Osgoode Hall Law School Library
Mission Statement
The Law Library’s mission is to support intensive research and innovative teaching by collecting, organizing, preserving and disseminating legal scholarship; by providing effective service and instruction; and by using electronic service and instruction; and by using electronic information systems to provide access to new resources and services.
Vision
Our vision is to be a Canadian academic leader in the innovative and accessible provision of legal information and research services.
Resources
With more than 500,000 items, the Osgoode Hall Law School Library is the largest law library in the Commonwealth. The Library’s Balfour Halévy Special Collections in the John R. Cartwright Rare Book Room comprise a significant collection of early English and American law books and the largest collection of historical (pre-1950) Canadian legal texts and primary law sources. The library’s print collection of international calibre is supplemented by an ever-growing range of online and digital resources, including HeinOnline, Lexis Advance Quicklaw and Westlaw Edge Canada, to which all members of both the Osgoode and York University communities have access. There are many country and topic-specific tools which provide researchers with in-depth access to the laws of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, India, the Caribbean, China, and the United Nations.
Services
Access to these print and online resources is made possible by professional law librarians, who are available to assist students, faculty members, alumni and the profession with reference and research inquiries and with training in the use of online resources. Our professional front-line library staff is also available to assist users with borrowing, technical troubleshooting, printing and photocopying, and library use.
Strategic Goal 2022 – 2026
The Law Library Strategic Plan focuses on 4 themes related to library services, resources and it’s users. It aligns with the Osgoode Hall Law School School Strategic Plan, York University Academic Plan, York University Libraries Strategic Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 11.