Want to know what your favorite professor reads for fun? To round out National Library Week 2025, we asked AUWCL faculty and staff what they're reading! View the list of book recommendations here.
The library is honoring Black History Month this February! View our guide to Black History Month resources and HeinOnline's guide Behind the Bindings: Researching Black History in the Law Journal Library. Databases such as HeinOnline's Civil Rights and Social Justice and ProQuest History Vault contain a diverse offering of documents related to civil rights legislation and advocacy.
Reference Librarians will be hosting additional open memo-specific office hours, in-person, at the following times:
Check out additional info on the 1L Legal Research Primer!
Banned Together, the first documentary feature film about fighting the spread of book bans in the US, will be screening in DC in the theatre at the MLK Public Library - one afternoon only - on Sat Oct 19th from 1-3pm (there's a Q&A after the 90 min film). This film supports teachers, librarians and students in the ongoing fight against book bans and censorship! Former American University Washington College of Law professor Rep. Jamie Raskin is featured in the film, among other professors and students from DC area universities.
The screening is free-to-the-public but you do need to reserve your seats. Link to RSVP for this event: https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/11952370
Trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_BQRKXkvtA
We hope to see you there!
Today, Pence Law Library is observing Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a global celebration of indigenous people around the world. In the United States and other countries in the Western Hemisphere, it is meant to replace Columbus Day, which celebrated the “discovery” of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. Many indigenous groups recognize this celebration of “discovery” and Columbus Day ignores the subjugation of indigenous populations across the Western Hemisphere, which includes genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other issues associated with systemic racism. - American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law
AU JGSPL has put together a comprehensive primer about Indigenous Peoples' Day, including articles highlighting missing and murdered indigenous women, indigenous activism, Native American civil rights, and various Indian Law resources. View the guide here.
This year, Indigenous Peoples' Day is also observed about three weeks before Election Day. Read more about the implications for the upcoming presidential election in November.
Questions about burglary? Feeling burgled? Is burglarized a word? Questions about the Open Memo assignment? Ask a Reference Librarian!
Reference librarians will be hosting special sessions specific to the Open Memo assignment October 10-18 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm and on October 17 at 8:00pm.
The Noon Zoom Room is open weekdays throughout the semester from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. Drop in to the Zoom call to speak with a reference librarian! For more information about reference services, click here.
Update! Additional offers hours offered:
Librarians will be hosting in-person workshops in room N100C (Library classroom)
The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.
Check out the Library's guide to Banned Books Week 2024 for more!
Stop! Look below for all your 2024 voting needs!
Absentee Ballot Days in the Library
From September 16th through September 20th, American University Bender Library is holding an absentee ballot drive on the 1st floor of the library! Library staff will be available to help you request your absentee ballot and/or register to vote. Library staff can help you figure out your registration forms, copy IDs, provide envelopes and stamps, serve as witnesses/notary, and provide FREE printing. View the guide linked above for more information!
Request a Ballot by State Guide
American University Bender Library has created a useful guide for how to request an Absentee Ballot according to your home voting state! This guide includes important registration and request guidelines, deadlines, and requirements for each of the 50 states. View the guide at the link above!
Pence Law Library Voting Resources Guide
View the guide linked above for answers to your voting FAQs, including how to register to vote, important deadlines, and additional voting resources.
You asked:
Where is the Library and when is it open?
We answer:
The Library is located on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors of the Warren Building (entrance on the 1st floor). The Library is open to students, faculty, and staff 24/7.
The Circulation Desk is open:
You asked:
Where do I look for the books and e-resources the Library has available?
We answer:
Use LEAGLE, the Library's online catalog, to search for books, journals, and articles. LEAGLE will tell you where the book is located in the Library or how to access an online resource. When searching for a material, you should ALWAYS look in the Library catalog first. For more information, see our LEAGLE Search guide!
You asked:
What are my options for places to study in the Library?
We answer:
As you ascend the floors and walk further away from the stairs, the library gets quieter. The 2nd floor Reading Room is the quietest space in the Library. The Commons area and study rooms are great spaces for collaborative work. There are study rooms available in the Commons and the Library 2nd and 3rd floors! Book a group study room here.
P.S. The 3rd floor has an outdoor terrace and some of the best views in Tenleytown!
You asked:
What are Course Reserves and how can I use them?
We answer:
Reserves are heavily used or popular materials located on the 1st floor (Open Reserves) or behind the Circulation Desk (Closed Reserves). Course Reserves are items professors have placed on reserve for a particular course. Reserve copies of 1L casebooks may be checked out for a non-renewable period of 3 hours. The library generally does not purchase copies of upper level casebooks. Course Reserves are available for checkout at the Circulation Desk! For more information, click here.
Pro tip: check the library catalog to see if your class's casebook is available at the Library in Course Reserves!
You asked:
What are Reference Services and how can I get in contact with the Reference Librarians?
We answer:
Reference librarians are available to help all students with research questions, sources, and projects. They’re available for drop-in questions and longer research consultations by appointment. More information on Reference Services, including hours and contact information is available here.
You asked:
What else can I check out from the Library?
We answer:
At the Circulation Desk, you can check out phone and computer chargers, book stands, standing desks, umbrellas, and more for your convenience! There are also several desktop computers available in the Library and students can check out loaner laptops for a week at a time. The Library also has a Wellness Collection on the first floor, which items such as puzzles, sports equipment, coloring supplies, Lego sets, and our new S.A.D. lamps. More on Beyond Books here!
You asked:
How can I print and make scans at the Library?
We answer:
Students may print and make copies using their AU ID card. View our Printing guide.
The Library has convenience centers with printers on every floor and scanners are available on the 1st floor. Convenience centers also have items like sticky notes, binder clips, staplers, and hole punches - for your convenience!
You asked:
What is Interlibrary Loan and how can I take advantage of it?
We answer:
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service that allows the WCL community to borrow books and other materials from libraries around the world, when they are not available at Pence Law Library. You can request copies of an article or chapter, or an entire physical book - just make sure to give our ILL team as much information as possible about the material you're looking for!
ILL also includes Consortium Loan Service (CLS), where WCL community members can request books held at WRLC consortium partner libraries, including American University Bender Library! The ILL team can assist with CLS requests, or you can place a CLS request directly through the LEAGLE catalog when signed in. More information about ILL and CLS is available here.