Lab Access

The Law School's computer labs offer both an opportunity to use complete coursework and a place to receive training on computer-assisted legal research tools. The Cook & Franke (Lab A) and Class of 1972 Computer Rooms (Lab B) are located on the second floor of the Law Library (see map). The labs are open during all Law Library hours. .
The workstations in the computer labs may only be used by registered law students, faculty, and staff. Each user is assigned a unique login name and password to access the Law School network and is allowed up to 12MB of disk space for his/her personal use.

Hardware and Software

There are 24 workstations located in Lab A and 18 workstations in Lab B. All machines are Dell Pentium PCs running MS Windows XP and are equipped with zip disk drives.

The Computer Lab supports a variety of software, including Microsoft Office XP, Netscape 7 and Eudora Email 5.1. LexisNexis and Westlaw are also available.

Laser printing is available for $.07 per page from the printer located in Computer Lab B. Printing is charged through a Vend-a-card reader for which users must purchase a debit card. Cards are available at the Copy Center on 5th floor of the library.

The Law School's computer labs do not have Macintosh computers. The nearest computer lab with Macintosh workstations is Helen C. White (College) Library, located at the corner of Observatory Drive and Park Street.

Live Computer-Assisted Legal Research Instruction

Although both labs are available for general use, the Cook & Franke Computer Room (Lab A) also serves as a hands-on CALR (Computer-Assisted Legal Research) instructional lab. It can be reserved by law school faculty, staff, and student organizations for instructional sessions. The library periodically offers (or sponsors) instructional sessions on our electronic legal research tools, such as Westlaw and LexisNexis. If you are interested in scheduling a training session for any of the library's electronic research tools, see Classroom Instruction & Tours for more information.

During instructional sessions, students not participating in the session are asked to use Lab B. Some instructors might permit students to use vacant computers during a class, however this use is at the discretion of the instructor. Lab A reserved times are posted on the door and are also available on the library's Reservations Calendar.

Lab Assistants and Vendor Representatives

Computer lab assistants are available during all open library hours to help with any questions regarding lab policies, software usage, or laptop network configuration. Their office is located in Room 2390, which is on the south end of the Class of 1972 Computer Room (Lab B). For additional assistance, contact the library's IT Coordinator at ebgiefer@facstaff.wisc.edu.

LexisNexis and Westlaw student representatives may also be available to answer questions regarding the use of those legal research systems. There is a dedicated area for each vendor outside the lab assistant office in Lab B where representatives are available during posted hours. When vendor representatives are unavailable, users may speak to a Reference Attorney from either vendor by using the free dedicated phone lines (Westlaw = blue phone; Lexis = red phone) located on the south wall of the lab. In addition, the reference librarian on the 5th floor can assist law students with their legal research needs.

If you have not been issued a Westlaw or LexisNexis password and feel that you may qualify or you are having problems with your existing password, please complete the Password Problem / Request Form. Passwords are issued to authorized Law School users only. The Reference and Electronic Services Librarian will investigate and contact you via return email or by phone.