The Law Librarianship track is a path to exciting and challenging professional opportunities. Law librarians work in fast-paced law firms, as well as in federal, state, and local courts, facilitating the work of judges, clerks, lawyers, and other staff. Some law librarians are employed in academia, managing law libraries on campus, or in public libraries, supplying community members with essential legal information.

At the CUA, the Law librarianship track offers specialized courses that build upon the general curricular strengths. Each student will take the four core courses, required courses for the Law Librarianship track, and other electives. It is also strongly recommended that students seek relevant professional experience through a combination of employment, internships, or practicums. Students should consult with their academic advisor and a law librarianship advisor to plan a coursework plan that will meet their personal and professional interests.

Required Courses (4 courses: 12 credits):

• LSC 551 Organization of Information
• LSC 553 Information Organizations and Communities
• LSC 555 Information Systems in Libraries and Information Centers
• LSC 557 The Information Professions in Society

Required Courses for Law Librarianship:

• LSC 830: Legal Research (unless waived)
• LSC 839: Advanced Legal Research
• LSC 886: Law Librarianship

Recommended Electives for Law Librarianship:

• LSC 637: Government Data and Information
• LSC 672: Managing Libraries, Archives, and Museums
• LSC 695: Practicum

Other Electives:

• LSC 524: Actionable Intelligence
• LSC 527: Introduction to Data Science
• LSC 615: Metadata
• LSC 633: Information Retrieval and Analysis Strategies
• LSC 635: Human Information Behavior
• LSC 650: Information Architecture and Web Design
• LSC 675: Research Methods in Library and Information Science
• LSC 884: Copyright and Licensing Institute
• LSC 887: Federal Library Resources Institute
• LSC 895: Independent Study

 

The Law Librarianship coursework plan. 

 

Joint J.D. (Law) - MSLIS Program:
Some law librarians hold degrees in both Law and LIS. While not necessary for many positions in law libraries, a law degree is frequently required for management positions in academic and research institutions. To support students interested in combining the two disciplines, the Dept. of Information Sciences and the Columbus School of Law offer a joint-degree program. The total number of MSLIS graduate credits required is reduced to 27; students in the joint program may apply up to 12 MSLIS credits toward the J.D. degree.

 

Notes for Students with a J.D. or Other Advanced Degree

Previous Graduate Degree Exemption
A student who holds one or more accredited graduate degrees when admitted to the program will be automatically exempt from six semester credit hours; however, all remaining credits must be earned within MSLIS. To request this exemption, students must submit an official transcript of the graduate degree at the time application.

Exemption from LSC 830, Legal Research, for Students with the J.D.
Students with the J.D. degree, who have taken a course in legal research, may petition to enroll in LSC 839, Advanced Legal Research, without taking the prerequisite LSC 830, Legal Research.

 

Associations of interest to students in law librarianship
Professional associations for law librarians are important sources of information about the profession, continuing education opportunities, scholarship support, and networking. Most have student membership rates. For further information contact:

American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)
http://www.aall.org 

Virginia Association of Law Libraries (VALL)
http://vall.pbworks.com 

Law Library Association of Maryland (LLAM)
https://llamonline.org/ 

Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C. (LLSDC)
http://www.llsdc.org 

 

Publications of interest to students in law librarianship:

• Law Library Journal (published by the American Association of Law Libraries)
• Law Library Lights (published by the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C)
• Government Information Quarterly
• Spectrum (published by the American Association of Law Libraries; https://www.aallnet.org/resources-publications/publications/aall-spectrum/  

Page updated July 2026