On Thursday, May 23, our library catalog vendor will perform a major upgrade to the system that runs GULLiver and GULLiver Discovery, our library catalog systems. During this time, off-campus access to databases will probably not work.  The outage is expected to last from 8am to 8pm on Thursday, May 23. Updates posted here.

These services will be unavailable: 

• Online catalog
• Remote database access
• Interlibrary Loan services

These services will remain uninterrupted: 

• Our library website.
• Chat With a Librarian service (available during reference hours 9am-5pm)
• Library building will be open during normal hours.

Sources for finding books while the catalog is offline: 

• WorldCat
• Georgetown Law Library Treatise Finder
• Georgetown Law Library Research Guides
• Georgetown University Library Catalog (doesn't include our law collection)

We will post updates to our Twitter account as well as on this page on our site.

In conjunction with the library staff, a Catholic University library school student, Matt Foley, prepared this virtual tour during his Spring internship with the reference department. Check out the tour to identify where material is located in the library, including books, printers, computers and group study rooms. Also, find out where the best drinking fountain in the library is located!

As always, please feel free to ask a reference librarian if you have any additional questions when using the library.

Dear Graduates,

On behalf of the entire law library staff: Congratulations!  We hope you have had a fantastic and enriching experience here. It has been rewarding to work with all of you.

Please add one more item to your list of things to do to prepare for graduation.

Please return your library books as soon as possible. As of April 26th a TEMPORARY charge of $120 has been placed with Student Accounts for each item still checked out by a graduating student. Those who have unpaid accounts on graduation day will not receive either their transcript or diploma during the commencement ceremony.

How to remove a fine:

Simply return the item. Once you return all of your library materials, we will remove those charges. Credits will be issued as the books are returned.

Please make every effort to return your books by noon on May 14. This will give both the Library and the Student Accounts department ample time to clear your records with the Registrar and ensure that you receive both your final transcript and diploma at the graduation ceremony.

We invite you to stop by either the Wolff or Williams circulation desk to see if you have any outstanding library books to return. You may also check your Library Account online by logging in with NetID at https://gull.georgetown.edu/patroninfo.

If you do not return all items by May 14, you will have to take a few more steps -- but don't worry. 

If you need your library materials after May 14 to complete a paper or take an exam, simply see the staff of either the Wolff or Williams Libraries. We can work with you and the registrar's office so that you won't have outstanding library fines on graduation day.

How do you remove library holds on your record after May 14?

Simply return the items. Once all books are returned, the library will promptly remove all charges.

Once again the library applauds your accomplishments.  We look forward to your future visits as returning graduates.

We have now concluded the 2013 Annual Student Survey for the Georgetown Law Library.  This year, 595 students responded.  Here's a quick overview chart showing the respresentation of student responses:

Thanks to everybody who responded.  

Congratulations to Jack Lescroart (L '14), who won an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite as part of the drawing for this year's survey.  He was chosen at random from all student responders who entered.  He is shown here with Associate Law Librarian Kumar Jayasuriya along with his new device.

Thanks again to our students for providing valuable feedback on library services, online content and resources.  We've already started to review all comments.  Over the coming weeks, we'll discuss all of this input and use it as a guide in helping us focus our efforts to provide useful services and resources.

This past Sunday, we wrapped up the law library's annual student survey.  More than 90% of our students answer that access to the Exam Archive is a reason for visiting the library's website. Hopefully 100% of our students know about this collection.  In case that's not true, here's what the system provides, as well as a technical note for Firefox users.

The library manages the Exam Archive to provide access to documents from our Registrar's Office. The system is available to all Georgetown Law students, where you can download past exams from 1998 to the present.  Using the system, you can download exam files in batches (as a zip archive) or individually by semester.

In the survey, one person commented about problems with the Firefox browser that's useful to know. If you are using the Firefox browser, a bug in Firefox’s built-in PDF viewer may cause the Georgetown Law watermark to obscure the text in exam files.

If you encounter this problem, please try viewing exam files in another browser (Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.) or a standalone PDF viewer such as Adobe Reader. This page has more information about Firefox’s PDF Viewer, including how to turn it off or use a different PDF plugin.

The Law Library is conducting a survey of all Georgetown law students. Please take about 10 minutes to give us your feedback on the law library's collections, services and a related matters. We promise to read every comment submitted, and we'll do what we can to act on and respond to your feedback.

Take the 2013 Law Library Survey [Georgetown login required]

One lucky student completing the survey will win an 3G Kindle Paperwhite. We will keep the survey open through Sunday, April 21, and plan to announce the student winner by the following Tuesday.

It should only take a few minutes to complete the voluntary survey.  Based on feedback in prior years, we revised the past exam archive, created an online group study reservation system, relocated the reference desk in the Wolff Library and purchased new chairs for the Williams Reading Room and Williams library fifth floor. In addition, we have added book scanners, and we enhanced frequently-used library collections, including our collection of DVD and study aids.

You can review a summary of survey responses from 2007 to 2012 on our website. 

On Inauguration Day, January 21st,  Georgetown University Law Library will be open normal hours but will have access restrictions.  The Library is within the secure zone (covering about 1.5 miles from K Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW on the north to Independence Avenue NE & NW on the south, and 2nd Street NE on the east to 23rd Street NW on the west).  To be allowed into this area you must have and show current Law Center identification at security checkpoints.

Here's information on planning for the Presidential Inauguration.

Photo: An eye to the future / Ian Muir / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

During the law library's Jan. 30 conference on Big Data, Professor Kathy Zeiler of the Georgetown law faculty will be presenting on issues connected to the use of big data. One of her topics has been in the news this month.

A recent Johns Hopkins study used government data sets to evaluate the number of medical malpractice claims that have resulted from egregious surgical negligence.  This work could only have been done because of a controversial collection of nearly 10,000 malpractice claims housed in the National Practitioners Data Bank (NPBD).  

Created by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, the NPDB is a confidential system that compiles malpractice payouts, hospital discipline and regulatory sanctions against doctors and other health professionals. Prof. Zeiler will discuss why the government temporarily restricted public access to the NPBD in order to protect the privacy interest of the malpractice defendants.  

This is just one way in which the library's conference will examine the legal and information-policy factors which society should consider when using data to further the public good.  

Please join us on January 30 for the conference Big Data and Big Challenges for Law and Legal Information.

Forget soda cans, noisy snacks, and aromatic carryout in the library – how about a late-night study buddy lighting up a stogie in the carrel behind you?

In 2012, it would be pretty much unthinkable (not to mention illegal*) to allow smoking anywhere inside the Georgetown Law Library. However, a new exhibit in the Williams Library highlights a time when cigarettes, pipes, and other types of tobacco were actually welcome within the library and Law Center, as elsewhere throughout society.

Stop by the Williams atrium display cases for some photos and facts that just might “blow” your mind. And remember, the only smoking allowed (and encouraged!) around here nowadays is of your exams – best of luck!

*D.C. Code § 7-1703(4) (2001).

In celebration of 125 years, the Georgetown Law Library looks to the future with a symposium of the academic, advocacy, government, and library communities on Wednesday, January 30 at Georgetown Law.

“Big data” is a term perhaps too narrow for the topic: The size of data sets is not the key to big data issues. Rather, it’s the changes in society that are growing along with our ability to discover meaning by connecting points of information electronically, across numerous, vast, and often unrelated stores of data.

This conference will examine the public good and collective harms associated with the large-scale aggregation of information from public and private sources. During the course of the day, panelists will also discuss how scholars, researchers, and information professionals use very large or complex data sets to distill meaning and develop public policy.

Registration is free and open to all. A complimentary lunch will be provided for registered attendees, however space is limited. Register now to reserve your place and view additional information at www.law.georgetown.edu/library/about/125/symposium.