Legal Resources in the Reference Collection
Special Topics in the Law
Legal Resources in the Circulating Collection
News and General Databases
Legal Resources On the Internet
Law and other Libraries
Legal Resources in the Reference Collection
Where to Start?
Dictionaries, Thesauri and Encyclopedias
Black’s Law Dictionary (1990) - REF 340.03/Bl
The Constitutional Law Dictionary- 2 vol.(1987) - REF 342.73/Ch
A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage (1995) - REF 340.03/Ga
The Guide to American Law: Everyone’s Legal Encyclopedia with annual supplements (1990-95) - REF 348.736/Gu
Burton’s Legal Thesaurus (1998) - REF 349.73/Bu
West’s Encyclopedia of American Law (1998) - REF 348.73/We
Guides to the Law
Legal Research in a Nutshell. 5th edition. (1996) - REF 340.072/Co
Notary Public Handbook (1990) - REF 347.96/Ke
Directories
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory (1997) - REF 340.092/Ma
Massachusetts Legal Directory (1996) - REF 340.025744/Ma
Legal Resource Directory (1992) - REF 344.73/Bo
City of Somerville
Code of Ordinances. - Local History 352.1/S69M - ask at the Reference Desk
Traffic Ordinances (current to 1993)- ask at the Reference Desk
Zoning Ordinances(current to 1991, updated 1997) - ask at the Reference Desk
Massachusetts
Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) - REF 342.9744/Co
Massachusetts General Laws Annotated - REF 345/M414
Massachusetts Legislature Service: Acts of the General Court - REF 345 Mass
Massachusetts Rules of Court--State and Federal - REF 345/M414m
Massachusetts State Building Code - SEE CMR
Municipal Law and Practice. Massachusetts Practice, 18, 18A, 18B state laws governing municipal practices (1993) - REF 342.744/Ra
Proof of Cases in Massachusetts Including the Law of Evidence (1993) - REF 347.93/Mo
Massachusetts Law Finder (1998) - REF 345/M
A Research Guide to the Massachusetts Courts and Their Records (1987) - REF 929.3/Me
Federal
United States Code Service - REF 345/Un
Constitution of the United States of America: analysis and interpretation 1996) - REF 342.73/Co
An Index to the Constitution of the United States with Glossary (1980) - REF 342.7/Mi
The Constitution of the United States in Braille (1989) - REF 342.73/Co
The Founders’ Constitution(1987) - REF 342.73/Fo
Encyclopedia of the American Constitution (1986) - REF 342.73023/En
The Roots of the Bill of Rights (1980) - REF 342.73/Ro
Historical Information
From Brown to Boston: Desegregation in Education (1979) - REF 370.19342/Jo
Historical Dictionary of Censorship in the United States (1985) - REF 344.73/Hu
Pictorial History of the World’s Great Trials: From Socrates to Eichmann (1967) - REF 343/A982p
Statutory History of the United States (1970) Series includes:
Labor Organization - REF 340/K84L
Civil Rights - REF 340/S399c
Income Security - REF 340/S845i
The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution (1976) - REF 342.73/Do
Massachusetts, Colony to Commonwealth Documents on the Formation of Its Constitution, 1775-1780 (1972) - REF 342.7449/Ta
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Special Topics in the Law
Americans with Disabilities Act
Americans with Disabilities Act Handbook (1991) - REF 362.4/An
Annotated regulations of Title I, II and III.
Complying with the ADA: A Small Business Guide (1993) - REF 658.3045/Al
An Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act (1992) - REF 346.73/An
Technical Assistance Manual on the Employment Provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1992) - REF 346.73/Am
Authors and Artists
Art Law in a Nutshell (1993) - REF 344.73/Du
The Rights of Authors, Artists and Other Creative People (1992) - REF 344.73/No
Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers (1995) - REF 346.73/Cr
Business and Legal Forms for Fine Artists(1995) - REF 346.73/Cr
Automobiles
Lemonaid (1993) - REF 343.73071/FA
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy: Step by Step (1996)- REF 346.73/JU
How to File for Bankruptcy (1997) - REF 346.73/El
Business Law
Business Almanac (1997) - REF 650.03/In
Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business (1998) - REF 346.73/ST
Complete Book of Small Business Legal Forms (1997) - REF 346.731/SI
Business Forms on File (1987) - REF 651.29/Bu
Standard Legal Forms & Agreements for Small Business (1990) - REF 651.29/St
Family Law
The Massachusetts Woman’s Divorce Handbook (1994) - REF 346.0166/Ja
Massachusetts Domestic Relations, 2nd edition <(1992) - REF 346.74401/Ro
Massachusetts Family Law Guidebook, 2nd ed. (1992) - REF 346.744401/Gi
Family Mediator Referral Directory (1997) - REF 346.744401/Gi
Kids and the Law (English & Spanish, 1996) - REF 345.73/Pr
Freedom of Information Act
Freedom of Information in Massachusetts (1989) - REF 342.744/Ab
How to Use the Freedom of Information Act (1978) - REF 342.73/Sh
Forms
Complete Legal Kit (1988) - REF 347.73/Co
Personal Forms on File (1994) - REF 651.5/Pe
Housing
Landlording (1994) - REF 333.5068/Ro
Legal Tactics: Self-Defense for Tenants in Massachusetts (1993) - REF 346.73/Le
Massachusetts Condominium Law (1992) - REF 346.0433/Br
Renters’ Rights: A Guide for Massachusetts Tenants (1992) - REF 333.5/Sa
The Tenant’s Helper: A Handbook for Renters (1996) - REF 346.043/Te
Immigration
Federal Immigration Laws and Regulations (1998) - REF 342.73/Fe
Immigration Procedures Handbook (1998) - REF 342.082/Fr
Immigration Questions & Answers (1997) - REF 342.082/Ba
International Law
The Major International Treaties: 1914-1973 (1974) - REF 341.026/Gr
Treaties in Force (1992-1994) - REF 341.026/UN
The Law of War: A Documentary History (1972) - REF 341.6026/F
Labor and Employment
The Hiring and Firing Book: A Complete Legal Guide for Employers (1993) - REF 344.73/Sa
Qualified Retirement and Other Employee Benefit Plans (1999) - REF 344.73/Ca
Massachusetts Right to Know Law Compliance Manual (1984) - REF 348.744/Ma
Labor and Employment in Massachusetts (1998) - REF344.744/Hi
Labor Law in a Nutshell (1986) - REF 344.73/Le
Your Rights on the Job: A Practical Guide to Employment Laws in Massachusetts (1992) - REF 344.744Sc
Patents, Copyright, and Trademark
Patent, Copyright and Trademark (1996) - REF 346.7304/El
How to Protect Your Creative Work (1987) - REF 346.7304/We
Patent it Yourself (1995) - REF 346.73 Pr
Trademark Guide (1998) - REF 346.7304/Wi
Probate
Family Estate Planning Guide with Supplements (1994) - REF 343.73053/Ha
Real Estate
The Law of Real Estate Financing (1994) - REF 346.730437/Ma
Senior Citizens
Elder Law Handbook (1996) - REF 346.7301/St
Legal Handbook for Massachusetts Elders (1992) - REF 344.032/Ma
Supreme Court
The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States (1992) - REF 347.737/Ox
Supreme Court of the United States: Its Beginnings and Its Justices (1992) - REF 347/Su
The Supreme Court Justices, Illustrated Biographies, 1789-1993 (1993) - REF 347.73/Su
Landmark Decisions of the United States Supreme Court (1991) vols. 1,2,4 - REF 347.73/La
The Young Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States (1994) - REF 347.73/Pa
The Supreme Court A to Z (1994) - REF 347.7326/Su
Leading Constitutional Decisions (1977) - REF 345/C986L
Women and Minorities
Equal Justice (1994) - REF 347.73 Ma
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Legal Resources in the Circulating Collection
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Try using the legal topic you are interested in researching as a subject search.
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Try a keyword search on your topic. Keywords will allow you to search both subjects and titles.
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Try a keyword search on Nutshell Series. This series includes over 100 titles that provide an overview of legal topics.
Dewey Decimal Numbers to Browse in the Legal Sections
342- Constitutional law
342.73 - Immigration
343.04 - Tax law
344.01 - Labor law
345 - Criminal law
346.05 - Inheritance
347- Civil Procedure and Courts
348- Laws and regulations
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If you are looking for current background information on people, corporate or government activities, or international developments surrounding a specific case or legal issue, newspaper databases, as well as more general periodical databases, can be very helpful.
The following databases are excellent sources of current events and general information. They are available from the Minuteman Library Network and can be accessed from PCs in the library. Some are also available from your PC at home. Please ask a librarian if you need help accessing or using the database.
Newsbank – library & home access
Includes the Boston Globe (1980 - current), Boston Herald (7/26/1991 - current),
Worcester Telegram and Gazette (1989 - current).
NY Times - library access
Includes NY Times, previous 365 days.
Provides indexing of 2,300 scholarly and general interest periodicals and full text from 1,300 of the academic titles.
Provides indexing of 3,900 general interest periodicals, and full text from 2,958 of the indexed titles. Also included is full text from 15 reference books and the Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service.
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Legal Resources On the Internet
Click on the subject heading for Law to view an index to a variety of Federal and State legal resources - statutes, regulations, legislative bills, and topical resources (eg. family law, divorce law).
Other Useful Law Directories
Findlaw - http://www.findlaw.com
LawGuru - http://www.lawguru.com
Law Online - http://lawonline.ljx.com
You can go to directly to these sites:
Internet Law Library (federal law) - http://law.house.gov
Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Locator - http://www.martindale.com/locator/home.html
Thomas (legislative information) - http://thomas.loc.gov
Westlaw - http://www.westlaw.com
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Law and other Libraries
Copley Square
(617) 536-5400 ext. 226
40 Thorndike St.
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 494-4148
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30
State House, Room 341
Boston, MA 02133
(617) 727-2590
Fax: 617-727-5819
TTY/TDD (617) 727-0917
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00
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