Explore GGU Law: About

REGULAR HOURS

Mon - Thu: 7:30 am - 10:30 pm
Fri: 7:30 am - 9 pm
Sat: 10 am - 7 pm
Sun: 10 am - 10:30 pm

Holiday and other special hours are posted on the home page.

LOCATION

The entrance to the Golden Gate University School of Law Library is located on the first floor of our San Francisco Campus

View a Map of the Law Library

Since 1983 the Law Library has been closed to the general public, except for those individuals seeking government documents as outlined below. It serves the Golden Gate University law school and some members of the Golden Gate University community and select groups of outside patrons including members. Generally, all patrons entering the Law Library must use a current Golden Gate University Law Library access card to enter through our security gate.

Patrons who may use the library without a current access card include:

• Patrons requesting use of Federal and California depository documents.
• ABA approved Bay Area law students, faculty and administrators with school identification. Student ID from other law schools must be for the current term. (Reciprocal access must be available to GGU students and faculty)
• Judges and court administrators with appropriate identification.
• Other individuals may purchase a day pass for $10, or a weekly pass for $45. These passes do not include borrowing privileges.

Policy Regarding MS Tax Students

MS Tax students may access the law library to use tax materials or to study.

However, due to limited law library resources, the following areas in the law library are NOT available for the use of MS tax students:

• First Floor Reading Room
• Group Study Rooms
• Hard Wired Carrels
• All computers and printers in the law library including those in the labs. (MS tax students may use the Business Library computers and lab facilities on the 4th floor to print or complete online research)

Any questions or concerns related to this policy should be directed only to Michael Daw, Associate Dean of the Law Library or Audrey Ching, Assistant Dean of the MS Tax Program.

Electronic Access

The law library website provides links to a variety of websites of interest to legal researchers. The online public access catalog provides links to documents that are available online. Access to fee-based databases is restricted to law students and faculty.

The law library provides wireless Internet access for law school students and faculty. All others may use the public access computers which provide Internet access but do not provide printing capabilities. Most of our study carrels are wired for Internet access.

Access the Library's Online Catalog

Government Documents

Golden Gate University Law Library has been a selective Federal depository since 1979, as well as a depository for selected government publications of the State of California. Our in-house collection includes documents published by the judiciary, the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, Executive agencies, the Department of Labor, as well as many others. Golden Gate University Law Library complies with Title 44, §1911 of the United States Code by allowing the general public entrance to the law library without charge to use the depository materials. Our online catalog also lists many government documents available over the Internet. Our website links suggest the best sites to find government information available online for federal, state, international, and foreign levels of government. We also provide direct links to the Federal Depository Library Program Electronic Collection.

Members of the public seeking entrance to the Golden Gate University Law Library for the purpose of accessing government documents must sign a log-in binder at the Circulation Desk. A Reference Librarian is available during Reference Desk hours to assist the public in the use of government documents.

Visit the Government Documents Page

Membership

The Law Library invites prospective members to consider the economic advantages of vastly expanding their law library resources through participation in Golden Gate membership program. Golden Gate University School of Law alumni may join at a reduced rate. All the information is available on our Library Services page.

The information below should provide you with everything you need to know about our Law Library. Information includes basic library rules, inter-library loan policy, and an overview of who is eligible to access our library.

Admission & Circulation

The Law Library is open to Golden Gate University law students, faculty and staff. University students needing access to legal materials may use the collection, but do not have access to group study rooms, hard-wired carrels, or computers and printers. GGU ID must be shown upon entry. Admission is also available to the general public for the purpose of accessing federal and state depository materials. Paid memberships are available to other members of the community; please ask at the circulation desk or see the Access section of this page for more information.

Golden Gate University Law Library is a Federal Depository Library and complies with Title 44 of the United States Code by allowing the general public entrance to the law library without charge to use the federal depository materials. Patrons who wish to use government depository materials are asked to sign in at the Circulation Desk and indicate which material they are going to use. There is a computer near the Reference Desk dedicated to Government Documents use.

You must have a valid GGU ID card or Membership Card to borrow materials. Most Law Library materials do not circulate. Since law libraries are primarily reference collections, only a small percentage of the collection can be checked out. Circulating materials are generally loaned for two weeks, and may be renewed twice if no other patron has requested the material and they are not overdue. Overdue charges apply; please ask at the Circulation Desk for details.

Computer Lab Use

Use of the computer labs is restricted to Golden Gate University law students only. You may be asked to show ID while using the labs.

Food & Drink

Neither food nor drinks are allowed in the computer labs. This policy is strictly enforced.

Group Study Rooms

Group study rooms are located on the lower levels of the Law Library. Reservations in advance are not permitted; study rooms are checked out on a first come, first served basis. There is a two-hour time limit for each room, although they can be renewed for another two hours if no one else is waiting. A "group" consists of two or more persons. These rooms are available for the use of law students only.

Microforms Policy

Patrons seeking copies of a title on microform (fiche or film) must request them in advance. Copies will be made by our staff and emailed as PDF documents or printed and held for pick up. Printing incurs a charge of 12 cents per page.

Fill out the Microform Request Form and fax to us at 415-512-9395.

Membership

Membership categories include corporate, individual, and nonprofit organizations. A non-transferable Day Pass is also available for $10. The Day Pass does not confer borrowing privileges. Please contact the Circulation Desk for information, or see the Membership information under the Access section above.

Cell Phones

Please silence your cell phone in the Law Library.

POLICY REGARDING USA PATRIOT ACT REQUESTS

Increased surveillance due to the passage of the USA Patriot Act and the investigation of computer crimes has resulted in library visits by law enforcement officials. However, it is the library's duty to protect the privacy of its patrons. These guidelines have been developed in the event that the Golden Gate University Law Library encounters a visit by law enforcement officials.

Any time law enforcement officials visit the Law Library, immediately ask for identification. If it takes place during normal office hours, please notify the Library Director or the Assistant Director.

If the visit takes place outside of normal office hours, please adhere to the following guidelines:

• If law enforcement officials visit without a subpoena or warrant, please inform them when the Director is available and to return during those times. Do not answer any questions or release any patron/library records under these circumstances.
• If law enforcement officials visit with a subpoena, but without a warrant, accept the subpoena and explain that it will be delivered to the Library Director so that the Director can review it with the Dean and Legal Counsel. Do not answer any questions or release any patron/library records under these circumstances.
• If law enforcement officials visit with a warrant, step aside and comply with the warrant requests. Notify any library management staff that might be on duty at the time and they will notify the Library Director. If no management staff person is available, contact the Library Director or Assistant Director directly at home.

Explore our Special Collections

ADMINISTRATION

Michael Daw

Associate Dean and Director, Professor
415-442-6682
mdaw@ggu.edu

BA, History and Political Science, Valparaiso University; JD, Valparaiso University; MLIS, San Jose State University.

Michael is Associate Dean and Director of the Law Library. He specializes in International and Tax Legal Research. He joined the library staff at Golden Gate in 1994 and served as the Electronic Formats Librarian until 1999. Before coming to Golden Gate, Michael practiced law, primarily in the tax field and later as litigation support in a landlord-tenant firm. In addition to his library duties, Michael teaches a variety of research courses, including Tax Research (LLM Tax), Graduate Legal Research (LLM, US Legal Studies), eSearch (Advanced Legal Research), and occasionally California Legal Research. He also helps introduce first year students to computer-assisted legal research during their hands-on Lexis, Westlaw, and Internet sessions each spring. He was appointed Interim Co-Director of the Law Library in 2006 and hired as Director effective July 1, 2007.

Mohamed Nasralla

Assistant Director, Public Services, Adjunct Professor
415-442-6684
mnasralla@ggu.edu

BS, International Relations, Chico State University; BA, History, Chico State University; JD, Golden Gate University School of Law; LLM in International Law, Golden Gate University School of Law.

While in law school Mohamed interned with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco and worked pro-bono for the Center after graduating law school for several years doing mostly asylum and deportation defense. After graduating from law school, Mohamed practiced in a mid-size litigation firm in San Francisco. In 1989 he joined the law library staff and now does reference and research, and oversees the Public and Technical Services Departments. Mohamed has over 20 years of Immigration law experience and serves as a mentor to many Golden Gate law alums who go on to practice in that area. He is a member of the GGU Law faculty and has been teaching GGU law students on exam-writing techniques and various substantive law courses since 1990. He was appointed Interim Co-Director of the Law Library in 2006 and made Assistant Director July 1, 2007.

PUBLIC SERVICES STAFF

Jodi Collova

Reference & Electronic Services Librarian, Adjunct Professor
415-442-6683
jcollova@ggu.edu

BA, Carleton College; JD, University of Minnesota Law School, MLIS, San Jose State University.

Before joining the GGU Law Library staff in 2011, Jodi Collova taught undergraduate legal research and writing courses at John F. Kennedy University and Heald College. Prior to her teaching and library career, she practiced plaintiff-side employment law for two years, litigating national wage and hour class actions. She also volunteered as a supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center in San Francisco. At GGU, Jodi provides reference services in the law library, manages Westlaw and Lexis accounts, maintains the library's research guides, and teaches California Legal Research every semester as an Adjunct Professor. Jodi completed her MLIS degree in 2013.

Janet Fischer

Collection Development/Government Documents Librarian, Administrator of the Digital Commons
Interlibrary Loans
415-442-7826
jfischer@ggu.edu

BA, History, College of Notre Dame, Belmont, CA; MLIS, San Jose State University, School of Library and Information Science.

Janet joined the Golden Gate University Law Library staff in June 2002. After receiving her MLIS in 1996, she worked as the Assistant Director at the San Mateo County Law Library until joining our staff. Prior to that, for approximately eleven years she worked in the insurance industry. Along with Collection Development, Government Documents and reference desk responsibilities, Janet also keeps the library's website up to date and is the Administrator for our Digital Commons.

Jennifer Pesetsky

Reference and Electronic Services Librarian, Adjunct Professor
415-442-6520
jpesetsky@ggu.edu

BA, Legal Studies & Conservation and Research Studies, University of California at Berkeley; JD, Willamette University; MLIS, San Jose State University.

Prior to joining the GGU staff, Jennifer worked as a librarian in law firms including Heller Ehrman, Reed Smith, and Morrison & Foerster. In her law firm work, Jennifer has taught courses, given presentations and researched a broad range of issues. She also worked as a librarian in Washington, DC at both National Public Radio and the Law Library of Congress. In law school, she received a Certificate in Dispute Resolution in addition to her JD. Jennifer joined the staff at GGU in the fall of 2011.

TECHNICAL SERVICES STAFF

Hadi Amjadi

Systems Librarian
415-442-6686
hamjadi@ggu.edu

BA, Computer Science, Chaminade University; MLIS, San Jose State University.

Hadi joined the staff of the Golden Gate University libraries in September 2004, after working for more than five years as an educational technology and computer support specialist at Santa Clara University School of Law. Prior to Santa Clara, he held the position of Systems Librarian at the Graduate Theological Union Library in Berkeley.

Diana Castro

Technical Services Librarian
415-442-6688
dcastro@ggu.edu

BA, English Literature, San Francisco State University; MLIS, San Jose State University. Library Information Technology Program, CCSF, 2010.

Diana joined the staff of the law library in November, 2007. She completed her Masters of Library Science degree from San Jose State University in 2013. Prior to working at GGU, she worked for a Real Estate Broker in San Francisco doing administrative work, loan processing, and rental property management.

Susan Campanelli

Technical Services Assistant
415-442-3715
scampanelli@ggu.edu

Sandy Farmer

Cataloging Assistant
415-442-3688
sfarmer@ggu.edu

Gary Kemp

Continuations/Government Documents Assistant
415-442-3687
gkemp@ggu.edu

Sophia Korver

Serials Assistant
415-442-3696
skorver@ggu.edu

Michelle Lam

Acquisitions Assistant
415-442-6687
mlam@ggu.edu