Legal Research

The library has a couple databases that provide the basic background information for topics in law:

These online references can provide an overview of legal topics, important court decisions and terminology. They are a good place to begin your research. 

Books, both print and electronic, can be found by searching our WorldCat Discovery catalog, found on the library's website.

Here are a few tips to get better results:

• Start with keyword searching, then browse and search Subjects within the records for relevant books (found under "View Description")
• Read the Contents and Summary, if available, to decide whether the book is relevant to your need
• Use the filters on the left side to narrower your search to books or another desired format

Locating print books in the library

• Almost all books in the library are located on the lower level
• Make sure you have the entire call number on hand to find the book.
• If there 3 or more letters at the beginning of the call number, those indicate a special area of the library:
  • REF - reference books; these are located on the main floor of the library
  • JUV - juvenile books; these are located in the collapsible shelving in the southeast corner of the lower level
  • OVERSIZE - large-size books; these are locate in the collapsible shelving in the southeast corner of the lower level
  • SCRIPT - play scripts; these are located at the end of the regular - i.e., general - collection
  • SCORE - music scores; these are located in the southwest corner of the lower level

Accessing ebooks

• You can browse and read an ebook on your computer directly from the catalog. If you want to save a book to read later or download a portion you'll need to create an account in the database, which does not have to be your Doane ID and password.
• Depending on the database company you may be able to download or print a portion of an ebook, but most limit you to a small portion of the book.

What if the library doesn't have what you need?

You can use the library's free interlibrary loan service! 

• At the top of the filters select "Libraries Worldwide" and find a book or other material that you'd like to use.
• In the item's record click on "Request Item through Interlibrary Loan." You'll need to login with your Doane ID and password. Fill out the details and submit. See the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery page for more information on this service.