Law students are our primary clientele at the Law Library. We want to ensure that you have the space, environment, and support necessary to succeed in Law School. However, we also aim to provide access to legal research resources to a wide array of visitors, including judges, attorneys, alums, and non-law students.

As a library that actively participates in the larger UW-Madison community, we strive to strike a balance between being a welcoming library to members of the campus community, including undergrads, for part of the year. Law students have access to all other libraries on campus at all times, and we are the only library on campus that limits access for portions of the year.

Limited Access, when we have monitors at the door, starts a full four weekends before finals begin. This allows for roughly seven weeks of limited access each semester, including the Finals time. We have often found that once we institute this policy each fall, we see a drastic drop-off in undergrad use during the spring semester.

While we are open for a general study hall, we do reserve the six tables closest to the windows in the Habush, Habush, and Rottier Reading Room for law students at all times. If you notice a person using non-law materials at these tables (i.e. a biology book), please chat with a law librarian and we will ask that person to find another seat. Please let us know if you see this - we aren't aware of your concerns without telling us!