Resource of the Day: Locating the Law (5th Edition, Rev.)

The Southern California Association of American Law Libraries (SCALL) has released the revised fifth edition of Locating the Law: A Handbook for Non-Law Librarians.  initially published in 1986, this nifty handbook is an excellent resource for non-lawyers, providing basic information about California and federal legal materials along with a straightforward overview of what they are, how they are organized, and how to utilize them in the legal research process.

Thanks to SCALL’s Public Access to Legal Information (PALI) Committee, the revised edition now boasts updated links and improved navigational features as well as a new title for Chapter 10 (i.e. Bibliography of Self-Help Resources).  The original section of List of Common Abbreviations in the Law from the end of Chapter 2 has expanded substantially, morphing into a completely new Appendix B dubbed How to Read a Legal Citation.  And an extra round of snaps goes to the authors for including a superb chapter designed to help guide law librarians when working with pro se patrons (Chapter 9: Assisting Self-Represented Litigants).  Well written and concise, this pithy piece should be required reading for all law librarians.

Only available online, the full text can be freely downloaded via the SCALL website.  Individuals and libraries are encouraged to download or print as many copies as necessary in accordance with the work’s Creative Commons license.  (Adobe Acrobat required)