|
Circulation Desk: (815) 753-0507 Reference Desk: (815) 753-0519 |
The David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library is the cornerstone of the College of Law. Located on the second floor of Swen Parson Hall, the Library houses a collection surpassing 229,000 volumes and volume equivalents. The Library is a depository for U.S. Government documents and, in addition to the print collections, offers researchers access to computerized research systems and audio-visual materials. The Library participates in the OCLC system, which allows it to automate some functions, and is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries.
The Library's primary function is serving the needs of the students and faculty of the College of Law. However, Law Library facilities are also available to anyone who has need of its resources. The Law Library is open to everyone who needs to do legal research or use government documents received through the Federal Depository Library Program. Due to space limitations and heavy usage by law students, the Law Library is not available to non-law students for general study that does not require the use of legal materials or government documents.
To facilitate Law Library use by NIU students, and to reduce instructional time for Law Library staff, the Law Library offers legal research orientation programs. Faculty requiring their students to use the Law Library are encouraged to contact a librarian to arrange an orientation program for their students.
Further research support is provided through Founders Memorial Library, the University's main library, which is conveniently located adjacent to the College of Law. Founders Memorial Library contains roughly 2 million volumes and an additional 1.2 million federal, state, and international government documents.