Student Library Handbook

Law Library

The Law Library has a rich collection of print, multimedia, and electronic resources. You can determine what the Library has and where to find it in the Library’s online catalog, Discovery. This catalog reflects both Law Library and main campus library (Axinn Library) holdings.

The Library also subscribes to a wide variety of online databases in addition to Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law. You can access a subject listing of these resources on the Library’s website. To access these resources from off-campus, you will be asked to authenticate using your Hofstra portal credentials.

The Library’s website, law.hofstra.edu/Library, provides more information about the Library’s resources, staff, and research assistance. For any questions regarding the Library’s website, or if a link is broken, contact lawreference@hofstra.edu.

Axinn Library

Law students may check out most circulating material from Axinn Library for 60 days. Materials may be renewed twice, then the items must be returned.

Law students can access the research database subscriptions of Axinn Library. To access Axinn’s databases from off campus, you must authenticate through the portal using your network username and password.

Reference/Instructional Services Department

Reference

The Reference Librarians assist students, faculty, and other patrons at the Reference Desk. In addition, they guest lecture in classes and teach separate research workshops.

The phone number for the Reference Desk is (516) 463-5908, and the email address is lawreference@hofstra.edu. You may also make an individual appointment with a reference librarian for in-depth reference assistance.

You can find a calendar reflecting the current Reference Desk hours on the Library’s website.

Legal Research Instruction

The Reference Librarians provide research guides as well as live and on-demand online workshops. These cover both introductory guides to legal research as well as topic-specific workshops in areas such as corporate and family law.

Law Library Social Media

For research tips and current happenings in the Library, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The Library maintains a blog, accessible from the Library website, to keep you informed of events in the Library and to provide research tips and interesting websites to visit. View the Law Library blog.

Access and Collection Services Department

The Access and Collection Services Department handles a variety of functions in the Library. At the Circulation Desk you may take out and return books borrowed either from our collection, or through interlibrary loan. You may renew books online by logging in with your portal username and password at hofstralaw.on.worldcat.org/discovery.

Click here to learn about Law Library borrowing policies.

This department also includes the behind-the-scenes functions that keep the library running. The department orders, receives and processes all materials acquired by the Library and added to the collection. This includes books, audio files, videos, periodicals, microforms and internet resources. It is also responsible for the maintenance of the online catalog.

Interlibrary Loan

If you need materials not available in either the Law Library or Axinn Library collections, the Law Library can borrow these materials for you from another library. You can make an interlibrary loan request online.

For assistance in determining if what you need is available at Hofstra, contact the Reference Desk at (516) 463-5908. For questions regarding ILL policies and procedures, contact ILL at (516) 463-5869.

Law Library Administration

The director oversees and is responsible for all operations of the Library and makes all purchasing decisions.

Access to Other Law Libraries

If you would like to use another school’s law library for study or research, Jacqueline Cassar, the Senior Support Specialist, can prepare a letter for you requesting access. Most law libraries in the area accept these letters, though please be aware that every law library has its own access policies. Libraries usually post these policies on their websites. You may reach Ms. Cassar in Room 102B or at Jacqueline.Cassar@hofstra.edu, or at 463-5900.

Law Library Suggestions

Please submit your law library suggestions by emailing us at lawlib@hofstra.edu.