Most of our textbooks are in the 'Books' area of the Law Library. However, books with a shelfmark beginning 341 can be found in the International Law room, and 348 in the European Law room (both in the Silent Study area).

The majority of our books have LAW as a prefix to the shelfmark, and will have an orange 'Law Library' stick on the front.

The Law Library uses an alternative classification system which is very similar to the Dewey Scheme, called the Moys Classification System. Moys is designed for legal materials and was created by Betty Moys in 1968.

Although most of our books are within the 340s, there are some from 000-340 and 340-999.

We also have separate 'Law in Literature' (LAW LIT prefix) and 'Be Well@NCL' (Be Well prefix) collections.

We have guiding within the shelves and on the bays to help you find what you are looking for - there is logic to the layout of our books, but it takes a little getting used to!

A lot of our stock is available electronically, although there seems to still be a preference for printed materials with Law students and academics.

Electronic books for Law can be found via Library Search from providers such as OUP Law Trove and Westlaw.

We have subject-based rooms to assist with some of the core modules of a law degree (and to also assist with our shelf space!).

• Books with the shelfmark of 341 can be found in the International Law Room.
• Books with the shelfmark of 348 can be found in the European Law Room.

So our books, journals and law reports with a 341 or a 348 shelfmark are shelved in these rooms, or available online.

Both of these rooms are within our Silent Study area.

Image of the European Law room (348)

In the Law Library, we have a vast collection of journals and they are shelved in 4 areas, alphabetically:

• A-H (including Criminal Law Quarterly)
• H-M (including Harvard Law Review)
• M-Y (including Modern Law Review)
• Current Journals (these are the current year's, or volume's, issues)

In our Current Journals room, you will find journal issues, or parts, from this year or volume. At the end of this year, or volume, we will bundle them together and place them in our Bound Journals rooms.

The most recent issue will be placed on the front of our Current Journal shelves. Underneath (just lift up the shelf) you will find previous issues. However, if you want an journal from last year, you will need to find it on our Bound Journals shelves.

We also have some ephemeral journals in this room, as well as some professional directories and law student guides.

More legal titles are available electronically via Library Search and BrowZine.

Image of Current Journals room.

We have a selection of Government Publications (Gov Pubs) in the Law Library. Most notably are: 

• Public General Acts and General Synod Measures (found in the Reference Room).
• Local and Personal Acts (found in the Postgraduate Room).
• Statutory Instruments (found in the S.I. corridor in the Silent Study Area). We have bound copies of these until 2005. S.I. are also available online.
• Law Commission Reports until 2014, and available online (found in the S.I. corridor in the Silent Study Area).

The Law Library's Short Loans are shelved in the Reference Room. They can be borrowed for up to 2 days.

They are shelved in standard shelfmark order. 

We also have a selection of Short Loan Articles. These are organised by author's surname and can be found in the top drawer of the filing cabinet in the Law Library Office.

These articles can be issued and photocopied (unless marked otherwise). However, they must remain in the library.

Occasionally, Law Staff provide us with their own copies for student use. These are not on Alma and are to be issued manually.

They can be found on the shelves next to STC, labelled 'Personal Copies'. They can be loaned out for 2 hours.

Just fill out the A4 slip in the front of the book with the student's details, date stamp/time the slip in the front of the book,  and tell the student when it needs to be back. 

The dark arts of Law Library work has looseleafing as its beating heart!

Looseleafing is a bundle of loose pages that need to be inserted into a binder, while some older pages will need to be removed. Each bundle comes with a set of filing instructions to follow - they can be detailed and long, but meditative!

We only have a few titles these days and they can be found either in the Reference Room, British Law Reports or in the Law Reports corridor. Some titles will need to be updated within 5 working days:

• Current Law Statutes Annotated
• Times Law Reports
• Harvey on Industrial Relations

The other titles should be filed within 20 working days.

Our Law in Literature Collection can be found in the Reference Room.

It is a collection of novels, short stories, graphic novels, poetry, films, plays that all relate to Law.

The collection was built in collaboration with Law School staff and students to help encourage reading for pleasure, broaden literary awareness, and highlight interdisciplinary study. You will find a diverse range of voices and stories within this collection, and a range of themes from human rights to A.I., crime to legal ethics, and more...

We promote Box of Broadcasts (BoB) and curate playlists on various themes. We also have a small collection of DVDs.

We have a small selection of DVDs in the Law in Literature collection, but check out our online playlists on Box of Broadcasts.

We have playlists that focus on Black History Month, International Women's Day, Pride, Sci-Fi and law, and even one for Christmas! More playlists will be added and we welcome any suggestions!

Search for our public playlists on Box of Broadcasts: Law in Literature Newcastle University or click on the poster below.

Our Be Well @NCL books have 'Be Well' as the prefix, not LAW, and are classified using the Dewey Decimal System. You can tell they are the Law Library’s collection by the orange ‘Law Library’ sticker on the front cover and written on the sticker inside.

These books are shelved in the ‘Books 346-999’ area of the Law Library, in the bay window (stand-alone unit).  

We tend to have one copy of each title within our collection.

We have been donated a chess/draughts/back gammon set, which is now part of our Be Well collection. This set is advertised on the Be Well shelves, but is kept in the Law Library Office. Readers are welcome to borrow it from the Help desk for the day.

We also have laptops and headphones to loan.

We ask that these be returned before the library closes.

Headphones can be found under the Help Desk, laptops are in the safe in our 'Consultation Space' and cables under the Help Desk.

The first week of term is incredibly busy with new Law student tours (UG and PG). We aim to give every new student a tour of the Library, our resources and the wider Library service.

Induction tours used to be delivered by Law Library Staff, but 2022/23 saw Stage 2/3 Law students give the tours. They were employed by the Law School, but the introduction (including handing out the Law Library Skills Task) was still given by Law Library Staff.

We still offer the self-guided tour of the Law Library to all. Students and staff are also currently able to sign up for a group tour of the Law Library throughout the year.

Students are shown the Library and our resources, told how to use Library Search and how to find a book on the shelves, given a basic overview of what a Law Report is and the services we offer. This usually takes about 20/30 minutes.

Academic Staff tours include more in-depth conversations on our stock, ordering resources, teaching/research support and reading list guidance. This can take between 1-1.5 hours. These tours are usually arranged when a new member of staff joins the Law School as part of their induction programme. However, we offer refresher tours throughout the year.

Alongside a specialist Canvas module on Library Skills and Resources (ask the Law Library team if you want access to this), we also offer the infamous Law Library Task!

Why not give it a try? Once you have done it, have a go at the paper-based version that gets you around the Law Library itself!

As part of your Law Library training, you will be given a copy of the Law Library Task that you must complete in the Library. This task gets you looking for resources in the different areas of the Law Library. Please complete this task and return it to Law Library Staff.

Below is a link to the 'Reference Only' copy that you can refer to, or use for refresher training in the future.

While Law reading lists are thrown into the general pool to be worked on, often it is Law Library staff who take them on - but everyone is welcome!

Law reading lists will contain the usual textbooks, chapters, and articles. We do not include Law Reports (cases), Acts or other Gov Pubs.

When searching for legal articles, we recommend that the journal title is searched for first, then drilled down to find the year/volume, and article pages. This is because not all articles are deep-linked into Library Search.

Also to note, sometimes an older edition of a book is listed intentionally.

Similarly, there is occasionally an issue with the linking of e-books via Law Trove. You may need to search this database for the book you require, although they *should* be linked in Leganto!

Working in the Law Library is part-Liaison and part-CS. Staff working in the Law Library technically fall under Liaison Services. However, it is also service-based and requires input from CS (and often TS too).

We liaise with academics and the Law School, we help with referencing and subject queries, finding information and keyword searching; we conduct research; we deal with reading lists and book requests; we help with study skills and work with LibGuides and Canvas to support teaching materials. We also look after the Law Library Subject Guide.

The SLA is more involved in Liaison work and attends Boards of Studies, Student-Staff Committee and Law Library Committee meetings, keeps an eye on budgets, the building and stock management (and much, much more!).

Mooting is a mock court hearing. Students need to analyse and research a problem and relevant law, prepare and present a case before a judge. It's a great way to practice the art of legal arguing!

Newcastle Law School holds Mooting competitions, with a final held at Newcastle's Moot hall (pictured right), organised by NUSU Newcastle University Law Society, alongside other competitions like Client Interviewing and Negotiating.

The NUSU Newcastle Bar Society also provides opportunities to further students' legal careers through talks, workshops and networking events. 

We support students by printing their 'bundles' and skeleton arguments. Bundles are a pack of documents (cases, legislation, etc) that are referred to during the Moot. Some students may require large bundles to print and multiple copies (for themselves, the opposing team and the judge).

We ask that printing requests are sent to lib-law@ncl.ac.uk with 2 working days' notice, and printing information detailed (b/w or colour, number of copies, double/single-sided). Documents should be sent at attachments (not links) or by using Case Doc. Students are responsible for the documents they submit to us for printing.

Printing/photocopying charges are invoiced to the Law School at the end of the competition period. Therefore we keep a record of how much we have printed. We require printing credit to be on our smartcards as we use the public MFDs to print. Occasionally students will want to photocopy from our Law Reports. We have copy cards available for this so that students do not pay for it themselves.

Mooting documents, copy cards and printing record sheets can be found in the Mooting drawer in the Law Library Office.

There are a couple of housekeeping tasks that happen throughout the week:

• Tuesday: Do a thorough check fire escape routes/door - lights, maintenance, clear interior and exterior pathways, etc (this should be done with every headcount, but a thorough check takes place once a week).
• Friday: Refill copier paper and staplers.
• End of the month: check leaflets/posters and remove any that are out of date.

Occasional Things to Note:

Paper Delivery

Sometimes we receive a phone call from the paper delivery man.  We need to let them in to drop off the delivery upstairs using the door in the US Law Reports area (by the Law Library PC Cluster). 

You will need to turn off the fire door exit guard using KEY 09 before opening the doors. Make sure you keep the doors open or you will lock yourself out!  Turn the fire exit guard back on when you’re done.

Place the paper invoice on the wall using Blue-tac next to the printer in the Grey Cluster for NUIT to collect.

Fire Alarm Sounds

Sometimes the fire exit guards make noises!

It could be that someone has tried to exit that door (a beep and a red light flashing) – in which case use the key to turn it off and on again.

It could be that the batteries are running low (a kind of depressed quack!) – in which case, put a ticket in with ESS.

Law Library Door Scheduling:

The Law Library door is scheduled by the Law School (Jane Hagger) through NUIT (Chris Schroeder). In general, the schedules are set to the following:

• Door opens using push pad - 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
• Door opens with smartcard only - 5pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday; all day Saturday and Sunday (and open Bank Holidays).
• Door opens for staff smartcards only - all other times (unless building is locked down, in which case only Security can get in).

Door settings (unit above the door, 2 switches): 

• The settings on the door must be switched to I and 0 to be opened by smartcard/push pad.
• To keep the door wide open. settings must be switched to II and 0. 

Opening Hours:

• The Law Library opening hours are displayed outside the Law Library door (in the plastic hanging display). There is also a small, blue closing time display by the Law Library door. This will be changed when our closing times change (when not staffed by student aides in the evenings).
• The opening hours poster is also displayed outside the Law School's main entrance in a wall-mounted display case (you will need key 19 to open it). 

The Law Library employs Student Aides to work evenings and weekends during term time. Student Aides are managed by the 24/7 Team and JobsOC.

Traditionally, they are Stage 3 Law Students who understand the Law Library's resources and can help with basic subject-based queries.

They receive a 'baptism of fire' style training in one day - usually the first day of term. We now have a training guide that they must read/work through, and can refer to during their shift.

The Aides should inform PRL Coordinators on duty that they are in the Library at the start of their shift using LibChat.

Their duties usually include:

• opening/closing
• health & safety
• reshelving
• shelf tidying
• answering basic queries at the desk/on the phone
• hourly headcounts

Law Library Staff and Student Aides are responsible for opening and closing the Law Library.

When we are not staffed by Student Aides, we are responsible for closing the Law Library.

Student Aides will require Security to turn off building alarms in the mornings. Law School Staff and Security are responsible for setting the building alarms at the end of the day.

There are a variety of keys required (Law Library Office, shutter, bookbins, windows), several light switches to turn on/off, windows to open/close. We also check fire exits for clear pathways and lights.

The Law Library is open evenings and weekends during term time. It is staffed by Student Aides during these times (with support from PRL). Student Aides should be in touch with PRL staff via LibChat/phone/in person at the start and during their shift.

The Law School and Library are smartcard access only during the evenings and weekends.

The Law School and Law Library doors are on a separate system controlled by the Law School Administrator. Settings are set for the doors to be:

• locked,
• opened with a smartcard (eg: staff only or staff and students),
• or open (using the push pad/automatic doors).

Staff/student smartcards should work during all open hours.

Access to the Law school is not automatically applied to non-university smartcards. Users must have 'other category access' enabled by NUIT/IT Service for evening/weekend access to the Law school. See the FAQ for more information about adding additional Law Library access rights to a smartcard.

Shelving/Shelf Tidying

We have a reshelving bay in the Ref Room, by the accessible door. We place returned books on these shelves, fine sorted.

When Aides are employed, it is part of their duties. When they are not employed (during vacation times), Library Staff should reshelve books every day.

Shelf Tidying is also part of the Aides' duties, but we are all responsible for keeping the library in order and tidy!

Post

We receive new books, returned books, new journal issues and report parts, looseleaf updates, Gov Pubs, bound journals/reports, and general post. 

We check-in and double check all post that we receive.

As a general rule, new books are passed to the SLA for checking, PERS are dealt with by Assistants. Both are checked in on Alma to remove any 'In-Transit' status, the Alma record is checked to make sure the entry is correct (location, shelfmark, formatting of description to match previous entries). Labels are checked on PERS and books, and stickers placed where necessary.

All post is then reshelved by Library Staff.

Returned books are checked in on Alma and date stamped with the discharge stamp - this is to pick up any items that may need further action. Returned books can be reshelved by Aides (or Library Staff when Aides are not employed).

Ephemerals

We get some items that we do not subscribe to, which come to us directly.  Some of these items still need checking in, but a record needs to be created. However, not all Ephemeral journals need a record on Alma. Check the title on Alma and if it’s there then it will need a record making. If nothing comes up and it’s something we want on our shelves:

• Place a shelfmark/not to be removed sticker on the front, write LAW EPHEMERAL on the sticker and date stamp
• Photocopy the front page and put into folder under ‘Ephemeral Collection’
• Shelve

Careers-Type Publications

We sometimes get careers-type publications (for example, Student List, Top 100 Law Jobs, etc). These can just go straight out onto the Ephemeral Shelves – one on the front, the rest underneath.

Bound Service and Binding

Journals and Reports are usually bound at the end of their volume.  This is usually at the end of a year/start of a new year, but can occasionally be in the middle of the year (depending on the volume’s run).

We receive a 'Bound Service' with some titles. This is where the publisher sends us a bound volume as part of our subscription package. When we receive a Bound Service volume, we can remove the loose parts and send either to WD or sometimes offer to Law School Staff. There are a few Bound Service titles where we bind the loose parts in order to have a duplicate volume on our shelves (commonly The Law Reports series). If we do not receive a bound volume from a Bound Service subscription, we can place the loose parts in a pamphlet box.

For titles where we do not receive a Bound Service volume, we bind the loose parts into a bound volume. When we receive the first part of a new volume, we can pull of the previous loose parts and prepare them for binding. This is a good opportunity to check that we have all parts. When we receive the bound volume back, check it in as you would other post, check the details and that the loose parts records have been suppressed/combined into the bound volume, check the bound volume is all in order and with correct information on the spine, etc.

NOTE: since the closure of the Library Bindery, we are awaiting a decision on what to do with our loose parts. These loose parts may be outsourced for binding, or may need to go into a pamphlet box. Decision TBC.

Claims and Missing Issues

Sometimes we do not receive an issue (journal, report, looseleaf, etc.), but we only know when the most recent issue arrives and we check them in.  The PERS team occasionally miss this, so we need to check.

• Check the item title on Alma to see if we have received it (it’s worth checking the shelves too)
  • • If we have received it and it shows on Alma, there’s nothing to worry about!
    • If we have received it and it does not show on Alma, either check it in or return it to PERS to check in
    • If we have not received it, email the PERS Team to ask them to double check/make a claim
      • Contact Clare.Miller@ncl.ac.uk (TS Assistant Librarian who oversees PERS)

The claims process can be long, so keep an eye out for the length of time and if/when the issue arrives. We have a Planner on the Law Team to note any claims/missing issues.

If in doubt about a claim or a missing issue then contact the PERS team.

Missing Items

Sometimes an issue just goes missing – we have received it, but it is no longer on our shelves.

1.  Check the surrounding shelves and bound issues
2. Check the Staff Loans file
3. Send an email to law-staff@ncl.ac.uk to see if anyone has it (you may need to ask SLA or Law School Office Staff to send this)
4. Inform SLA that there’s a missing issue. You could ask about getting a back issue replacement, but this is for titles that are not available electronically only - and usually too expensive). You may need to note on the volume that an issue is missing.

Withdrawals/Transfers/'Book Sale'

We keep up with new editions that arrive and withdraw old editions when necessary/required. We often keep old editions due to historical laws or chapters that are required on a reading list.

On occasion, items can be transferred to PRL, RR or the Old Library Building. These items are sent to TS to process.

We can withdraw/suppress individual items, but records need to be suppressed by TS. We keep a record of all withdrawals and transfers.

Sometimes, old editions that are to be withdrawn can be put into our 'book sale'. Our book sale is a give-away! Items are supressed, RFID deactivated, books placed on the trolley in Bound Journals A-H.

Ordering new books

The SLA can order book requests using Alma. Often Law Academics request book purchases directly through the Law Library. This can be via a publisher's catalogue, an email or in person.

Stock check

Every few years we do a full stock check (and shelf tidy as we go).

We've recently undertaken a full audit of our PERS (journals and reports) and, due to binding issues, we keep a record of PERS measurements at the end of their volume run.

We no longer hold reservations in the Law Library.

Any items returned to us that have a reservation request will be sent back to PRL/Walton (depending on requested pick-up location) and processed there. This is one of the reasons why we return everything at the Help Desk - reservation slips will be printed from this PC.

Every morning and afternoon, we check the Pick from Shelf list on Alma for any requested books. We then find the item, return it using the Help Desk PC/Alma, get the slip from the printer, and place the item in one of the boxes under the Help Desk (one for PRL, one for Walton). These will then be collected and taken to the requesting library for processing.

We usually satisfy ILL requests, unless a known high demand title (check with SLA) or there is a copyright restriction (check CLA).

An email request comes in from PRL's ILL team (usually for a book, but sometimes a journal or scan). Then follow these steps: 

• Get the book from our shelves
• Issue to Law ILL account on Alma
• Change the date of the loan
  • Alma issue = 16 weeks
  • Book stamp due sate = 12 weeks
• Take to PRL ILL

Law School staff can borrow any of the Law Library stock at any time. 

If they wish to borrow a non-loanable item (e.g. a journal or a report), we can issue the loan manually. There is a file next to the filing cabinet where you can enter the details.

We use the @libraryncl Twitter and Instagram accounts, and are part of the Social Media and Marketing teams. 

We make displays in the Ref Room depending on what we are promoting at the time - Law in Literature campaigns, Study/Exam Skills, Welcome/Induction, Be Well.

We occasionally write blog posts about Law Library resources and study skills. We also sometimes ask our Student Aides to write blog posts while they are working. These guest posts can be about study or revision tips, film/book or resource reviews, or day-in-the-life type content.

We often make posters to put up in the library and the Law School, too. These could be about Law in Literature, Box of Broadcasts playlists, Be Well, library tours or database drop-ins. 

We still use stamps. I repeat... WE STILL USE STAMPS!

Every morning we move the date forward by a day.

• Date Stamps are generally set to:
  • STC – Today’s date
  • Overnight loan – Tomorrow’s date
  • ILL – 4 months ahead
  • Discharge – Today’s date

Law Library Quirk Alert: Every time a book is returned, we stamp the date using the 'Discharge' stamp. 

Keys to the bookbins can be found hanging on the inside wall by the Law Library Help desk PC.

There is an external bookbin under the stairs by the foyer to the Law Library. This is locked while we are open, unlocked while we are closed.

There are two book-return slots by the Self-Service Unit: yellow and black. Those returning items are told which slot to put their books in. Yellow is for further action (STC, Reservations, etc), black is for standard returns (to be reshelved). All books returned via bookbins need to be returned using the Law Library Office PC/Alma.

The Lost Property Cupboard can be found in the Law Library Office (second in from the filing cabinet). Any lost property either found or handed in should be written up in the file and numbered, then placed in this cupboard.

Instructions for dealing with lost property are printed out in the front of the file. 

Law Library Staff are responsible for checking (daily and with every walk-through):

• Fire Exits 
• Library environment (lights, pathways, general repair)

We are also responsible for deploying the Flood Barriers if/when an amber weather warning for rain is in place. We will also remove them when the weather threat has passed. We usually get a phone call from David E to confirm when the barriers need to be put in place - or double check if you see a storm coming.

There is an Emergency Cupboard by the Help Desk (inside the office). In here you will find H&S documents, the First Aid Kit, Hi-Vis jacket, wind-up torch. There are also sanitary pads and tampons available should anyone require them.

Details of local First Aiders are found on the notice board.

We have a Disaster Cupboard that contains pads for flooding, wellies, buckets etc. This cupboard is located by the ramps to the Silent Study Area. You will need the bypass key that is kept on the notice board to access the key next to the cupboard (behind a breakable glass panel).

There are silent alarms in the upstairs PC Cluster and under the Law Library Help Desk. Security are alerted when these alarms are pressed.

You can find out more about our fire evacuation plans and manual handling on the Health & Safety page of the Law Library Training Guide.

If trained, we can use the Stair Climber to help evacuate those who need it. Law School Staff are trained and can assist in this if required.

The Liaison Librarian/SLA is responsible for the Law Library is part of the Library Health & Safety Group.

Also as part of the Law School building, we engage with the Building Group (organised through Law School Administrator).

Recommended Guides to Legal Research:

• Law Subject Guide (NCL)
• Law Society
• Bodleian (Oxford)

Legal Terms and Phrases

• Inner Temple Glossary of Legal Terms and Phrases 

OSCOLA (legal referencing):

• OSCOLA Referencing Guide (NCL)
• Cardiff's Citing the Law: Referencing using OSCOLA 
• OSCOLA Drag-and-Drop Referencing Quiz

Legal Database Certification 

• Westlaw
• Lexis

Law Library Skills

We have a selection of library management and legal research skills books available for staff use in the Law Library Office (first set of top shelves as you enter).

The library has books on legal research skills and introductions to legal systems and law available to borrow.

We also subscribe to Legal Information Management – a journal for Law Librarians, which is on our shelves and online. When a new issue comes in, we keep it to one side and encourage a look through, before putting it on the shelves.

We like to share practice on an informal basis via our handovers.

BIALL Legal Reference Materials

BIALL occasionally offer a training event on Legal Reference Materials. The slides (from 2018) have kindly been shared with us, so take a look...

Information Literacy

Check out the Learning Lab pages on Library Search for Library Staff and Searching for Academic Information.

Open Learn (Open University) offer 2 FREE courses that might be interesting:

• Information Literacy
• Digital Literacy

The Library is a member of BIALL (British and Irish Association of Law Librarians), which means we all are too. 

Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) is a national academic research institute attached to the University of London.
We can become members as Academic Researchers/Staff (as can postgrad research students) and access their goods – we just need to join.
They also have a useful ‘portal’, which I haven’t used since discovering it, but good to know of its existence (it’s on the Law Subject Guide under Specialist Resources | Legal Information).

Society for Legal Scholars (SLS) is more for the academics. However, as an academic Law Library, we subscribe to the standards set out by the SLS.

You may already know about CILIP, but if you want to join you will need to do so as an individual (we are not members in the Library as a whole, like BIALL).

We are not members of the International Association of Law Libraries (IALL), and it’s probably not really necessary to be. It’s good to know of its existence, though!