june 5, 2012 6:00 pm room 101 dean’s fellow workshop pence law library
TRANSCRIPT
Research Strategies & Useful Print Materials
June 5, 20126:00 PMRoom 101Deans Fellow WorkshopPence Law Library
1Amy Taylor, Access Services [email protected] Welcome2Amy Taylor, Access Services [email protected] Access Services3Access ServicesCirculation [email protected] [email protected] Law Library18 weeks for general collection materialMy LeagleNetwork user name/passwordUniversity Library6 weeks for general collection materialProxy borrowing formhttp://www.american.edu/library/services/upload/Proxy-Authorization.pdf My AladinLast name/AU ID or barcode/affiliationCheck your accounts5
My Leagle
MyALADIN
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)Use ILLiad service via Pencehttp://library.wcl.american.edu/ill.cfm Create an accountFind material using WorldCat or enter citations manuallyInclude faculty sponsors name on every requestBorrowing period set by lending library Check your account
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WorldCat
12Using Worldcat for ILL
13Prefilled ILL form
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15Library NoticesVery important to keep your account clear for registration, graduation, transcripts, etc.If you have questions or problems, touch base with us and we can help.
16Ripple WeistlingReference [email protected]
General Library Sources17Summer Reference ServicesAsk a Librarianhttps://library.wcl.american.edu/ask.cfm
Email reference [email protected]
Instant messaging assistanceSummer hours M-F 1:00-5:0018
19Summer Reference ServicesReference desk assistanceM-F 1:00-5:00In personTelephone 202-274-4352
Reference librarian office visitsLibrarian offices, Rms. 109 -115 in Reserve RoomM-F, business hoursAppointments encouraged
20Appointments with a librarianJohn Heywood, Foreign and International Librarian, Rm 115 [email protected] Lewis, Associate Director for Public Services, Rm 114 [email protected] Ryan, Foreign & International Librarian, Rm 112 [email protected] Taylor, Access Services Librarian, Rm 105B [email protected] Weistling, Reference and Electronic Svcs Librarian, Rm 111 [email protected]
21Remote access to Pence/AU Library databasesLog in from anywhere in the world
Pence Law Library databasesUse your my.american.edu login/password to access
AU Library databasesUse your AU ID number to access22
Pence Law Library websitelibrary.wcl.american.eduEncore or Leagle Pence Law Library catalogYour starting point for whats available from the library
Research Tools linkYour guide to all library research resources
Articles indexes and databasesYour starting point to find articles (better than Lexis/Westlaw)
Information Resources linksDatabases and websitesTopicalA-Z
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24Finding books and other library itemsEncore or Leagle Pence Law Library catalog
Your roadmap to whats available from the library, in any format:Physical collection books, periodicals, microform, DVDsDatabases and other electronic resourcesBloomberg BNA Library US Law Week, etc.HeinOnlineArab Law QuarterlyMany moreWebsites
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26Finding periodical articlesLegal articles indexes: Research Tools PageInclude LegalTrac, ILPB, Current Index to Legal Periodicals, Index to Foreign Legal PeriodicalsLarge collections of journals indexedGood place to do topical article searchingSome articles are available in full text; others are citations If full text isnt available, then HeinOnline or LexisNexis/Westlaw
LexisNexis, Westlaw, HeinOnlineGreat for finding articles with known citationsNot so good for topical article searchingSmaller collections of journals indexed27
28Finding databases and websitesWe have a large collection of legal databases and websites on a variety of topicsAccess them fromInformation resources by topic link (library.wcl.american.edu/resources/topics.cfm)
Information resources, A-Z link (library.wcl.american.edu/resources/resources.cfm)
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31Databases You Need to Know AboutProQuest Congressional - the definitive source for legislative history researchBloomberg BNA Library a large collection of databases on a range of legal topics Bloomberg Law Legal, business, and news database; a good source for docket information(for access, go to bloomberglaw.com/activate and sign up using your WCL email) U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs, 1832-1978 - an excellent source for historical Supreme Court researchSocial Science Research Network - articles and working papers from law and other social science disciplines
32Non-Legal Resources - AU Main Library
Non-Legal ResourcesAU main library has an extensive collections of non-legal databases in arts, business, international studies, social science, etc.You have access to all main library resources (see slide on remote access, above)Search Databases or Find Journals Find Journals (by title) when you have a citationSearch Databases when youre doing topical researchDatabases are organized alphabetically and by discipline
34Find Journals
Select the appropriate journal
Search Databases
John HeywoodForeign and International Law [email protected] & Foreign Law Sources38DefinitionsMunicipal Law A nation-states domestic lawForeign Law A foreign nation-states domestic lawComparative Law The study and comparison of the domestic law of 2 or more nation-statesInternational Law The law governing the inter-relations of nation-states
39Foreign & Comparative LawThis is not as easy as you think it will beEach of the 192 or so nation-states in the world has a distinct and complex legal system that, just like ours, requires years of study to masterMost countries neither legislate nor adjudicate in EnglishThe first place to start is the Foreign Law Guide, available on our A to Z list40
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47International Law3 sources of international law:TreatiesCustomGeneral Principles of LawThe last 2 would take us until sometime tomorrow to discuss how to find.come see Bill or meTreaty finding can also be daunting, but we have a few tips that will help you 75% of the timeFor the remaining 25%, come see Bill or me48General International Law InfoThe Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, from our A to Z listJanis & the nutshell are both excellentResearch Guides from the American Society of International Law, NYU, LLRX, etc.My own online IL list is useful (it links through the WCL proxy server):
http://internationalcourts.net/presentations/InternationalLegalResearchOnline.php
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53Finding TreatiesUS TreatiesIf the US is a party, it is US domestic law, and fairly easy to findHeinOnline has a Treaties & Agreements Library with almost everything you needThe most current US treaties & agreements are on either the State Department or Trade Reps websitesTreaties not yet consented to are on ThomasLexis/Nexis & Westlaw are useful, especially if you want to see how US courts have interpreted a treaty54
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58Non-US TreatiesMay be much more difficult to findA UNTS or LNTS cite makes life easierA treaty between 2 foreign countries, especially if neither have English as an official language, and also especially if they are developing nations, can be a real challengeCome find Bill or me
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67John HeywoodForeign and International Law [email protected] & EndNote68Reference Management Software
Tools to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sourcesThere are many competing productsWe will talk about the two most popular:Zotero & EndNote
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Free open-source software (both free as in beer and free as in speech)Developed by scholars for scholarsOrganizes all of your sources: bibliographic info, notes, pdfs, websites, etc.70
One-click source collectingAutomatically senses what type of source you are storingGrabs database search results from library catalogs, LegalTrac, amazon, Google Scholar, etc.Will not import from Lexis/Nexis or Westlaw
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Lets you tag your sources and notesIntegrates with Word, LibreOffice, & GoogleDocs so you can insert sources into footnotes in whatever style you choose1500+ different styles, including the Bluebook, Chicago, & Oxford72
Syncs with zotero.org so your info is available on the web or on multiple machinesWork with your data on any web browser anywherejust login to your free zotero.org account (300 Mb free, $20/year for 2 Gb)73
You can share your researchEasy backup of all your workEasy to generate a bibliographyMobile apps for iOS & Android which you can use while offline or on74
2 versions:One that lives inside Firefox as an extensionOne that is standalone with plugins for Firefox, Safari, & Chrome (IE works as well, but it is very clunky)Both versions work with Windows, Mac, & Linux75
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Get it at:
zotero.org90Proprietary software owned by Thomson Reuters, the folks who own WestLawWill not import from Lexis/Nexis or WestlawWorks well with most other databases
91Very similar in function to ZoteroA standalone app with plugins for Word and IEHas a web app called EndNote Web which allows collaborationWorks in Windows or Mac
92Has 5000+ styles, including the Bluebook, Chicago, & OxfordHas a mobile web app, but you must be connected to the web while using itNo user-defined tags
93Retails for $299.95, but you can download it from AU for free while you are a studentGo to:myau.american.com
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97Which to choose?
They are both very usefulZotero is always free, and your data is in an open formatEndNote is free while you are a student, and your data is in a proprietary formatMost folks I know despise Endnote, but your mileage may vary
98Amy TaylorAccess Services Librarian, Pence Law LibraryResearch Strategies &Useful Print Materials99Beginning Your Research100Get organized!Create a research log, whether in paper, on a spreadsheet or in a word-processing document. You will need to keep track of the sources you consult and use for your paper in order to provide complete citations and full bibliographic information of every source you cite or use generally. Be thorough!
101Source GatheringIf you need a source that is not available at the Pence Law Library, you can obtain it through interlibrary loan. Be sure to leave enough time to obtain your source through ILL it may take as long as 2 weeks to get your material. Additional information on interlibrary loan is posted at http://library.wcl.american.edu/ill.cfm
102Your Research StrategyDepends on what you knowThe less you know the more you need secondary sourcesLegal pubs are either chronological, by subject or bothALWAYS update your research (Keycite/Shepardize) and generally pay attention to the dates of what you are using103Evaluate websitesRely on authoritative and unbiased sites Know your search engines and how they workNEVER use (or admit to using ) WikipediaKeep a record of the sites you visit and preserve their URLsUse Google Scholar an amazing resource but its complicated Use more than one search engineNEVER rely exclusively on the Internet (or Lexis and Westlaw)104MoreLegal research sources derived from the print - human ordering (key numbers, indexes, citators). Your skills are derived from the online world you need to bridge that divide to do the BEST researchLet someone else do the initial and basic work for you (and I dont mean the office paralegal!)105Update Your Research!Always be sure to use the most current information available. Use Shepards and Keycite to insure that the cases you use are still good law, and consult the most recent version of applicable statutes and regulations to determine if they are still in force and have not been amended.
106Keeping your Research UpdatedLexisNexis Shepards UpdatesGoogle Alerts
Westlaw Alerts
107Concluding your Research108Ask yourself the following: Did you answer the question you originally started with? Have you checked and updated all the sources you used and cited? Are you seeing the same sources every time you attempt to do further research. If you do you are probably finished, especially if your deadline is approaching.109More questions? or Still looking for a source? Consult an expert reference librarian. Come to the Reference Desk in the library or email us at [email protected] If it takes you longer than 10 minutes to find something you are better off asking the experts your librarians!
110Please do not forget to fill out your evaluation formsThank You,Pence Law Library111