Although the primary responsibility of the Howard University Law Library is to support the curricular, scholarship and research needs of the School of Law's students and faculty, the library also provides the public with access to legal materials. All visitors are required to comply with the library's policies, and to sign in at the Security Desk upon arrival.

See our directions page for information about the library's location.  

Accessing Materials & Library Use
Borrowing
Computers
Food and Drink
Hours
Photocopying
Security
Talking and Telephone Use

Reference Assistance
Library Tours
Reference Service
Research Guides
Research Guide for Non-Lawyers


U.S. Government Depository

Your Donations

ACCESSING MATERIALS & LIBRARY USE

BORROWING
Visitors may not check out materials, but may use them within the library. Our staff is happy to assist with searching our online catalog and locating materials on the shelves.

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COMPUTERS
The library has eight computers and members of the public are welcome to use them for research purposes, and to search the library's catalog, Daniel. There is no print capability.

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FOOD AND DRINK
No food is permitted in the library. Water bottles are allowed, as are beverages in non-disposable cups with spill-resistant lids that close.

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HOURS
See the library hours for detailed information about our hours during the regular academic schedule, as well as the final exam schedule, bar review schedule and reduced hours schedule.

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PHOTOCOPYING
Library photocopiers are located in the Reserve reading room and in Rooms 2-C and 3-C on the second and third floors. Copy cards are available from the dispenser in the Reserve room at a cost of $1.00, to which funds must be added. Copies are $.15 each.

The photocopy machines only accept copy cards, not coins or bills. For additional paper, copy assistance or refunds, speak to a Circulation Desk attendant.

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SECURITY
Library security officers are on duty twenty-four hours every day. The officers check identification for everyone who enters the library. They patrol the library, as well. To gain access to the library, all visitors must present a current photo ID and also sign in at the security desk.

Security is responsible for stopping library patrons when the security gate alarms sound as they enter or exit. If the gate alarms do trigger, the patron's packages are subject to search.

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TALKING AND TELEPHONE USE
The Law Library is a research library and a place for quiet study. Talking in the open areas of the library must be kept to a minimum. Cell phone use in the open areas of the library is prohibited. The stairwells, building foyer and the library telephone rooms (Rooms 214, 215, 315 and 316) are available for cell phone use. While visiting the library, please be considerate of other patrons and switch cell phones to their silent settings.

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REFERENCE ASSISTANCE

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REFERENCE SERVICE
Our Reference staff is happy to assist visitors with reference questions, although priority will be given to the Law School's faculty and students. Under no circumstance will the Law Library staff provide legal advice or render opinions or interpretations, and we do not carry pre-printed legal forms. Public patrons are welcome to submit requests to the reference department by calling 806-8208 or by sending an e-mail to reference@law.howard.edu.

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RESEARCH GUIDES
The Law Librarians have prepared legal research guides which may be useful for visitors to the library. Before you begin your research, take a look at our Legal Research Guides page.

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TOURS
The Law Library staff is pleased to welcome all visitors. We offer individual or group tours of our building and collections for visitors of all ages. Tours can also be designed to meet any special interests, or focused on unique resources such as our Archives, which houses unique materials spanning the Civil War through Civil Rights eras.

To make arrangements for a tour, please contact Eileen Santos at 806-8301. Please submit your request at least a week in advance for a group tour, and please note that no tours are given during the Law School exam period.

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U.S. GOVERNMENT DEPOSITORY
The Law Library of Howard University School of Law was designated a U.S. Federal Depository Library in April 1998. The Law Library is committed to providing free public access to Government information for our primary patrons and for all public patrons. As a selective depository, the Library receives approximately 7% of all government documents available through this program. In accordance with the mission of the law library, most depository selections cover a broad range of law-related materials in many formats.

All depository documents are indexed in Daniel, our catalog. The majority are integrated in the general collection using the Library of Congress classification scheme. In addition to standard searches, Daniel offers the ability to search by GPO item numbers and SuDoc (Superintendent of Documents) numbers.

Please note that public patrons are allowed in-house use of the collection only. Patrons may request assistance in using government depository resources from any librarian staffing the reference desk.


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YOUR DONATIONS
The Law Library is grateful for all the donations that have enhanced our collection. Financial and material gifts provide a valuable supplement to the library's resource budget. To donate materials, please submit a list of the books you wish to give to the library.

We ask that you arrange for delivery of donated books to the library, as we do not have the staff or transportation to pick up materials. If the items offered are outside the scope of our collection or duplicate material already owned by the Law Library, we will be happy to suggest other possible recipients. Each donor will be sent a letter of acknowledgment.

Please retain a copy of the letter and your detailed list of donated materials to support tax deduction claims. IRS regulations (26 CFR sect. 1.170A13) place responsibility for estimating the value of donations upon the donor rather than on the recipient of the gift. We appreciate your support of the Howard University Law Library. For further information or assistance in making a donation, please contact Eileen Santos at 806-8301.

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updated: November 1, 2011