A Dynamic Intellectual Hub

The Law Library at UC Law SF has long been known for embracing technology and innovation. In the 1970s, it was an early adopter of Lexis and Westlaw, the newly introduced microfiche and microfilm systems, and maintained a mission of service
that set it apart from other libraries. In the 1980s, it was one of the first law libraries to install automated public catalog, circulation, and acquisition systems; and in the 1990s, it was quick to teach students how to use new automated legal research tools.

Today, the Law Library offers faculty members, students, and alumni more than 650,000 volumes; an exceptional collection of federal, international, and California documents; access to more than 124,000 e-books, 81,000 e-journals, and 100 electronic databases; and a staff of professional librarians focused on assisting both faculty and students.

“Since I arrived at UC Law SF nearly 30 years ago, the library has been rebuilt, expanded, and improved,” said Distinguished Professor of Law and Horace O. Coil Chair in Litigation Richard Marcus. “With so many resources available, librarians are more important than ever, and the staff at the Law Library is remarkable.”

Located in Mary Kay Kane Hall, the library occupies an award winning space designed in 2007. According to Jenni Parrish, former associate dean for library services, the library has come a long way since its early history. When the law school first opened in 1878, she noted in a piece for the UC Law SF Journal, it had no library facilities at all, and students accessed the San Francisco Law Library instead. UC Law SF finally began acquiring a small book collection in the 1890s. Then, as Parrish writes, in 1925, the widow of former Director Robert Y. Hayne donated 1,000 volumes, and 20 years later, former Dean Charles W. Slack left the school his vast library of 12,000 books.

In 1953, UC Law SF constructed a library space on the third floor of 198 McAllister St. The facility was big enough to hold 100,000 volumes but was inadequate by the early 1960s, according to Parrish. The library took additional space to keep pace with surging enrollments, and in 1981, it moved into the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of the 200 McAllister building.

The collection expanded to include books on multidisciplinary subjects—something that was particularly important, she added, at a stand-alone law school campus. The staff of librarians expanded, too, and their service ethic, Parrish stated, became part of UC Law SF’ institutional culture.

There were more changes from 2005 to 2007, when the library was renovated to install seismic and safety upgrades, small group study rooms, and new technology. “It was a top-to-bottom makeover,” said Faculty Services Librarian Chuck Marcus. The remodeled facility—one of the most beautiful libraries in the Bay Area, according to the San Francisco Chronicle—“is a wonderful place to study in the heart of campus,” he said.

Like most academic law libraries around the country, the UC Law SF Library works to balance its online and print resources. “We’ve dramatically reduced our duplication and are focusing on online materials,” Chuck Marcus explained. “We still have a lot of printed resources that are unique and extremely useful, but most faculty members and students are now very comfortable in the online world.”

Nearly all the printed resources that were eliminated are currently available electronically, according to Hilary Hardcastle, the Law Library’s deputy director. “It’s much easier for faculty and students to have instant digital access to those materials,” she said. “They don’t have to wait for people ahead of them on the circulation list or for volumes to come in on loan from other libraries.”

UC Law SF does, however, maintain a robust core collection of printed resources, including the United States Code, the California Codes, and Federal Reporters, as well as many practice guides and legal treatises. For many years, UC Law SF has also been one of the repositories for California government publications. “We have a very important collection of California legal materials,” Hardcastle said, “and we’re one of the best resources for California legislative history.” The library’s archives, she added, include the papers of former California Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger J. Traynor and an online database of California ballot measures since 1911.

UC Law SF retains more printed sources than many other law libraries to ensure that its alumni and outside attorneys can easily access legal resources. All alumni have access to Westlaw on the premises, as well as remote online access to more than 2,000 law journals and law-related periodicals, including HeinOnline’s Law Journal Library. “Other electronic resources can be very expensive for individual users, so we buy those materials in print,” Hardcastle explained. “Since many of our alumni remain in the Bay Area and actively use the law library, it’s an important part of our mission to serve their needs.”

Faculty research is also a priority, according to Chuck Marcus. “When we’re helping a faculty member research a topic in sports law, for example, we look deeply into the history and sociology of sports,” he said. “When a professor is researching a legal issue in a specific decade, we pull together exhaustive resources on the cultural and social trends that surrounded the issue at that time in history.”

For Richard Marcus, that assistance is priceless. “There is such a large volume of material that’s accessible online,” he said. “UC Law SF’ librarians know how to find it. They’re extraordinary professionals.”

And that is precisely why the library continues to attract highly experienced librarians, like the newly named Associate Dean for Library and Technology, Camilla Tubbs. “The combination of the hardworking staff, a fantastic collection, and a great physical  space has kept the library relevant and made it a very popular place to study,” she said. “I look forward to continuing that tradition.”