Services

AudioCaseFiles.com offers downloadable (.mp3) spoken versions of many opinions taught in popular casebooks, including Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Corporations, Criminal Law, Evidence, Property Law, and Torts casebooks. To register for a free account, you must have and use a valid "@richmond.edu" e-mail address.

Loan periods depend on the status of the borrower. Most circulating material may be checked out for four weeks; video movies only circulate for three days.

Materials may be renewed once. Renewal may be accomplished in person at the library, over the telephone during regular business hours, or online by the user.

Users qualifying for free library cards include all University of Richmond students, faculty, staff, alumni, members of the judiciary, and practicing attorneys. Area students may obtain limited borrowing privileges through their home libraries. Businesses and members of the public may purchase a library card.

The following types of library materials do not circulate:

• Reporters and codes (primary materials)
• Reference materials and finding aids
• Microforms
• Looseleaf services
• Periodicals
• Special Collections materials

The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) provides more than 300 interactive lessons and tutorials to help students understand the law. Click on the CALI logo to download these resources or to access them online. 

Access to CALI materials requires an individual CALI login, which is only available to law school faculty and students via the law library's CALI membership

Created and maintained by the law library staff, the exam file gives you access to numerous exams administered at Richmond Law in the past.  Access is limited to computers accessing the site within the University of Richmond network or via VPN.

Law faculty and students who need books or articles from periodicals not held in the law library collection may make a request using our online interlibrary loan system. As a participant in a national online interlibrary loan network, the library has access to resources of hundreds of law and non-law libraries nationwide and often can obtain requested materials rapidly.  For more information on interlibrary loans see our interlibrary loan page.

Contractual limitations imposed on law schools by LexisNexis and Westlaw limit access to these systems to current law students, law faculty, and library personnel. Public patrons have access to a limited version of Westlaw via the public access terminal located on the first floor in the reference area.

Librarians provide training in computer-assisted research to all first year students as part of their Lawyering Skills course. Upper-class students in need of advanced training should contact the deputy director concerning the possibility of special sessions or attend a scheduled Westlaw and LexisNexis training session.

Fastcase offers access to a computer-assisted research system that has been selected by the Virginia State Bar and bar associations in other states as a research service for attorneys licensed in those states.

The library's Reference and Research Services Department periodically prepares annotated bibliographies and legal research guides for library users. Individual copies are available in the displays near the reference desk. The Reference and Research Services Department also publishes the Museletter-a newsletter designed to inform students and faculty of library news and services.

The Law Library's multimedia services staff supports classroom technology needs for Law School events & activities.

A list of available equipment and capabilities for Law School classrooms is available.

In addition to providing training and support for multimedia equipment installed in the Law School classrooms, Multimedia Services also provides these services:

• Video recording and video production (for DVDs and online streaming);
• Skype and videoconferencing support for meetings, job interviews, long distance teaching and guest speakers;
• Training and support for Turning Technologies polling software;
• Courtroom technology, including use of Sanction software for digital evidence display;  and
• Projector and screen displays, microphone and portable PA systems, and other custom AV setups can also be provided in spaces not already containing this equipment.

All University of Richmond libraries share an integrated catalog that unifies collection and circulation information. Catalog workstations are located throughout the library-near the main entrance, near the stairs on the main floor, and on each floor of the library.

The library maintains a public access terminal for patrons' use. Access to Virginia materials, federal materials, and Key Cite is available via a limited Westlaw subscription.

The law library's photocopiers are available daily from the time the library opens until 15 minutes before closing. Photocopiers, located on the main floor, operate only with copy cards. Users may purchase copy cards at a card machine near the copiers. The initial purchase of a copy card requires a $1 bill for a card that is loaded with a $0.50 credit. The card machine accepts $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills. Using a $10 or $20 bill will result in bonus value being added to the card. Change may be obtained at the circulation desk.

Hard copy prints and electronic scans of materials on microform are available through the use of the library's film/fiche reader/printers, located in the microform room. A copy card is required to obtain microform prints.

Full-time law students will be credited with 350 print credits at the beginning of each semester.  Law students also receive 100 print credits to be used in other computer labs on campus.

Additional print credits can be purchased online using a Spidercard or by contacting a Law Library computing services employee. Ask at the Law Library Computer Help Desk.

The cost is $ .05 per page. If you use cash to purchase print credits, you cannot purchase fewer than 20 print credits.

Law print credits cumulate from the beginning of your first semester in Law School through your last semester at the Law School. Unused print credits are non-refundable.

Conference attendees and other guests of the Law School may receive a guest account to use the Law School computer lab, but these accounts do not include print credits.

The print credits policy at other campus buildings and labs differs from the policy at the Law Library. See print credit information at other campus buildings and labs.

Reference assistance is available during the academic year Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Users should seek reference assistance from the librarian on duty at the reference desk during those times.

If the reference desk is not open, ask about reference services at the circulation desk or e-mail reference requests to lawrefdesk@richmond.edu.

A collection of frequently used resources is kept on permanent reserve at the circulation desk. Included in this collection are all current hornbooks, casebooks for courses being taught during the current semester, selected Virginia materials, and titles in the West Nutshell series. The online catalog will indicate when an item is located on reserve.

Materials also are placed on reserve for current courses and student organizations. Course reserve items include electronic items as well as photocopied materials on the reserve shelves. The "Course Reserves" tab of the online catalog allows the user to locate materials on reserve for particular courses.

Materials on reserve circulate for use only within the library. The loan period for reserve items is either two or four hours, depending on the expected demand for the particular item. Electronic reserve items are accessed via the online catalog and the user must log in as an authorized user.

Begun in the spring of 1995, the Richmond Journal of Law and Technology was the first student-edited law school journal to be published exclusively in electronic format. View JOLT's home page for current issues, issue archives, and more information about this innovative publication devoted to the emerging law of technology and cyberspace.

There are five newly renovated study rooms in the library basement available for group study.  They are identified as L2, L3, L4, L5, and L6.  All are equipped with a large screen to connect a laptop for group display.  Four rooms seat up to 5 people.  L4 is a large room that will accommodate 14 people.  Students may reserve them for up to four hours and one week in advance.  The lights in the study rooms are motion activated; there are no light switches.  Click on the link to access the reserve system.  Pick up keys to the study rooms at the Circulation Desk.

The library maintains an extensive collection of materials specific to Virginia law, including monographs on specific topics, reports for Virginia state courts, Virginia statutes and administrative materials, as well as various indices to Virginia law. The Virginia materials are shelved in the KFV classification on the first floor of the library.