About Pierce Law Library
How to Renew Books Online
- BEFORE the book is overdue, open "My MELcat" and enter your name and the barcode from your student ID.
- Find the link to items checked out.
- Click on the appropriate button to renew material.
- Click the "Logout" button when done.
Copiers and Printers
The library provides photocopier machines and printers (for use by network authorized users only) on the first and second (main) floors of the library for general use. Copy machines are both coin and card operated.
- Copies cost 10 cents each and the second floor copier (by the circulation desk) takes coins or bills.
- Copy cards can be purchased for $1.00 from a vending machine near the circulation desk. (Be sure to press the silver button before purchasing a card.)
- Copy cards are dispensed with a $0 balance and must have funds added to them before they can be used for copies.
- Desk attendants do not have change.
- Students are issued a print/copy card and must add funds for printing and copying to the cards.
Westlaw & LexisNexis Passwords
Students are issued Westlaw and LexisNexis passwords when they begin their studies at Pierce Law. Representatives from both companies offer training sessions throughout the academic year and students enrolled in legal skills learn how to use these systems during their course of study.
Classification System
The law library uses the Library of Congress (LC) classification system to organize its treatise and reference materials. If it seems the entire treatise collection's call numbers are K or KF something, there's good reason.
The intellectual property library located on the third floor of the library also uses the LC classification system, however, intellectual property spans many disciplines beyond law. Thus, the library's collection in intellectual property includes other classes.
The Collection
- PRINT RESOURCES
Despite the increasing popularity of electronic resources for legal research, particularly pre-1980 publications, the Library's collection of print resources continues to grow. On its shelves, the Library houses much material that is likely to be available only in print format.
- MICROFORMS
The library's present collection is over 220,000 volumes in book and microform equivalent volumes. Included in the microform collection are many periodicals and government documents. Locating microforms is eased by a guide to the cabinets that house these many titles. The guide is located on top of the microform cabinet numbered 1-1 on the first floor of the library. Microform reader/printers are available.
- RESERVE MATERIALS
Students, faculty and staff may wish to ascertain whether a particular publication or library material is on reserve. To determine what types of materials are on reserve, see this Smart Note. To search the electronic catalog for reserves by course, visit http://cardcatalog.piercelaw.edu/search/r . To search by professor, click on this link http://cardcatalog.piercelaw.edu/search/p .
- REFERENCE MATERIALS
A modest general reference collection including legal directories, dictionaries and encyclopedias is located on the second floor adjacent to staff offices.
- TREATISES
In addition to primary legal sources and periodicals, the first floor of the library also houses the treatise collection, which is arranged according to the Library of Congress classification system. Developed to support the curriculum of the Law Center as well as serve the practice needs of alumni/ae and attorney members, the treatises include monographs, practice and procedure sets, form books, and loose-leaf services. To locate books in this collection, check our online catalog, MELcat, and search by author, title, subject, keyword, ISBN/ISSN, or call number.