Law Research Guide
Reference Materials
Reference materials provide background or factual information on many topics in legal research. Most reference sources reside in the Reference area on the Main Floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library (one flight down from the Entry Floor). Some particularly useful law-related reference sources follow.
Bibliographies
A Comprehensive Bibliography of American Constitutional and Legal History, 1896-1979/
(Ref. KF4541 H34)
A topically arranged bibliography of books and articles dealing with legal history.
A Comprehensive Bibliography of American Constitutional and Legal History. Supplement, 1980-1987
(Ref. KF4541 .H34 1984)
Same as above; adds approximately 4,000 new entires.
Bibliography of Early American Law
(KF1 .C58 1998)
Lists and describes the monographic and trial literature of American law published in this country or abroad, from its beginnings to the end of 1860. It also includes works on foreign, comparative, and international law if published in the United States.
Szladits' Bibliography on Foreign and Comparative Law
(K38.B53)
Classified listing of materials on legal systems outside the United States. or on the comparative study of law, with indexes by geographical area and author.
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Biographical Resources
The American Bench; Judges of the Nation
(Ref. KF8775.A1A5 2002/2003) biennial
The definitive guide to biographical information on judges from all levels of federal and state courts.
Biographical Directory of the Federal Judiciary 1789-2000
(KF8700.A19B48 +2000)
Contains biographical information on every justice and judge appointed under Article III of the United States. Constitution. Also includes references to manuscript collections for all justices and judges whose primary source material has been collected.
Who's Who in American Law
(Ref. KF353.W5 + 2002-03) biennial
Biographical information on judges, lawyers, legal educators and others in the legal community.
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Dictionaries
Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations
(Ref. Desk KF246 .B46 1993)
The most complete dictionary devoted to legal abbreviations and acronyms found in the legal literature.
Black's Law Dictionary
(Ref. Desk KF156 .B53 2004)
The legal profession's leading and most heavily quoted legal dictionary.
Burton's Legal Thesaurus
(Ref. KF 156 B856 1998)
Includes words that are strictly legal, and words that are not strictly legal but which are commonly used by members of the legal profession.
The Oxford Dictionary of American Legal Quotations
(Ref. KF159 .S53 1993)
Arranged by subject and indexed by keyword and author.
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Directories and Catalogs
BNA's Directory of State and Federal Courts, Judges, and Clerks
(Ref. KF8700.A19 B53) biennial
Provides addresses and telephone numbers, as well as Web sites and email addresses when available for federal and state court personnel.
Law and Legal Information Directory
(Ref. KF190.L35) biennial
Information on more than 30,000 institutions, services, and facilities including national and international law-related organizations, bar associations, libraries, legal publishers and legal aid offices.
Law Books and Serials in Print: A Multimedia Sourcebook
(Ref. KF1.L39) annual
A comprehensive guide to more than 56,000 legal publications, including books, serials, microfiche, videocassettes, software and online databases.
The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
(Ref. KF190.M3) annual
Arranged geographically by state, then by city. The first section includes basic information on almost all members of the bar; the second section provides biographical information on law firms and attorneys.
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Encyclopedias
American Jurisprudence, 2d.
(NON-CIRC KF154.A42) updated with annual pocket parts
Subject treatment of legal topics includes extensive footnote references to federal and state case law.
The Philosophy of Law : an Encyclopedia
(Ref. K204 .P49 1999)
Covers virtually all topics under discussion in the recent literature in philosphy of law. Though the primary focus is on issues relevant to North America, coverage includes the international application of core issues, often following their historical development back to ancient sources.
West's Encyclopedia of American Law
(Ref. KF154 .W47 2004)
Excellent legal encyclopedia written for general readers and students.
Indexes
An Index to Legal Periodical Literature
(NON-CIRC K33.I376), 1887-1937.
Covers English language periodicals in the field of law.
Index to Legal Periodicals
(NON-CIRC K33.I38), 1926-1994.
Begins with coverage of 80 English language legal periodicals in 1926 and increases coverage to approximately 600 legal periodicals by 1994.
Index to Legal Periodicals & Books
(NON-CIRC K33.I38), 1994-present.
Approximately 2500 law-related books are now covered with approximately 800 legal periodicals.
Index to Periodical Articles Related to Law
(Ref. K33.I39), 1958-present.
Indexes law-related articles that are not covered by Index to Legal Periodicals.
Massachusetts Practice Material
Massachusetts Practice
(NON-CIRC KFM2438.M3)
A multivolume set of treatises covering a wide range of subjects. Many of the volumes contain related forms.
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