Perspectives on Inquiry: MTU Library Resources

The Nexus of Law & Technology

UN1001, Section R53 Michael Bennett

Dave Lepse, Librarian (JRVP Library, Room 202, dlepse@mtu.edu 487-1443)

 

 

Guide to the Library -http://www.lib.mtu.edu/about/MTU_Library_Guide.pdf

Answers your questions about the basics of using the MTU Library.

 

For Assistance

For individual assistance or instruction from a librarian, visit or phone the Reference/Information Desk (487-2507), e-mail reflib@mtu.edu, or use the Ask a Librarian button on the Librarys web page.

 

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) access to items from other libraries.

Request items using an ILL form available at the Circulation Desk, or online by selecting Interlibrary Loanon the Librarys web page. Some index databases also allow ILL requests through their sites.

 

Locating Books & Periodicals

Books are located on the Third Floor in the Main Collection, shelved by Library of Congress call number.

Periodicals are shelved by Library of Congress call number in these locations:

CURRENT JOURNALS (1^st Floor): Recent issues kept here until bound or reissued in microfilm/fiche.

SERIALS COLLECTION (Garden Level): Bound periodicals.

MICROFORMS AREA (2nd Floor ): Microfilm & Microfiche cabinets located on west side of 2nd floor.

E-Journals: The Library subscribes to an increasing number of journals which provide electronic versions of their publications online. Access them through the Librarys web page.

 

Reference Collection - 2^nd Floor

The Reference Collection is a good place to collect background information on an issue or start your research. The collection is arranged by subject, using the Library of Congress Classification System (LCCS) call numbers. An outline of the system is available at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html.

 

Suggested reference materials

Congress and the Nation E813.C7 Ref

CQ Researcher and H35.E2 Ref

Congressional Quarterly Almanac JK1.C74 Ref

Shepards Acts and Cases by Popular Names KF90.S538 Ref

United States Supreme Court Index to Opinions, 1789-1980 KF101.6.B57 Ref

Blacks Law Dictionary KF156.B53 Ref

Guide to American Law KF156.B77 Ref

Historic US Court Cases KF385.A4J64 Ref

Librarians Guide to Intellectual Property in the Digital Age Z688.P36W33 2002 REF DESK

 

JRVP Online Catalog

Contains records of materials owned by the MTU Library.

Two search interfaces, Basic and Keyword allow the user to search for items by author, title, subject, call number, ISBN/ISSN, or keyword(s.) Catalog records include bibliographic and location information for items retrieved in your search. Use the Location, Status, Call Number information to find an item in the Library collections.

 

 

Journal, magazine, and newspaper article databases

 

Database Keyword Search Tips - http://www.lib.mtu.edu/reference/tutorials/databasekeyword.aspx

 

To find citations to recent articles from journals, conference proceedings, and other publications, go to the Librarys web page and select E-Resources & E-Alerts. The resulting screen offers four search options for finding databases or electronic journals: (1) Keyword search of database titles and/or descriptions, (2) E-Resources A-Z to browse an alphabetical list by title (3) Search by Subject Headings, (4) Search by Provider.

 

Here are some recommended databases:

 

Expanded Academic ASAP

Access to arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images.

 

Google Scholar

Web search engine designed specifically to locate scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports across broad areas of research.

 

Index to legal Periodicals and Books

Indexes legal journals, yearbooks, law reviews, and bar association publications, etc., originating in several English speaking countries of the world. Includes book reviews.

 

JSTOR

Contains scanned images of over 200 scholarly journals in a variety of academic disciplines covering African, African-American, Anthropology, Archaeology, Asian Studies, Classics, Ecology, Economics, Education, Finance, History, Latin American, Literature, Mathematics, Middle Eastern, Philosophy, Political Science, Population Studies, Slavic studies, Sociology, and Statistics.

 

LegalTrac

Indexes articles in all major law reviews, law journals, specialty law and bar association journals and legal newspapers. Included are articles on Federal and State Cases, Laws and Regulations, Legal Practice, and Taxation. Also included are: British Commonwealth, European Union and International Law.

 

LexisNexis Academic

Provides full-text documents from over 5,600 news, business, legal, medical, and reference publications with a variety of flexible search options. Good source of legal news and law reviews. Includes US Code, CFR (Code of Federal regulations), US case law, and Shepards Citations of US Supreme Court Cases. Also includes state codes and case law, including Michigans.

 

Lexis-Nexis Congressional

Includes legislative histories, testimony, bill tracking, Public Laws, US Code, Federal register, CFR (Code of Federal regulations)

 

Social Sciences Abstracts

Covers periodicals in anthropology, economics, geography, law and criminology, political science, social work, sociology, and international relations.

 

Windows Live Academic

Web search engine designed specifically to locate scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports across broad areas of research.

 

 

Selected public web sites

Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard Law School

Center for Intellectual Property, University of Maryland: current issues and resources

Copyright and Fair Use / compiled by Stanford University Libraries

Cornell University Law School information resources

Firstgov.gov is the search engine for electronic government documents published on the internet.

Lawrence Lessigs blog

Lawrence Lessigs Free Culture: a free online copy of his book

US Copyright Office: Copyright basics, FAQ's, publications, register form & searching

US Patent & Trademark Office

 

Evaluating Information Sources - Consult these sites provided by other institutions:

Identifying Research Articles: http://gateway.library.uiuc.edu/lsx/tutorial/section3.html

Identifying Refereed Journals: http://gateway.library.uiuc.edu/lsx/tutorial/section3_1.html

Evaluating Web Sites: http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/webeval.html

 

Citation style guides: summary of citation and style guides that are either available on the internet or in the library.