Top of page

Category: Law Library

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Locating a Compiled Federal Legislative History: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Robert Brammer

This post is coauthored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, senior legal reference specialists. Compiling a federal legislative history may seem daunting, but it does not have to be. We hope, through our last few Beginner’s Guides, that we have made this process easier for researchers.  There is another, possibly less complicated, option for finding …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Frances Giden Berko

Posted by: Margaret Wood

I recently re-read one of my favorite childhood books, Karen by Marie Killilea.  The book recounts the struggles of the author’s daughter who was born with cerebral palsy and her challenges to lead a normal life.  The author also mentions Frances Giden Berko who had cerebral palsy as well and this caught my attention because …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

A Visit to the Peace Palace Library

Posted by: Margaret Wood

The following is a guest post by Andrew Winston, a legal reference librarian with the Public Services Division of the Law Library of Congress.  Andrew has previously posted The Revised Statutes of the United States: Predecessor to the U.S. Code and An Interview with Gail Warren, Virginia State Law Librarian. While on holiday in the …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

How to Locate a United States Congressional Committee Report: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Robert Brammer

This post is coauthored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, senior legal reference specialists. To continue our Beginner’s Guide series on legislative history documents, we next turn to congressional committee reports. The reports created by the committees of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate are important sources for determining legislative intent, …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Tribes within Mexico have been added to the Indigenous Law Portal

Posted by: Robert Brammer

We are excited to announce a new addition to our Indigenous Law Portal – Mexico! Thanks to the hard work of many interns, Jennifer, Tina, Jolande, Robert, and others around the Library, this completes the North American portion of the Indigenous Law Portal. The Indigenous Law Portal, which debuted in July of 2014, combines historical information from the …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

An Interview with Debbie Shrager, Legal Reference Librarian

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

This week’s interview is with Debbie Shrager, a legal reference librarian with the Public Services Division of the Law Library of Congress. Describe your background. I grew up in the Philadelphia area and still love cheesesteaks, hoagies, and “the shore.” I’ve also lived in New York, Chicago, and Edinburgh, Scotland. Northern Virginia has been home for …