As you may have noticed in my previous posts, I’m making an effort to highlight useful tools contained on the Law Library’s website that our readers may not be aware of. A section of the website that I use frequently is called “How Do I Find…?“
The guides are especially helpful in the beginning of the legal research process since they offer quick techniques and a selection of legal resources and tools for each subject.
If I’m answering a reference question over the phone or through Ask A Librarian, I will frequently refer to one of the guides if I think it will help the patron in their research. For example, the chart provided in “Federal Legislative History: Initial Steps” lists major reference sources for legislative history research and can be helpful in making this complicated subject seems less intimidating. Another example is the case law background provided by the “Researching Judicial Decisions” page that serves as a good introduction to finding cases. Other guides provided include an “Administrative Law Guide,” “Foreign and International Law Guides,” “Guide to Federal Statutes,” and “Guide to Secondary Legal Resources.” Each guide is prepared by a legal specialist from the Law Library of Congress.
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