Secondary Source Research Using the Law Library’s Online Resources
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Secondary Source Research Using the Law Library’s Online Resources Bijal Shah Electronic Resources/Interlibrary Loan Librarian February 24, 2009
description
Secondary Source Research Using the Law Library’s Online Resources. Bijal Shah Electronic Resources/Interlibrary Loan Librarian February 24, 2009. Discussion Points. Why use secondary sources? Types of secondary sources Tools to locate and access secondary sources. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Secondary Source Research Using the Law Library’s Online Resources
Secondary Source Research Using the Law Library’s Online
Resources
Bijal ShahElectronic Resources/Interlibrary Loan Librarian
February 24, 2009
Discussion Points
o Why use secondary sources?
o Types of secondary sources
o Tools to locate and access secondary sources
Why Use Secondary Sources?
o Provide analysis and commentary written by law scholars, attorneys and judges
o Help to locate and explain primary sourceso Can be heavily footnoted
o Can be used to provide background information on a new or unfamiliar topico Introduces basic concepts and terminology,
which can help you construct a better online search
Why Use Secondary Sources?
o Keep in mind disadvantageso May oversimplify complicated conceptso May make the law appear more “static” than it
really is
Types of Secondary Sources
o Treatiseso Can be single volume or multi-volumeo Kept up to date with looseleaf updates or
pocket partso Irregular publication scheduleo E.g. Immigration Law and Procedure – multi-
volume looseleaf seto Journalso Current Awareness
Locating Treatiseso USMAI online catalog
o What is USMAI?o Search law library’s catalog or all USMAI
libraries’ combined catalogo Lists titles at book level
oCan search for journal titles, not articlesoSome catalog records may contain chapter
titles/authors as wello Can request books from other USMAI libraries
oNeed library bar code - needs to be updated every semester
Accessing the Catalog
Searching the Catalog
Searching the Catalog (Cont’d)
Searching the Catalog (Cont’d)
Searching the Catalog (Cont’d)
Interpreting a Catalog Record
Interpreting a Catalog Record (Cont’d)
Interpreting a Catalog Record - LCSHo Library of Congress Subject Headings
o Comprise a thesaurus used by catalogerso Assigned to all bibliographic records
oOne bibliographic record may have several subject headings
o Facilitate users’ access to titles related to a specific topic
Interpreting a Catalog Record – LCSH (Cont’d)
Interpreting a Catalog Record – LCSH (Cont’d)
Doing a Multi-campus Catalog Search
Doing a Multi-campus Catalog Search (Cont’d)
Doing a Multi-Campus Catalog Search (Cont’d)
Requesting a Book via the Catalog
Requesting a Book via the Catalog (Cont’d)
Requesting a Book via the Catalog (Cont’d)
Requesting a Book via the Catalog (Cont’d)
Resources Available Beyond USMAI
o WorldCato Search for titles not available in USMAIo Accessible via library web site, under Virtual
Reference Shelf => Research Databaseso Need 14-digit library bar code to access from
off-campus (applies to all of library’s subscription databases)
o Request books via interlibrary loan
Accessing WorldCat
Accessing WorldCat (Cont’d)
Searching WorldCat
Searching WorldCat (Cont’d)
Other Methods of Placing ILL Requests
o Online forms on library’s web site
o Paper forms available near circulation desk
Searching for Journal Articleso Shouldn’t rely on LexisNexis/Westlaw alone
o Have powerful search engines but coverage is lacking
o LegalTrac and Index to Legal Periodicals - indexing/abstracting databaseso Entries contain “editorial enhancements”o Editors assign descriptive words/phrases to
articles which are access points into articleo Access points make finding more articles on
same topic easier
Searching for Journal Articles
o LegalTrac - coverage begins with 1980; contains some full-text and abstracts
o ILP Full-texto Indexing 1981+, Abstracting 1990+, “select” Full
Text 1995+o ILP Retro – covers 1908-1981o Both LegalTrac and ILP are accessible via
library web site, under Virtual Reference Shelf => Research Databases
Searching for Journal Articles (Cont’d)
o HeinOnlineo Accessible via library web site, under Virtual
Reference Shelf => Research Databaseso William S. Hein & Co. obtained permission from
publishers of law reviews to scan content of journals
o Documents are scanned PDFs o Easier to use if you have a citation already
Example of LegalTrac Entry
Example of ILP Full Text Entry
HeinOnline
HeinOnline (Cont’d)
HeinOnline (Cont’d)
Search Catalog for Journal Title
Search Catalog for Journal Title (Cont’d)
Search Catalog for Journal Title (Cont’d)
Searching Catalog for Journal Title (Cont’d)
Current Awareness Resources
o Keep abreast of current issues and developments in specific areas of law
o Helpful when trying to come up with a research paper topic
o BNA email alerts – “Highlights”o Subject specifico Have to sign up using an on-campus computer
Current Awareness Resources - BNA
BNA E-mail Alerts
BNA E-mail Alerts
Example of BNA Email Alert
