Welcome

Welcome to the Jacob Burns Law Library. The primary goal of the Library staff is to provide the best possible service to the students and faculty of the George Washington University Law School and others using the Library. We encourage you to ask for assistance or information from any Library employee to help us achieve that goal. We also ask that you make suggestions which will assist us in improving our services or collection.  

The Library Guide is intended to serve as an introduction to the Jacob Burns Law Library. It offers brief descriptions of the services, resources, and facilities of the Library. It also provides maps to help users locate specific materials and collections. Finally, the Guide recites some of the rules of library conduct which users are asked to observe to maintain an atmosphere conducive to study and research.  

A law library is the laboratory of the legal researcher. The Jacob Burns Law Library provides researchers with an impressive array of resources from many jurisdictions and in many formats to meet their needs. More than 500,000 volumes form the core of the research collection. In addition, the Library offers a variety of legal and law-related databases and automated indexes to enhance research capabilities. Library patrons can use these many resources to investigate the federal and state laws of the United States, as well as international and selected foreign laws. Particular emphasis has been placed on collecting materials which support the major programs of the Law School, including works on environmental law, intellectual property law, and programs of the federal government. Researchers also will find important resources focusing on international organizations and international human rights.  

We hope that your time spent in the Jacob Burns Law Library is productive, informative, and rewarding. Please let us know if there are ways in which we can help you.  

Scott B. Pagel 
Associate Dean for Information Services; Director of the Law Library; and Professor of Law