Guide to Columbia Law Library Services and Policies

For Columbia Law School Affiliates: Just tap your CUID at the turnstile to enter the Law Library. 
If for any reason your ID does not grant access through the turnstile, entry to the library will not be permitted. Please contact the University ID Center. 

For Columbia University Faculty, Researchers, and Staff: Just tap your CUID at the turnstile to enter the Law Library. 
If for any reason your ID does not grant access through the turnstile, entry to the library will not be permitted. Please contact the University ID Center. 

For Columbia University Students:

Before arrival, you must fill out this form, so that you can show the confirmation email to the Public Safety guard at the building's entrance. If you are signed in to any other non-Columbia Google product, you may have to sign out first in order to fill out the form. If your school does not use LionMail, please email referencedesk@law.columbia.edu to prearrange access.
If for any reason your ID does not grant access through the turnstile, entry to the library will not be permitted, please contact the University ID Center. 

For Columbia University (including Law School) Alumni: Alumni ID cards provide swipe access to Jerome Greene Hall and the Law Library. If you do not already have an Alumni ID card, you may obtain one from the Library Information Office in Butler Library during its hours of operation.

Other interested visitors (including NYU Law and Fordham Law students) should email referencedesk@law.columbia to pre-arrange a potential visit.

The Law Library's Cellar level is currently closed to patrons. You may request Cellar-located items for pick up at the Circulation Desk via their records in our online catalog, Pegasus. Items are typically ready for pick up within one business day. 

We thank you for your cooperation and patience during this time!

Casebooks and other required texts may be placed on Course Reserves at the request of the instructor. If a required text for your class is not on Course Reserves, ask your professor to fill out the Google Form emailed by the Law Library. 

Course Reserves may be available electronically, in print, or both.

Print Course Reserves are located behind the Circulation Desk in the Law Library.  You may borrow a Course Reserve book and use it within the Law Library. They are not permitted to leave the Law Library.

Use our Law Library catalog, Pegasus, to search for a book, journal, or electronic resource by title, author, or keyword. Use post-search filters to narrow your list of results. Advanced search with more functionality is available.

Once you have found a particular book or item, click to see its catalog record. On the record page, make note of the Location, Call Number, and Availability.  "On shelf" means a book is available for you to retrieve. Books may be housed on the 4th Floor, in the 3rd Floor Core Collection Reading Room, in the Cellar, or in an offsite storage facility. Click the "MapIt" hyperlink to see where the book is located in the library. If a book is stored in an offsite facility, email the Reference Desk to request retrieval. If a book is not available, consult a reference librarian to discuss other options, like electronic availability or InterLibrary Loan.

Westlaw, Lexis+, and Bloomberg Law all use individual usernames and passwords for access. 1Ls and LL.M.s receive instructions for how to set up their accounts at the time of orientation or during the first week of classes. Transfer students or students who need assistance may email referencedesk@law.columbia.edu.

You may access other Law Library databases from the Law Library's Databases and Indexes A-Z webpage or by searching Pegasus for the name of the database. In most cases you will be prompted to log in with your UNI and password for access.

For assistance using or locating material in one of the Law Library databases, you may contact a reference librarian.

Law students are welcome to both study in and use the materials of the other libraries on campus. CLIO, the Columbia University Libraries' catalog, allows you to search for physical materials as well as by article title for articles contained in many of the various databases CUL subscribes to.

For information on the various services provided by the other libraries on campus, how to obtain materials from them, and much more, visit the Columbia University Libraries News webpage.

Law Library reference librarians are available to assist law students with navigating CLIO and the Columbia University Libraries' collections and services, although we may refer you to other subject specialist librarians on campus where appropriate.