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Library Services

The Law Library is an academic research center which supports the information needs of the faculty and students of the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. This page introduces the resources and services available at the Law Library, and additional information is available in our guide to Library & Technology Services.

Hours

For the current hours, see Law Library Hours.

For a recording of the library hours, please call the Law Library Information Line at 703-993-8100.

Access to the Library

The Law Library is open to all George Mason University students, faculty, and staff. All members of the Mason community must show a valid Mason ID to be admitted to the Law Library, and all IDs will be checked at the Circulation Desk.

George Mason University alumni and members of the bar may use the library under the following conditions:

  • Alumni and attorneys must sign in at the Circulation Desk and present a current government-issued photo identification card to the Circulation staff.
  • The status of alumni and attorneys must be verified by Circulation staff.
  • Persons in the Library who do not meet these criteria or who violate other library policies will be asked to leave.
  • Rude, abusive, and threatening behavior will not be tolerated. This is a zero-tolerance policy, and campus police may be involved for any violations of this policy.

We strongly urge attorneys and alumni to contact lawref@gmu.edu before you visit to ensure that we have the materials you need.

Students from other U.S.-based, accredited law schools studying for the summer bar exam may use the library under the following conditions:

  • Please have an Administrator from your law school verify your status as a student or recent graduate who is studying for the summer bar exam. The email should include your first and last name and your email address, and be sent to Morgan Stoddard (mstodda@gmu.edu)
  • Please carry and present a valid university- or government-issued photo identification card to the Circulation staff every time you enter the library.
  • The status of other law schools’ students studying for the summer bar exam must be verified by the Circulation staff.
  • Wi-Fi access is available through eduroam or the Mason Guest Wi-Fi.

The library is not open to the general public. The library has created the following guide to help members of the public with legal assistance: Legal Assistance to the Public. In addition, a number of other libraries in the area have legal research materials (both print and online) and are open to the general public. A list of Local Law Libraries that are open to the general public is available on this website and at the Circulation Desk.

Library Services

Circulation

The Law Library is an academic research library, with a goal of having legal research materials available for use within the library. In order to provide full access to the collection and to prevent the loss of books, most library materials do not circulate outside of the library.

George Mason University faculty, students, and staff may borrow certain materials from the law library. For a complete list of patron categories, loan policies and periods, and fines and fees, please see Patron Checkout Privileges & Fines.

Mason Alumni do not have borrowing privileges and must use materials on-site. Patrons unaffiliated with Mason may request law library materials through their institution’s interlibrary loan program.

Borrowing from Other Libraries/Interlibrary Loan

The Law Library maintains an interlibrary loan service for the faculty and students of Scalia Law School. If material that is needed is not available in the library’s collection, library staff will attempt to borrow it from another institution. For more information, please see Borrowing Books from Other Libraries. George Mason University faculty, students, and staff that are not affiliated with the law school should use the interlibrary loan service provided by Mason Libraries.

Lost and Found

There is a small “lost and found” area behind the Circulation Desk. Valuable items and items left unclaimed will be turned over to the University Police, Mason Square Office, located in Van Metre Hall, Room 110.

Messages

Library staff cannot attempt to locate anyone using the library intercom except in cases of emergency. There is no paging system and patrons should not give out the library’s telephone number for messages.

Missing Books Search Requests

When a particular item is not on the shelves, patrons should ask for assistance at the Circulation Desk. If there is no record to indicate that the material is in use, a staff member will search for the missing item and notify the user of the results. If the item is not found, Mason students and faculty may request the item through interlibrary loan.

Photocopying and Printing

There are three Canon multifunction devices (printing/copying/scanning) for library users. The devices are located on the first floor outside of the Reference Office, on the second floor near stairwell C (Fairfax Drive side of the building), and across from Computer Lounge 351 on the third floor.  The Canon devices are maintained by the university’s Print Services department which is located in Van Metre Hall, B114. The multifunction machines operate by using a Mason ID. Money can be added to an ID card by going online to Mason Money. If you don’t have a Mason ID, a Mason Money card can be purchased from a teller located next to the bookstore on the first floor of Van Metre Hall. The cost for copying and printing is $0.10 cents per copy (B&W) and $0.25 cents for color. Scanning is free.

Any malfunctions should be reported to the Print Services. Although the copiers are physically within the library, the library staff has no control over their repair, nor does the library or Print Services provide change. Patrons should be aware that the Print Services office has different hours from the library’s and is closed on the weekends.

For more information, see the Mason Square Copy Center.

A microform reader/printer is available for library users and is located on the fourth floor across from the elevator.

Reference

Reference librarians are available to assist students, faculty, and other Mason patrons with finding and using materials in the law library. Please note that although the reference librarians are happy to assist users who need information, a reference librarian will not research or interpret the law for any patron.

Law Library reference and research assistance is available by e-mail (lawref@gmu.edu), chat, voicemail with callback (703-993-8076), and in-person (1st floor, Room 146).

Current Reference hours are available on the Law Library Hours webpage.

Reference hours will vary during holidays, exams, summer semester, and intersession periods.

Reserve

Reserve materials are kept behind the Circulation Desk and must be requested from the desk attendant. Reserve items fall into two categories:

  1. Permanent Reserve
  2. Faculty Course Reserve

Permanent reserve material includes hornbooks, nutshells, and other high-use materials.

Faculty Course Reserve are materials put on reserve by faculty for specific courses.

Reserve items may be checked out for a two-hour period. Items may be renewed if not requested by others. Members of the Mason community without a current Mason ID must leave a picture ID at the Circulation Desk when borrowing reserve materials. Law faculty who want to place materials on reserve in the law library should visit Course Material Reserve for more information on reserve policies and request forms.

Seating

Carrels and Tables

The library has seating on all floors which is open to members of the Mason community, with the exception of the fourth floor and Computer Lounge 351, which are reserved for the use of Scalia Law students. Many of the carrels and tables are wired with power for use with laptops and other electronic devices. The carrels and tables cannot be reserved. Materials left in carrels or on tables after closing will be removed.

Group Study Rooms

The library has group study rooms available for Scalia Law School students, staff, and faculty use only. Please reserve a room using our Online Study Room Reservation system. 

Services for the Disabled

Specially-marked parking spaces in Hazel Hall, garages B1 and B2, are reserved for those with disabilities. The Law Library is distributed among the four floors, and there is an elevator behind the Circulation Desk. The elevator only allows access within the library and does not go to the parking garages. The law school building also has an elevator for patron use which does go to both parking garages. If the library elevator is out of order or if the patron needs other assistance, the library circulation staff will be glad to help. 

Library Collection

Materials in a law library’s collection are divided into three major categories:

  1. Primary materials, such as statutes, codes, regulations, and court records (the library maintains a small print collection of Federal and Virginia materials). Most primary resources are offered online;
  2. Secondary materials, such as treatises, loose leafs, periodicals, encyclopedias, and Restatements;
  3. Finding aids, such as indexes (available online), digests (print has been discontinued), and citators (online-only).

The library’s holdings are listed in the George Mason University Online Library Catalog. There is a computer with access to the online library catalog near the Reference Office and one on the third floor near Computer Lounge 351. Internet access is not available from these stations. The Mason library catalog contains the holdings of the Law Library, as well as holdings from the University Libraries and the Washington Research Library Consortium.

Treatises and periodicals in the Law Library’s collection are arranged according to the Library of Congress classification system. Please ask for assistance at Circulation or Reference if an item cannot be located.

Administrative Regulations

The current edition of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is located on the second floor of the library. The CFR and Federal Register are available on HeinOnline. The library has state administrative materials from Virginia.

Court Reports

The Law Library maintains a small collection of print court reporters that includes Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., South Eastern Reporter, Supreme Court Reporter, and U.S. Reports. The most current volumes are available online.

International and Foreign Law Collection

The library maintains a small British and Canadian law section. International law treatises are also included in the classified collection on the fourth floor. The library’s collection includes such compilations as the League of Nations Treaty Series, the United States Treaties and other International Agreements, United Nations Treaty Series, and the Consolidated Treaty Series. Also available are selected documents from the International Court of Justice and United Nations. Please consult a reference librarian for assistance in locating international and foreign law materials.

The library has discontinued most print subscriptions to legal periodicals and law reviews. The older bound editions are on the third floor in compact shelving. HeinOnline, which has the full-text of hundreds of journals, is available on a computer workstation located on the first floor.

Records and Briefs

Records and briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and the Fourth Circuit are available on microfiche on the fourth floor across from the elevator. Briefs of the Virginia Supreme Court beginning with 1850 are available electronically through HeinOnline.

Statutes and Codes

Copies of the United States Code and Statutes at Large are in the federal section on the second floor. Official state codes are maintained for Virginia and West Virginia only. State session laws are available on HeinOnline.

Study Aids

The library maintains a list of collection of CD Study Aids that on reserve at the Law Library’s Circulation Desk. In addition, Scalia Law School students have access to a large collection of online study aids through the library’s subscription to West Academic Study Aids and Lexis Study Aids. For more information, see the library’s Guide to Study Aids.

Treatises

The treatise collection contains both law and non-law books relevant to the law school curriculum. The library’s collection is particularly strong in the areas of law and economics, business, economic theory and history, ethics and philosophy, tax, patents, and banking. Most of the treatises are located on the third floor of the library. Some of the more frequently used treatises and hornbooks are kept on permanent reserve at the Circulation Desk.

Reference Materials

General legal and non-legal reference books can be found in the reference collection on the first floor. Included are encyclopedias, almanacs, directories, indexes, and dictionaries. The library also maintains a collection of legal encyclopedias, including American Jurisprudence (AmJur) and Words and Phrases (second floor). These materials are no longer updated and are available online.

Virginia Collection

The Virginia Collection is located on the second floor. It includes Michie’s Jurisprudence of Virginia and West Virginia, Virginia Code, Virginia/West Virginia Digest, Virginia Reports, Acts of Assembly, House and Senate Documents, and current legislative information. In addition, Virginia treatises, practice, and CLE materials are housed in this section. Another quick reference collection of Virginia materials is located on the first floor. Briefs of the Virginia Supreme Court beginning with 1850 are available electronically through HeinOnline.

Policies, Rules & Other Information

There are three major full-text online legal research systems: LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law. They are available to the Scalia Law School students and faculty for educational research purposes. Although the systems differ in some respects, each includes the full-text of judicial opinions, statutory material, administrative regulations and decisions, and other legal and non-legal resource material.

Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg offer individual passwords to Scalia Law students and law faculty members. Formal training is offered by the law librarians as part of the first-year legal research program.

Because these online legal research services are provided to the law school through a special educational contract, use is limited to Scalia Law School students and faculty doing research for educational purposes. 

Computer Lounge

The Law Library maintains a computer lounge, located in Room 351, for Scalia Law students that includes a Windows PC with dual monitors and comfortable couches and chairs.

Library Policies

The Law Library expects the following from all patrons so that the Law Library is safe for all.

  • Members of the Mason community should carry your Mason ID with you. Mason alumni, attorneys, and other law schools’ students studying for the summer bar exam should carry government-issued photo ID.
  • The law library is generally a space for quiet study and research.
  • Phone conversations should not occur in library study areas. Patrons should take calls to the stairwell or Atrium instead.
  • Library and technology staff may have conversations with each other and patrons as part of providing service and supporting research. Points of service are located on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Floors. The 4th floor has no service points and may be quieter than floors with service points. Kindly let staff know if their conversations are disruptive.
  • Study rooms are available to Scalia Law students only. Law students working in groups may reserve group study rooms using the Online Reservation system.
  • Fourth Floor seating and the Computer Lounge are available to Scalia Law students only.
  • Eating is prohibited in the Library. Drinks are permitted only in containers with lids.
  • Email any concerns about the Law Library environment to Melanie Knapp.

Student Employment Opportunities

The law library hires students for positions at the circulation desk. For more information, see Student Employment Opportunities.

Law Library