Using the Library

The Law Library is open to the University community as well as the general public, except during exam periods.

Although the library's regular hours are 8 a.m. – midnight daily (with extended hours during exams and an abbreviated summer and between-term schedule), the doors to the law school building are automatically locked from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, and from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on weekends. Access during “lockdown” hours is restricted to Law School students, faculty and staff only.  

The main entrance to the Law School offers handicapped parking and automatic doors for wheelchair accessibility. The rear entrance offers a ramp and automatic doors that lead to an elevator to the first floor. The library entrance is not handicap accessible, but the staff is willing to assist, if necessary. Likewise, if a patron needs help with retrieving or photocopying materials, the Circulation and Reference staff are happy to assist.

In case of a fire or other emergency, the second floor of the library is equipped with two "Areas of Rescue Assistance" for patrons with physical disabilities.

For questions or comments, please call or email Cathy Palombi, Access Services Librarian (434-924-3519; cpalombi@law.virginia.edu). Additional information about services provided by the University for students with disabilities can be found on the UVA Services for Students with Disabilities web page (http://www.virginia.edu/accessibility).

The University, the Law School, and the Library utilize many computer systems and networks and sometimes these systems require separate and unique user accounts. Here's a guide to some of the most common ones you'll run into in the Law Library.

Lawschool Domain Account. This is used for logging into the Law School's computer network for access to the LawWeb intranet and networked printing services. Non-Law patrons may establish a Guest Login Account as described below. 

Library Databases, Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law. Most library subscriptions to electronic resources are restricted to users on the UVA network and do not require an individual login. Three exceptions are Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law, which are for law student and faculty use only. Non-law patrons may use LexisNexis Academic, which is available UVA-wide.

Guest Wireless Account. Wireless access at the Law School is restricted to registered users. Visitors may register at the Circulation Desk for a short-term passcode.

The Law Library welcomes the donation of books and gifts that enhance learning and support instruction at the Law School. Donations and gifts will be reviewed and accepted based on our current collection development policy. Donors may request that books and gifts that are not needed be returned, otherwise they will be disposed of properly. Accepted gifts and books become the property of the University of Virginia Law Library. Appraisal of accepted gifts and books will be done by the donor and not by the Law Library. Donations and gifts are handled by the Library Director, Amy Wharton.

Study carrels are available on all three floors, though some may be be marked as reserved. Unreserved carrels may be used by anyone on a first come, first served basis for private study.

In order to provide a quiet study atmosphere, patrons are asked to conduct phone conversations in the second floor copy room, the myLab space (second floor), the two second floor cell phone booths, or away from all study areas. Patrons are also asked to turn off ringers while in the library.

Most library materials can be checked out by alumni and Virginia residents who have Virgo accounts. Patrons may register for a Virgo account at the Circulation Desk. Statutes, looseleaf volumes, reports, indexes, and reference materials do not circulate outside the library. Materials are subject to recall, but they can generally be renewed if not requested by another patron. Renewals may be requested in person at the Circulation Desk, by telephone (924-3384), via e-mail (circulation@law.virginia.edu) or by logging into your personal Virgo account.

Most of the computers in the library require a login and a Law School computing account. Courtesy computers are available for patrons who do not have accounts. They are located near the Reference Desk on the second floor. These computers are reserved for short-term academic and legal research use only. Printing is not available, so patrons are encouraged to use cloud storage or USB flash drives to save the results of their research.

E-mail: refdesk@law.virginia.edu
Phone: (434) 924-3384
FAX: (434) 982-7239
Web Page: http://www.law.virginia.edu/library
Address: 580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Messenger Mail: PO Box 400405 Law School Building

Multifunction printers, copiers and scanners are located throughout the library for law student use.  Printing and copying fees for Law students vary from 5 cents per page for pre-paid accounts to 25 cents per page for color printing. For complete information on the multifunction printers in the library and instructions on setting up your account, see the Printing, Copying & Scanning FAQ. Non-Law patrons should inquire at the Circulation Desk to find out about the printing/scanning options available to them.

The Law Library and the University Library subscribe jointly and separately to many electronic resources under various licensing arrangements. For information on these databases, e-journals and e-books (including access instructions and restrictions), see the Electronic Subscriptions guide.

Virgo is the online catalog for the University of Virginia. Users may limit their searches to materials located in the Law Library or may search for all materials, online and in print, held by UVA libraries. Virgo can help patrons find books, call numbers, databases, electronic journals, audio and video materials, and online articles. Public computers are available for all patrons in the first floor reading room and near the Reference Desk.  For floor maps of the library you can either click on the Map icon for specific directions while viewing your item in Virgo or you can view the Maps & Directions Guide for collection location information.

Food is permitted in the library, as long as it's not smelly, noisy, or messy.  No smoking or vaping are allowed. Beverages in covered containers are permitted in all areas except the computer, media and microform areas.

The Research Guide contains links to helpful information about legal research methods and tools available in the library and online. Reference Desk services and hours are posted at http://libguides.law.virginia.edu/reference.

Lost and found items are kept on open shelves in the Reserve room, except for items of value such as keys, wallets, and jewelry. Inquire about these at the Circulation Desk.

For floor maps of the library with collection location information, driving directions, and maps of UVA Grounds, see the Maps & Directions Guide.

The microform collection contains the equivalent of 180,000 volumes, and is located on the second floor, behind myLab. Reader/printers are also available, free of charge, for anyone wanting to view or make copies. The office of the Media Librarian, Micheal Klepper (mklepper@law.virginia.edu or 434-924-3495), is located opposite the microform area and questions regarding the collection and equipment should be directed to him.

An increasing number of online resources are becoming available through sites that are friendly to mobile devices. We're also working toward enhancing the Law Library website to provide a better experience for our mobile device users and to provide information about apps that are useful for research. Visit the mobile site and let us know what you think.

When materials are returned late and fines have accrued to $10.00 or more, the user is billed. Bills should be paid within 30 days and can be paid at any University Library, except Health Sciences. Bills unpaid after 30 days are referred to the University Student Financial Services for collection. Library privileges are suspended and students are barred from registration, graduation and other University-wide privileges until the account is settled. When materials are not returned and become long overdue the user is billed for replacement cost and library privileges are suspended. This includes use of Special Collections, Interlibrary Services and LEO book delivery. If materials are not returned or paid for within 30 days of billing, the bill is referred to the University Student Financial Services for collection. This action bars students from registration, graduation and other University-wide privileges. Accounts that have not been referred to Student Financial Services may be cleared at any library circulation unit by returning the items and paying the fines. If the account has been referred to Student Financial Services, payment must be made there (Carruthers Hall). Payment for materials found and returned within 90 days of payment will be refunded. Prompt response to bills from the library will avoid referral.

Visitor parking is very limited at the Law School. There are several spaces in the lot on Nash Road that are reserved for guests of the Law School and for people requiring accommodation. Guests must register at the receptionist's desk in Clay Hall to receive a parking permit. There are also some metered spaces in the D2 lot. Street parking is available on Arlington Blvd and on Millmont Road.

Filming and photography by UVA Law students, faculty and staff are permitted in the Law Library, but in no cases may patrons be disturbed or inconvenienced. Additional policies apply to Law Special Collections materials.

The Law Library supports our patrons’ confidentiality and privacy rights as expressed in the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics, in UVA’s Data Protection of University Information​, and in the American Association of Law Libraries’ Ethical Principles. We maintain a minimal amount of personal information on the library’s systems in order to process circulation transactions, e-mail notifications, overdue fine collections, etc. but this information is never shared with third parties except as required by law. 

The library collects usage analytics on some of its web pages by means of first-party cookies. No personal identification information is collected. You may opt out by turning off cookies on your browser or by using an opt-out add-on. 

Most materials may be renewed by calling the Circulation Desk (924-3384) or by logging into your Virgo account. 

The library has created a number of Research Guides to help our patrons get started with their legal research, learn about the electronic resources available at UVA, and find books and other materials in the library. 

The Law Library can provide research guidance, but we cannot interpret the law or provide legal advice. We cannot, for example, find statutes applicable to a particular subject or a specific set of facts. This is an inquiry that requires you to exercise your own legal judgment. Persons needing assistance in analyzing a legal problem are advised to consult an attorney.

Email reference service is intended primarily for students, faculty, and staff of the University of Virginia. If you are not affiliated with UVA, we will reply to your inquiry only if it relates to the School of Law or to a resource unique to the Law Library.

The Special Collections department is on the third floor of the library and contains rare books, manuscripts and archival materials. Visitors to Special Collections are encouraged to contact the library in advance at archives@law.virginia.edu to schedule an appointment. For complete information on using Special Collections see the Special Collections website.

The UVA library system consists of the University of Virginia Library (Alderman Library, Clemons Library and departmental libraries) as well as the independent, professional school libraries for Health Sciences, Business and Law.  All the libraries use the same Virgo library catalog for checking materials out although there are sometimes slight local variations in circulation policies.  For more information on the UVA library system, see the University of Virginia Library web site.

Library vendors and book dealers must register on UVA's Procurement Services system in order to receive payment. Vendors may also choose whether or not to register on the state of Virginia's electronic purchasing system, eVA. See http://www.procurement.virginia.edu/pagevendors for a complete explanation of UVA purchasing rules, registration forms, eVA fees, etc. Vendors may check the payment status of recent invoices at https://www.procurement.virginia.edu/pagevendorinvlookup.

Virgo is UVA's library catalog. It is the primary resource for finding books and articles, for looking up call numbers and locations, for recalling items that are checked out, and for requesting items from the off-site Ivy Storage facility. It is also a source for linking to the electronic resources and databases covered under library subscriptions. There is an older version of Virgo called Virgo Classic which has a more traditional interface with browse search functionality. The Virgo login is your computing ID and the PIN number is usually the last 4 digits of your UVA ID number or last 4 digits of your SSN.

Wireless computing is available to University students, faculty and staff on a secured wireless network (Cavalier). All other patrons have the choice of using the library's public computers or registering for a short-term guest account on the unsecured Wahoo wireless network. Instructions for wireless registration and for obtaining a passcode are available at the Law Library's Circulation Desk.