Zief Research Help   Tags: research advice, seminar papers, source collection, writing law review articles, writing papers, writing requirement  

These are our typical fall & spring semester research center hours.

Mon. – Thurs., 9 am to 7 pm
Fri., 9 am to 4:30 pm
Sat., 10 am to 4 pm
Sun., 1:30 pm to 6 pm

Holiday, intersession, and summer hours will vary. For the current week's research center hours, call the research desk at 415-422-6773.

These policies govern our legal research and reference services.

USF faculty, students, and staff can chat with us during our regular research center hours.

Chat/IM is best for relatively discrete, straightforward questions. If you have a complicated question or project, the librarian on duty may ask you to call us at 415-422-6773, visit in person during our research center hours, or make an appointment for a research consultation.

(This service is only for members of the USF community. We encourage others to use the AskNow Service from the Council of California County Law Libraries.)

Here are all the ways you can get in touch with us —

1. Visit in person

   Drop by any time during our regular research center hours. We welcome everything from relatively straightforward questions to requests for advice on complex research projects. 

2. Call us at 415-422-6773

   Call us with your research questions during regular research center hours.

3. Chat with us/Instant message us

   We're available for live chat during our regular research center hours. Chat is best for relatively basic questions. If you have a particularly challenging question or project, please drop by, give us a call, or make an appointment for an in-depth consultation.

4. Text us at 415-992-6480

   You can text us during our regular research center hours. Text is best for relatively basic questions than can be answered in just a few words. Phone calls, in-person visits, and research consultations are best for in-depth questions or extensive projects. (This text number is just for texts! To speak to us live, call 415-422-6773.)

5. Submit a question via our Ask the Zief Librarians page

   Drop your question off at the Ask the Zief Librarians page, and we'll email you a response. (For members of the USF community.)

6. Make an appointment for a research consultation

   We offer research consultation appointments to USF students.

7. Contact a specific research librarian

   Our contact information is in the profile boxes on the right-hand side of this page.

How we can help

We are legal research experts with advanced degrees in both law and information studies. We support your research by: advising you on strategy; suggesting sources; helping you track down elusive facts or data; and showing you the best ways to complete your research quickly and effectively, no matter what your issue or what type of materials you are using.

Our research advice/reference services are primarily for members of the USF community. As research librarians, we will do our best to help you find the law, but we cannot interpret the law or offer legal advice. For details, see our full Legal Reference Service Policy.

If you are a currently-enrolled USF student (law or non-law), you can contact any of the research librarians to make a one-on-one appointment for research help or advice. Follow these links to request a research appointment.