Using the Library

The George R. Farmer Jr. Law Library is the largest law library in the state of West Virginia. It is a research library with a general collection of legal information in all areas of American law and special collections such as Public Interest, Racial Justice, Faculty Scholarship, Study Aids, and Legal Leisure, among others.

See the law library’s collection development policy for detailed descriptions of our collections and the methods used to select, acquire, and maintain our resources.

• Printer/Copier/Scanners are available in the Law Library and available for use to those with a Mountaineer ID card.
• Black and white printing and copying costs $0.06 per page.
• Color printing and copying costs $0.25 per page.

• WVU students, faculty, and staff
  • May borrow books that circulate from the general collection for the duration of one semester.
  • Law faculty members may grant proxy borrowing privileges to research assistants. Please contact the circulation desk for information on setting up a proxy account.
• Attorneys and public patrons
  • May borrow books that circulate from the general collection for three weeks.
  • May borrow up to five items at a time, with a maximum of two CD sets.
  • Attorney and public patrons must have a Law Library Borrower’s Card to borrow materials. To apply for a card, please visit the circulation desk in person. There is no charge for a Law Library Borrower’s Card, but a valid photo ID is required. Cards must be renewed each year.
• Materials from the law library’s special collections may circulate but may be checked out for a limited time period. Please inquire at the circulation desk for borrowing information for specific special collections.

• College of Law students, faculty, and staff may request materials not owned by the Law Library or other WVU Libraries through our interlibrary loan services.
• To complete an interlibrary loan request, search for the item in our online catalog. Follow instructions to complete either a Book Express+ request for intra-library delivery, or an ILLiad request for book or article requests from non-WVU libraries. Please call 304-293-5300 for assistance with requests.
• All interlibrary loan systems require a borrower to use WVU Login or WVU ID number. Please select Law Library as the pick-up location.
• The estimated delivery time for books is one to two weeks, and journal articles are delivered via email within one to two business days.

• It is the responsibility of the borrower to know when library materials are due and to renew or return materials on or before the due date. Notices are sent to WVU email.
• Books and any items with accompanying media that have not been returned or renewed within 30 days past their due dates will be treated as “lost.” Borrowers will be billed for the replacement of the lost item.
• Overdue materials borrowed via interlibrary loan are subject to charges by the lending library whose policies and practices may differ.
• Student bills are referred to the Office of Student Accounts and may be paid in person or online via Student Accounts in STAR or MIX.
• Faculty and staff borrowing privileges are revoked when bills exceed $100 or when lost materials have been billed for replacement.
• Attorney and public patron privileges are revoked when lost materials have been billed for replacement. Payment of bills by attorney and public patrons must be made by check. The law library does not accept cash.

• Quiet conversation is permitted in the open study areas on first floor of the law library.
• The second floor of the law library is the deep quiet area. Please refrain from conversation at any volume.
• For group study, reserve one of the library’s six study rooms.

• Study rooms may be reserved online.
• Study rooms may be reserved by law students only and are intended for group use, not individual study.
• Study rooms can be reserved for up to four hours per person per day.
• Study rooms reservations can be made for the current day and up to 14 days in advance.
• Reservations are held for 15 minutes, after which unoccupied rooms become freely available.