Faculty Services
The Law Library supports faculty through individualized research and instructional services, rapid access and delivery of materials, and expert guidance in scholarly communication and data management. From research assistance and RA coordination to AI and technology consultation, we provide comprehensive support to advance faculty teaching, scholarship, and innovation.
Each full-time faculty member is assigned a liaison librarian who serves as the primary point of contact for research and instructional support.
View current assignments: Faculty Liaison Assignments.
Research and Reference Support
The Law Library provides research assistance ranging from targeted document retrieval to in-depth, multi-stage research projects.
Services include:
- Legal and interdisciplinary research and consultations
- Legislative history, regulatory, and docket research
- Empirical and data-driven research support (see “Data and Empirical Support”)
To request assistance, contact your liaison or send an email to our Reference Email.
Research Assistant Coordination and Training
The Law Library employs student research assistants who can assist with short- and long-term projects. If you would like research assistant support, please contact your liaison and they will arrange for the project to be handled by the Law Library’s research assistants.
The Law Library offers a general RA training for faculty-employed RAs each semester (fall, spring, and summer). Liaisons also offer targeted training for faculty RAs on efficient research strategies, Bluebook citation, and database use.
To request assistance, contact your liaison or send an email to our Reference Email.
Course Reserves and Instructional Support
The Law Library provides assistance with placing materials on course reserve and integrating digital resources into Brightspace. Librarians are also available to provide in-class research instruction or workshops tailored to specific courses.
To request assistance, contact your liaison or send an email to our Reference Email.
Citation Management and Research Workflow Support
The Law Library provides training and support for Zotero and related reference management tools for faculty, assistants, and research staff.Services include:
- Account setup and shared library configuration
- Workflow consultation for research and writing projects
To request assistance, contact your liaison or send an email to our Reference Email.
Scholarly Communications and Repository Services
The Law Library supports the full lifecycle of faculty scholarship.
Services include:
- Publication tracking and inclusion in the Faculty Publications Newsletter
- Deposits to the institutional repositories
- Guidance on author rights, open access, and copyright
- Citation, impact, and download metrics for faculty scholarship
- Assist with setting up ORCID or other identifiers to share scholarship
Current Awareness and Alerts
Faculty may subscribe to customized current-awareness tools, including SmartCILP subject and journal alerts, citation notifications, and research updates.
To request assistance, contact your liaison or send an email to our Reference Email.
Data and Empirical Research Support
The Law Library assists faculty with data planning, acquisition, management, and sharing.
Services include:
- Data management plan consultation
- Dataset discovery, licensing review, and acquisition
- Referrals for compute and storage (ACCRE, Data Science Institute, GIS Lab)
- Data citation and repository recommendations
- Introductory analytics and data visualization support
To request assistance, contact your liaison or send an email to our Reference Email.
Legal Technology and Artificial Intelligence Support
The Law Library provides guidance on emerging legal research tools and artificial intelligence applications in legal scholarship and teaching.
Services include:
- Evaluation and comparison of AI-enabled research platforms
- Guidance on responsible and ethical use of AI in legal practice and education
- Consultation on course and clinic integrations involving legal technology
To request assistance, contact your liaison or send an email to our Reference Email.
Access & Delivery: Document Delivery
The Law Library provides rapid delivery of research materials, including articles, book chapters, and cases. Faculty requests receive same-business-day acknowledgment and delivery when possible. Materials may be delivered electronically or through campus mail.
Submit a request by contacting your liaison, emailing the Document Delivery listserv, or stopping by the Law Library’s Circulation Desk.
Access & Delivery: Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Materials not available in the Vanderbilt Libraries collections may be obtained through interlibrary loan. The Law Library coordinates these requests and manages renewals and due dates.
Submit a request by contacting your liaison, emailing the Document Delivery listserv, or stopping by the Law Library’s Circulation Desk.
Collection Development and Faculty Orders
Faculty members are encouraged to recommend materials for the Law Library’s collection, including print and electronic books, databases, and datasets. Recommendations are reviewed for alignment with collection priorities and research needs.
To request assistance, contact your liaison or send an email to our Reference Email.
Borrowing, Returns, and Faculty Carrels
Faculty enjoy extended borrowing privileges and access to dedicated research carrels, subject to availability.
- Borrowing: Faculty may check out materials directly or through their liaison. Faculty have extended return periods.
- Returns: Items may be returned to the service desk or placed in the campus mailroom drop box. Faculty may also request a pick-up.
- Carrels: Research carrels may be reserved for active scholarly projects.
If you have questions, please contact our Circulation Email.
Databases and Off-Campus Access
The Law Library provides access to an extensive collection of legal and interdisciplinary databases. Off-campus access requires VUnetID authentication.
- Law databases A–Z: Law Databases
- University-wide databases: Vanderbilt Libraries Databases
Accounts: Lexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law, and CALI
The Law Library assists faculty with account setup and access for major legal research platforms. Faculty members also have access to CALI, providing over 1,300 interactive legal tutorials.
To request assistance, send an email to our Reference Email.
Contact and Assistance
For assistance:
Locate your liaison: Faculty Liaison Assignments
Document Delivery Email: law.library.doc.delivery@vanderbilt.edu
Reference Email: law.library.reference@vanderbilt.edu
Circulation Desk and Reference phone number: 615.343.8731
Circulation Email: law.library.circulation@vanderbilt.edu
Larry Reeves, Associate Dean, Director, and Professor of Law (322.0020)
Katie Hanschke, Deputy Director of the Law Library (343.1290)
Meredith Capps, Associate Director of Law Practice (343.7658)
Victoria Mantel, Law Librarian for Research Services; Lecturer in Law (343.7603)
Clanitra Nejdl, Associate Director of Instruction (343.5902)
Emily Pavuluri, Assistant Director of Faculty Services (343.3529)
Keri Stophel, Law Librarian for Research Services; Lecturer in Law (343.4785)
Kyle Turner, Assistant Director of Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives (343.1824)