Finding a Good Treatise

Whether you're studying a new subject this semester or have a job or internship expecting you to work with an unfamiliar area of law, there is often nothing more helpful than a good treatise on the subject. Legal treatises present an organized, detailed explanation of a specific area of the law (such as torts, immigration law, or evidence), generally written by an expert or authority in the field. 

To find reliable and outstanding treatises on many legal subjects, try these tools:

-  Recommended Legal Treatises: Key Treatises by Subject Area - a Hofstra Law Library research guide listing selected treatises by subject, with a direct link to the library catalog record for each treatise and information about its location and whether it can be found on Lexis, Westlaw, or other online database. Printed copies of this guide can be found in the handout rack next to the Law Library Reference Desk.

-  Georgetown Law Library Treatise Finders - a guide to authoritative and practical treatises on over sixty general and more specialized subjects, with online availability indicated.

If you have questions about treatises or need some help finding a good one, just ask one of the reference librarians.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Surfing the Library

Take a quick web tour of the Library web resources.

The Library web page looks a little different than it did last semester.  First years (and more seasoned students) - there is lots of useful information and useful tools for your research.  For instance - did you know we have Research Guides for Paper Writing, Journal Cite Checking and a 1L Law Library Survival Guide ?

And this just scratches the surface.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

America’s Great Outdoors

According to its Web site, “America's Great Outdoors (AGO) is an initiative to develop a 21st century approach to conservation and outdoor recreation. AGO brings together many federal agencies to work together with state and local partners across the country.” 

Under the auspices of the Department of the Interior, the AGO site also contains a document library where you can read more about specific aspects of the initiative.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New on HeinOnline: State Statutes: A Historical Archive

One of HeinOnline's newer collections is State Statues: A Historical Archive. This collection includes more than 2,000 volumes and more than 2,000,000 pages of historical superseded state statutes.  The collection does not provide access to current state statutes.

The collection can be browsed or searched by State, Publication Title and Date.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Congratulations to the 1L Library Raffle Winners!

Thank you to all the 1Ls who stopped by the Hofstra Law Library table at the Law School and University Resources Welcome Fair and Lunch yesterday at Adams Quad.

Congratulations to our library raffle prize winners!
Richard Catalano
Katelyn Wistner
Javier Cruz-Perez

You can pick up your Hofstra Law t-shirt at the Circulation Desk.  Please bring your ID card.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Welcome to Hofstra Law Class of 2017!

Welcome to the class of 2017.  Yes, the first days and weeks of law school can be overwhelming and confusing.  Many of us in the law library remember our own experiences of law school quite well.  Review the staff list to discover who we are and who among us also hold a J.D.

Ask us questions or just stop and chat.  We want you to succeed and are interested in your experience. 

So take a deep breath and work on your to-do list.  There are many in the law school and the law library who are here to guide you on your journey.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

HeinOnline State Reports: A Historical Archive

HeinOnline recently published a new library entitled "State Reports: A Historical Archive."  This new library provides a digital version of Hein’s State Reports Checklist as well as links to the full text of historical state reports. It provides a convenient state-by-state bibliographic guide to
published court reports and can be browsed by publication title or state/publication title.  To learn more about the library click here, to access HeinOnline click here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat