INFORMATION
RESOURCES
SERVICES
INSTRUCTION
POLICIES &
GUIDELINES
SITE MAP
DEPARTMENTS


Online Books
BHCC Library Law Resources

Finding what you need

Consider what you need before you begin your search for law related information.

Ask yourself, how you plan to conduct your research, sort through the information you find, select the most appropriate items, and evaluate the credibility of the materials you plan to use in your works cited sheet.

More Questions...

  • What keywords will you use to locate the information you need?
  • How many sources do you need to identify?
  • What types of sources suit your topic best?
  • How will you cite what you find?

Look at a Reference Shelf

Look at the Library of Congress Subject Headings

The BHCC library WWW page: http://www.noblenet.org/bhcc/

Newspaper database: Lexis-Nexis http://www.lexis-nexis.com/universe. Click on the News link to search for newspaper articles from major newspapers in the U.S. and around the world.

Specialized database: Lexis-Nexis http://www.lexis-nexis.com/universe . Click on the Legal Research tab to begin to search for cases or other law-related information.

On the Web, a good place to start your research is The Findlaw website available at: http://www.findlaw.com. Another excellent starting point is the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University.

If you are looking for legal sources or materials that are not available at the BHCC library, you can go to the Middlesex Law Library located on Thorndike Street in Cambridge. It is relatively close to the college, (directions are available on the website) and it is open to the public. It should have any reference materials you may need to use.

Finding Newspapers - paper indexes are located on the Index Table near the Reference section of the library.

Ethnic NewsWatch actually connects you to two fully indexed databases titled

Ethnic NewsWatch
by going to this one address

http://www.softlineweb.com

And Facts on File (ask your professor about off-campus access) is a news digest service among other things. To access the database go to:

http://www.2facts.com/

Finding Magazines – paper indexes like the Guide to Periodical Literature and the Wilson Social Science Index are on the Index table near the Reference section of the library.

For an electronic magazine index with fulltext articles, use the following web sites:

  • EBSCO
  • Info Trac


    • Note: If you are off campus you will be asked to enter the 14-digit library barcode number (located on the back of your ID card) and then your last name. You will then enter the databases.

    Related sites of interest

    You can find the annotated text of the Constitution (the text with analysis of and references to pertinent Supreme Court decisions) at the Government Printing Office website:

    http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/constitution/index.html

    Links maintained by our Library consortium

    http://www.noblenet.org/lawframe.htm

    Tips for legal researching

    http://www.virtualchase.com/legalresearcher/intro.html

    Legal Research Using the Internet from the University of Chicago

    http://www.libchicago.edu/~llou/mpoctalk.html

    The constituional law page at UC is also very good:

    http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/conlaw.html

    Check out another site for legal professionals; good for up-to-the minute legal news

    http://www.law.com

    Florida State University connections to site useful for Criminal Justice students

    http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/cj.html

    This page from the Massachusetts state legislature site allows you to search the text of the Massachusetts General laws

    http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/mgllink.htm

    The Oyez Project from Northwestern University provides abstracts and other materials for leading cases in constitutional law decided by the Supreme Court of the United States, along with a wealth of other material about the highest court in the land.

    http://oyez.nwu.edu

    As part of this project, you can see information about cases currently pending before the supreme court at the On The Docket web page, also from Northwestern University.

    http://www.medill.nwu.edu/docket

    For information on international law and legal issues in countries other than the U.S. go to Hieros Gamos, The Comprehensive Law and Government Portal

    http://www.hg.org

    Legal Journals & Law Reviews

    The Lawyers Weekly is at

    http://www.lawyersweekly.com/

    Evaluating what you find…

    Remember...too much information can be as problematic as too little information. Computers, paper indexes, the Internet, and the World Wide Web are tools for accessing and managing information. Efficient and effective use of these tools is the responsibility of the user (that's you).

    Take a few minutes to work your way through a tutorial that will highten your awareness of what to watch out for when using online resources. Go to…

    http://www.kovacs.com/eval.html

    Citing what you find:

    http://www.law.corn ell.edu/citation/

    Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (1999-2000 ed.)

    HOW TO CITE JOURNAL MATERIAL by Peter W. Martin

    If you feel in need of some practice dealing with these citation formats, go to the library's web-based worksheet entitled The Elements of a Legal Citation.

    Return to the top of this page | FAQ | NOBLE Gateway |
    BHCC Library Home Page |BHCC Home Page | Chelsea Campus Links

    Web Site questions or comments? Send E-mail to bhc@noblenet.org

    Last reviewed January 30, 2003
    Last updated January 31, 2007