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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
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
