Academic Research for Scholarly Legal Writing: Books

Catalog search tips

As always, you can try different combinations of keywords, including synonyms, in your catalog search to find more relevant materials. Don't stop at a single search and do look past the first page of results! If you still aren't finding books relevant to your topic, or if you are getting too many irrelevant results, try one of the techniques below:

Subjects

Watch the video tutorial on this topic!

Librarians assign subjects (also called subject headings or just headings) to the books in the catalog. Since these subjects come from a standardized list, searching for books by subject can eliminate the problems of choosing the wrong synonym in your keyword searches.

When you find a book that seems relevant, look at its catalog page to see its subject headings. Selecting a subject heading will show you all the items in the catalog with that subject.

To browse a list of all subjects, start in the library catalog (you cannot perform this kind of search from the library homepage).

1. Enter a relevant term in the search bar. It's best to just put a single term here rather than combining multiple concepts.
2. From the drop-down menu next to the search bar, select "Subject Browse (A-Z)"
3. In the results, each subject heading appears next to the number of items that have been assigned that term. You may be prompted to select a synonymous term. 
4. A major subject heading can have hundreds of associated titles--far too many for you to look through. These major headings are subdivided into more specific subjects, which are listed underneath. Keep scrolling and looking through the pages of results to find the subdivision that is most appropriate for your topic.

Advanced search

To refine your search strategy, try using the advanced search feature in the catalog. You can access it by selecting "Advanced Search" at the top of the catalog webpage.

For details on using advanced search and other catalog features, see the catalog help page.

Checking out books

There are two ways to check out a book held at a Cornell library: You can request to have the book delivered to a pickup location, or you can retrieve it yourself from the bookshelf. For books not held at Cornell libraries, or books that have been checked out by someone else, see the tab Books not available at Cornell on this page.

Requesting a book for pickup

This is the most convenient way to get books, but there are some disadvantages:

1. It takes some time to have to book delivered to your pick-up location. This can take a few days, especially for books that are held at other libraries on campus.
2. You will not be able to browse through other relevant books that are shelved near your book.

To request a book, select the red "Request Item" button on the book's catalog page. You can then choose your pickup location. The pickup location in the Law School is Law Circulation, which is the circulation desk in the Reading Room. You can also choose to pick up your book at another library on campus. You will receive an email when your book is ready to pick up.

Finding a book in the stacks

The shelves where library books are held are called the stacks. To find your book there, you will need to write down the call number, which you can find on the catalog page. You can select "Text" to text the call number to your phone. Also note the name of the library where it is held, and whether there is any other relevant information. Some books are on reserve and you must ask at the circulation desk to see them. You may encounter books held at other Cornell libraries (in which case you may prefer to request the book and save yourself the trip).

Assuming the book is available at the Law Library and housed in the regular stacks (i.e., not on reserve), use one of the bookmarks available at the circulation desk, or one of the maps posted throughout the library stacks to look up what floor your call number is on. If you are new to finding books by call number, consult the Introduction to Academic Libraries guide or ask for help at the circulation desk. When you have found your book, take it to the circulation desk to check it out.

What to do if a book is not available at Cornell

If the book you need is checked out, or if Cornell simply does not own the book, you have a few options:

1. Borrow Direct: This is the fastest way to get physical books from other libraries
2. Interlibrary Loan (ILL): This service allows you to request a scan from a book, or the physical book itself. Physical books borrowed through ILL take longer to arrive than Borrow Direct. The first time you use ILL you will have to set up your account. Be sure to choose the Law Library as your Interlibrary Loan unit.
3. Only use the recall option if Borrow Direct and ILL are not available This will force someone else to return it, and can take up to 3 weeks.

Books that are in the catalog but unavailable

If you find a catalog page for a book you need, you can request it directly from that page.

• To request the entire book: Click the red "Request Item" button. You will be given a choice of the various request options. Always use Borrow Direct if possible (this will probably be the default option at the top of the form).
• To request a scan from the book: Do this if you are interested in a single chapter or article from a book. Select the "Request a scan of article/chapter" button and fill out the form as completely and accurately as you can. In the field asking where you found the item cited, you can include the URL of the catalog page.

Books that are not in the catalog

If the book you want does not appear in your catalog search results, select "Request from Libraries Worldwide" in the box on the left.

This takes you to Worldcat, a database that searches through library catalogs around the world. When you find your book here, selecting it will open its record and a box will appear on the right with Access Options. Here you can select either Borrow Direct or Interlibrary Loan.

You can also access Borrow Direct or Interlibrary Loan directly and make your requests there. Be careful when filling out an ILL request form on your own--make sure to enter information as accurately as you can. If you have questions about an ILL request you can email law-ils@cornell.edu.

Receiving your requests

You will receive an email when your requests are available. Pick up books at the location you specified when you made your request. Access scan requests by logging into your ILL account.