Intro to Chapman University Law Library
The Chapman University Law Library is crucial to the successful pursuit of our School’s values of excellence in legal scholarship, justice, and professionalism through the development of a well-informed, thoughtful and resourceful student and faculty body. The library provides access to a wide range of legal and law-related information resources in many different social science disciplines including foreign law, international law, tax law , and accounting. Located on the top floor of the 4-story Kennedy Hall, the Library has quiet study areas, group study rooms, individual carrels and a computer learning center with 8 computers, as well as the West Study suite for use by upper division students. Reference assistance is available from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Access to materials and information is available throughout the day and evening until 11:00 pm Sunday through Thursday.
Accessing Legal Resources
The Chapman University Law Library houses a diverse collection of legal resources to support the academic and professional aspirations of its users. In addition to an extensive collection of hardbound monographs and journals, the library subscribes to numerous periodicals and databases which include substantial amounts of electronic content. Among the journals and periodicals the library subscribes to include: California Litigation Digest; California Recuperation Litigation Journal; California Trial Law Reporter; Early American Land Patents; Eighth Circuit Bankruptcy Abstracts; Employment Schedule Reporter; Federal Real Property Caselaw; California Real Property Journal; The Weekly Law Bulletin; Law Library Collection Development in State Supreme Court Libraries; Law Library Journal; New Jersey Law Journal; New Jersey Municipal and County Court Reports; New Jersey Reporter; New Jersey Reports; South Dakota Law Review; Texas Civil Sanctions Updates; Wisconsin Liability Reporter; California and federal trials; Tax Law Review; Virginia Environmental Law Journal; and the Virginia Law Registry. The library provides a wealth of information to law students and other researchers. The Law Library is a federal depository for government documents and contains many of the most current university publications, state and local documents, and public hearing transcripts available. Other materials in the Law Library include:
Monographic Publications in Accounting & Business Law
Periodicals in Economics
Tax Periodicals
Journal Articles on Taxation
U.S. Congressional Research Service Reports
State Greenhouse Gas Laws
Treatises on Banking, Bankruptcy, Tax, Trade, and Antitrust
Powerful Research Tools and Resources
In addition to the more traditional resources that the Chapman University Law Library offers, students have access to several technological advancements and research tools that aid professors and students in their legal study and research. By utilizing research databases such as Lexis and Westlaw, users are able to conduct a thorough search through case law, statutes, regulations, and secondary sources to find relevant legal information. For users experiencing difficulty with their Westlaw searches, WestSearch, recently added to the Chapman University Law Library website, uses West’s powerful search engine to eliminate the need for sequential searching in multiple databases by providing a single search that retrieves relevant results from all the Westlaw databases Chapman subscribes to. Once the user is logged into his or her CA-Sponsored account, which is the free service offered by the University, lists of relevant cases, statutes, administrative codes, secondary sources, and other types of material relevant to the user’s query are tailored to the user’s needs. In addition to providing users with access to case law research via Westlaw and Louisiana’s Casemaker, Chapman also provides its users with access to government information from Lexis called GPO OneSearch. In order to provide students and faculty with real-time, accurate information about electronic government information, Chapman is now a member of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Although this is not a commercial database, the information available through GPO OneSearch covers all states. Another feature that the Chapman University Law Library has is a subscription to Carolina Academic Press. Carolina Academic Press provides law school textbooks as well as scholarly articles on a variety of different fields and subjects, to facilitate law students’ and faculty’s learning about the law. The CCH Intelliconnect database is another database that the Chapman University Law Library provides access to its students and faculty. CCH Intelliconnect is primarily used for tax information. Students and faculty can use CCH Intelliconnect to look up tax cases, statutes, regulations, practice tools, and news on a variety of areas and subjects.
Study and Workspaces
The library is equipped with both collaborative and scholarly spaces, even test proctoring capabilities. Conference rooms such as the Glass Conference Room or the Campbell Room are always open for public use except when reserved. While these two rooms do have technology, they are also used for lectures and various events so we ask that you check with the circulation desk to see if they are available for your preferred time. The library’s Collections Center is a quiet study room with two computers for public use. Additionally, there are single study rooms on both the 4th and 5th floors. They have locked doors and a window to discourage excessive noise through the hallways.
All 1st floor law library study spaces have been outfitted with electric drop-down screens and audio-visual equipment. These spaces serve as study rooms for students as well as lecture spaces for symposia, lecture series, and public events. Students may reserve space on a first-come, first-served basis. Law Library study spaces meet the AALL/AHEAD accessibility guidelines for space, lighting, and acoustics.
Library Services and Programs
The Chapman law librarians, students and staff are dedicated to helping you with your research needs. Their focus is to provide all students with the necessary research tools and skills to be successful in their legal careers.
The librarians are available by appointment, email, and telephone to provide research assistance. The librarians can assist you with research on all aspects of the law. Among the legal research areas in which the librarians can help you are:
The librarians also provide University faculty and Chapman community members with access to various interlibrary loans, document delivery, and research consultations. The library will fill requests from libraries in the United States and Canada using OCLC’s Worldshare . The library will obtain the material from any source that will fulfill a request including other academic, public and private libraries. PDF files are sent via email if the Library has a subscription that provides for online delivery. If the request cannot be provided electronically, the Library will send the material by mail. To place a request, use the Interlibrary Loan link on the Library’s homepage. Requests are processed as quickly as possible; however, depending on the source, sometimes these requests may take 2-4 weeks to arrive.
Passwords and limited access are required for some subscriptions. If you are unsure of your password or have limited access to databases, please contact a librarian for help.
Archives and Special Collections
The Chapman University Law Library is also home to engaging and varied special collections. These include the Mendez Family Papers, the Simon Green Atkins Papers and the William Langson Lacy Papers. The Law Library also houses the Myra Van Hoose Collection on the Los Angeles Branch NAACP, as well as Collections on Riverside, California and San Pedro, California, and the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers Papers. On the Chapman website you can view some of our collection. You can also view some of the University Archives materials, such as the Chapman University Yearbooks and the Series Catalogues (biographies) of all the university’s Presidents, say from Walt Disney to the present. Some of these are also in the Catholic Research Resources Alliance’s Scholarly Collaborative Archive Partnerships (C-Stack) database. While most of the materials require in-person research to view, the library is open to the public for access.
Community Programming and Events
Chapman University Law Library is committed to furthering legal education through community outreach and involvement. The library regularly participates in the educational development of law students, legal professionals, and the community as a whole. From providing research workshops to law school faculty and students, to hosting lawyer research training sessions, the library strives to play a role in the professional advancement of its constituencies.
The library also hosts a variety of events throughout the year featuring speakers on contemporary legal topics of interest to Chapman law students, faculty, alumni, and the general legal community. From the law school’s groundbreaking expedition to Cuba to securing a New York Times best-selling author for its annual fundraiser dinner, Chapman University Law Library invites you to explore its archives of past presentations on a variety of issues both legal and financial.
Future Developments and Initiatives
Chapman’s law library is embracing technology and enhancing its services through developing innovative, interactive resources. The future for the law school library is continuing to explore ways of improving services for the students and faculty while providing access to the most up-to-date resources.
Plans are underway to expand its existing info deck, which is an interactive, library-wide resource center. The info deck houses computers and printers for general student use, reference books such as bar exam materials, and a copy stand that can be used by students if they need to make PDF files of book pages or papers. The info deck also has a vending machine that dispenses paper for the printers, and textbooks available for students to "rent" as needed, with a cozy reading nook near the window.
A ‘Google-like’ video wall was recently installed in the library entrance area for use in large instructional sessions. In addition to larger group presentations, the wall can be used as a visual display for way-finding and announcements about library workshops.
There is an open area outside of the library, arriving at the entrance , that Chatman plans to transform into a new study space and collaboration center. The space will be outfitted with furniture and technology to support a modern law school library where students can connect, study, learn, and share ideas.
Future services and resources in the library will continue to be enhanced, and major projects include the addition of digital signage throughout the library to draw attention to new initiatives and upcoming events. Collaborative online platforms that facilitate communication and engagement with users are also a new focus for the library – these platforms will help the library connect with its users and provide creative ways to highlight library services and community news. The library is currently exploring the use of personal data assistants (PDAs) as mobile resource devices, testing a variety of options to help users access the content they need, and stay in touch with the library anytime, anywhere.
Future enhancements to the library’s website include increased integration with Chapman’s Moodle platform, making it easier for students, faculty, and staff to locate and access library resources.
