- Law Library Home
- About the Law Library
- Find Legal Resources
- Research Help
- Research & Educational Opportunities
- News & Events
- Visiting the Law Library
- Contact Us
Related Resources at the Library
Back to Frequently Asked Questions Main Page
Frequently Asked Questions
Using the Law Library
- How can I contact the Law Library?
- Can I ask a librarian at the Law Library a question?
- Can I get information on foreign, comparative, or international law?
- Can I get legal advice from a legal reference librarian?
- Can I use the Law Library?
- How can I find out if the Law Library has what I need?
- Can I borrow a book from the Law Library?
- Are the Law Library’s holdings available online?
- What online databases are available at the Law Library?
- The book I want to see is a “rare book.” Can I access it?
- Can I go into the stacks to browse or retrieve a book?
- Can I read material in the Law Library/East and Law Library/West collections?
- How can I photocopy from material in the Law Library/East and Law Library/West collections?
- Can I order a book to be held for me in advance?
- Can I set aside materials to use more than one day?
- Does the Law Library provide training for researchers?
- Can I photocopy materials at the Law Library?
- Can I use Law Library computers for word processing and other applications?
How can I contact the Law Library?
Ways of contacting the Law Library are listed here
Can I ask a librarian at the Law Library a question?
The primary mission of the Law Library of Congress is to serve Members of the Congress and thereafter, the needs of the government, other libraries, and members of the public. A staff of experienced American trained lawyers and law librarians are available to help you in accordance with this mission. We encourage you to use local and online resources first. For further assistance, our staff will respond to your reference and information needs to the extent possible. You may direct questions to us electronically, by phone, or by mail.
Can I get information on foreign, comparative, or international law?
Congressional and other government requests get priority, but the foreign law research staff is available for reference assistance with foreign, comparative, or international law questions. Readers are encouraged to check online resources and especially the Library of Congress catalog first. You may direct questions to us electronically, by phone, or by mail
Can I get legal advice from a legal reference librarian?
Only licensed attorneys are allowed to give legal advice. The reference librarians can help you locate materials to enable you to research your issue. For complex legal matters, it is best to speak with an attorney.
Can I use the Law Library?
The Law Library is open to all researchers 18 years or older who have a reader identification card.
How can I find out if the Law Library has what I need?
Most of the Law Library’s books, journals, and microtext holdings are listed in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Some of the Law Library’s holdings are listed in finding aids available only in the Law Library Reading Room, and consultation with a reference librarian may be necessary to locate such materials.
Not all items in the Law Library’s collections are guaranteed to be available when requested. Items are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Requests from Congress and the Supreme Court take priority. Items may not be reserved in advance.
Can I borrow a book from the Law Library?
The Law Library of Congress will lend certain materials to participating libraries but not directly to individuals. Researchers should consult with their public or institution’s library to arrange for loans. For more information on the Library’s interlibrary loan practices, visit the Interlibrary Loan page.
Are the Law Library’s holdings available online?
Most of the Law Library’s holdings are not online. The Library of Congress Online Catalog is a catalog of bibliographic records, not a full-text database. Except for certain online collections, the full text of most Law Library materials cannot be found on our Web site.
Visit the Find Legal Resources page to access various full-text legal and legislative materials.
What online databases are available at the Law Library?
A detailed list of legal databases can be found in the Databases & eResources page.
The book I want to see is a “rare book.” Can I access it?
Selected Law Library holdings are deemed “rare books,” and are treated with special care. These include all items with an imprint date earlier than 1801, and other holdings warranting exceptional treatment. Rare book service is available on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Access to rare materials is by appointment only. For more information, visit the Rare Book Collection page.
Can I go into the stacks to browse or retrieve a book?
The Reading Room houses 60,000 volumes of U.S. Federal, state, foreign and international legislative and legal materials, court reports, treaties, legal journals, treaties, and legal encyclopedias on open shelves. This collection is accessible to all patrons with a reader identification card.
Access to the closed stacks is not permitted except to authorized Library staff. Researchers may request that items in the closed stacks be delivered to the Law Library’s Reading Room.
Can I read material in the Law Library/East and Law Library/West collections?
These materials are available for use during the hours the Directorate of Legal Research is open, 8:30 to 4:00 pm, Monday-Friday, but must be accessed with staff assistance. For use after 4:00 pm or on Saturday, materials can be placed on reserve in the Law Reading Room.
How can I photocopy from material in the Law Library/East and Law Library/West collections?
Material may be borrowed from the Law Library/East and Law Library/West reference collections to the Reading Room, for the purpose of photocopying. Readers will have to fill out a special form (available from the Directorate of Legal Research staff) and present it at the security desk.
Can I order a book to be held for me in advance?
No. The Law Library does not permit items to be reserved in advance.
Can I set aside materials to use more than one day?
Researchers may hold books from the closed stacks for five working days in the Five-Day Reserve area in the Reading Room. Items in the Reading Room Collection may not be placed in the Reserve Area.
Does the Law Library provide training for researchers?
The Law Library offers a class to registered readers entitled Orientation to Legal Research and the Use of Law Library Collections.
Can I photocopy materials at the Law Library?
Yes. Photocopiers and photoduplication card vending machines are available in the Law Library Reading Room. Copies are 20 cents a page and 25 cents a page for microtext material. The copy card vending machines take one, five, ten and twenty dollar bills and do not return change. The Library of Congress Photoduplication Service provides copies from the Law Library collection for a fee. Patrons must supply specific citations (title, author, number of pages) in order for material to be copied. For more information, visit the Photoduplication Service page.
It is the responsibility of the patron to follow copyright restrictions when reproducing material. Additional information on copyright law is available from the U.S. Copyright Office Web site.
Can I use Law Library computers for word processing and other applications?
No. Law Library computers are for research purposes only.
Last Updated: 12/22/2008