Sandbox:Library:Law About

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the web page of the University of British Columbia Law Library! This site provides a general introduction to the Law Library, its policies and services. For further assistance, please contact members of the Law Library staff.

The Law Library is part of the UBC Library System, and is located on three floors in the Faculty of Law complex. It supports the study, reference, and research needs of the students and faculty of the Faculty of Law, and other members of the University community. As well, any person may use library resources for study and research in the Library.

The Library is committed to providing a learning environment that meets the intellectual and physical needs of users who are frequently in the library for extended periods of time. You may drink from spill proof containers but you may not eat in the Law Library. Please help us to preserve the library and collections for future generations of scholars.

THE COLLECTION

The Law Library has a research collection of approximately 225,000 volumes. Primary and secondary legal materials are acquired from the major common law jurisdictions of the world: Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, as well as materials from other selected jurisdictions such as the European Community and the Pacific Rim. While the emphasis is on English language materials from common law jurisdictions, civil law materials from Quebec, in both English and French are collected, as well as comparative and international law materials.

Several factors determine the emphasis in areas of collection development: curriculum; research interests of the Faculty and its associated institutes; and current trends in society. Present areas of research support include Aboriginal Law, Asian Law, Criminal Law, Dispute Resolution, Environmental Law, Legal History, and Women and the Law. A specialized Asian law collection comprises resources in English and in the vernacular. The current focus is on materials pertaining to the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Traditional research materials are supplemented by electronic databases. Students and faculty members have access to the internet, e-mail, and various legal databases. In addition, the Library provides access to many electronic legal indexes as well as law-related databases.

For materials that are not available at UBC, the Law Library relies on its network of Canadian academic law libraries for photocopies and the loan of materials, and on the UBC Library’s interlibrary loan service.

ACCESSING THE COLLECTION

Online Catalogue

The Library catalogue contains information on almost all of the materials housed in the Law Library. To find journal articles, special periodical indexes must be used. The majority of the Library workstations require users to log in using their library card barcode and PIN. Our location code under the heading "Holdings" is Law Library. Suffixes added to this code indicate specific locations in the Law Library.

Abbreviations

Many law reports and statutes can be searched by their abbreviations (i.e., their cited forms) in the Online Catalogue. For those not in the catalogue, try using one of the reference books on the "citation stand" on the main floor adjacent to the reference desk.

Serial List

For convenience, there are lists of serials (journals, law reports, statutes) at various locations throughout the Library. While not comprehensive, a person should be able to find the location and call number for most titles without having to use the Online Catalogue.

USE OF THE COLLECTION

Borrowing Privileges

You must have a valid UBCcard to borrow any book. Only students and faculty can sign out course reserve materials.

Loan periods & Fines for Overdue Books

Loan periods vary, depending on the type of material and category of borrower. Generally, the loan period for books is 2 weeks and journals circulate for 2 days. Most reserve materials circulate for 2 hours and may be borrowed for overnight use 2 hours before closing. They are due 1 hour after opening the following day. The Library system imposes fines automatically from the first day a book is overdue (from the first hour that a Reserve book is overdue). For further information, refer to UBC Library Loan Regulations.

Competitive Moots

Students in competitive moots may be assigned carrel or table space at the time that their moot problem is distributed. Please see the Law Librarian in Room 109C for further information.

Non Circulating Materials

Primary legal materials (law reports, statutes, regulations, legislative materials) generally do not circulate because it is important that they always be available for study and research. All users are requested to reshelve these books. Materials shelved in the Reference collection and in the Special Collections cabinets do not circulate and it may be necessary, on occasion, to restrict other materials.

Reserve Room

Course readings and high-demand materials are shelved in the Reserve Room. Materials that a professor has put "on reserve" may be found in the Online Catalogue by doing a "Course Reserve search". Other types of material in the Reserve Room include current issues of law journals, old exams, statutes and regulations for British Columbia, and recent texts on subjects taught at this law school.

FACILITIES

Computer Lab

See the section on the Faculty of Law computer lab below.

Internet Access for Laptops

The Law Library has an ethernet network, as well as wireless connectivity. Laptop computers with an ethernet card, a MAC address, and a 10Base-T connector can connect to the Internet at one of the 43 access ports throughout the Library. For further information, refer to Internet Access Ports. For wireless access, refer to UBC Wireless.

Lockers

Lockers are available for day use at the entrance to the Library; they are cleared nightly. For a deposit of $5.00, or your valid B.C. driver's license, the Circulation staff will provide you with a key to a locker.

Lost and Found

Personal possessions found in the Law Library are turned in at the Circulation Desk.

Photocopiers

There are four photocopiers in the library: three on the main floor near the Reference area and one in the Reserve Room. A copy card dispenser is adjacent to the Circulation Desk on the main floor. Black and white copies are 7 cents per exposure and colour copies are 40 cents per exposure, using a Library copy card.

Use of Law Library Facilities

Unassigned carrels and tables may be used by all Library users. Assigned carrels are available to graduate students and members of competitive moot teams. Books on a carrel loan are subject to recall by the Library.

All personal belongings must be removed from carrels and tables by closing time each day. The Library assumes no responsibility for notes or other personal belongings, and all personal property is left unattended at the user's risk.

Thefts do occur in the Library. Please keep your valuables with you.

SERVICES

Disabled Library Users

The Law Library staff will try to accommodate the special needs of its users. For further information, refer to the Access Guide .

E-Mail & Internet Access

All UBC Students are eligible for a free Netinfo account which gives you unlimited access to the Internet if you use an on-campus computer terminal that is connected to a network, and 20 free hours of dial-in internet access every thirty days. For further information, refer to UBC email.

Interlibrary Loans

Students, staff and faculty
Fee-for-service clients

Print/Download Station

There is one printer near the main bank of online catalogue workstations on the main floor which is used to print from the Library workstations. Black and white copies are 7 cents per exposure and colour copies are 40 cents per exposure, using a Library copy card. There is a handout on How to Print, and you may ask a reference staff member if you encounter any problems.

Reference Services

Reference hours, staff and services

FACULTY OF LAW COMPUTER LAB

The computer lab on the bottom floor is solely for the use of Allard School of Law students. At certain times the room will be used exclusively for instructional purposes. A schedule is posted on the door of the computer lab.

Getting Started

To find your username, login using checkid (i.e. check ID) as the username with no password. When the CheckID program comes up, enter your last name and student number into the boxes and click on the "Lookup" button. Your initial password will be your student number. Then click on the "Logout" button to log out of the computer. If you do not input anything to the CheckID program, it will logout from the computer after 30 seconds.

Logging On

Enter your username and password on the Netware login screen and click the "OK" button or press the ENTER key.

Logging Off

When you are finished your work, close your programs and log off. This is to prevent other people from coming along and looking at your personal H: drive. You can log off by clicking on the Windows Logout icon on the desktop. The desktop should be cleared of all its icons and the login screen should come up.

Printing in the Lab

There is one Print Job Release Station in the lab. Print cards can be purchased and/or updated from the cash card dispenser at the front of the lab. Library photocopy cards will not work.

If you need to print, send your document to the printer from any of the lab computers by clicking the print command. Insert a copy card into the card reader at the Print Job Release Station and follow the instructions on the screen.