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Master of Library and Information Science

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Law Librarianship

Combine your background in law with new skills in knowledge organization that will transform your career. As a law librarian, you will tap into the power of information to support the mission of courts, federal and state government, law schools, corporations and more.

The UW iSchool is the No. 1-rated law librarianship program in the United States, according to U.S News & World Report, because it provides the highest level of preparation for a career in law librarianship. The curriculum blends a strong theoretical foundation in the principles of information science with the specialized legal research and administration background you will need to thrive as a law librarian. An internship allows you to further build your portfolio.

Admission to the law librarianship program requires the completion of a JD, and classes are only offered in the residential mode over four consecutive academic quarters. MLIS residential students without a JD may take some of the specific law-oriented classes as electives.

Earning the Degree

Attorneys enrolled in the program will earn the MLIS degree with a specialization in Law Librarianship after successful completion of 43 quarter credit hours. 

The Law MLIS program delivers its curriculum in a traditional classroom setting and therefore is not available for students in online format. Likewise, the Law MLIS degree requirements differ from the Residential and Online MLIS programs.

The program is a sequential 10 months, beginning in autumn quarter and ending the following accelerated summer quarter. Although certain courses may be taken during the immediately preceding summer quarter, the sequential nature of the Law MLIS program requires students to remain throughout the full 12-month period. The program follows the UW Academic Calendar.

Degree Requirements

The average course load in the program is 12 credits per quarter. Ten credits per quarter is the minimum for students who need to meet certain financial aid requirements. The coursework consists of the following:

1. Core Curriculum (23 credits)

  • LIS 547 Design Methods for Librarianship (4 credits)
  • LIS 520 Information Resources, Services, and Collections (4 credits)
  • LIS 526 Government Publications (3 credits)
  • LIS 530 Organization of Information and Resources (4 credits)
  • LIS 587 Library Technology Systems (4 credits, fulfills the Information Technology core course for Law MLIS students)
  • LIS 549 Beginning Web Development (4 credits)

2. Law Librarianship Courses (17 credits)

  • LIS 579 Instructional Strategies for Legal Information (2 credits)
  • LIS 592 Legal Research Methods (4 credits)
  • LIS 593 Collection Management in Law Libraries (3 credits)
  • LIS 594 Management Skills in Law Libraries (3 credits)
  • LIS 595 Research and Writing in Law Librarianship (5 credits)

3. LIS 590 Directed Fieldwork  (3 credits)

4. Law MLIS students culminating experience project will be a paper and presentation produced during spring quarter as part of LIS 595, Research and Writing in Law Librarianship.

More Information

Contact Us

For further information, contact the Law Librarianship program director (who also serves as faculty advisor to all Law Librarianship students): uwlawlib@uw.edu, 206.685.4980.

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