Researching  a topic and want to know what congress has had to say about it? One of the best resources for congressional research is ProQuest Congressional .  Why would you use ProQuest Congressional instead of Westlaw and Lexis? Here are some examples.

Let’s say you are writing your paper on the Indian Court of Offenses and want to cite to the 1926 primary source hearings on that subject…it’s on ProQuest Congressional but not on WL or Lexis.  In fact, ProQuest Congressional has documents that go back to 1789! Maybe you are researching the recent Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 but want some historical perspective on the topic. ProQuest Congressional has hearings and congressional reports that pre-date the passage of the original Violence Against Women Act of 1990.  ProQuest also includes document types not found on WL or Lexis, like maps!  

ProQuest Congressional can be found in the drop-down menu on the Library’s website under Library Databases. 

It’s easy to see what you are searching when you go to the Advanced Search screen:

Questions? Ask a Librarian!

Are you currently enrolled in an externship or working as a legal intern? Need some help researching Arizona laws? The Law Library is offering a workshop on Arizona Legal Research tomorrow, Wednesday, 2/20 from noon-1pm in Classroom 1337. This workshop, part of our Law Practice Series, will introduce you to important resources for Arizona legal practitioners, including many free or low-cost alternatives to the major commercial vendors.

Are you a first year law student looking for some extra practice developing research strategies? Or, are you a 2L or 3L looking for a refresher on legal research principles? The Law Library is offering a workshop, titled Legal Research in a Nutshell, this Thursday, 2/21 from noon-1pm in Classroom 1337. This workshop will include reviewing secondary sources in order to find cases, statutes, and regulations.  You will also practice generating search terms, including conducting advanced terms and connectors searches. 

Can't make it this week? The Law Library will be offering workshops on many different topics throughout the semester. Take a look at our library workshops page to view a list of workshop descriptions and a link to the workshop calendar.

Image of Phoenix City Hall downloaded from Morguefile.com.

Are you enrolled in a seminar course during intersession? Need some help with research strategy and navigating the myriad resources available to you? Don’t feel like traveling to the Law Library?

Well look no further – the PSL Law Library is introducing “Roving” Research Assistance in the student lounge on the 20th floor this week and next. A Librarian outfitted with an iPad, loaded with legal research apps, will be available to answer any questions you may have about conducting research for your topic.

Research assistance in the student lounge will be available from 12-1pm and from 4-5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, 1/8 & 1/9 and again on 1/15 & 1/16. Please feel free to stop by and chat with us!

Speaking of iPads, did you know that the Law Library owns several iPads that you can check out? That’s right! Just visit the Circulation desk during regular hours and we’ll get you all set up!

The Phoenix School of Law Library has put up two new book displays.

One display celebrates Banned Books Week:

The other displays several materials to help with your Advanced Writing Requirement:

The Law Library invites all current students to join us for an Open House on Wednesday, September 12th and Thursday, September 13th anytime from Noon to 7:00 PM!

Visit us to learn about:

• databases other than Westlaw and LexisNexis (HeinOnline! ProQuest eLibrary!)
  
• new iPads available for check-out and other accessories (cell phone chargers, anyone?)
• legal research help desk- what we can do for you!
• how to use your smartphone to learn more about our collection of books and databases

Be sure to get a "lawyerly" picture taken... you know the kind, with law books in the background! Oh, and did we mention all this was for FREE?

Swing by, we'd love to see you!