Reference Service
The Law Library provides reference service to students to help them begin their research, better understand legal research tools, and to connect them with other resources.
For law students, questions to our Reference Service are often related to:
- Identifying and selecting appropriate study materials
- Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research II research
- Choosing a topic for a law review or journal student note
- Law review or journal authority checks
- Efficient ways to approach an externship or clinic research assignment
We also work with undergraduate and graduate students from outside of the College of Law, helping them identify and navigate available research resources.
Need assistance? Visit us during our reference hours, call us at 319-335-9005, email us at lawlib-ref@uiowa.edu or fill out the form below to arrange for a research consultation.
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Research Instruction
Law librarians with J.D. and M.L.I.S. degrees provide instruction in legal research tools and strategies in several different contexts.
Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research (LAWR)
LAWR faculty members each have an assigned reference librarian who work with the faculty member to provide research instruction to their students. In addition to the in-class component of legal research instruction for first-year students, during the second semester, librarians teach additional sessions that focus on search techniques, given the limited amount of in-class time available for research training.
Advanced Legal Research Courses
Examples of courses offered regularly include Advanced Legal Research; Foreign, Comparative, and International Legal Research; and Iowa Research. The Law Library also offers a variety of advanced legal research courses that focus on specific subject areas, including the following:
- Business Law
- Immigration Law
- Health Law
- Family Law
In addition to offering advanced legal research courses, a law librarian teaches the College of Law's Legal Technology course.
Guest Lectures
Law librarians guest lecture on legal research in a variety of courses, both in and outside the College of Law. If you are a University of Iowa faculty member who would like a law librarian to visit your class, please email Ted Potter at theodore-potter@uiowa.edu.
Topic-Specific Instructional Sessions
In addition to instructional sessions offered through formal courses, the Law Library provides instructional videos and sessions that focus on particular topics.