Accessing W&L Law Library Resources During the Coronavirus Outbreak

This guide is intended to facilitate your access to the Washington and Lee Law Library resources and services remotely and in person during the coronavirus outbreak time period. If you have any questions about library services, please email us at lawref@w

Assistant Dean for Legal Information Services and Professor of Practice

Overview: General Policy

The Law Library practice follows the current Washington and Lee University policy and guidelines regarding the Coronavirus outbreak. We will adapt our practice based on the guidelines if there are any changes in the future. This guide will be updated as frequently as needed. 

  • The Library follows the University building and campus access policy strictly. The Law Library Main Reading Room, loft area, and quiet study area are now open to registered recent graduates for bar study only starting on Monday, 6/21, from 9 am to 5 pm Monday-Friday. 
  • All normal reference and research services continue to be available to students and faculty remotely.  Please continue to use self-checkout machines to minimize physical contact. We also have a book cart for book returns at the Circulation Desk. Circulation Desk is staffed from 1 pm to 5 pm Monday - Friday. 
  • For W&L Law Students, we do encourage you to contact us by emailing lawref@wlu.edu for reference assistance.
  • For W&L Law faculty, we continue to provide document delivery services to faculty members. If you need to get materials from another institution (i.e., Interlibrary Loan), we will be able to access PDF scans of articles or book chapters for other libraries. We will no longer be able to receive books from other institutions. If you have questions about accessing any materials, please contact Franklin Runge (frunge@wlu.edu). For other reference and research assistance, please contact Franklin Runge or Alex Zhang (azhang@wlu.edu).
  • All our e-resources will be accessible remotely as usual. Please check out our e-resources page for further instruction. If you have trouble accessing any resources remotely, please contact Andrew Christensen (christensena@wlu.edu ). 
  • We have secured temporary free online access to certain legal casebooks, study aids (West Academic Study Aids/Foundation Press and Wolters Kluwer) and Bluebook for our law students and faculty. Detailed information and access instruction is available in Box. Meanwhile, please contact Jennifer Mart-Rice (martricej@wlu.edu) for any questions. Our access to Wolters Kluwer Study Aids will end on June 30, 2020. 

           

 

 

Summer and Post-Graduate Access to Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg

Good news! Law students and graduates can continue using their LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law accounts throughout summer 2020. Vendor policies for summer access are summarized below. Please do  send us your reference, research, or access questions over the summer at LawRef@wlu.edu.

Importantly, always check with your supervisor before using your academic accounts for work projects this summer. Although it may be permissible by a vendor’s rules, your employer may prefer that you use other accounts or resources.

  • Bloomberg Law
    Law students enjoy full and uninterrupted use of their BLaw accounts during the summer, without restrictions from the vendor. Graduating students will have unrestricted access to their academic Bloomberg Law account until June 2021.
  • Lexis Advance
    Law students enjoy full and uninterrupted use of their Lexis accounts during the summer, without restrictions from the vendor. Graduating students will have full access to their academic Lexis account through December 31, 2020. Graduates engaged in work for a non-profit employer can also apply for extended 12-month Lexis access through the ASPIRE program.
  • Westlaw
    Law students continue to have full access to their Westlaw accounts during the summer, however use is permitted only for summer classes, law school research assistant/journal/clinic, unpaid, or non-profit public interest work. Graduating students have full access to their academic Westlaw account for up to 18 months after graduation through W&L’s Grad Elite subscription.
  • Other Databases via W&L Law Library
    W&L Law students have unlimited summer access to the range of legal research resources on the Law Library website at https://law.wlu.edu/onlineresources. Frequently used platforms include Law360, HeinOnline, Practical Law, and Law.com. Valid W&L log-in credentials and password are required off campus.
Subjects: Law