Services to the General Public & Other Law School Students
Thomas M. Cooley Law Libraries
| Welcome || Access || Assistance || Borrowing Privileges || Library Policies |
| Collection || Catalog || Electronic Resources || Reference || Research Guides ||
| Food & Drink |
Welcome
Welcome to the Thomas M. Cooley Law Libraries. The Brennan Law Library of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School is a Congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government Documents. Public access to the government documents is guaranteed by public law (Title 44 U.S.C.).
It is our pleasure to be able to assist you in your legal research needs. With libraries in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Rochester, Michigan, we offer the General Public and students from other law schools three separate locations across the state of Michigan in which to conduct research. A combined collection of over one-half a million volumes and nearly ten miles of shelving serve as an unbelievable treasure trove for the legal researcher.
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Access
All visitors must register upon entering. Please contact the particular Library for specific access procedures, i.e. presenting ID, filing out a form, or checking with security. Contact the Libraries.
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Assistance
Legal and ethical codes prohibit librarians from giving legal advice or opinion, or from interpreting sources of legal authority. Library staff may not perform legal research, offer legal advice, or choose legal forms for patrons. For these reasons Law Library staff must limit themselves to suggesting library materials that might be helpful to you, assisting you in locating these materials, and showing you how to find information in them.
You may wish to consult one of the agencies listed below if you are in need of further assistance:
ABA Find Legal Help
http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/findlegalhelp/home.cfm
Elder Law of Michigan
http://www.elderslaw.org/
Finding Legal Aid, Legal Services & Dispute Resolution in Michigan
http://www.michbar.org/public_resources/legalaid.cfm
Lawyer Referral
http://www.michbar.org/programs/lawyerreferral.cfm
Legal Services of South Central Michigan
http://www.lsscm.org/
Michigan Legal Assistance Network - Guide to Civil Legal Aid in Michigan
http://www.michiganlegalaid.org/
Michigan Poverty Law Program
http://www.mplp.org/
Michigan State Bar Foundation
http://www.msbf.org/
Public Access to Legal Information (help to do your own research)
http://www.michbar.org/generalinfo/libraries/findlawlib.cfm
Rental Housing Clinic at Michigan State - DCL
http://www.msulawclinics.org/rhc/index.html
Sixty Plus, Inc. Elderlaw Clinic at Cooley Law School (Services for Seniors)
1-517-334-5760
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Borrowing Privileges
The Libraries do not provide borrowing privileges to the General Public or to students of other law schools. The materials must be utilized within the libraries.
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Library Policies
Please visit our policies page for further information.
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Collection
Please take a tour of our libraries to acquaint yourself with the libraries' collection and floor plans. Go to the Libraries Tour.
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Online Catalog
CoolCat is the name of our libraries' catalog where you will be able to search for books, journals, recordings, videos, web sites and newspapers. CoolCat allows you to conduct keyword, title, author, subject, call number and advance searches. Computer terminals are located throughout the libraries. If you need assistance with the catalog, do not hesitate to request assistance from a reference librarian. Search CoolCat now.
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Electronic Resources
The library subscribes to a variety of online resources and databases. Most sources are IP based and available only from a Cooley networked PC. To view a list and description of the electronic resources available to you, please visit our Electronic Resources page.
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Reference
The Libraries' reference staff are available to offer assistance to you in your research by locating and/or identifying new sources of possible interest to you given your particular request. With the most hours available for reference of any law library in the nation, you will find a professional librarian willing and able to assist you. Please see our Ask A Librarian's page for hours and methods of contacting us.
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Research Guides
To further assist you in your research, the Cooley Librarians have created and maintain a number of research guides on a variety of legal topics. The annotated research guides attempt to assist researchers in identifying useful print, electronic and internet sources pertinent to their legal issue. List of Research guides.
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Food and Drink
Food is not permitted inside the Libraries and may be confiscated along with beverages in containers not approved by the administration. Generally, open cans, paper and Styrofoam cups are not permitted. Travel mugs are permitted. Please see the policies page for more information regarding the libraries' policies.
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