Legal Requests

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Requests for materials from primary law sources
Requests for materials from secondary sources
Requests for materials from consumer materials
Copyright
Alternative sources for legal materials

Introduction

The Reference and Loan Library will provide legal information to assist individuals to work with an attorney or other legal professional or will provide general information. Self-help legal information may also be available. The materials provided do not substitute for consultation with a qualified legal professional.

The Reference and Loan Library staff do not conduct legal research, which involves finding all primary and secondary sources relevant to a particular issue. The library will provide general self-help materials to individuals doing their own legal work. Persons defending themselves in a court case will be advised to work with an attorney, use a public law library, the Wisconsin State Law Library or other appropriate locations where on-site research may be done.

Attorneys needing legal research should be referred to the Wisconsin State Law Library. If the request is for assistance with information outside the attorney's field of expertise, the Reference and Loan Library will provide materials of a general or technical nature whenever possible, but no guarantee is made that an exhaustive search has been done.

The following types of requests will be handled:

Legal materials from primary law sources

Primary law sources are 1) written constitutions and the enactments of legislatures; 2) rulings and regulations of administrative bodies; and 3) written opinions of the courts. Citations may be for specific court cases, statutes, federal regulations, bills, acts, or sections of the Congressional Record.

When requesting copies of case law, the following information should be provided whenever possible:

Title of case. Example: Davis v Beason

Please be sure the names of the parties are spelled correctly. If the case can't be located by citation, a computer search by name can be done. The search will be successful only if the names are spelled correctly.
Citation. Example: 133 U.S. 333
Alternate citation. Example: 10 S.CT. 299
Date of decision. Example: 1890
Name of the source where you got the citation. Example: Shepard's
Any other information which might help locate the case. Example: The case concerned voting qualifications and the opinion was written by Justice Field.

The complete citation would look like this:

Davis v Beason 133 U.S. 333 (10 S. Ct. 299) 1890

Ver: Shepard's

If you have a complete citation, requests for case law should be submitted on the interlibrary loan form used for monographs or serials. It is most helpful to have the citation formatted as in the example above in the space for the title of the book or journal. If you do not have complete information, the request may be submitted on a subject form.

When requesting copies of state or federal statutes, regulations, or bills, the following information should be provided whenever possible:

Citation. Example: 42 USCA section 2000a-h
Name of the act, description of what is covered by the section wanted--Anything to help identify the information being requested so the searcher can be sure the correct section has been located.

Example: Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Date, if crucial to your research.

If you have a complete citation, this type of request should be submitted on the interlibrary loan form used for monographs or serials. If you do not have complete information, the request may be submitted on a subject form.

Materials from secondary sources

Secondary sources are treatises, periodicals and journals, form books, and citations. Citations from secondary sources which are written expressions of the law are expensive and difficult to obtain through interlibrary loan. Complete citations must be furnished by the patron. For articles in law reviews or other journals, this means including the title of the journal; the volume number and date; pages of the article; title of the article or a clear description of the subject; author of the article; and verification sources for the citation.

Consumer materials

The Reference and Loan Library will provide general information from a non-case law perspective on business law and civil law procedures or legislation. Emphasis will be placed on materials written for the layperson. Some examples of subjects handled are wills and trusts, bankruptcy, copyright, real estate, the incorporation process, and marriage and divorce.

Copyright

All interlibrary loan requests must comply with the Federal Copyright Law or the CONTU Guidelines. Requests exceeding copyright limits should not be sent to the Reference and Loan Library. These materials may be obtained for a fee from the publisher or a copyright clearinghouse.

Librarians who need further information about copyright may want to consult The Copyright Primer for Librarians and Educators, 2d ed., American Library Association, c1995 or a similar work.

The Reference and Loan Library staff reserves the right to limit the number of pages photocopied in cases where copyright issues may be involved or excessive staff time may be required to make copies.

Alternative sources for legal materials

University of Wisconsin Law Library Outlaw Service--Phone: 608-262-3394; 608-262-2856.

Interlibrary loan, photocopying, and reference services (not legal research or advice) are provided to the general public, including residents of Wisconsin's correctional and mental health facilities. Books may be borrowed through established interlibrary loan channels at no charge or borrowed directly for a fee. Photocopies of case law, regulations, or journal articles are provided for a fee also. (Residents of correctional institutions must prepay). Correct citations are necessary. The staff offer no legal advice or interpretation of laws.

Public library patrons may be referred directly to the UW-Law Library for help locating legal information. The address is 975 Bascom Mall, Madison, Wisconsin 53706. The general reference telephone number is 608-262-3394.)
Wisconsin State Law Library--Phone: 800-322-9755; 608-267-9696 (Reference); FAX: 608-267-2319.

This library offers direct legal reference service (not legal research) to all individuals including laypersons, government employees, residents of correctional and mental health facilities, and attorneys. Materials circulate directly to attorneys licensed to practice in Wisconsin and to others via established interlibrary loan channels on a discretionary basis. Fee-based services include document delivery via mail and fax, database searching, microfiche reproductions, and Federal Express shipping.)
Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB)--Phone: 608-267-9696; Toll-Free: 1-800-322-9755.

This bureau offers service to legislators, attorneys and individuals. Because the LRB's primary responsibility is to serve members of the state legislature, limited assistance is offered to others.
Legal Assistance to Institutionalized Persons (L.A.I.P)--Phone: 608-262-1002.

This agency offers no-cost assistance to residents of Wisconsin's correctional and mental health institutions in a number of areas relating to their criminal convictions as well as some civil matters. Institution librarians have information about this program for interested persons.

DISCLAIMER

The following disclaimer may be included with legal materials provided by the Reference and Loan Library:

The Reference and Loan Library does not claim to have the most current or comprehensive collection for responding to requests for legal information. The information provided should not be used as a substitute for legal counsel.

For more information about requesting legal information from the Reference and Loan Library, Wisconsin librarians may call the library toll-free at 1-888-542-5543 (Choose 5 for Reference services). Individual library users should contact their local public library.

For questions about this information, contact Shiela A. Pollock (608) 224-5395

Last updated on 3/31/2009 1:45:29 PM