Instructional Support

The Law Library provides Law School faculty members access for  to Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance, and Westlaw. Contact Vicente Garces, 624-2597, garce003@umn.edu or the Reference Office (law-ref@umn.edu, 625-4309) to register for access.

Many of the Law School’s faculty use Canvas to host their course websites. Canvas is supported by University IT. Visit the Canvas website for more information and assistance.

For assistance in creating a TWEN site contact Michael Hannon, mhannon@umn.edu.

Library Course Page on Canvas

Before the beginning of each semester, please submit your requests for digital/printed coursepacks and/or course readings that you wish to post on the Library Course page on your Canvas site(s) to lawrsv@umn.edu.

When submitting your list of readings, please include complete citations and list items in the order in which you wish to display the readings to your students.  Please understand that your request may take longer based on copyright permissions.

Preferred Submission Deadlines:

Fall Semester: By the July 4^th Holiday
Spring Semester: By the Thanksgiving Holiday

Please note that we try to accommodate all submissions, but earlier submissions help avoid delays such as those involving readings needing copyright clearance.

For questions regarding copyright compliance, please consult the University Library’s Copyright Info Resources.

Releasing Past Exams

You may submit exam materials by email to lawrsv@umn.edu.  Exam materials will be made available on the Library Course Page on your Canvas site(s). 

Additionally, paper copies of exam materials can be placed in exam binders available in the lobby of the Law Library.  Doing so allows the exam materials to be available to all law students. We will not place copies in the library lobby without your express permission.

Preferred Submission Deadlines:

Fall Semester: By the Thanksgiving Holiday
Spring Semester: After the Spring Break Holiday

Copyright Issues & Instructor Responsibilities

Upon request, we will digitize course syllabi, book chapters, articles, etc. as allowed by copyright law. Whenever copyrighted materials are duplicated, whether the copies are made by instructors or by the library, only the amount needed to accomplish the specific educational purpose may be placed on reserve. Copies of works will be made available for course reserves only if they meet one of the following requirements:

• Materials are in the public domain.
• Copyrighted materials are used under the provisions of a contract or license agreement. The Law Library will determine permissible uses under such contracts or license agreements.
• Copyrighted materials are used under the provision of Fair Use, U.S. Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. Section 107, determined using a case-by- case four-factor analysis.
• Copyrighted materials are used with permission from the copyright holder. Contacting the publisher or copyright owner directly often is the easiest way to obtain permission. The Copyright Permissions Service can also provide assistance.

Materials marketed primarily for instructional use in courses (e.g., textbooks, workbooks, anthologies) cannot be copied for reserve. The Law Library may be unable to place other materials on reserve due to legal or administrative concerns.

If you would like to place a digitized copy of a work on reserve, you need to evaluate whether the work is in the public domain or protected by copyright law. If the work is protected by copyright law, you need to determine whether placing a copy of the work on reserve qualifies as a fair use or requires permission. For more information on copyright compliance, consult the University Library’s Copyright Info Resources.

At your request, the reference librarians can provide classroom presentations on research tools and techniques, tours, or customized research guides for your students. Please contact Vicente Garces, 624-2597, garce003@umn.edu for assistance.

CALI (Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) offers an extensive library of over 1,000 interactive legal tutorials to supplement classroom instruction. Law faculty and students can register to access CALI lessons by contacting the Reference Office, 625-4309 to obtain the required authorization code to register online at the CALI website.

Teaching Tools for Law School Faculty provides information and resources to assist those teaching law school courses. The information is general and applicable to most law school courses. University of Minnesota Law School faculty who would like assistance specific to a course, should contact the reference staff.