The library’s research resources for postgraduate lawyers at Oxford Ruth Bird September 2009

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The library’s research resources for postgraduate lawyers at Oxford

Ruth BirdSeptember 2009

This is us

Welcome from all at the BLL At Oxford, computing is managed by

OUCS, and the library service by OULS

The Law Library is part of OULS but we work closely with the law faculty

You will probably use OULS services daily, even if you rarely visit a library, because as well as books, we provide the e-resources

OULS is a big library system….

Over 500 staff Nearly 40 libraries A budget of over £30million 10 million volumes 30,000+ e-journals 800+ databases

And there are another 60 plus libraries in colleges, university departments, and non-affiliated bodies in Oxford!

The Bodleian Law Library (BLL)

One of the largest UK law libraries 5200 sq metres across 4 floors 430,000 vols on 17km of shelving Over 70 specialist law databases Over 25 staff able to assist you

Other libraries to note…

The Bodleian in Broad Street

Social Sciences Library – next door..

Rhodes House in Parks Road

Official Papers in the Rad Cam

Philosophy in Merton St

Using the libraries Your University card gives you entry to OULS libraries The Law Bod does not lend books, but the SSL &

many other libraries do Stack books can be ordered to the BLL via the online

catalogue OLIS We are a copyright deposit library – we should have

everything published in the UK If we haven’t got it, an inter-library loan costs just £4

To access most databases you need your Single Sign On (SSO) – register at OUCS http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/registration/oxford

Copying, printing, scanning

Your copying card works in all OULS libraries; you need to purchase it first time, then add value as needed.

The same card works for copying, printing and for scanning.

The present system will change mid year, and copying will be cheaper then

Write your name on the card A lucky dip is available for orphan copy cards – ask at the library desk

Services we provide for postgrads

Courses on research resources related to specific legal subject areas

Allocated research desks for research postgrads

A separate reading room away from undergrads for taught postgrads

A regular library newsletter New journal issue display shelves

One of the best collections of legal resources – in the last year we have updated editions of core text books in over 100 jurisdictions!

A superb collection of legal databases with extremely wide coverage

Knowledgeable and helpful reference librarians

Great value added, authorised and organised content on our website

Extended opening at the end of the academic year for BCL/MJur exams

Some courses we offer …

In Michaelmas term: Research tools for Competition law Tax EU law UN Docs Treaties Journal indexes US law Legal History Using Westlaw & Lexis

Other courses are offered by OUCS & OULS through WISER sessions

Law Library news

The main tools for locating resources

SOLO – Search Oxford Libraries Online

Online catalogue - OLIS List of electronic journals – OU e-

Journals Guide to databases in ALL subject

areas – OxLIP+

Your e-gateway to legal resources

www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/law

What’s there?

Just a brief glimpse of the subscription law databases…….

All South African Law Reports [P.WORD] Factiva Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law Antitrust & trade regulation report Firstpoint MyiLibrary Arbitration (Kluwer) Foreign Law Guide Nineteenth Century House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Beck Online HeinOnline Official Journal of the European Communities on CD ROM Berkley Electronic Press House of Commons Parliamentary Papers OGEMID Archive and Transnational Dispute ManagementBrill e-journals IBFD (International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation) Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History Carilaw [P.WORD] i-law - Lloyd's Law Reports Oxford reports on international law Caselex Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO) Casetrack Index to Legal Periodicals Oxford University e-Journals Chinalaw Index of Theses PAIS International on Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) Integrum Quicklaw Common Market Law Reports (on CD ROM) Investment Claims Recueil des Cours Constitutions of the Countries of the World Juris Classeur Sabinet Constitutions of Dependencies & Territories Justcite Singapore Legal WorkbenchCurrent Legal Information Justis Social Science Citation Index on Web of Science Dissertation Abstracts Online Kluwer Arbitration > GUIDE Social Science Research Network (SSRN) Early English Books Online (EEBO) Kluwer Competition Law State Trials on Justis Eastview Database of Russian Newspapers Kluwer Law International Journals Tax Analysts 18thC British Official Parliamentary Publications Portal 1688-1834 LawAfrica Trade Unions in Western Europe since 1945 Eighteenth Century Collections Online Lawtel Transnational Dispute Management and OGEMID Archive [P.WORD] Elections in Western Europe since 1815 Legal History, Oxford International Encyclopedia of vLex English Reports 1220-1865 (on CD ROM) Lexis®Lbrary (formerly LexisNexis Butterworths) Westlaw European Sources Online Linex Legal WorldTradeLaw.net Factiva Making of Modern Law (MOML) - Zetoc Firstpoint Manupatra

This is where you can access the legal databases

and this is where you can get help…

Highlights of the BLL website

Our collections http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/law/collections

E-resources http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/law/e-resources

Some services http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/law/services

Research Guides http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/law/guides

Opening hours, etc.. http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/law/about

The Law Bod Blog… http://lawbod.wordpress.com/

Features include our del.icio.us list of great

legal websites

and links to our Twitter

and Facebook

sites

Additional features of the blog…

The Tag Cloud lists databases

which have been written up

or otherwise noted on the

blog

We’re on Facebook too

http://www.facebook.com/lawbod

And Twitter, of course..

Subscribe to the BLL New Book feed on Library Thing!

Starting your research - some basics to keep in mind …

Paper and internet are different; anyone can publish on the net. Remember to check:

Scope Authority Objectivity Accuracy Timeliness

Scope of coverage - the extent to which a source explores a topic. Consider time periods, jurisdiction and coverage of related or narrower topics

Authority - the expertise or recognized official status of a source, the reputation of the author and publisher. When working with legal or government information, consider whether the source is the official provider of the information

Objectivity – be aware of the use of persuasive language, the source's presentation of other viewpoints, it's reason for providing the information and any related advertising.

Accuracy of the editing and publishing policy of the source. Is it peer-reviewed? Does it fact-check before publishing?

Timeliness – what are the publication, creation and revision dates? Beware of Web site scripting that automatically reflects the current day's date on a page

Organise your research material!

Keep your references in order – from the start with a list of sources consulted, so that you can easily prepare a research bibliography

E-tools to help you organise the references include: Endnote (buy from OUCS) RefWorks, free to you, web based Zotero – free Firefox add on (but no good for

Westlaw/Lexis)!Attend the courses run by Sandy, & by OUCS!

And finally…. Always save your work – on a USB key*, on

Google Docs, somewhere you can find it again!

Remember a different way to search is via Google Scholar

“New lawyers, who for the most part have grown up with the explosion of electronic information, often miss relevant information because they lack research skills. BUT if the proficiency of the 35+ generation was greater at the same stage in their career, it is likely to be because the research tools they used were fewer; and mostly, they were tangible.

Information overload did not have the significant and lasting impact it has today.”

*Your Law Bod USB key..

Happy law postgrads last year celebrating successfully navigating the resources of the Law Bod

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