Public Libraries Toolkit - General

TITLE

Black's Law Dictionary, 6th ed. St. Paul, MN, 1990. West Group.

This is the standard in the legal field. Many of the definitions are annotated with citations to cases and states.

COST

$

NOTES

Remember that although this is annotated, your patrons should not take those annotations as the state of the law under a particular definition because the cases/statutes listed may not be from a court/state that governs their situation.

TITLE

Law Dictionary for Nonlawyers. Daniel Oran. 3rd ed. St. Paul, MN., 1991 West Group.

DESCRIPTION

This is a compact, unannotated dictionary geared towards the lay person.

COST

$

OTHER DICTIONARIES ON THE INTERNET

There are a coulple of legal dictionary on the internet, although not Black's Law Dictionary. Try http://www.lectlaw.com/def.htm or http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/wordindex.cfm.

DESCRIPTION

There are two main legal encyclopedias, American Jurisprudence 2d, and Corpus Juris Secundum. Both may be cost and space prohibitive for a public library. Another option may be West Encyclopedia of American Law published by the Gale Group.

COST

$$$$$

INTERNET

There is a law encyclopedia at the Electric Law Library site and also another at the West Group.

RESEACH NOTES

Legal Encyclopedias are by nature a general type of source, and a patron may still need to consult the primary sources (be they federal or state) to make sure that there aren't more specific requirements they may need to meet that aren't contained in the encyclopedia.

DESCRIPTION

Self-help legal books can be a lifesaver to a public library reference librarian. An appropriate self-help legal book will put valuable information in a clear, easy to read format, and give citations to the primary sources of cases, statutes, and regulations.

There is a excellent publisher of self-help legal books that you are probably already familiar with called Nolo Press, http://www.nolo.com. Their books are reasonably priced, and mostly written by attorneys who will point out what parts of a situation a patron can handle on their own, and for which parts they may need to consult an attorney. Topics cover everything from Estate Planning to Dog Law. There is one specifically on legal research. They also have a stolen book replacement policy, due to the popularity of their books.

A good reference to help you select self-help legal books is Law for the Layperson: An Annotated Bibliography of Self-Help Law Books 2nd ed. Jean McKnight, Rothman and Co. 1997. It divides the self help books by topic and state, so you can easily see the available materials for your area.

DESCRIPTION

The best known directory for finding attornies is Martindale Hubbell. It separates attorney listings by state and has a volume on areas of practice. It has a section for corporate listings, and bar organizations.

COST

$$$$

INTERNET

Martindale Hubbell is available on the internet at http://www.martindale.com. Currently, searching is free (click on Lawyer Locator) and you can search by practice area or geographic region, which is very nice.

West's Legal Directory is another directory for attorneys that is available on the internet.

RESEARCH TIP

Patrons often are looking for ratings of attorneys. The Martindale Hubbell has a ranking system where it ranks attorneys according to legal ability and adherance to professional standards. Check in the front of a hard bound volume to see the explanation of the rankings. This ranking is not available through the internet. The Best Lawyers In America ($$) is also an excellent source to refer patrons who are looking for ratings of attorneys. For ordering information send email to Woodward/White Publishing at woodward.white@groupz.net or call (803) 648-0300.

Martindale Hubbell does not list every attorney - so if your patron has a question whether someone is a member of the bar, it would be better to check a local attorney directory or call the local bar association.

DESCRIPTION

There may be a legal research guide available for your state. The title would be something like Guide to Georgia Legal Research and Legal History or The Connecticut Legal Resarch Handbook. A public law library near you could tell you if there is one published for your state.

COST

$

INTERNET

There are a few places on the internet where there are research guides. These are generally written by legal reference librarians, and cover a wide variety of topics. Try those located at the American Association of Law Libraries site; Northern California Association of Law Libraries: http://www.nocall.org/pathfinders.html, or at University of San Diego at www.acusd.edu/lrc/guide.html . As well, NOLO Press (http://www.nolo.com) has some great topical legal guides listed under the heading Legal Encyclopedia.

DESCRIPTION

Sometimes it is helpful to have some hints about the best materials to carry as a public library - which is one of the reasons this toolkit was created. In addition to the sources listed in the Collection Development section of this toolkit, don't forget the helpful book listed earlier called Law for the Layperson: An Annotated Bibliography of Self-Help Law Books (Rothman), listed under the book section of this page.

INTERNET

Whenever you are trying to select materials for your collection, it is helpful to have a handle on the publishers in the area. There is a acquisitions site on the internet that lists internet sites for legal publishers. It is at http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/law/acqs/acqs.html

RESEARCH TIP

Don't forget to utilize the reference desk at your public law library. Call the reference desk and ask them for their recommendations as to what types of materials patrons use the most. They will be able to make state specific recommendations.

Please send comments and suggestions to Lee Warthen