Working in the Library
Circulation Assistants
The Circulation Department hires law students and graduate students from the School of Information and Library Science to staff the Circulation Desk. We look for responsible students interested in customer service and working in a library setting. Our students work an average of 10-12 hours per week, including some late night and weekend hours. The library depends on circulation desk assistants to staff the desk whenever the library is open. The work assignments include basic tasks at the Circulation Desk: checking out and checking in library materials, handling fines, providing directions, and helping patrons. The beginning pay rate is $13.00 per hour. If interested, please contact Assistant Director for Public Services Nicole Downing at ndowning@email.unc.edu.
Reference Assistants
The Law Library Reference Department may employ a student reference assistant during the academic school year. Current second- and third-year law students, as well as graduate students in library science with a background in law, are welcome to apply. Students who have taken, or are currently registered for, an advance legal research course are preferred. The main responsibility of the reference assistant is to conduct research and reference projects as assigned. If interested, please contact Assistant Director for Public Services Nicole Downing at ndowning@email.unc.edu.
Faculty Research Service Assistants
The Faculty Research Service (LibRA) is a program that provides assistance in short research projects for UNC Law faculty. The Law Library may employ student research assistants for ten hours per week, working on projects that range from the strictly legal to interdisciplinary projects in a variety of subjects. UNC SILS students with a legal background and UNC law students who have completed Advanced Legal Research are eligible for these positions. In addition to being a paid position, we offer valuable experience in legal research and law librarianship, exposure to the kinds of assistance typically requested by law faculty, and an opportunity to work with librarians who can provide references when it comes time for students to seek permanent employment. If interested, The Law Library Reference Department may employ a student reference assistant during the academic school year. Current second- and third-year law students, as well as graduate students in library science with a background in law, are welcome to apply. Students who have taken, or are currently registered for, an advance legal research course are preferred. The main responsibility of the reference assistant is to conduct research and reference projects as assigned. If interested, please contact Assistant Director for Public Services Nicole Downing at ndowning@email.unc.edu.
Laura N. Gasaway Graduate Assistantship
The Laura N. Gasaway Graduate Assistantship at the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library is an exciting learning opportunity for a student with a law degree and currently enrolled in a graduate degree program of the UNC-CH School of Information and Library Science (SILS), or a student in the J.D./MSLS or J.D./MSIS dual-degree program at SILS. The program is designed to prepare the Laura N. Gasaway Graduate Assistant (GA) for the profession by getting practical hands-on training in an academic law library. The student is able to put theory into practice and discover the aspects of law librarianship they find most interesting – whether it is helping people with questions at the Reference Desk, conducting research, reviewing the collection, or helping create digital collections.
The GA position requires 15-20 hours of work per week during the academic year. The time is divided between the Reference Services and Collection & IT Services departments. This rotation allows the GA to gain experience in all the various work environments within the Law Library. Some of the Reference Services responsibilities include assisting students and faculty at the Reference Desk, completing faculty research projects, and preparing online research guides on specialized topics. In Collection & IT Services, the GA may assist with collection and database review projects and digital collections. In addition, the GA participates in library meetings, library workshops, and professional meetings as practicable. All of this while receiving a generous stipend. For more information, visit the GA information page (link) or contact Assistant Director for Public Services Nicole Downing at ndowning@email.unc.edu
Law/Library Science Dual Degree
Combined J.D. and M.S.L.S./M.S.I.S. degrees are available at UNC Chapel Hill
Law librarians work in various legal settings, including law schools, private law firms, government libraries, federal, state, and local courts, and corporations. Many of these job environments prefer or require that librarians have both a master’s degree in library science and a law degree. These educational requirements reflect increasing complexities of the legal system and legal research and the greater use of information systems. Librarians working in other settings draw on a legal education to support research in political science, government documents, and other areas. Many librarians find that a combined background in librarianship and law helps them manage copyright and licensing, human resources, and general administration issues.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is home to both one of the top-rated school of information and library science and one of the top-rated public law schools in the country. These two schools have joined forces to create a program where the J.D. and M.S.L.S. or M.S.I.S. degrees may be earned in four years by enrollment in the dual degrees program offered by the School of Law and the School of Information and Library Science. Admission to each school must be gained independently and all of the core courses and degree requirements for the J.D. and for the M.S.L.S. or the M.S.I.S. must be met for dual degrees to be awarded.
For the program’s first year, candidates must take the complete, prescribed first-year curriculum in either law or library and information science, and, in the second year, that of the other school. The third and fourth years consist of prescribed and elective courses in both schools. The J.D. and one of the master’s degrees can be completed in 113 semester hours, with a minimum of 74 credits drawn from law courses and a minimum of 39 credits from library and information science courses. For further information, see J.D./M.S.L.S or J.D./M.S.I.S. Program Structure or contact Anne Klinefelter by email klinefel@email.unc.edu.
Visit the home pages of the UNC School of Law and the UNC School of Information and Library Science for additional information about the schools. See the American Association of Law Libraries site for more information about careers in law librarianship.