Services for IALS LLM and PhD students
Primary Contacts
The general library email address is ials@sas.ac.uk and there is a live chat facility at https://ials.sas.ac.uk/library/.
For IALS LLM Students
Your primary contact in the Library is Laura Griffiths, the Academic Services Manager.
If you would like a brief library induction, or if you require advice about using library resources, including databases, please contact Laura. Staff at the Enquiry Desk can deal with most enquiries, but you can contact Laura for more specialist LLM provision enquiries. Any questions or suggestions about the Library, its services and its collections, are also welcome.
For IALS MPhil/PhD Students
Your primary contact in the Library is Hester Swift, the Foreign and International Law Librarian. If you would like a brief library induction, or require advice about using library resources, including databases, please contact Hester. Any questions or suggestions about the library, its services and collections, are also welcome.
Services for IALS Research Students (MPhil/PhD)
Borrowing from IALS Library
IALS research students (MPhil and PhD) are entitled to our most generous borrowing privileges. However, IALS Library is primarily a reference library, so borrowing is limited.
For more information, see the Borrowing, Renewing and Returning page.
Library Research Carrels
IALS Library research carrels are primarily used by IALS visiting fellows and other visiting academics. However IALS PhD students can use them for daily hire on a “first-come, first-served basis” if there is a vacant carrel available.
IALS PhD students should ask in person at the Library Admissions Desk each day (before 5 p.m.) to see if a vacant carrel is available for hire that day: http://ials.sas.ac.uk/library/joining-library/library-research-carrels. The daily hire of an available vacant library research carrel is a free service for IALS PhD students only.
Legal Research Help
IALS library provide a full training programme for our new students, details of which will be included in your course packs and timetables. Subjects covered include database skills and how to correctly footnote essays. The reference team are also available for individual research sessions on request.
Services for IALS LLM Students
Borrowing from IALS Library
For the duration of the taught element of your course, you will have the standard loan period, which should ensure maximum availability of books. As IALS library is primarily a reference library these periods are somewhat limited.
For more information about loans and renewals, see the Borrowing, Renewing and Returning page.
Legal Research Help
IALS library provide a full training programme for our new students, details of which will be included in your course packs and timetables. Subjects covered include database skills and how to correctly footnote essays. The reference team are also available for individual research sessions on request.
General Services
Scanning Service for IALS students
IALS students can place online requests for scans of journal articles and book chapters from the printed volumes on the IALS Library shelves (and which are unavailable from the library’s e-resources). Email: ials@sas.ac.uk
Copyright Form for External Request
For any external requests for items not held in the IALS Library, please fill in the copyright declaration form.
Online Resources
IALS LLM and PhD research students have remote access to the full range of our online resources, comprising thousands of individual e-books and e-journals (via the Catalogue) and numerous wide-ranging online services, such as Westlaw and Lexis®Library (via the Law Databases page).
Further information about accessing online resources is available here: Access to library e-resources - SAS students’ guide
Study Online
Many of your LLM course readings or PhD research tools are available on the SAS virtual learning environment (VLE) called Study Online. It is essential that you register for this as soon as possible in order to see the materials, participate in group discussions and be able to submit your assignments.
Virtual Help
All other library services continue to be available virtually for your legal research needs:
- Quick questions: Click on the “Chat with a librarian” side bar at https://ials.sas.ac.uk/library
- Longer reference enquiries: email ials@sas.ac.uk
- Join IALS Library: https://ials.sas.ac.uk/library/joining-library
- Remote access to our extensive collections of e-books, e-journals and legal databases: https://ials.sas.ac.uk/library/ials-collections/accessing-ials-library-e-resources-remotely
- Virtual legal research training sessions, delivered live: https://libguides.ials.sas.ac.uk/training
- An online training page with videos and other information: https://ials.sas.ac.uk/ials-library/training
- Detailed online guides to our research collections: https://libguides.ials.sas.ac.uk/guides
- Podcasts: https://ials.sas.ac.uk/study/courses/master-philosophy-mphil-and-doctor-philosophy-phd/masterclasses/phd-masterclass
- A guide to open access and other free online resources for legal researchers: https://libguides.ials.sas.ac.uk/openfreeresources/oa
Other Libraries
Postgraduate research normally involves the use of several different libraries. There are numerous excellent University of London libraries close to IALS and the British Library is not far away.
Senate House and SAS Libraries
IALS Library is part of a group of libraries consisting of Senate House Library itself and the libraries of the institutes of the School of Advanced Study (SAS Libraries):
- Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Library
- Institute of Classical Studies Library
- Institute of Historical Research Library
- Senate House Library - the University of London's central library, focusing on humanities and social sciences and including the Germanic Studies Library, Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library and Institute of Latin American Studies Library.
- Warburg Institute Library - covering cultural history, art history and the history of ideas.
Your IALS Library card, or "SAS card", admits you to all of these libraries. However, borrowing is only available at Senate House Library and IALS.
Other University of London libraries
You are entitled to reference use of other University of London libraries under the University of London Libraries Access Agreement, on production of your SAS card.
You may borrow from many of these libraries, including SOAS, UCL, the LSE and King's, if you apply under the SCONUL Access scheme (see below).
You can access online resources at some, but not all, other University of London libraries. Please check with individual libraries for full details.
The British Library
The British Library is fifteen minutes' walk from IALS. Information about the collections and details of how to apply for a reader pass are available on the British Library's website.
SCONUL Access
If School of Advanced Study (SAS) research students wish to access and borrow from other UK university libraries who are members of the SCONUL Access Scheme, they should:
- Complete the SCONUL Access application form online: https://www.sconul.ac.uk/sconul-access
- Once your application has been approved, IALS Library will email you to confirm this; please take the confirmation email and your SAS card to the library you wish to access.
Nearby libraries offering borrowing under SCONUL Access include King's College London, University College London (UCL), London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
For further information contact:
Library Administrative Office
ials.libadmin@sas.ac.uk
020 7862 5777
