3. Finding legislation

This chapter explains how to find domestic legislation, that is, statutes, statutory instruments, and EU legislation both online and in a law library. The chapter also explains how to determine whether there is any statute law on a particular topic and how to work out whether a piece of legislation is in force. The chapter closes by explaining how to find the official current text of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Changing the Bodleian Law Library: From the Ground to the Roof

This article written by Helen Garner, the Bodleian Law Librarian, reviews three different building projects that have taken place at the Bodleian Law Library (BLL) between 2010 and 2020. The three projects were all undertaken independently of each other and have transformed the BLL. This article discusses each project and explains the work that was completed. This is followed by a summary of the impact of the projects and the lessons learnt.

Celebrating a Century of Women in the Law: Using Historical Exhibitions to Enhance User Engagement and Promote a Library Service

In 2019 the Bar of Ireland Law Library launched an online exhibition detailing the first one hundred years of women in the law in Ireland and the first one hundred women called to the Irish Bar. The online exhibition coincided with the centenary celebrations of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 and a physical exhibition curated in collaboration with the Honorable Society of Kings Inns and the Law Society of Ireland. This article by Vanessa Curley and Sarah Foley explores the background to how Law Library staff became involved in creating historical exhibitions, the development of a digital archive of The Bar of Ireland and curating online exhibitions to complement this. It will also discuss the benefits of such activities to the Law Library service and the wider Bar of Ireland.

Academic Library Supporting Research

The purpose of this chapter is to examine how the provision of research support services by the Law Library at Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) in Brazil contributes to achieve the university research goals. The chapter develops a case study taking a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive approach. The UFPR Law Library provides research support services such as classes on research support, bibliographic research support, orientation on research tools. Those research support services are not part of a formal and strategic program. It is recognized that the existence of a data repository, the UFPR Scientific Database, is an opportunity to provide scientific research data management support services at UFPR libraries. The chapter concludes that the existing research support services have an impact on research at UFPR Law School. However, there is an opportunity to create other services that will meet the user's expectations, considering the new research trends at the university.

The Mysterious Affair at Squire: Using Code-Breaking Games to Deliver Law Library Skills

The Squire Law Library has designed and run a series of popular escape room-style events, aimed at masters and undergraduate law students. Intended to prompt students to explore the full range of legal resources available to them, the games typically challenge participants to open a locked safe: relying on legal databases, the library catalogue and print materials to decipher a six-digit combination. This article, based on Lizz Edwards-Waller's presentation at the BIALL (virtual) conference 2020, reflects on the practicalities of running and promoting code-breaking events within the library and considers the benefits of this style of event in addition to, or instead of, more traditional law library orientation tours.