Contact Us

Research Questions
Phone number: 319-335-9005
Email address: lawlib-ref@uiowa.edu

Carrel Questions/Library Loan Questions
Phone number: 319-335-9002
Email address: lawlib-infohawk@uiowa.edu

Accessibility
Law Library Maps

Page Menu

Law Library Hours

Reference Hours

Reference Service

The Law Library's reference librarians can help students get started on their research, better understand legal research tools, and connect them with other resources.

For law students, questions to our Reference Service often relate to:

  • Identifying and selecting appropriate study materials
  • Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research II 
  • 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

Need assistance? Visit us during our reference hours, call us at 319-335-9005 or email us at lawlib-ref@uiowa.edu.

Study Aids

The Law Library subscribes to three digital study aid collections. Access is restricted to the College of Law community:  

The Law Library also purchases select study aids in print. Search in InfoHawk+ for the title you are looking for or reach out to our Reference Service for recommendations. 

Key E-Resources for Law Students 

A searchable list of our electronic resources is available here. Please connect your laptop and mobile devices to the eduroam wireless network when you are on campus for easier access to electronic resources provided by the Law Library.

Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law
Access to these databases is controlled by individual usernames and passwords and is restricted to the College of Law community. Current law students (or University students currently enrolled in a College of Law course) should contact Ellen Jones at ellen-jones@uiowa.edu with any questions about establishing an account.

For information on using Bloomberg Law, Lexis, and Westlaw during the summer and following graduation, please see our Computing and Technology guide. 

HeinOnline
HeinOnline contains official PDFs of a variety of U.S., Commonwealth, and international primary laws; law journal articles; bar journal articles; and more. It is heavily used by students working on a law journal during the cite checking process. HeinOnline is accessible to the entire University community, as well as to visitors, when accessed from on-campus. 

ProQuest Congressional
ProQuest Congressional is an excellent resource of historic and current U.S. federal government publications. For federal legislative history research, check out ProQuest Legislative Insight.

Research Guides 
The Law Library offers a wide range of research guides, each dedicated to specific areas of law, designed to help you get started when researching a new area of law. Each of these guides contains links to key pieces of information including relevant sources of primary law and the most essential secondary sources in an area of law. 

Study Carrels

The Law Library has a number of study carrels available to law students, LL.M students, and SJD students. Study carrel assignments are made by Law Library staff based upon student status/standing and the availability of carrels at the time of request. Due to the limited number of carrels available, students with desk space in another area of the College of Law (i.e., Law Review, TLCP, JCL, JGRJ, or Legal Clinic), are not eligible for a study carrel in the Law Library. If you have any questions about study carrels, please contact the Law Library Circulation Desk on the Second Floor or email lawlib-infohawk@uiowa.edu. If there's a maintenance issue with your carrel, such as an issue with your carrel light or lock, please fill out this form to request a repair.

In addition to the assigned carrels, the Law Library has a limited number of closed carrels available to check-out for 4 hours. This is a great place to take a meeting, participate in an interview, etc. Visit the Circulation Desk to check availability.

Group Study Room

Students may reserve Study Room 126 through Outlook in 2-hour blocks of time. Instructions to reserve Room 126 are as follows:

  • Log into your calendar on Office 365.
  • Select “New” in the upper left corner.
  • Add a title for the reservation (example: Con Law Study Group).
  • Select “Add Room,” and under BLB Resources, select RES-BLB126-LAWLIB.
  • Make sure that the Private box is not checked.
  • Click “Send” in the upper left corner.
  • You will receive an email confirming the reservation.

Please note: The College of Law maintains study rooms in the Lauridsen Commons. These are administrated separately from Study Room 126. To reserve a room in the Lauridsen Commons, please fill out the College of Law's Room Reservation Form.  

Law Faculty Research Assistants

Each fall, and at other times of year based on faculty requests, the Law Library offers training for law faculty research assistants. Contact Don Ford at donald-ford@uiowa.edu with questions about the training. Some of the information covered in the training is also available through our Faculty RA Library Guide. 

The reference librarians also offer research consultations for research assistants working with College of Law faculty. Contact our reference librarians by visiting the Reference Office, emailing lawlib-ref@uiowa.edu, or calling 319-335-9005.

If you need to check out books for your faculty supervisor, do not check them out to your own account. Instead, have your faculty supervisor designate you as their proxy by filling out the RA Proxy Form. Both you and your supervising faculty member will be notified once proxy privileges are active.  

The Law Library hires law student research assistants, with applications accepted in March for the following academic year. Please send a resume and cover letter to Amy Koopmann at amy-koopmann@uiowa.edu between March 1 and March 31 of the Spring semester to apply for a position for the following academic year. Please note that the Law Library's research assistant positions for the 2024-25 academic year are filled. 

Law Journal Authority Checks

Library materials used to validate sources in journal articles are checked out to a generic Authority Check card and placed on labeled shelves on the Second Floor. Interlibrary loan materials may not be checked out to the Authority Check card and are, instead, checked out to the student who requested the materials. See the Law Journal Library Usage and Services Guide for more information. 

Printing

The Law Library has two black and white printers ($0.03 per printed side) located on the Second (Entrance/Exit) Floor. A color printer ($0.15 per printed side) is available in the Lauridsen Commons on the first floor of the Boyd Law Building. You can print from your laptop or from a Law Library computer. After submitting a print job, you will need to release the print job, in order for your document to print. Printing is billed directly to your U-Bill.

The University's Information Technology Services (ITS) is the primary point of contact for computing and printing issues, with the exception of when the black and white printers located in the Law Library need new toner or paper refilled. In those cases, please visit the Circulation Desk to request assistance. 

The ITS Help Desk may be contacted at 319-384-HELP (4357) or its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu. The ITS Help Desk also offers live chat assistance at http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/connect.  

The University does not service or provide paper or toner for the Lexis printer (located in Room 134 of the Law Library). If you need assistance with the Lexis printer, please contact Lexis at 800-45-LEXIS.  

Computing & Technology 

Users of University of Iowa technology are bound by the University's policy on Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources.

The University's Information Technology Services (ITS) is the primary point of contact for computing issues. ITS staff assist with issues related to email accounts, wireless network access, printing, lab and workstation computers, software installation and support, exam software support, basic virus and malware removal, and provide basic troubleshooting advice for personal computer and technology related issues. 

The ITS Help Desk may be contacted at 319-384-HELP (4357) or its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu. The ITS Help Desk also offers live chat assistance at http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/connect.  

Research Courses

Reference librarians provide formal research instruction in the first year Legal Analysis, Writing & Research program and in upper-level electives including a general Advanced Legal Research course and Advanced Legal Research courses focused on specific topics, including Iowa state law, foreign and international law, and immigration law, among others.  

For a full list of Advanced Legal Research courses offered each term through the College of Law, visit the College of Law's Courses and Curriculum page. 

Past Exams

A selection of past law school exams is available electronically to College of Law students through the Iowa Law Writing & Academic Success Center’s ICON site (select this from the “Ongoing Courses” drop-down menu).