Library and Technology Services for Faculty
Blackboard
Faculty can use Blackboard for posting course material, communicating with students, and more. For more information, contact Carlos Sandoval, Associate Director of Instructional and Classroom Technology Services, csandov1@gmu.edu; 703-993-8261.
Book Purchases
Faculty members are encouraged to recommend titles for the collection. Please email or send your recommendations to your library liaison. The library also places orders for books (print only) for faculty who wish to make a purchase with their professional development account. Please send the order information to your liaison.
Book Return
There is a book return box outside of the faculty lounge, and one in the Atrium outside the Library doors. Please feel free to drop off your books to be returned to the Law Library including interlibrary loans or books from Fenwick Library. These boxes are kept locked so the books will be secure. Staff will check the contents daily. If you have a large number of books to return, please call the Circulation Desk at 703-993-8120.
Borrowing from Mason Libraries
Books may be checked out in person at the Law Library’s Circulation Desk located on the first floor or by sending a request to your library liaison. You may also borrow materials from the other Mason campus libraries by sending a request to your liaison.
Borrowing from Outside Libraries
Materials not available in the Law Library may be obtained from libraries outside Mason through interlibrary loan. Please send your interlibrary loan requests to your library liaison.
CALI
The Law Library is a member of CALI (The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) which provides students with free access to over 1100 interactive, computer-based tutorials available in 40 different legal subject areas. For more information, go to http://cali.org. In order to set up a new account, students and faculty must enter the law school’s authorization code. Faculty can obtain the code by emailing John Scherrer (jscherr@gmu.edu).
Class Syllabi - Posting on the Web
The University requires that all course syllabi be placed on the web. Please email your syllabus to Rob Willey (rwilley@gmu.edu).Â
Current Index to Legal Periodicals
Faculty members may sign-up for a customized weekly e-mail edition of the Current Index to Legal Periodicals (CILP) through HeinOnline. This index provides current indexing of articles from major law reviews and journals. The customized version (SmartCILP) lets you choose to receive a table of contents from individual law reviews and/or items based on selected subject areas. To set up a SmartCILP email alert, access HeinOnline from the Law Library’s website. Then, create or login to your MyHein account using your Mason email address. Once logged in, follow Hein’s instructions to setup an alert. Please contact your library liaison if you need assistance.
Scholar Profiles
The Law Library recommends creating a Google Scholar Profile. Google expects faculty to create their own accounts, but the library is happy to assist and can send instructions. The library works with HeinOnline to create author profiles for all full-time faculty. The library also recommends that faculty create an ORCID account and connect it to their HeinOnline profile so that works not in HeinOnline will show on your HeinOnline profile. While ORCID requires faculty members to create their own accounts, liaisons can provide instructions and assist in the process of adding works.Â
Journal Submissions
Scholastica is the most comprehensive portal for bulk submissions to legal journals. The Law Library does not have an institutional account for Scholastica, but you can create an account and receive reimbursement for submissions from the law school. For more details on this process, please reach out to Rob Willey (rwilley@gmu.edu).
Previously, the law school had an institutional account with ExpressO. However, ExpressO has discontinued its service as of June 30th, 2021. This means that Scholastica is now the primary resource for journal submissions. The exception is journals that require or prefer direct submissions. If a journal that you want to submit to is not listed in Scholastica, check the journal's website for submission guidelines.
Legal Research Databases
The Law Library subscribes to LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law. For questions about your passwords, contact Rob Willey (rwilley@gmu.edu)Â or your library liaison.
Library Catalog & Other Databases
The Law Library shares an online library catalog with the University Libraries, as well as access to thousands of electronic journals, research indexes, and full-text databases. In addition to Lexis and Westlaw, the Law Library subscribes to a number of services including Bloomberg Law, HeinOnline, LLMC Digital Collection, ProQuest Congressional, ProQuest Legislative Insight, U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs, Making of Modern Law, Eighteenth Century Collections Online, Oxford Scholarship Online, Practicing Law Institute, and Thomson Reuters Checkpoint. For a complete list of databases and electronic journals, see the Library Catalog.
Note: If you are off-campus, be sure to access the library databases through the Law Library’s website so that you will be routed through the University Libraries’ proxy server. You will be prompted to enter your Mason email login ID and password.
Reference Assistance
The Law Library’s reference staff is available to assist faculty with locating print materials or providing assistance in the use of all electronic resources. Reference librarians may also assist with research needs, such as compiling subject bibliographies. For more in-depth research projects, reference librarians can train faculty members’ research assistants on the use of library resources and can help RAs develop research strategies. Please email lawref@gmu.edu for general reference assistance or contact your library liaison.
Reserve
To place materials on Reserve, please contact your library liaison for assistance. For complete information on reserve guidelines and copyright requirements, see Reserve page.
Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
The law school publishes two SSRN Research Papers Series (RPS): Legal Studies and Law & Economics. To post a research paper on SSRN, please email lawssrn@gmu.edu. In addition, the library subscribes to a number of specialized research networks in selected areas of the social sciences. Faculty may sign up to receive electronic journals from SSRN. To subscribe, contact lawssrn@gmu.edu.Â
TWEN
Many faculty use TWEN (The West Education Network) for posting course material and communicating with students. For more information, contact Rob Willey (rwilley@gmu.edu).Â
Technology Services
The law school’s Technology Services unit provides support for all computer hardware and software. Call 703-993-4855 for help or send an e-mail to lawsupport@gmu.edu.
Classroom AV Support and Remote Teaching
All of the Law School’s classrooms have built-in computers, projectors, DVD players, and sound equipment for use with your classes. This equipment is supported by the University’s Classroom Support staff. For problems with the equipment, contact University Classroom Support at 703-993-8226. For more specialized assistance, including support for Echo360, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, contact Carlos Sandoval (csandov1@gmu.edu; 703-993-8261). For information on remote teaching resources at the law school and university, see Faculty Resources for Virtual Instruction.
Computer & Software Purchases
Each faculty member is provided with a Faculty Research Account that can be used for purchasing personal computers, peripherals, or specialized software. For price quotes or to make a purchase, please contact Jose Coradin (jcoradin@gmu.edu).
Each faculty member has an Office 365 email account with 1TB of space provided by the University. Mason email may be accessed on the web at Mason email or by using Outlook. For more information, contact Law Support at 703-993-4855 or lawsupport@gmu.edu.
Exam Software
The law school provides faculty with the option to allow their students to take essay exams on a personal laptop using the software program ExamSoft. For more information, contact the Records Office (lwrecord@gmu.edu).
Law School Listservs
Faculty will be automatically subscribed to the law school’s listservs. For questions about the listservs, please contact Melanie Knapp (moberlin@gmu.edu).
Network Login and File Server
The law school uses a Windows file server for desktop login and file storage. (This storage option is in addition to storing files on OneDrive through your Microsoft 365 account.) Access to the file server is also available from home using a VPN and a remote desktop client. All faculty and staff have access to the university’s VPN. The university has recently implemented additional security for the VPN. See Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for login information. For assistance, contact Law Support at 703-993-4855 or lawsupport@gmu.edu.Â
Software Licenses
The University provides faculty and staff with a free license to use Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise (formerly Office 365 ProPlus), as well as certain statistical packages like SPSS and SAS, on Mason-owned laptops and home computers. Please contact lawsupport@gmu.edu for assistance. Â
Spam
The University provides an automatic spam filter for all users on the Mason email system. To adjust your settings, view your spam, or remove or add emails to your safe/block lists, go to Ironport and log in using your Mason email user id and password.
Web Pages
For assistance with creating a personal website, please contact the library’s Director of Design & Web Services Donny Truong (dtruong7@gmu.edu). For updates to your bio, CV, or other information on the law school’s website, please contact Rob Willey (rwilley@gmu.edu).
Wireless Network
The University provides a wireless network (Mason Secure or eduroam) in most areas of the building. You log in with your Mason email user id and password. For help with configuring your laptop, please contact Technology Services, 703-993-4855 or lawsupport@gmu.edu.
LIAISONS
Melanie Knapp
Associate Dean, Library & Technology; Assistant Professor
Room 243
703-993-8103
moberlin@gmu.edu
Morgan Stoddard
Associate Director
Room 242
703-993-8110
mstodda@gmu.edu
Judy Stark
Head of Technical Services and Collection Development
Room 241
703-993-8592
jstark22@gmu.edu
Linnea Eberhart
Research Services Librarian
Room 144
703-993-8126
leberha2@gmu.edu
Mark Leighton
Head of Access Services
Room 111
703-993-8238
mleighto@gmu.edu
Ashley Matthews
Reference and Instructional Services Librarian
Room 143
703-993-8076
amatthe@gmu.edu
John Scherrer
Head of Reference and Outreach Services Librarian
Room 144
703-993-8111
jscherr@gmu.edu
Rob Willey
Faculty and Web Services Librarian
Room 142
703-993-8104
rwilley@gmu.edu
OTHER CONTACTS
Law School Technology Services
Jose Coradin
Director of Technology Services
Room 362
703-993-4855
lawsupport@gmu.edu
Law School Web Services
Donny Truong
Director of Design & Web Services
Room 240
703-993-8180
dtruong7@gmu.edu
Classroom AV Support - General
University Classroom Support
703-993-8226
arlclass@gmu.edu (general equipment troubleshooting)
Classroom AV Support - Advanced
Carlos Sandoval
Associate Director, Instructional and Classroom Technology Services
Room 362
703-993-8261
csandov1@gmu.edu
Circulation Desk
703-993-8120
Interlibrary Loan
703-993-8147
Reference Desk
703-993-8076
