In support of the mission of the Cleveland State University College of Law, the Law Library's mission is the provision of information services and resources that promote the performance of high-quality legal research activities by our students, faculty, staff, and community. The Law Library accomplishes this by providing: (1) research and reference services by professionals trained in law and library science in support of the needs of the university, alumni, legal and local communities; (2) access to information resources that support the law school's curriculum, centers, programs, and organizations; and (3) space for faculty and students to engage in collaborative work, quiet study, and innovative research using new and ground-breaking research products and techniques.
The CSU College of Law Library’s superior research facility offers students access to research services, a 50-seat computer lab, 25 group study rooms, an updated research instruction room, and a study center dedicated to Ohio legal materials. With the library's wireless connectivity for laptops and other devices, the law school’s future attorneys may study and read at leisure in the four-story light-filled rotunda or at one of the 200 study carrels and tables.
For current law students, the library also houses the Judy and Robert H. Rawson, Jr. Learning Commons, an open, technologically advanced space that encourages collaborative learning. The 6,500-square foot Commons features a large gathering area with SMART monitor technology, study rooms with monitors and file sharing capabilities, and “pods” where students can gather for informal discussions and brainstorming. The pods are equipped with whiteboard tabletops on which students can quickly record their thoughts and ideas then capture a photo for future use. Technology throughout the space is designed to allow students to share information using their personal devices.
Among the subject areas of particular strength in the Law Library collection: Constitutional Law, Employment and Labor Law, Health Law, Islamic Law, Law Careers, Legal Research and Writing, and Ohio Law and Practice. The library is also a United States federal government documents selective depository. In partnership with the University’s Michael Schwartz Library, our OhioLINK membership provides patrons expanded access to the universe of research materials.
A library is more than its physical structure or collection. At the Cleveland State University College of Law Library, the knowledgeable staff, committed to excellence in service to faculty, students, and members of the legal community, provide reference services, research assistance and instruction, and all the administrative and technical services that make a library an easy-to-use, comprehensive teaching, research, study, and meeting center.