Circulation Desk
Reference Service
Library Director
Librarians
Staff
Amberly Cole
Julie Register
Tim Spishock
Students have the ability to reserve study rooms for group study sessions, remote job interviews, and related activities. If you would like to reserve a study room, please complete the Booking Form to ensure that a study room will be available to you. For times not reserved by students, the study rooms will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
From the Library portion of the Student Handbook
Library Hours
The law library is open to law students with a BearCard (building access card) whenever the building is open.
Circulation
Circulation desk service, including the reserve collection, is available fall and spring semesters during the hours listed below. Summer and holiday hours are abbreviated and posted in the library and on the law school and law library’s websites.
Carrels & Tables
Carrels and tables are available for study on a first-come, first-serve basis. Personal items left in carrels are subject to removal. Items of value, including laptops, should never be left unattended.
Do not tack, tape, or permanently affix anything to carrels, tables, walls, doors, end panels, or other furniture and equipment in the library.
Cell Phones
Cell phones should be on silent. All calls must be taken in the lobby area.
Employment Opportunities for Law Students
The library hires second-and third-year law students as Library Assistants. The hiring process is competitive. Working in the library is an excellent opportunity to work with a variety of legal resources on a routine basis. If you are interested in working in the library, inquire at the Circulation Desk.
Food and Drink Policy
Cold foods, such as fruit, nuts, candy bars and crackers are permitted in the law library and study rooms. Meals and hot foods, such as pizza, burgers, and soup are not permitted. Drinks in closed, non-disposable containers are welcome in the library. Styrofoam cups,cans, or other open containers of any kind are not permitted. Students are expected to dispose of all trash promptly and properly and clean up any spills or messes.
Inter-library Loan
If the library does not own an item you need, it is highly likely available from another library. Inter-library loan request forms are available at the Circulation Desk. Email reference@law.mercer.edu for assistance.
Internet Access
There are wireless access points throughout the law library, providing students with laptop access to the network and to printing.
LawCat is the law library’s online catalog of library holdings, including print and online resources. LawCat is available on the web and at designated computers in the library. For assistance using LawCat, inquire at the reference desk.
Lexis, Westlaw,and Bloomberg Law
Law students receive Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law passwords and instruction before or during orientation. Access is reviewed in the Introduction to Legal Research class. Student passwords are valid for the rest of the student’s career at the law school. Sharing these passwords violates our licenses with these vendors. Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law place restrictions on passwords as described in the contracts that students enter in to with these vendors when they register their personal passwords. Questions about access and use of Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law should be directed to Billie Jo Kaufman at kaufman_b@law.mercer.edu or reference@law.mercer.edu.
The library web site, is a gateway to specialized legal research databases and sources, including full-text sources and journal indexes. In addition, students will find a variety of subject guides to legal research, including an extensive list of Georgia resources.
Lost and Found
The circulation desk is the temporary repository for personal items found in the library. If you find or lose an item, ask for assistance at the Circulation Desk.
Microfiche
All microfiche and a reader are in Room 228 (Technical Services). The reader scans so one can print pages on the network printers.
Photocopying
Two photocopiers are located on the main floor of the library. All can reduce, enlarge, and make double-sided copies. The copiers next to the circulation desk and on Mulberry also collate. Copies are 5 cents per page. The student BearCard serves as a copy card if funds for copying are applied to the card via Mercer University Auxiliary Services webpage. Students may get a copy card by using the value transfer station next to the circulation desk in the law library. Credit cards are only accepted online: http://auxiliary.mercer.edu/bear-card/deposits/. No credit cards are accepted in person
Printing
There are 5 Wepa Kiosk printers in the law school: 2 in the student lounge (first floor), 2 in the library (second floor) and 1 in the IT tech lounge (third floor). Students receive $16 in free print credits (200 pages) at the beginning of the academic year. Student print accounts are charged $0.08 for each black & white page printed and $0.25 for each color page printed. Additional print credits may be purchased with a debit or credit card at the Wepa Kiosk. Note you are charged a fee if you add less than $5 to your account. Ask for assistance to print to a laser printer or to print on legal size paper.
Reference
Reference services are provided by librarians to assist users in locating information, developing effective research strategies, and identifying the appropriate online and print resources to use in conducting legal research. Reference service is available fall and spring semesters during the hours listed below. Summer and holiday hours are abbreviated and are posted in advance at the reference desk and on the law library website.
Reference services (2020/2021) will be available via online (Zoom) or you may email your need to reference@law.mercer.edu. You may contact reference librarians by phone. Office appointments may be arranged. You must wear a mask.
Reserve Materials
Reserve materials, consisting of items placed on reserve for current classes and other high-use items, are behind the circulation desk. Reserve items may be checked out for two-hour use in the library. Some reserve items also may be checked out for overnight use two hours before closing, and must be returned with n one hour of opening on the following day. Lists of course reserve materials are available on LawCat, the online catalog, and maybe retrieved by either the course name or the professor’s name.
Scanning
The photocopiers next to the circulation desk and in the Mulberry Wing of the library also serve as scanners. Students may scan and email documents to their law school email address, at no charge. For large documents, ask for assistance at the Circulation Desk. Scanners are also available in the first and third-floor tech lounges.
Study Rooms and Smart Suites
Nine study rooms are available for group study. Maximum numbers for group study rooms (FALL, 2020 = 2). All are equipped with whiteboards. The third floor study rooms have technology to facilitate collaboration. These rooms can also be used for practicing oral arguments and presentations as well as for reviewing practice sessions.
| Walnut Wing | 225, 226 | |
| Mulberry Wing | 215, 216 | |
| Third Floor | 345, 346, 347, 348, 351 | Equipped with projectors, monitors, DVD players |
Law students may checkout whiteboard supplies at the Circulation Desk for two-hour periods. Students may reserve room 351 in the portal. Personal belongings may not be left in study rooms while the student goes to class. Study rooms and smart suites are open during library hours. The Lawyers’ Reading Room is not a study room. It is reserved for use by members of the bar or by the Dean’s Office for meetings or teaching.
Tobacco Policy
No tobacco or vaping is allowed. Smoking is prohibited in all indoor locations. All buildings on all campuses are tobacco and smoke-free. This includes vapor/electronic smoking devices and chewing tobacco.
Checkout Time and Fine/Fees Chart
| Loan Type for Students | Days | Fine/Fee | Grace Period |
| Reserve Books/Equipment | 24 Hours because of COVID-19 | .25/Hour | 30 Minutes |
| Reference Books | Non Circulating/Copies Only | .05 Per Copy | NA |
| Journals on Mulberry Wing | Non Circulating/Copies Only | .05 Per Copy | NA |
| Treatises/ GA Collection on Mulberry Wing | 14 Days Loan | .25/Day | 1 Day |
| Reporters on Mulberry Wing | Non Circulating/Copies Only | .05 Per Copy | NA |
| Books on Walnut Wing | 14 Days Loan | .25/Day | 1 Day |
| Codes/Regulations for States on Walnut Wing | Non Circulating/Copies Only | .05 Per Copy | NA |
| Books on Third Floor | 14 Days Loan | .25/Day | 1 Day |
| Microfiche on Third Floor | Non Circulating/Copies Only | .05 Per Copy |
NA |
Adjustments have been made to reserve items circulating time due to the COVID -19 pandemic. Reserve items originally were checked out for 2 hours. The new 24 hours term is temporary and may change.
Lost books are charged at replacement cost + a $15.00 processing fee. Lost and replacement charges will be waived if the item is returned.
From the Library portion of the Student Handbook
August 2021
I’m delighted to welcome you to the Mercer Law School and the Furman Smith Law Library on behalf of the law library’s professional and support staff. The law library’s mission is to provide excellent services to assist its users in locating legal information and resources. The services that the law library provides include research and reference services, instruction, guest presentations, and technical services to insure access to all of the library’s print and electronic resources.
Students, faculty, staff, alums, and attorneys have access to our rich and varied collection of print and electronic resources, both legal and non-legal. All of the library’s resources are accessible in the law library's online catalog, Lawcat and many of the resources available in the University Library are available in the catalog as well.
In addition, the law library’s spaces provide for comfortable research and study areas for quiet study or collaborative work. You may visit our website or contact us to learn more about our services and resources. Please let me know how we can better serve you.
Billie Jo Kaufman
Director of the Law Library and Professor of Law