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FINDING WHAT YOU NEED IN THE ONLINE CATALOGUE (QUEST)

UNB's online library catalogue is called QUEST. Approximately 98% of the records of the Law Library's holdings are included in QUEST. A very few records remain to be converted to machine readable form. Use of QUEST is described in a brief brochure and in other relevant informational handouts which are near the public access computer workstations and also at the Circulation Desk. Periodically, QUEST instruction sessions are conducted by Law Library staff for UNB law students and faculty.

If you encounter difficulties using QUEST, please ask a staff member for assistance.

COLLECTIONS:

TEXTS/TREATISES

Location: Second Floor - New Wing

The Law Library's collection of texts is organized by subject. Law-related materials pertaining to Canada and other common law jurisdictions are classified according to the KF Modified classification scheme which is an adaptation of the Library of Congress KF Class (American law). Otherwise, standard Library of Congress classification is followed. Although, generally speaking, materials with the same primary subject focus will be shelved together, other relevant materials may be shelved in a different area because the central focus of that material is different.

Any one item can be assigned several subjects which can be identified by searching QUEST, the library's online catalog, but that item can only have ONE classification number ("call number") and hence only ONE location. So, while browsing shelves in a particular classification number may result in some fortunate discoveries, browsing alone will not necessarily retrieve all of the material that might be useful in a particular subject area. It is always advisable to use QUEST to locate all of the materials on a subject.

RESERVES

Location: Ask at Circulation Desk, First Floor - New Wing

Law Library books and other items are often pulled from the open shelves and put "on Reserve" by faculty so that students can share these heavily-used materials democratically. The Reserve collection is behind the Circulation Desk. Users must provide the call number of the needed item to Circulation staff so that the items can be retrieved quickly. To get the call number, check QUEST either under the last name of the faculty member OR the number of the course OR the name of the course.

LAW REPORTS

Location: Colin B. Mackay Reading Room, Mezzanine, Third Floor - Old Wing, Periodicals Reading Room (Room 123)

Consult STACK INDEX for exact locations.

CANADA

Canadian law reports are located in the Reading Room on both the main floor (general law reports and jurisdictional law reports) and the Mezzanine (topical law reports), except for their unbound advance parts, which are located in the Periodicals Reading Room (Room 123). Much Canadian case law is also available electronically. Please consult the law library's list of electronic resources or ask a librarian for assistance.

For most Canadian jurisdictions, some cases may be available free online via the Web. The public may ask a librarian for assistance in using these.

GREAT BRITAIN

current subscriptions, which are located in the Periodicals Reading Room (Room 123).

OTHER COMMONWEALTH JURISDICTIONS

A collection of older law reports from Commonwealth countries (Australia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland) is shelved on the Third Floor - Old Wing, as well as some law reports from South Africa.

UNB and STU affiliated users have access to JUSTIS, an online Web service for British and European Union cases, treaties, statutes, and commentary. Please ask a librarian for assistance.

For some British and Commonwealth jurisdictions, some cases may be available online without charge via the Web; the public may ask a librarian for assistance in finding these.

UNITED STATES

U.S. law reports are located on the Third Floor - New Wing. However, because the Law Library no longer purchases the print editions of U.S. law reports, law students and faculty should use WESTLAWeCARSWELL or QUICKLAW/LEXISNEXIS for current research.  For some U.S. jurisdictions, some cases may be available online without charge via the Web; the public may ask a librarian for assistance in finding these.

INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN UNION LAW

Some printed case reports from these jurisdictions are located on the Third Floor - Old Wing. Law students and faculty may use WESTLAWeCARSWELL or QUICKLAW/LEXISNEXIS for current research in international law. All UNB and STU students and faculty may use a non-web version of LEXISNEXIS in the Law Library or at the Harriet Irving Library on the UNB-Fredericton campus. This service contains a number of international court and tribunal decisions, as well as decisions from many foreign jurisdictions, such as Mexico, Argentina, the European Union, etc. All UNB and STU students and faculty may access JUSTIS for U.K and European law online. Please consult the Public Services/Reference Librarian for help.

 

STATUTES AND REGULATIONS

Location: Colin B. Mackay Reading Room; Third Floor - New Wing; Third Floor - Old Wing

Consult STACK INDEX for exact locations.

CANADA

Bound annual volumes of the Statutes of Canada and of all of the provinces and territories, and all bound revised statutes from Canadian jurisdictions, are located in the Colin B. Mackay Reading Room. Current bills (first and third reading) of New Brunswick and Canada only are in the Reserve collection and are also online for a number of recent years. The Canada Gazette, Part III, and the Table of Public Statutes and Responsible Ministers are in the Reading Room next to the annual bound volumes of the Statutes of Canada.

Bound regulations, including consolidations, for Canada and the provinces and territories are shelved in the Reading Room. Bound and unbound gazettes containing recent regulations for Canada and the provinces and territories are next to the bound volumes.  For federal regulations, the Consolidated Index to Statutory Instruments is located there also.

For Canadian jurisdictions, the current revised statutes and the current consolidations of regulations are available only in electronic format. Please consult the library's list of electronic statute services or ask a librarian for assistance.

GREAT BRITAIN, COMMONWEALTH, AND OTHER FOREIGN STATUTES

Bound historical statutes and statutory orders and regulations of the U.K. are located on the Third Floor - Old Section of the library. Historical statutes for selected other Commonwealth jurisdictions are also on the Third Floor.

UNB and STU affiliated users have web access to JUSTIS, a service for British and European Union statutes and regulatory materials. In addition, UNB (non-law) and STU students and faculty may consult LEXISNEXIS in the Law Library or at the Harriet Irving Library on the UNB-Fredericton campus. This service contains for more extensive and up-to-date coverage of many foreign statutes.  Please ask a librarian for assistance.

For some Commonwealth jurisdictions, statutes and regulatory materials may be online without charge via the Web; the public may ask a librarian for assistance in using these.

UNITED STATES

For U.S. law, law students and faculty should use WESTLAWeCARSWELL or QUICKLAW/LEXISNEXIS for extensive coverage of the United States Code, the United States federal statutes and the various state codes.  UNB (non-law) and STU faculty and staff may use a non-web version of LEXISNEXIS in the Law Library or at the Harriet Irving Library on the UNB-Fredericton campus to find U.S. federal and state statutes.

For some U.S. jurisdictions, statutes and regulatory materials may be online via the Web; the public may ask a librarian for assistance in using these.

 

PERIODICALS AND JOURNALS

Location: First and Second Floors - New Wing

All law journals, law reviews and periodicals, except for recent unbound issues, are shelved in alphabetical order by title of periodical in the Periodicals area on the First and Second Floors of the New Wing. The alphabetical sequence (A-R) begins following the Reference Section, where the periodical indexes are located, and continues (S-Z) on the Second Floor. All unbound journal issues are shelved in the Periodicals Reading Room (Room 123).

When the title of a periodical changes, all subsequent volumes will be shelved alphabetically under the NEW title. If a journal title has changed, previous or subsequent titles may be determined by searching QUEST under the known title.

 

ONLINE LAW REVIEWS AND JOURNALS

 

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

Location: Third Floor - New Wing, various locations throughout Law Library

Unlike in larger academic libraries, government documents in the Law Library can be found in a number of locations.

Non-serial publications (e.g., Royal Commission reports, Law Reform Commission reports, special studies, research reports) are catalogued and classified in the same manner as texts and treatises and are shelved along with texts on the Second Floor - New Wing.  Check QUEST.

Microfiche reproductions of some older Canadian government publications have been acquired selectively, catalogued individually, and filed in the microfiche cabinets in the Reference Area by "Microlog" number.  Check QUEST.

Microfiche versions of materials from the Canadian Parliament's various committees are filed in the microfiche cabinets also. Ask a librarian for assistance in locating and using these materials.

Serial government documents other than statutes, bills and regulations (see above) are generally located in the Government Documents Section on the Third Floor - New Wing. There are five subsections to this collection:

(i) Federal Official/Parliamentary documents - Canada Gazette, Part I, House of Commons debates, journals, and committee proceedings, Senate materials (same sequence) and proceedings of joint committees of the two houses.

(ii) Federal (non-Parliamentary) documents - annual reports and selected other titles of departments, followed by annual reports of agencies, boards and commissions, and Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics titles.

(iii) Maritime and Atlantic regional government documents.

(iv) Provincial documents - by province, alphabetically. Within each province, materials are arranged as follows: provincial gazette (Part I only), annual departmental reports, and then reports of other agencies, boards or commissions. In the New Brunswick section only are bound volumes of orders-in-council, debates, and journals of the Legislative Assembly.

Guides are posted on the end of each range of stacks indicating which departments or organizations are shelved there and their relative order. Users with questions concerning government documents may ask library staff for assistance.

A growing number of federal and provincial government documents from Canada and from other countries are available in full text on Web sites. Please ask a librarian for assistance.

UNB's main library, the Harriet Irving Library, is a depository library for the documents of the Government of Canada, the United Nations and the European Union.  Additionally, they acquire selected documents from the United States, Britain (Parliamentary documents only) and a number of other, quasi-governmental organizations.  Many documents that students and faculty require which are not held by the Law Library may be available in the Government Documents Section of the Harriet Irving Library; check QUEST or inquire at the service desk in the Government Documents Section.

 

ABRIDGMENTS, DIGESTS, LEGAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS

Location: First Floor - New Wing (Reference Area), Third Floor - Old and New Wings

Current Canadian, British and Commonwealth finding aids such as abridgments, digests and legal encyclopedias are located in the Reference Section, First Floor - New Wing. Superseded digests/abridgments/encyclopedias are located on the Third Floor - Old Wing for retrospective reference purposes.

Some U.S. materials of this type are also in the Reference Area, except for older West Digests, which are on the Third Floor -Old Wing with the U.S. law reports.

 

REFERENCE BOOKS, PERIODICAL INDEXES, LEGAL FORMS

Location: First Floor - New Wing (Reference Area)

Secondary materials such as legal encyclopedias, directories, periodicals indexes, bibliographies and collections of legal precedents and forms are, for the most part, located in the Reference Area.  Reference materials may be removed from the Reference Area for photocopying only and should be re-shelved immediately after use.

 

MICROFORMS

Location: Reference Area, First Floor - New Wing

The library acquires certain kinds of materials on microform (microfilm and microfiche) to increase ease of handling and reduce space requirements. All of the microforms noted below are kept in cabinets in the Reference area.

In addition to the government documents specified and described above (see GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS section above), the Canada Treaty Series, the United Nations Treaty Series (to 1971), and the OAS Treaty Series are held on microfiche. Duplicates of certain Canadian law reports, and some early Canadian federal and provincial statutes and orders-in-council, are also available in microform.

The Law Library also has acquired significant legal treatises of historical interest in microform. These are catalogued and classified by Library of Congress class number, in the same manner as are print materials on the open shelves.

A new microforms reader/printer is located in the Reference Area, First Floor - New Wing, which may be used at no charge for reading microforms. Copies of microform materials can be made on a "per page" basis for 10 cents a page and paid for at the Circulation Desk. There is also another microfiche reader nearby, for reading fiche at no charge.

For assistance in using microforms, please consult Law Library staff.

 

VIDEOTAPES AND DVDS

The Law Library owns a number of videotapes and DVDs relating to law practice and procedure. These are catalogued on QUEST, kept on Reserve (with a few exceptions, see below), and may be requested at the Circulation Desk. Videotapes and DVDs may be borrowed by any user with a STU or UNB ID for a two-day period, except as noted below.

As a convenience to users, an A/V Viewing Room (Rm. 301-A) is on the Third Floor - New Wing of the Law Library. The room is equipped with a VCR and a DVD player. To use the viewing room, users should sign out the key at the Circulation Desk.  There is a 3-hour time limit per visit for using the viewing room. Note:  The viewing room may be reserved by students in person, or by telephoning the Circulation Desk (453-7983), up to 24 hours in advance of when it is to be used.

Videotapes of first-year and some upper-year competitive moots are produced onsite by the UNB Law Moot Court Board.  These tapes are not catalogued in QUEST but are merely shelved by date in the Reserve section (except for several immediate past years of first-year moots, which are shelved in the viewing room). Most moot videotapes may be borrowed for a normal two-day period;  however, the current year first-year moot videos are on Reserve and may be taken from the library only by a mooter who appears in that particular video; other students must view that particular video in the viewing room.

 

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