Transcript How to Find It …. How to Get It Once it’s Found

Using the Law Library’s
Website to Find
Books and Articles
Stacy Etheredge, JD, MLIS
Reference Librarian
Coleman Karesh Law Library
University of South Carolina
What You Need to Know
 How to find them
 How to get them once they’re found
Sounds simple, but there’s a little
more to it than that ….
How to Find Them
We’ll Focus on Secondary Sources

Books and Treatises

Journal Articles
How Do We Find Books?
The answer is …
… the Law Library’s online catalog
So where is this online catalog? …
… it all starts with the Law
Library’s main webpage …
Using the Law School’s Catalog
 www.law.sc.edu/library
 “Law Library Catalog”
 “Columbia Law Library”
(or “Columbia Campus Libraries”)
The Different Search Methods
 Keyword
 Title
 Author
 Subject
 Advanced Keyword
Keyword Searches
 Great for when you are just starting your
research
 Don’t need to use “and” as a connector;
the search engine will do it for you
 Words will be searched across the entire
catalog record, but, keep in mind that
catalog records are not meant to be a
description of the book
Law Library Catalog
Title Searches
 When you are looking for a specific book
and you know the title
 The most important thing to remember –
It operates as a “string search”,
i.e., what you type in is exactly
what it looks for!!
Law Library Catalog
Author Searches
 When you are looking for a specific
book and you know the author’s name
 When you want to see other books
written by an author
 Names need to be entered in a certain
order (last name, first name); however, the
catalog will usually suggest an alternative
Law Library Catalog
Subject Searches

Best to avoid this unless you’re a
licensed library professional … 
 Except – it’s great when you “go in
through the back door” (i.e., do a
“subject search” after you have search
results from a previous search)
Law Library Catalog
Advanced Keyword Searches
 More options are available
 Can do combinations of options
 The only place where can do “keyword” type
searches within the title, author, and subject
fields (i.e., are not string searches)
 Thus, searching is much more powerful
Law Library Catalog
Important!
Always remember …
the law library catalog does not
include individual articles from
journals and law reviews
All you can do is check to see if the
library has a specific law review
How to Find Them
Secondary Sources:

Books and Treatises

Journal Articles
Important! (in case you forgot)
Always remember …
the law library catalog does not
include individual articles from
journals and law reviews
All you can do is check to see if the
library has a specific law review
How Do We Find Articles?
Need to use databases of articles
p.s. print indexes for articles are also in the Law Library,
(just in case anyone cares … )
Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP)
Current Law Index (CLI)
Databases of Articles on the
Law Library’s Website
 LegalTrac (an indexing service)
 HeinOnline (a fulltext service)
(There are also databases of non-legal articles
on the USC Libraries Website)
Where are These
Databases of Articles?
Once again, all roads lead to
the Law Library’s website …
Finding LegalTrac

www.law.sc.edu/library/
 “Online Resources”
 “Electronic Indexes”
 Choose “Law” as a subject
 “View Sources”
 “LegalTrac”
LegalTrac
Pros
• Search screen is easy to use
• Searching is fast
• Subject classifications available for “back door
subject searches”
Cons
• Usually just citations and sometimes abstracts;
almost no full-text content in LegalTrac itself
(although often links to the articles in other USC
Libraries databases)
• Doesn’t go back very far in coverage (1980)
Finding HeinOnline
 www.law.sc.edu/library
 “Online Resources”
 “Online Research – Limited Access”
 “HeinOnline”
 “Subscribers, Please Click Here to Enter”
 “Law Journal Library”
 “Search”
HeinOnline
Pros
• Over 600 law journals
• Coverage back to their starting dates
• Articles are .pdf files (thus, includes official
pagination, photos, graphics)
Cons
• Searching is a little slow (.pdf files)
• Navigation is not always intuitive
(caveat - it keeps getting better and better)
What You Need to Know
 How to find them
 How to get them once they’re found
How To Get Them
Once They’re Found
There are specific procedures to follow when
 The materials are located in our
Libraries
 The materials are not located in our
Libraries
(Please consult handout)
The End
Remember to ask the Reference Librarians for
help if you need assistance
(You may also contact the reference desk via email at [email protected].)