During the academic year, Reference Librarians are available Monday – Thursday from 9am – 8pm, Friday from 9am – 5pm, and Sundays from 9am – 5pm to assist patrons with finding legal resources and information. During the summer, reference services are generally offered Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm. Please note: Our Reference Librarians do not provide legal advice or interpretation of the law.
Contact our Reference Department by using our Reference Query Form, sending an email to LawReferenceDesk@syr.edu or calling (315) 443-9572.
For guest or visitor access to the Law Library, please see our Access to the Law Library web page.
Response Time
We will respond to questions received Sunday – Thursday, 8am – 7pm within 24 hours during the academic year. We will respond to questions received at any other time on the following business day.
Scope of Service
Reference staff will respond to ready reference questions, such as verifying a case or statute citation, locating a directory listing, or checking library holdings. They will also direct patrons to relevant electronic or print resources and offer guidance on their use. For complex research questions, you may need to schedule an appointment with a subject specialist. Please note: Our Reference Librarians do not provide legal advice or interpretation of the law.
Referrals
If reference staff and/or our library resources are not able to adequately address a question, patrons may be referred to another library or resource.