Native American Rights Fund

In 1972, NARF founded the National Indian Law Library (NILL) to serve the research needs of NARF attorneys. NILL's resources are also available to the public however, and hundreds of research requests are received weekly. The library houses a unique and valuable collection of federal Indian and tribal law materials and provides specialized legal research assistance. It also provides online bulletins to keep advocates aware of the latest legal developments and most recent news in Indian law. Researchers around the world have access to the resources of the National Indian Law Library through online access to our library catalog (https://nill.softlinkliberty.net/liberty). The catalog contains information on over 18,000 titles held in the NILL collection. Copies of most resources can be delivered to researchers in a timely way and many catalog records provide links to free resources that are available on the internet. NILL's collection includes catalog records for approximately 7,000 articles, 4,500 books, and 1400 tribal law resources. Many of these items are freely available online and are easily accessed via a link in the catalog record. NILL is the only library serving the public with extensive expertise and resources relating to Indian law, providing services that other libraries are unable to provide. The NILL website has about 20,000 visitors and 45,000 page visits each month. Using our Indian Law Research Guides (https://www.narf.org/nill/ resources) on topics such as tribal enrollment and indigenous peacemaking, many patrons are able to find answers to their questions on their own. Thanks to coordination with the Colorado State Library, NARF staff can now borrow books and other items from an interlibrary loan system of almost 200 libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. NILL is now able to request books through Prospector, a unified catalog of academic, public, and special libraries in the surrounding area that offers access to 30 million items. THE NATIONAL INDIAN LAW LIBRARY (NILL) IS THE ONLY LAW LIBRARY IN THE UNITED STATES DEVOTED TO AMERICAN INDIAN LAW. THE LIBRARY SERVES BOTH NARF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. SINCE IT WAS STARTED AS A NARF PROJECT IN 1972, NILL HAS COLLECTED OVER 19,000 BIBLIOGRAPHIC RESOURCES THAT RELATE TO FEDERAL INDIAN AND TRIBAL LAW. THE LIBRARY'S HOLDINGS INCLUDE THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF TRIBAL CODES, ORDINANCES AND CONSTITUTIONS AVAILABLE; LEGAL PLEADINGS FROM MAJOR INDIAN LAW CASES; AND OFTEN HARD TO FIND REPORTS AND HISTORICAL LEGAL INFORMATION. IN ADDITION TO MAKING ITS CATALOG AND EXTENSIVE COLLECTION AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, NILL PROVIDES FREE WEEKLY INDIAN LAW UPDATES VIA EMAIL TO OVER 8,000 SUBSCRIBERS AND ANSWERS MORE THAN 100 RESEARCH QUESTIONS EACH MONTH. MOST IMPORTANTLY, NILL SUPPORTS THE RESEARCH NEEDS OF NARF SO THAT IT CAN PROVIDE THE BEST REPRESENTATION TO ITS CLIENTS. THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL INDIAN LAW LIBRARY'S ACCESS TO TRIBAL LAW PROJECT IS TO ENHANCE THE POWER OF TRIBAL COURTS AND STRENGTHEN TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY BY PROVIDING TRIBAL LEADERS, LEGAL PRACTITIONERS, AND THE PUBLIC WITH CONVENIENT ACCESS TO CURRENT AND ACCURATE COPIES OF TRIBAL CODES AND CONSTITUTIONS. NILL BEGAN COLLECTING THE LAWS OF TRIBAL NATIONS IN 1988. EVENTUALLY, MUCH OF THE COLLECTION MOVED ONLINE TO THE TRIBAL LAW GATEWAY. NILL'S GOAL IS FOR THE GATEWAY TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO ACCURATE TRIBAL LAW INFORMATION FOR ALL 574 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES, IN THE FORMAT OF THE TRIBE'S CHOOSING.