Zief Research Help

USF faculty, students, and staff can receive research help through our live chat service Monday through Friday, 10 am to noon, and 1 pm to 5 pm (fall chat hours).  

• Chat will be closed for the following USF-observed holidays: Monday, September 6,  Thursday, November 25, and Friday, November 26.
• Occasionally, other closures may occur with short notice. For the most up-to-date notice of scheduling changes, refer to our Twitter feed: @usflawlib

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 make an appointment for a virtual research consultation.

This service is only for members of the USF community.

We are available to assist you with your legal research questions. Here are all the ways you can get in touch with us —

1. Chat with us/Instant message us
   We're available via live chat. And if you have a particularly challenging question or project, you can schedule a research consultation meeting with a librarian--our contact info appears on this page. We are happy to set up a Zoom meeting and share our screens to teach you research skills!
2. Text us at 415-992-6480

   You can text us. Text is best for relatively basic questions than can be answered quickly.

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

   Members of the USF community can send a question via the Ask the Zief Librarians page, and we'll email you a response. 

4. Make an appointment for a research consultation

   We offer virtual research consultation appointments to USF students. Email the research librarian team at: lawlibrarians@usfca.edu

5. Contact a specific research librarian

   Our contact information is in the profile boxes on the left-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're 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.

Our research support will continue to operate virtually through Fall 2021. 

Fall Semester: Monday through Friday, 10 am to noon, and 1 pm to 5 pm

We conduct research consultations via Zoom or over the phone for USF faculty, students, and staff.

For updates on Zief operations, check our blog, ZiefBrief and our Twitter page: @usflawlib

These policies govern our legal research and reference services.