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Research Help / Reference
Contents
Introduction--What
is Reference?
Reference is essentially
"research support" -- helping guide researchers towards the most useful
sources and efficient techniques for finding the information they need.
In recent years, we have seen a proliferation of legal information in new titles
and formats (commercial online databases, Internet sites, etc.) and significant
changes in the legal publishing business. These factors have increased the challenge
of efficiently and effectively finding reliable and relevant legal information.
At the Dorraine Zief Law Library, reference staff are on duty to advise our
students, faculty and staff on techniques and sources to help meet this challenge.
Reference librarians devote their time to keeping up with developments in information
systems, research methods, and legal publishing. Some of the services we provide
are listed below. For a formal statement of our policies, see the law library's
Legal Reference Service Policy.
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Types
of Assistance Available
The following are
examples of some of the services reference librarians provide for researchers
at the Dorraine Zief Law Library.
- advice on research
strategy;
- suggestions
about specific resources, titles, and formats that may be useful for a given
research project;
- advice on selecting
and searching legal (and other) Internet sites;
- advice on searching Lexis, Westlaw, and other commercial online research
resources.
For more on Lexis and Westlaw at the USF Law Library, visit our Lexis
and Westlaw information page;
- help searching
Ignacio (USF's online catalog), catalogs from other libraries, and indexes
of law review and other articles;
- help tracking
down particular factual information;
- help locating
and using specific books, journals newspapers, and other materials.
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Reference
Staff
The Law Library's reference staff provide reference services at the Zief Law
Library. During the hours listed below, one of us generally will be available
to offer advice and answer questions on research techniques and resources. We
are available in person at the Reference Desk, which is on the Law Library's
first floor. USF Law Library patrons may also reach the reference staff directly
by phone at (415) 422-6773.
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Reference
Hours
Typical reference
hours* for the fall and spring semesters are:
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Monday
- Thursday
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9:00
am - 7:00 pm
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Friday
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9:00
am - 4:30 pm
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Saturday
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10:00
am - 4:00 pm
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Sunday
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1:30 pm - 6:00 pm |
*Due to varying
staffing levels, these hours may change from time to time.
For the current week's reference hours, call 415-422-6773.
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Legal
Research Links
To get you started
with legal research in print or on the internet (using commercial and non-commercial
sources), the reference librarians have created the following:
Free Legal Websites page describing a
variety of tools and materials.
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