Osgoode Hall Law School Library is a full-service academic law library offering a complete array of professional and legal research services to the students and faculty of Osgoode Hall Law School and York University, as well as to Osgoode alumni, members of the Ontario bar, and members of the public. Our librarians and professional staff are available in person, virtually, by phone and by email to help you. The circulation desk is located near the entrance in the library, 1011F. Users may inquire about their account, pick up holds, pay fines and issue refunds, and borrow books here. Users may also take advantage of one of our two self-service kiosks to borrow books.
Library staff are able to assist you with general questions, printing and photocopying troubleshooting, and locating print material on the shelves. For research-related inquires the library’s reference desk is located next to the circulation desk, 1011E. The desk is staffed by professional law librarians who are experts in legal research.
The following section outlines specific information on library services available to our main user groups. Click on the relevant tab below to discover the services tailored to you.
Reference & Research Services
Full-time, professional reference librarians, specialized in legal research, are available to assist you in accessing the library’s services and resources to find the information you need. Please visit, phone (416-736-5207) or email the library’s reference desk. For in-depth consultations, students and faculty are encouraged to book appointments with reference librarians. Virtual reference services are also available.
Passwords for Online Legal Research
All Osgoode faculty and students are entitled to personal educational passwords for the major CALR (Computer-assisted Legal Research) services (Lexis+, Westlaw Edge Canada). There are also a number of specialized online services that require a Library username and password for access. These latter requirements are always indicated in our database of eResources @ Osgoode. For information about any of these password-related services, please contact the Reference Desk (416-736-5207).
Loaner Laptops
Osgoode students may borrow a wireless-ready laptop computer for personal use. All laptops must be returned 30 minutes before the library closes. Late returns are subject to overdue charges. To borrow a laptop, please request one at the circulation desk.
Mooting Teams
Library materials for mooting teams are available for loan. The mooting director should contact the Osgoode circulation desk for any special requirements. Mooting directors should also be prepared to provide a list of team members to library staff. Please note that resources from the Reserve Collection for mooting are unavailable for extended loan beyond the established loan period. Mooting team members who sign out material on behalf of their team are solely responsible for renewing or returning library materials on or before the due date and for any overdue charges accrued.
Research Assistants
In order to take full advantage of library resources as a Research Assistant to an Osgoode faculty member, it is necessary to register as a Research Assistant with the Library. Before submitting the application, your faculty instructor must complete the upper portion of the application. Please contact the circulation desk (416-736-5206) if you have any questions.
Reference & Research Services
Full-time, professional reference librarians, specialized in legal research, are available to assist you in accessing the library’s services and resources to find the information you need. Please visit, phone (416-736-5207) or email the library’s reference desk. For in-depth consultations, students and faculty are encouraged to book appointments with reference librarians.
Library Advisors
All Osgoode research stream graduate students (LLM and PhD candidates) are assigned a liaison librarian to provide personalized advice and guidance in their research and to help them access specialized library services. The liaison librarian is specialized in both legal and interdisciplinary research using the full resources of the law library and other York University libraries; and whenever possible, they will have a recognized specialization in your particular field of research. The liaison librarian can assist with many tasks including:
- Direction in identifying and using Library resources, both print and electronic, specific to your research
- Direction in identifying and accessing foreign, comparative and international legal materials (FCIL)
- Assistance in finding and obtaining difficult texts and documents
- Assistance in conducting interdisciplinary and empirical research
- Demonstrating and assisting with Lexis (Quicklaw), Westlaw and other electronic resources
- Assisting you with accessing our current awareness services
Though you are welcome to deal directly with library staff, we encourage you to contact your assigned library advisor with any questions or recommendations.
Inter-library Loans (ILL)
The library may obtain material required by Osgoode students that is neither available at any York University library nor from electronic sources (e-resources). An inter-library loan (ILL) can only be requested and processed using Omni, York University’s online interlibrary loan service. There is no charge to Osgoode students for this service.
Passwords for Online Legal Research
All Osgoode faculty and students are entitled to personal educational passwords for the major online legal research services (Lexis+, Westlaw Edge Canada). There are also a number of specialized online services that require a library username and password for access. These latter requirements are always indicated in our database of eResources @ Osgoode. For information about any of these password-related services, please contact the reference desk (416-736-5207).
Online services (Lexis+, Westlaw Edge Canada) and other eResources are to be used only for purposes of research, private study, class preparation, and teaching at Osgoode. All other uses of eResources, including commercial or work-related purposes, is forbidden and constitutes a breach of our licences for these services. Consult the library eResources guide for more information.
Current Awareness Services
There are many ways for faculty to stay current with new articles and research published in their areas of expertise. Consult with your assigned liaison librarian to develop a current awareness profile. Among useful services are the following:
- CILP (Current Index to Legal Periodicals): A weekly email alert service from the Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library of the University of Washington School of Law (Seattle). Your assigned librarian can help you set up a SmartCILP customized selection of subject-specific alerts or tables of contents alerts for recently-published law review articles.
- HeinOnline and Digital Commons email alerts: Your Library advisor can assist you with setting up email alerts for the tables of contents of specific journals available on HeinOnline or open access journal websites using Digital Commons or Open Journal System platforms.
- RSS Feeds: You may need to download and install an RSS Feed reader on your computer if you don’t already have one. Your liaison librarian will be pleased to help you. The feed reader periodically connects to the journal listings and automatically retrieves the content pages.
Library Cards & Borrowing Privileges
To borrow books from the library, you must have a library card. To obtain a library card, please complete the online application. Once submitted, library staff will contact you when your card is ready.
Access to eResources & Remote Access
Your Passport York account will enable you access library eResources. On the York University campus, you can access library eResources once your device is logged to the network AirYorkPLUS. If accessing the resources remotely, you will be prompted to log in with your Passport York user ID and password. Alternatively, access to online digital resources is done using the number and PIN on your library card.
To obtain a Passport York /AirYorkPLUS account please contact the Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean.
Reference & Research Services
Full-time, professional reference librarians, specialized in legal research, are available to assist you in accessing the library’s services and resources to find the information you need. Please visit, phone (416-736-5207) or email the library’s reference desk. For in-depth consultations, students and faculty are encouraged to book appointments with reference librarians. Virtual reference services are also available.
Library Liaisons
Each Osgoode faculty member (full-time and adjunct) is assigned a liaison librarian to provide personalized assistance with research queries and accessing specialized library services. Library liaisons are professional librarians specialized in both legal and interdisciplinary research using the full resources of the law library and other York University libraries. Library services offered or facilitated by the library liaisons include:
- Compiling topical bibliographies
- Demonstrating and assisting with Lexis+, Westlaw and other electronic resources
- Preparing and providing topical research/bibliographic instruction sessions for your classes or seminars
- Assisting you with collecting and compiling materials for your course website
- Assisting you with accessing our current awareness services for faculty
Though you are welcome to deal directly with library staff, we encourage you to contact your library liaison with any questions or recommendations.
Placing Materials in the Reserve Collections
If there are any library books which you have identified as required reading for your class and which you think may be in high demand by your students, the library can move them into the Reserve Collection (3-hour loan).
To request the transfer of any books into the Reserve collection, please send an email to circulation services with the basic information (author, title, edition, publisher and year of publication) of the books you would like transferred. Please also include the semester(s) for which the books will be used. Alternatively, you may attach a list of titles to the email. Only titles that are “required” reading for your courses will be included in the Reserve collection. The library will not include titles from “suggested” or “recommended” reading lists.
Passwords for Online Legal Research
All Osgoode faculty and students are entitled to personal educational passwords for the major online legal research services (Lexis+, Westlaw Edge Canada). There are also a number of specialized online services that require a library username and password for access. These latter requirements are always indicated in our database of eResources @ Osgoode. For information about any of these password-related services, please contact the reference desk (416-736-5207).
Online services (Lexis+, Westlaw Edge Canada) and other eResources are to be used only for purposes of research, private study, class preparation, and teaching at Osgoode. All other uses of eResources, including commercial or work-related purposes, is forbidden and constitutes a breach of our licences for these services. Consult the library eResources guide for more information.
Inter-library Loans (ILL)
The library may obtain material required by Osgoode students that is neither available at any York University library nor from electronic sources (e-resources). An inter-library loan (ILL) can only be requested and processed using Omni, York University’s online interlibrary loan service. There is no charge to Adjunct Osgoode Faculty for this service. After registering as a first-time user, you may then search Omni to place a request. Omni loan policies can be found here.
Current Awareness Services
There are many ways for faculty to stay current with new articles and research published in their areas of expertise. Please do not hesitate to consult with your assigned Liaison Librarian to develop a current awareness profile. Among useful services are the following:
- CILP (Current Index to Legal Periodicals): (link) A weekly email alert service from the Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library of the University of Washington School of Law (Seattle). Your assigned librarian can help you set up a SmartCILP customized selection of subject-specific alerts or tables of contents alerts for recently-published law review articles.
- HeinOnline and Digital Commons email alerts: Your library advisor can assist you with setting up email alerts for the tables of contents of specific journals available on HeinOnline or open access journal websites using Digital Commons or Open Journal System platforms.
- RSS Feeds: You may need to download and install an RSS Feed reader on your computer if you don’t already have one. Your assigned librarian will be pleased to help you. The feed reader periodically connects to the journal listings and automatically retrieves the content pages.
Reference & Research Services
Full-time, professional reference librarians, specialized in legal research, are available to assist you in accessing the library’s services and resources to find the information you need. Please visit, phone (416-736-5207) or email the library’s reference desk. For in-depth consultations, students and faculty are encouraged to book appointments with reference librarians.
Library Liaisons
Each Osgoode faculty member (full-time and adjunct) is assigned a liaison librarian to provide personalized assistance with research queries and accessing specialized library services. Library liaisons are professional librarians specialized in both legal and interdisciplinary research using the full resources of the law library and other York University libraries. Library services offered or facilitated by the library liaisons include:
- Compiling topical bibliographies
- Training student Research Assistants (RAs)
- Demonstrating and assisting with Lexis+, Westlaw and other electronic resources
- Preparing and providing topical research/bibliographic instruction sessions for your classes or seminars
- Assisting you with collecting and compiling materials for your course website
- Assisting you with accessing our current awareness services for faculty
Though you are welcome to deal directly with library staff, we encourage you to contact your Library liaison with any questions or recommendations.
Placing Materials in the Reserve Collection
If there are any library books which you have identified as required reading for your class and which you think may be in high demand by your students, the library can move them into the Reserve collection (3-hour loan).
To request the transfer of any books into the Reserve collection, please send an email to circulation services with the basic information (author, title, edition, publisher and year of publication) of the books you would like transferred. Please also include the semester(s) for which the books will be used. Alternatively, you may attach a list of titles to the email. When recommending titles for the Reserve collection, please submit only titles that are “required” reading for your courses. Please do not ask us to put titles from extended “suggested” or “recommended” reading lists on short-term loan, as the quantity of work can be overwhelming and the loan restriction unnecessary. A librarian will contact you if there are any questions about or problems with your request.
Inter-library Loans (ILL)
The library may obtain material required by Osgoode faculty that is neither available at any York University library nor from electronic sources (e-resources). An inter-library loan (ILL) can only be requested and processed using Omni, York University’s online interlibrary loan service. There is no charge to Osgoode Faculty for this service.
Passwords for Online Legal Research
All Osgoode faculty and students are entitled to personal educational passwords for the major online legal research services (Lexis+, Westlaw Edge Canada). There are also a number of specialized online services that require a library username and password for access. These latter requirements are always indicated in our database of eResources @ Osgoode. For information about any of these password-related services, please contact the reference desk (416-736-5207).
Online services (Lexis+, Westlaw Edge Canada) and other eResources are to be used only for purposes of research, private study, class preparation, and teaching at Osgoode. All other uses of eResources, including commercial or work-related purposes, is forbidden and constitutes a breach of our licences for these services. Consult the library eResources guide for more information.
Research Assistants
In order to take full advantage of library resources as a Research Assistant to an Osgoode faculty member, it is necessary to register as a Research Assistant with the Library. Before submitting the application, your faculty instructor must complete the upper portion of the application. Please contact the circulation desk (416-736-5206) if you have any questions.
Mooting Teams
Library materials for mooting teams are available for loan. The mooting director should contact the Osgoode circulation desk for any special requirements. Mooting directors should also be prepared to provide a list of team members to library staff. Please note that resources from the Core collection for mooting are unavailable for extended loan beyond the established loan period of 24 hours. Mooting team members who sign out material on behalf of their team are solely responsible for renewing or returning library materials on or before the due date and for any overdue charges accrued.
Current Awareness Services
There are many ways for faculty to stay current with new articles and research published in their areas of expertise. Please do not hesitate to consult with your assigned liaison librarian to develop a current awareness profile. Among useful services are the following:
- CILP (Current Index to Legal Periodicals): A weekly email alert service from the Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library of the University of Washington School of Law (Seattle). Your assigned librarian can help you set up a SmartCILP customized selection of subject-specific alerts or tables of contents alerts for recently-published law review articles.
- HeinOnline and Digital Commons email alerts: Your Library advisor can assist you with setting up email alerts for the tables of contents of specific journals available on HeinOnline or open access journal websites using Digital Commons or Open Journal System platforms.
- RSS Feeds: You may need to download and install an RSS Feed reader on your computer if you don’t already have one. Your assigned librarian will be pleased to help you. The feed reader periodically connects to the journal listings and automatically retrieves the content pages.
