offered free of charge. https://madison.hosts.atlas-sys.com/illiad/logon.html

6.3.4 Checking Out Library Materials

The Law Library is primarily a reference library, and many items do not circulate outside the library or to carrels. Circulating materials (books, videos, etc.) can be checked out at the circulation desk on the fifth floor. A valid UW-Madison ID is required to check out materials. Complete information about loan periods, renewals, and recalls can be found at: http://library.law.wisc.edu/about/policies/circulation.html

6.3.5 Course Reserve Readings

The Law Library makes course reading materials available to students through both a paper reserve system and an electronic reserve system (e-reserves).

Print materials placed on course reserve can be checked out at the Law Library’s fifth floor circulation desk. Use the Course Reserve Search in MadCat (http://madcat.library.wisc.edu/) to find available materials for courses. The students at the circulation desk also can assist in locating course readings.

You must have a valid campus ID to check out course materials from the Law Library. Course materials have short loan periods to ensure that all students in the class have sufficient access. Be sure to return materials on time.

The e-reserve system provides easy access to electronic copies of readings from any computer connected to the Internet. Access to e-reserve materials is limited to students enrolled in the class. To access e-reserves, students need to know their "Netid" and password, which are the same as the email username and password that are provided by the University.

To access the e-reserve system, go to the Law Library’s “Exam Archive and Course Reserves” page (http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/examsreserves.html). You will be prompted for your Netid and password. A list of courses that have electronic materials posted will appear; available exams also are listed. Although large files will be compressed to allow download via modems, we recommend that you use a broadband connection or that you access these files from a computer or laptop on the Law School network.

6.3.6 Copy Center and Copy Cards

The library maintains two photocopy machines in the Copy Center on the fifth floor, and one photocopier in a copy room on the third floor, in the east wing. The library’s photocopiers and laser printers use the Debitcard copy card system. One copier on the fifth floor accepts coins and bills. Debitcards can be purchased in the library’s Copy Center. Photocopies are ten cents per copy; laser copies in the PC labs are 7 cents per copy; and copies from microforms are fifteen cents per copy. Additional information about the Copy Center and Debitcards can be found at: http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/hardware/copiers/index.html

6.3.7 Recreational Reading

The library maintains a collection of popular magazines and daily newspapers at the north end of the fifth floor Habush, Habush, and Rottier Reading Room near the windows.

6.3.8 Legal Fiction and Feature Films

The library has a large collection of novels with law-related subjects. Most of these are in the general collection on the second floor and have call numbers beginning with “PR” and “PS.” The library also offers a collection of feature films with law-related themes. The films (in VHS or DVD format) are stored behind the circulation desk on the fifth floor. Individual film titles can be located through the MadCat online catalog. An annotated guide to the Law Library’s feature film collection can be found at:
http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/find/guides/location/videos

6.3.9 Purchase Recommendations and New Books

Suggestions for additions to the library’s collection are welcomed. Every effort is made to purchase recommended materials if the materials are within the scope of the library’s collection and meet the library’s acquisitions criteria. A selection of new books is available for browsing near the reference desk on the fifth floor. New additions to the collection are announced in a monthly Selected Recent Acquisitions list, which is available on the library website and via email delivery.

The library’s website contains links to an online purchase recommendation form at http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/purchase/.

6.4 Technology in the Law Library

6.4.1 PC Labs

The library has two PC labs for law student use with 42 networked workstations that provide access to word processing, email, the Internet, and other resources. Lab B (Room 2387) is a general purpose lab, and Lab A (Room 2386) is an instructional lab. Lab A is available for general use when it is not being used as a classroom. When Lab A is in use as a classroom, the use of unoccupied workstations is at the discretion of the instructor.

Three laser printers are available in Lab B from which lab and wireless network users can print at a rate of 7 cents per page. Payments are made by means of a Debitcard that can be purchased at the Copy Center on the fifth floor of the Law Library. There is no charge for printing from the Westlaw and LexisNexis printers.

More information about the library’s PC labs can be found at: http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/hardware/computers/labinfo.html

6.4.2 Networked Connections

Many seats in the Law Library are wired for data and power for laptop computers. An Ethernet card is needed to access the Law School network from the data jacks in the library. The lab assistants in Room 2390 next to Lab B can provide assistance installing network cards and configuring laptops.

Wireless access to the Law School network and the Internet is available throughout the Law Library. An 802.11b-compliant wireless network card is needed to connect to the wireless network.

For more information about networked connections in the Law Library see: http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/hardware/computers/network.html

6.4.3 Laptop Use

Laptops may be used anywhere in the library except in the Quarles & Brady Reading Room on the fifth floor, which has been designated a “laptop-free zone.”

6.4.4 Email Access

Email access is available in the PC labs on the second floor of the Law Library and through any network connection. Public workstations in other areas of the library are intended for research. As a courtesy to other library users, students are asked not to use those workstations for email.

6.4.5 Electronic Legal Research (LexisNexis, Westlaw, etc.)

The Law Library offers law students access to many legal databases, including LexisNexis, Westlaw, BNA Online, CCH Internet Research Network, Hein Online, and many more. These databases are available from the Law Library website at http://library.law.wisc.edu/ . With the exception of LexisNexis and Westlaw, no passwords are required to access them in the Law School. Many can also be accessed remotely with either your Law School or UW-Madison username and password.

All law students are given access to the LexisNexis and Westlaw legal research services for educational purposes. According to our licensing agreement with LexisNexis and Westlaw, these services cannot be used by students for outside employment or for any other non-academic use.

First year law students are issued passwords to LexisNexis and Westlaw through the Legal Research and Writing course. In the fall semester, 1L access is limited to retrieving documents by citation and to job search resources. Full access for 1Ls begins in the spring semester.

MLI students are issued passwords to LexisNexis and Westlaw through the “Legal Research for MLI Students” course during the fall semester.

All other transfer, visiting, and graduate students wishing to obtain a password for LexisNexis or Westlaw should contact Bonnie Shucha, Head of Reference, at bjshucha@wisc.edu. Ms. Shucha can also provide training on these and other electronic legal resources.

For lost or forgotten LexisNexis and Westlaw passwords contact Bonnie Shucha, at: bjshucha@wisc.edu .

(From a trial transcript):

Q. When he went, had you gone and had she, if she wanted to and were able, for the time being excluding all the restraints on her not to, gone also, would he have brought you, meaning you and she, with him to the station?

Mr. Brooks: Objection. That question should be taken out and shot!