How do I find items when I have a reference or citation for them?
If you have run across citations to other resources during your research, follow the steps below to locate the material.
BOOKS
- Use Wise Law Library Catalog Search to determine whether we have a copy of that book. Record the call number (or text it to yourself!) and locate the book in the Law Library. If the book is listed as available, you can go pull it off the shelf and check it out yourself or click on the "place a hold" link to pick it up at the Circulation desk. If the book doesn't show up in your search, make sure you are also searching University Libraries. View this tutorial to search both Law and University Library catalogs at the same time.
- If the location of your book is "Pascal" or Norlin Library, you can have the book sent to the law library for you to pick up. Click on the "place a hold" link and select "law library" as your pickup location.
- If you do not find a record for the book in the catalog, check Prospector for the book. If the book is available through Prospector, you may request it.
- If the book is not available through CU or Prospector, locate the book in First Search and submit an ILL request for it by clicking on the icon above “ILL” at the top left of the page. If the book should be checked out and delivered to your faculty member, be sure to note your Professor's name in your request.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
- DO NOT GOOGLE IT*
- Use OneSearch to search for the article. If the title does not appear, run a search for the journal in the catalog. If we have this journal in our collection, you will see a number of links to different databases such as Lexis, Westlaw, HeinOnline, JSTOR, and others giving you a direct link to that journal's collection within those larger databases. Also be sure to check the listed coverage dates to determine whether your article is covered in that range. Then search within the publication for the article title.
- If the journal does not appear in a Law Library catalog search, run a search for the journal as a publication here in University Libraries.
- If neither the Law Library nor the University Libraries have access to the journal, you can Google it to see if it is available in a free resource.
- If it does not appear in Google or in the Universities Libraries' collection, submit an ILL request for it to be delivered to you by locating the article in First Search and submitting an ILL request for it by clicking on the icon above “ILL” at the top left of the page
* If the article was recently published (past 1-5 years) in a student-edited law journal, there is a good chance you can get it in PDF form from the journal's website via Google, or through Google Scholar if you are on campus. However, there are so many exceptions to this that it is still better to go through the Library Catalog first for efficiency's sake.
