Guide to the Library
Welcome to the Georgia State Law Library! Below you’ll find information about some of the many resources and services we offer to help make your time in law school successful.
Georgia State Law students have full access to the library whenever we are open. Our hours can vary (for exams, holidays and breaks, for example), but in general we are open:
Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Detailed information is available on our calendar.
Security
We suggest you do not leave laptops, cell phones, or other personal items unattended. These are precautions that help protect you and your belongings.
Quiet Floor and Cell Phones
The sixth floor of the library is a Quiet Floor. This is to help ensure you have a place to focus on your studies. We ask that all conversation in this area be kept to a minimum and be conducted in low tones.
If you receive a phone call while in the library, please be courteous to your fellow students. We suggest using the café area of the fifth floor or Room 502 (the scanner room). Please restrict your cell phone usage on the sixth floor.
Food and Drink
So long as they conform to our policy, food and drink are permitted in the library (though not in the computer lab). If you spill something, just let us know right away so we can get it cleaned up.
Contact Information
The librarians and staff are here to help you. If you need to get in touch with us, feel free to call or email us.
- Circulation Desk: 404-413-9100
- Reference Desk: 404-413-9102
- Email a Librarian
- Staff Directory
Assistive Technology and Lactation Rooms
The library offers an assistive technology room (578) and a lactation room (511) for our students. Students wishing to use either of these rooms can request access through the Dean of Students.
FAQs
More information about using the library is available on our How Do I page.
We have 27 group study rooms available in the library. Groups of two or more law students may reserve a room. Study rooms can be checked out for up to three hours per group member. Go online to reserve a room up to a week in advance. Be sure to include names for all members of your group in the reservation.
Course Textbooks
We have copies of all required textbooks for every law school class. They are available for 3 hour checkout from the Circulation Desk.
Reference Assistance
The Reference Desk is open every day during the semester to help answer your questions, including guidance on your Research Methods in Law homework, assistance with research for papers, and assistance with citation management. You can stop by the desk, call us (404-413-9102), or use the Chat Reference available on our website.
Exam Archive
The Law Library maintains a collection of past exams from many courses and professors. These exams can familiarize you with the types of questions you might expect to see this semester. They are available to current law students on InsideLaw.
Study Aids
The Law Library has a large collection of study aids to help you understand course readings. Series such as Examples and Explanations, Questions and Answers, and Nutshells can all put legal concepts into easy-to-understand terms. Current study aids are available for 3 hours at a time; older editions can be checked out for a week. The current study aids are shelved in the active learning area on the fifth floor. Older editions are in the general stacks. Use of study aids is first-come, first-served; please only take what you need immediately and return all study aids as soon as you're done so others can also use them.
Computer Lab
A computer lab is available for Georgia State Law students only. The computers are Dell PCs with common software programs, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat Pro installed. Printers are also available nearby.
Printing
Law students can print both from computers in the lab as well as their own laptops, from on campus and off campus. Printing costs 5 cents per single page or 8 cents per sheet for double-sided prints. Details about printing are available from IS&T.
Comfy Chairs and Group Tables
Comfortable seating and group tables are scattered throughout the library. Whether you're chatting with a classmate or want to work on a group project, we've got the space for you.
Café and Hot/Cold Water
A café is available on the fifth floor of the library, serving coffee, tea, and grab n go food. There are drinking fountains and dispensers for filling water bottles on both floors. The library also has a hot and cold water dispenser inside the café. Stay hydrated, grab a warm cup of tea, or make yourself some soup for lunch.
Leisure Collection
Hard as it may be to believe, you aren't going to spend every moment reading cases. If you want to relax with a book or movie, we have a Leisure Collection available near the reference desk. Here, you'll find law-related classics, recent releases, and recommendations from faculty.
Other Stuff to Borrow
In addition to course materials, you can check out a lot of other items from the Circulation Desk, including headphones, games, and flash cards.
Personal Librarian Program
Each law student is teamed up with a "personal" librarian, who will email you about once a month to let you know new information about the library. You're welcome to also email or meet with your librarian whenever you have questions too; your librarian isn't your Research Methods in Law instructor either. More information about the Personal Librarian Program is on our guide.
Social Media
The library is on Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to follow us for research tips, trivia questions, and library announcements. You can also read our blog, The Blackacre Times, for more in-depth information about life as a law student, Atlanta events, and legal news.
Advisory Council and Suggestion Box
Do you have any comments or ideas you'd like to share with us? You can talk with your Personal Librarian, of course, but you're also welcome to talk with your representatives on the Law Library Student Advisory Council or submit it to our electronic Suggestion Box. We take all of your feedback seriously, and would love to hear from you.