1 =============================================================== Unit -2 : Using Law Library,Web based Research and legal referencing =============================================================== Structure 2.1. Introduction 2.2. Objectives 2.3. Use of Books in Law Library 2.4. How to use Law Library 2.5. Use of Monographs, Government Publications/ Reports, Etc. 2.6 Methods of using Law Library 2.7. Summary 2.8. Terminal Questions. 2.9. Answer Hints 2.10. References and Suggested Readings. 2.1 Introduction The Law library is a ‘Community trust’ which Gilbert Stephenson defined as “ an ocean liner receiving its cargo in part from living trusts, which are private ships and carrying it our into successive generations as to a distant port there to be distributed fu the common good.” A law library contains highly specialized materials, and this requires special skill to handle. Basically legal materials consist of statutory law end reports of decided cases. Both these types of legal materials relate to the “ authority” ad “ precedent” respectively. Hence any type of research will not be completed unless such materials have been scanned through. Any law library has to be well equipped with regard to these. Two basic materials. These materials may equip the research not only …… what the can in but also help him understand that is a complicated society with complex laws, he may have to take recourse to such secondary materials as text books. Reform book and articles. He has to prepare himself fully to handle the implicated legal literature . He should know where to look for the materials for research and also about the guides and aids which would facilitate to locate the materials.
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Microsoft Word - B-1,Unit-2Unit -2 : Using Law Library,Web based Research and legal referencing ===============================================================
Structure 2.1. Introduction
2.4. How to use Law Library
2.5. Use of Monographs, Government Publications/ Reports, Etc.
2.6 Methods of using Law Library
2.7. Summary
2.1 Introduction
The Law library is a ‘Community trust’ which Gilbert Stephenson defined as “ an ocean
liner receiving its cargo in part from living trusts, which are private ships and carrying it
our into successive generations as to a distant port there to be distributed fu the common
good.” A law library contains highly specialized materials, and this requires special skill
to handle. Basically legal materials consist of statutory law end reports of decided
cases. Both these types of legal materials relate to the “ authority” ad “ precedent”
respectively. Hence any type of research will not be completed unless such materials
have been scanned through. Any law library has to be well equipped with regard to
these. Two basic materials. These materials may equip the research not only …… what
the can in but also help him understand that is a complicated society with complex laws,
he may have to take recourse to such secondary materials as text books. Reform book
and articles. He has to prepare himself fully to handle the implicated legal literature . He
should know where to look for the materials for research and also about the guides and
aids which would facilitate to locate the materials.
2
After going through this unit you should be able to!
* Equip the research to prepare himself bully to handle the huge legal literature.
* Understand where to look for the materials of one’s research
* Known the materials in allied field of his research.
* Under gland the basic principles in the subject of research.
* Indentify various sources of Secondary materials of research.
2.3. Use of books in Law Library
In the words of Profession Frederick Hicks “ Skill in the use of law books …. Is a
requisite of a successful legal career, along with ability to understand the intricate
wording of a statute, to follow the reserving of a judicial decision, or to build up a
theory of a case by original thinking. What I refer to is skill in using law library us, that
is , books in the mass. A law library is not merely a collection of books. It is a collection
of legal literature properly housed, and organized for service.”
Books in a law library are arranged subject wise. Each book is assigned a subject
number according to a particular classification index / scheme which the library uses
internationally. Each book will have at least two catalogue cards in the catalogue cabinet
– one arranged according to the subject us call number and the other in the alphabetical
sequence of the authors and titles. Therefore if one wants to find a book on a particular
subject he should look into the classified sequence in the catalogue card cabinet where
all the cards of books an that subject will be found together. If one wants to locate a book
by a particular author, he should go through the alphabetical sequence. The purpose of
this research is twofold : to determine the book that will satisfy the requirement of the
reader, and to find out the call number of the book to facilitate its location on the shelf,
whether the library follows open access system or the closed system, this number has to
be found out in order to locate the book on the shelf.
Periodicals and law Reports are generally stocked separately in one sequence by the title.
Some libraries may keep those belonging to their own jurisdictions first, and then the
rest of the periodicals may be arranged alphabetically. Thus it may not be difficult
3
alphabetically. Thus it may not be difficult to locate them. In an effort to locate either
text books or periodicals help may also be sought from the library staff.
For a researcher working on a new problem it is advisable to start with the
textbooks on the subject. This will not only give the researcher a proper idea of the
subject but also enable him to find out several. Other sources of study and decided cases
on subject. After this h as been done. The research may be brought up to date by
scanning the latest cases, subsequent legislature changes, current articles and papers
published respective journals in the subject matter.
Legal research inevitably involves the use of the books, pamphlets, periodicals
and documentary materials in libraries. General source materials have to be consulted for
the necessary background knowledge of the problem to be investigated. Knowledge of
the findings of previous findings in the similar cases is also required by the legal
researchers. All these source materials are numerously available in a library. Use of the
library is a must to any researcher. Hence, a researcher should know how to use the
resources of libraries. He should understand the ways in which libraries organize their
collections and with a knowledge of basic bibliographic and reference materials. The
general procedure of maintaining libraries is the same in any library because all libraries
organize their collections on the same general principles and provide similar resources
for users. All the libraries have a system of subject classification, a card catalogue, and
certain bibliographic and reference materials.
1. How to Use Books in Law Library
When a researcher enters a library he/she has to go directly the card catalogue. At the entrance
of the library a shelf contains the card catalogue in alphabetical order according to the
first word on the Card. The card catalogue is an index which lists all the publications in
the library collection, by author, by subject, and often by title. In looking up material by
subject, it is necessary to look under the heading which describes the subject most
specifically. To find a publication by author in the card catalogue, it is advisable to know
the given names as well as the surname of the author. There may be several authors with
identical or similar names, and it sometimes happens that some of the authors have
4
written books on the same subject. The information appearing on the face of the cards is
the call number
Text and Reference books in the Library they are usually grouped acceding
to their subject. This is achieved by means of a subject classification scheme.
Several schemes are in use, each, employs numbers or a combination of numbers and
letters to indicate the subject of a book. The classification number Marci is placed
near the bottom of the spine of each book.
Periodicals may be arranged in One of neural ways either by subject and
then alphabetical by title. In some big libraries you may find periodicals arranged
according to the jurisdiction to which they usually refer; for example, Indian legal
periodical may be shelved separately from English European or United states
periodicals.
Libraries of ten have separate sequences for number of specialized groups
of publication : reform books like dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories etc.
Government Publications as the publications international organizations, such as
UNO,EC, form a separate collection on depending on how much of this huge
publishing out put is collected by the particular library.
It is to be noted that not all stock of the library will be available for loan
to a researcher or reader. Particularly in law libraries where then is a very strong
dependence on periodicals and law reports than books. However, in many
libraries today usually provide photocopying service. But a researcher will find.
Several books are available for loan and each copy for a limited period. The loan
period varies from library to library.
How to discuss whether the library has the book you require ? The key is
the library catalogue. Many libraries now use computers an which to hold and
display details of the stock of books. However in many libraries books purchased
before computer system was installed purchased before computer system was
5
installed recorded in microform or card catalogues. A reader or researcher will
usually find at least three separate parts to the catalogue or ways of finding details
about stock L
a) The Author section arranges details of the stock alphabetically by the author’s
surnames.
b) The Subject section is arranged alphabetically by subject and provides class
marks. Where books on each topic are shelved.
c) The Classified section arranges class marks in numerical or alphabetical order
according to the classification scheme used, with details of authors and titles of
books allocated to each subject. This section of catalogue is usually consulted only
after you have found the appropriate class mark in the subject section, for the
topic in which you are interested. If you know who wrote the book you are
looking for, use the author section and remember to search by first letter of the
author’s surname. If the library.
2.5 Use of Monographs, Government Publications.
Some good monographs on specific subjects appear from time to time. They are
a mine of information on materials and facts on a particular area. For example, some
monographs have been published by the Indian Law Institute which are very helpful to
any researcher doing research in the area, such as, Child and the ….. ( 1979), The
Supreme Court under Strain : The Challenge of Arrears ( 1979), The Supreme Court
under Strain : The Challenge of Arrears ( 1979) fifty Years of the Supreme Court of
Indian ( 2000) etc.
A number of government publication is brought out from time to time by the
central as well as state governments. Most of them consist of reports of various
Committees and Commissions. There are some commissions which are permanent like
Law Commission of India. Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, and Commissioner
for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes; Parliamentary Committees like, Standing
Committee, Select Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings etc. The Reports of
6
these bodies are of great help and any research without referring to them will not be
Complete.
2.6 METHODS OF USING LIBRARIES
Legal research inevitably involves the use of the books, pamphlets, periodicals
and documentary materials in libraries. General source materials have to be consulted for
the necessary background knowledge of the problem to be investigated. Knowledge of
the findings of previous findings in the similar cases is also required by the legal
researchers. All these source materials are numerously available in a library. Use of the
library is a must to any researcher. Hence, a researcher should know how to use the
resources of libraries. He should understand the ways in which libraries organize their
collections and with a knowledge of basic bibliographic and reference materials. The
general procedure of maintaining libraries is the same in any library because all libraries
organize their collections on the same general principles and provide similar resources
for users. All the libraries have a system of subject classification, a card catalogue, and
certain bibliographic and reference materials. (B) LIBRAY CARD CATALOGUE
When a researcher enters the library he has to go directly to the card catalogue.
At the entrance of the library a shelf contains the card catalogue in alphabetical order
according to the first word on the Card. The card catalogue is an index which lists all the
publications in the library collection, by author, by subject, and often by title. In looking
up material by subject, it is necessary to look under the heading which describes the
subject most specifically. To find a publication by author in the card catalogue, it is
advisable to know the given names as well as the surname of the author. There may be
several authors with identical or similar names, and it sometimes happens that some of
the authors have written books on the same subject. The information appearing on the
face of the cards is the call number
7
2.7 Summary
A law library contains highly specialized materials, and this requires special
skill to handle. A researcher or reader should know where. To book for the materials
for research and also about the guides and aids which would facilitate to locate the
materials? Books are in abandoner in a library and the reader has to acquire the skill in
the use of law books. Each book will have at least two catalogue cards in the catalogue
cabinet – one arranged according to the subject or cell number and the other in the
alphabetical sequence of the authors and titles.
A researcher is also to know which is his nearest big library. For this purpose he
is to book the Directory of Law Libraries. Which is available to him (like Directory of
Law Libraries in the British Isles, 1988)? Law libraries may be academic libraries ( in
Universities, and colleges), public libraries ( National / State Libraries) Libraries of
Government Departments, Bar Libraries. Before a researcher set of to visit a law library
other than one with which you are familiar, it is essential to contact the librarian
beforehand, except academic on public libraries. For beneficial and proper use of a law
library following aspects of using the Library are to be study;
i. What is the general arrangement of the stock ?
ii. How is each type of material arranged on the shelves ?
iii. Is all the stock of the library available for the research to borrow?
b) 4. How does the researcher discover whether the library has the book he require?
i. Which parts of the catalogue should you use to answer particular
information needs ?
ii. How does the research discover if the library has the periodical he
requires?
iii. What is the special knowledge / points researcher should remember when
searching the catalogue for law books?
?
8
2. Discuss how to use books and periodicals in haw Library.
1. What are the basis things a researcher should assertion before using Law library
3. How far monograph and Government publications are useful for research ?
4. What is the scope of web based research in the area of criminal justice.
5. State in brief the various forms of legal referencing.
2.9 Answer Hints
Q.1 Books and periodicals in Law library are arranged in a particular classification scheme. A
researcher should have a fair idea about types of books and periodicals a law library
usually contains. A law library is a collection of legal literature properly catalogued.
Other features of law library similarly are to be pointed out.
Q.2 Basic Things a reader or researcher should know regarding using the law library are – a)
What is the general arrangement of the stock (b) How in each type of material arranged
on the library etc.
2. 10. References
1. Frederic D Donnelly ( Ed). The Law Library: A Living Trust, Institute of Law Librarians,
1963, Chicago.
2. Edwin C. Surreney, Benjamin Feld and Joseph Crea, A Guide to Legal Research, New
York, 1959.
Structure 2.1. Introduction
2.4. How to use Law Library
2.5. Use of Monographs, Government Publications/ Reports, Etc.
2.6 Methods of using Law Library
2.7. Summary
2.1 Introduction
The Law library is a ‘Community trust’ which Gilbert Stephenson defined as “ an ocean
liner receiving its cargo in part from living trusts, which are private ships and carrying it
our into successive generations as to a distant port there to be distributed fu the common
good.” A law library contains highly specialized materials, and this requires special skill
to handle. Basically legal materials consist of statutory law end reports of decided
cases. Both these types of legal materials relate to the “ authority” ad “ precedent”
respectively. Hence any type of research will not be completed unless such materials
have been scanned through. Any law library has to be well equipped with regard to
these. Two basic materials. These materials may equip the research not only …… what
the can in but also help him understand that is a complicated society with complex laws,
he may have to take recourse to such secondary materials as text books. Reform book
and articles. He has to prepare himself fully to handle the implicated legal literature . He
should know where to look for the materials for research and also about the guides and
aids which would facilitate to locate the materials.
2
After going through this unit you should be able to!
* Equip the research to prepare himself bully to handle the huge legal literature.
* Understand where to look for the materials of one’s research
* Known the materials in allied field of his research.
* Under gland the basic principles in the subject of research.
* Indentify various sources of Secondary materials of research.
2.3. Use of books in Law Library
In the words of Profession Frederick Hicks “ Skill in the use of law books …. Is a
requisite of a successful legal career, along with ability to understand the intricate
wording of a statute, to follow the reserving of a judicial decision, or to build up a
theory of a case by original thinking. What I refer to is skill in using law library us, that
is , books in the mass. A law library is not merely a collection of books. It is a collection
of legal literature properly housed, and organized for service.”
Books in a law library are arranged subject wise. Each book is assigned a subject
number according to a particular classification index / scheme which the library uses
internationally. Each book will have at least two catalogue cards in the catalogue cabinet
– one arranged according to the subject us call number and the other in the alphabetical
sequence of the authors and titles. Therefore if one wants to find a book on a particular
subject he should look into the classified sequence in the catalogue card cabinet where
all the cards of books an that subject will be found together. If one wants to locate a book
by a particular author, he should go through the alphabetical sequence. The purpose of
this research is twofold : to determine the book that will satisfy the requirement of the
reader, and to find out the call number of the book to facilitate its location on the shelf,
whether the library follows open access system or the closed system, this number has to
be found out in order to locate the book on the shelf.
Periodicals and law Reports are generally stocked separately in one sequence by the title.
Some libraries may keep those belonging to their own jurisdictions first, and then the
rest of the periodicals may be arranged alphabetically. Thus it may not be difficult
3
alphabetically. Thus it may not be difficult to locate them. In an effort to locate either
text books or periodicals help may also be sought from the library staff.
For a researcher working on a new problem it is advisable to start with the
textbooks on the subject. This will not only give the researcher a proper idea of the
subject but also enable him to find out several. Other sources of study and decided cases
on subject. After this h as been done. The research may be brought up to date by
scanning the latest cases, subsequent legislature changes, current articles and papers
published respective journals in the subject matter.
Legal research inevitably involves the use of the books, pamphlets, periodicals
and documentary materials in libraries. General source materials have to be consulted for
the necessary background knowledge of the problem to be investigated. Knowledge of
the findings of previous findings in the similar cases is also required by the legal
researchers. All these source materials are numerously available in a library. Use of the
library is a must to any researcher. Hence, a researcher should know how to use the
resources of libraries. He should understand the ways in which libraries organize their
collections and with a knowledge of basic bibliographic and reference materials. The
general procedure of maintaining libraries is the same in any library because all libraries
organize their collections on the same general principles and provide similar resources
for users. All the libraries have a system of subject classification, a card catalogue, and
certain bibliographic and reference materials.
1. How to Use Books in Law Library
When a researcher enters a library he/she has to go directly the card catalogue. At the entrance
of the library a shelf contains the card catalogue in alphabetical order according to the
first word on the Card. The card catalogue is an index which lists all the publications in
the library collection, by author, by subject, and often by title. In looking up material by
subject, it is necessary to look under the heading which describes the subject most
specifically. To find a publication by author in the card catalogue, it is advisable to know
the given names as well as the surname of the author. There may be several authors with
identical or similar names, and it sometimes happens that some of the authors have
4
written books on the same subject. The information appearing on the face of the cards is
the call number
Text and Reference books in the Library they are usually grouped acceding
to their subject. This is achieved by means of a subject classification scheme.
Several schemes are in use, each, employs numbers or a combination of numbers and
letters to indicate the subject of a book. The classification number Marci is placed
near the bottom of the spine of each book.
Periodicals may be arranged in One of neural ways either by subject and
then alphabetical by title. In some big libraries you may find periodicals arranged
according to the jurisdiction to which they usually refer; for example, Indian legal
periodical may be shelved separately from English European or United states
periodicals.
Libraries of ten have separate sequences for number of specialized groups
of publication : reform books like dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories etc.
Government Publications as the publications international organizations, such as
UNO,EC, form a separate collection on depending on how much of this huge
publishing out put is collected by the particular library.
It is to be noted that not all stock of the library will be available for loan
to a researcher or reader. Particularly in law libraries where then is a very strong
dependence on periodicals and law reports than books. However, in many
libraries today usually provide photocopying service. But a researcher will find.
Several books are available for loan and each copy for a limited period. The loan
period varies from library to library.
How to discuss whether the library has the book you require ? The key is
the library catalogue. Many libraries now use computers an which to hold and
display details of the stock of books. However in many libraries books purchased
before computer system was installed purchased before computer system was
5
installed recorded in microform or card catalogues. A reader or researcher will
usually find at least three separate parts to the catalogue or ways of finding details
about stock L
a) The Author section arranges details of the stock alphabetically by the author’s
surnames.
b) The Subject section is arranged alphabetically by subject and provides class
marks. Where books on each topic are shelved.
c) The Classified section arranges class marks in numerical or alphabetical order
according to the classification scheme used, with details of authors and titles of
books allocated to each subject. This section of catalogue is usually consulted only
after you have found the appropriate class mark in the subject section, for the
topic in which you are interested. If you know who wrote the book you are
looking for, use the author section and remember to search by first letter of the
author’s surname. If the library.
2.5 Use of Monographs, Government Publications.
Some good monographs on specific subjects appear from time to time. They are
a mine of information on materials and facts on a particular area. For example, some
monographs have been published by the Indian Law Institute which are very helpful to
any researcher doing research in the area, such as, Child and the ….. ( 1979), The
Supreme Court under Strain : The Challenge of Arrears ( 1979), The Supreme Court
under Strain : The Challenge of Arrears ( 1979) fifty Years of the Supreme Court of
Indian ( 2000) etc.
A number of government publication is brought out from time to time by the
central as well as state governments. Most of them consist of reports of various
Committees and Commissions. There are some commissions which are permanent like
Law Commission of India. Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, and Commissioner
for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes; Parliamentary Committees like, Standing
Committee, Select Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings etc. The Reports of
6
these bodies are of great help and any research without referring to them will not be
Complete.
2.6 METHODS OF USING LIBRARIES
Legal research inevitably involves the use of the books, pamphlets, periodicals
and documentary materials in libraries. General source materials have to be consulted for
the necessary background knowledge of the problem to be investigated. Knowledge of
the findings of previous findings in the similar cases is also required by the legal
researchers. All these source materials are numerously available in a library. Use of the
library is a must to any researcher. Hence, a researcher should know how to use the
resources of libraries. He should understand the ways in which libraries organize their
collections and with a knowledge of basic bibliographic and reference materials. The
general procedure of maintaining libraries is the same in any library because all libraries
organize their collections on the same general principles and provide similar resources
for users. All the libraries have a system of subject classification, a card catalogue, and
certain bibliographic and reference materials. (B) LIBRAY CARD CATALOGUE
When a researcher enters the library he has to go directly to the card catalogue.
At the entrance of the library a shelf contains the card catalogue in alphabetical order
according to the first word on the Card. The card catalogue is an index which lists all the
publications in the library collection, by author, by subject, and often by title. In looking
up material by subject, it is necessary to look under the heading which describes the
subject most specifically. To find a publication by author in the card catalogue, it is
advisable to know the given names as well as the surname of the author. There may be
several authors with identical or similar names, and it sometimes happens that some of
the authors have written books on the same subject. The information appearing on the
face of the cards is the call number
7
2.7 Summary
A law library contains highly specialized materials, and this requires special
skill to handle. A researcher or reader should know where. To book for the materials
for research and also about the guides and aids which would facilitate to locate the
materials? Books are in abandoner in a library and the reader has to acquire the skill in
the use of law books. Each book will have at least two catalogue cards in the catalogue
cabinet – one arranged according to the subject or cell number and the other in the
alphabetical sequence of the authors and titles.
A researcher is also to know which is his nearest big library. For this purpose he
is to book the Directory of Law Libraries. Which is available to him (like Directory of
Law Libraries in the British Isles, 1988)? Law libraries may be academic libraries ( in
Universities, and colleges), public libraries ( National / State Libraries) Libraries of
Government Departments, Bar Libraries. Before a researcher set of to visit a law library
other than one with which you are familiar, it is essential to contact the librarian
beforehand, except academic on public libraries. For beneficial and proper use of a law
library following aspects of using the Library are to be study;
i. What is the general arrangement of the stock ?
ii. How is each type of material arranged on the shelves ?
iii. Is all the stock of the library available for the research to borrow?
b) 4. How does the researcher discover whether the library has the book he require?
i. Which parts of the catalogue should you use to answer particular
information needs ?
ii. How does the research discover if the library has the periodical he
requires?
iii. What is the special knowledge / points researcher should remember when
searching the catalogue for law books?
?
8
2. Discuss how to use books and periodicals in haw Library.
1. What are the basis things a researcher should assertion before using Law library
3. How far monograph and Government publications are useful for research ?
4. What is the scope of web based research in the area of criminal justice.
5. State in brief the various forms of legal referencing.
2.9 Answer Hints
Q.1 Books and periodicals in Law library are arranged in a particular classification scheme. A
researcher should have a fair idea about types of books and periodicals a law library
usually contains. A law library is a collection of legal literature properly catalogued.
Other features of law library similarly are to be pointed out.
Q.2 Basic Things a reader or researcher should know regarding using the law library are – a)
What is the general arrangement of the stock (b) How in each type of material arranged
on the library etc.
2. 10. References
1. Frederic D Donnelly ( Ed). The Law Library: A Living Trust, Institute of Law Librarians,
1963, Chicago.
2. Edwin C. Surreney, Benjamin Feld and Joseph Crea, A Guide to Legal Research, New
York, 1959.
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