Friends of the Jacob Burns Law Library

The Friends of the Jacob Burns Law Library is a group of individuals, law firms, and other organizations dedicated to supporting the continued growth and enhancement of the collections through a variety of methods. In today's institutional purchasing climate, the spiraling cost of books has forced many libraries to decrease dramatically the scope of their spending, with destructive long-term, and often irremediable, effects on their collections. The efforts of alumni, faculty, law colleagues, and other Friends enable the Law Library to maintain and enhance the quality and scope of its important collections, and provide assurance of continued excellence for future generations of students and researchers.

The Jacob Burns Law Library is named for Jacob Burns  (LLB '24, LLD '70), a generous supporter of GW Law and longtime trustee of the University. Burns (1902-1993) was renowned as a lawyer, artist, and philanthropist. His gift of the Jacob Burns Law Library is just one of several examples of his significant contributions to the "uplifting and maintenance of the legal profession" and his fearless advocacy of the principle of "equal justice under the law."

Now is your chance to join Friends of the Jacob Burns Law Library!

 

Friends of the Jacob Burns Library Membership Form (PDF)

Download this PDF form, which you can easily complete, print, and mail to us.

The Jacob Burns Law Library - Premier Research Library

The Jacob Burns Law Library is among the largest and most prestigious academic law libraries in the United States. It offers a research collection rich in the historic and contemporary legal materials of America, as well as international and comparative materials. 

The Law Library’s holdings of 600,000 volumes and volume equivalents provide students, attorneys, and academics with a wealth of legal information. It subscribes to hundreds of scholarly and practitioner-oriented journals and loose leaf services. Among the special holdings of the Law Library are superior resources for environmental law, government procurement, intellectual property, and international law. Members of the reference staff have first-rate expertise in these areas and are available for assistance in using the library’s exceptional resources. 

Of particular note are the Law Library’s legal history materials. Many works in Special Collections are available in no other library in the United States. These collections are especially strong in American legal history, French legal history (including an impressive assemblage of costumes, or French customary law), and ancient legal systems, represented by a significant collection of Roman and canon law works. Its growing collection of incunabula (the earliest printed books, 1440-1500) is a treasure unmatched by all but a very select group of academic law libraries in the United States. The Library’s collection of trials from jurisdictions across the globe is another valuable resource duplicated by few institutions.


Gift Amounts

GW Law Alumni making gifts to any law school fund

Donors are eligible for borrowing privileges for one year. All George Washington Law alumni have library access privileges, regardless of financial support.

  • $100: Alumni graduated within past 10 years
  • $1000: Alumni graduated 10 years or more

Individuals outside the GW Law community making gifts to the Law Library Gift Fund

  • $250: Donor is eligible for 1-year Friends membership, including access to the Law Library
  • $400: Donor is eligible for 2-year Friends membership, including access to the Law Library
  • $1000: Donor is eligible for 1-year Friends membership, including access to the Law Library plus borrowing privileges

Law Firms and Corporations making gifts to the Law Library Gift Fund

  • $1000: Donor is eligible to receive two 1-year Friends memberships (not limited to specific individuals), including access to the Law Library and expedited interlibrary loan service for Law Library materials

What it is like to be a Friend

  • Prospective Friends of the Jacob Burns Law Library include alumni, faculty, and students of the George Washington University Law School, members of The George Washington University community at large, and individual supporters, law firms, and corporate groups from outside the University community, all of whom are interested in the advancement of the Law Library. Anyone can be a Friend! 
  • Friends receive newsletters highlighting recent acquisitions and developments.
  • Friends receive invitations to receptions and other events sponsored by the Law Library. 
  • Alumni of the Law School have access privileges automatically upon graduation. Alumni Friends making donations to the Law School at various suggested levels also are granted borrowing privileges. 
  • Friends not affiliated with The George Washington University Law School are granted access to the Law Library only. Individual Friends are granted borrowing privileges at certain suggested donation levels. Law firm and corporate Friends receive expedited interlibrary loan service for Law Library materials. Friends membership does not include access to limited-use databases or borrowing from other institutions. 
  • Privileges granted to Friends are not transferable. Please note that Gelman Library and Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library are separate organizations and do not grant access or privileges to Friends of the Jacob Burns Law Library.