The University of Alabama School of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law
The Bounds Law Library offers many different resources to help you locate the sources you need while doing your spading. The reference librarians are also available to assist with locating those hard-to-find sources. This guide identifies numerous resources for finding books, articles, cases, and other materials both in print format and online.
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a book.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find a physical print book in the most readily available physical locations first, then moving on to recreations of the print book online. Finally, moving on to Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
If your journal needs the print version of a book, the starting point for locating books that the law library has in its collection is a catalog search.
If the law library does not have the item you need, check to see whether it is available through the university libraries.
If the university libraries do not have the item you need, check WorldCat. WorldCat is the world's largest online catalog. WorldCat is useful for determining the title of a book if the author has cited a book but did not provide the correct or complete title/edition. WorldCat is also useful for determining whether a book that is not available at the law school or university libraries is available at another academic law library.
If you are still unable to locate the required source, please follow the interlibrary loan (ILL) directions.
The advanced search function of the law library's online catalog, to find e-books, select "Ebook" under “Material Type.” Look for the "View Full Record" link in search results to see if a PDF version is available.
The UA libraries online catalog provides access to PDF versions of some books across a wide range of subject areas from all the university libraries at UA. You need to select “Book” under “Type.”
Provides PDF versions of the full text of many scholarly titles in a range of subject areas, including literature, biological sciences, economics, finance, statistics, as well as foreign-language material.
Provides the ability to view/download PDFs of various parts of books, or the whole book if not subject to copyright or if the copyright holder has given Google permission to provide access.
Provides access to public domain and some in-copyright content from a variety of sources. This resource is a good starting point for older (pre-1930s historical) materials as they may now be in the public domain.
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a case.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print case online, then moving to ILL.
Note: Coverage will vary for unpublished cases on Westlaw.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to the PDF versions of the full-text of cases as they originally appeared in West’s federal and regional reporters. Links to PDFs of printed opinions in reported cases will appear in the upper-left hand corner of the Westlaw case document.
Provides access to PDF versions of old (pre-1867) English cases appearing in English Reports as well as U.S. Supreme Court decisions published in United States Reports (until 2015) and U.S. Supreme Court slip opinions (2015-present). Also provides access to PDF versions of many 19th-century state case reporters published prior to West’s creation of the regional reporters in the 1880s.
Provides access to British and Irish case law & legislation, European Union case law, Law Commission reports, and other law-related British and Irish material.
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a journal article.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find a recreation of the print article online first, then moving on to physical print in the most readily available physical locations. Finally, moving on to Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Law Journal Library provides access to PDF versions of full-text legal periodical articles as they appeared in print in the originally published journal issue. Bar Journal Library provides access to PDF versions of full-text legal periodical articles as they appeared in print in the originally published journal issue.
Hein provides a great article search tutorial.
Provides access to PDF versions of full-text articles as they appeared in the original journal. Contains thousands of periodical titles over many subjects indexed by journal name.
Provides access to PDF versions of the full text of many scholarly titles in a range of subject areas, including literature, biological sciences, economics, finance, and statistics.
Provides access to PDF versions of the full text of many scholarly titles in a range of subject areas.
Provides PDF versions of some scholarly literature in many academic areas.
If your journal requires the PDF version of journal articles and the resources above do not provide access to the source you are searching for, please check if the law library has the print version in its collection by performing a catalog search for the periodical title (not article title).
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a code.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
Note: Not all print state codes are kept up-to-date.
State codes kept up-to-date
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print code online, then moving to ILL.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to PDF versions of the U.S.C. and Alabama Code. Also provides access to PDFs of older versions of state codes and 19th-century digests of state statutes.
Provides access to the U.S.C. as far back as 1994.
Provides PDF versions of the U.S.C. as far back as the 1994 Main Edition from the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives.
Provides current version of the Alabama Code.
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a slip/session law.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print slip/session law online, then moving to ILL.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to PDF versions of Statutes at Large (U.S. public and private laws published chronologically, beginning with the 1st Congress (1789-91)). Also, provides access to PDF versions of Acts of Alabama, beginning with the 1st General Assembly, 1st Session (1818).
Provides free public access to PDF versions of individual U.S. public/private laws dating back to 1995 as well as Statutes at Large beginning with the 82nd Congress (1951-53).
Provides access to PDF versions of Acts of Alabama (Alabama session laws) dating back to late 1980s and a link to older session laws enacted between 1819 and 1901.
Provides access to PDF versions of many 19th-century state session laws.
Provides access to a searchable collection of PDF versions of some older legal titles and government documents, including state codes and session laws.
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from legislative material.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print legislative material online, then moving to ILL.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to indexing and abstracts for all congressional publications and PDF versions of: bills and public laws, Congressional Record, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Federal Register, committee reports and congressional documents in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, and many other documents (hearings, reports, and committee prints).
Provides access to PDF versions of bills/resolutions, committee reports, committee publications, Congressional Record, and House and Senate communications.
Provides access to PDF versions of many legislative materials (Congressional Record, congressional hearings, CRS reports, committee prints, and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set to name a few).
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a regulation.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print regulation online, then moving to ILL.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to PDF versions of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the Federal Register (FR).
Provides access to PDF versions of regulations through the e-CFR and the FR.
Provides access to the electronic version of the CFR with links to the published edition of the CFR.
Provides access to PDF versions of regulatory histories associated with public laws and/or executive orders. Also provides access to the Federal Register (rules/proposed rules, notices, presidential documents, and unified agendas) and the CFR.
Provides access to PDF versions of the Alabama Administrative Code, the Alabama Administrative Monthly, and proposed rules.
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a treaty.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print treaty online, then moving to ILL.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides some access to PDF versions of federal government documents.
Provides access to PDF versions of many U.S. bilateral and multilateral treaties. Also provides access to treaty guides and indexes; treaties, books, texts; the U.S. Treaty Index; CRS reports; hearings; and important treaties and agreements links.
Provides indexes to print and electronic publications produced by federal agencies. It will provide links to PDF documents or a SuDoc number that can be used to verify if the item is available in the Law Library.
Provides an index to federal government publications before 1976.
Provides a list of federal departments and agencies and their descriptions. Use this list to find the federal. government agency's website. Use the website to find federal government publications.
Provides information by topic, governmental entity, governmental services, and more for the federal government, state governments, local governments, and tribal governments.
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a treaty.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print treaty online, then moving to ILL.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to PDF versions of many U.S. bilateral and multilateral treaties. Also provides access to treaty guides and indexes; treaties, books, texts; the U.S. Treaty Index; CRS reports; hearings; and important treaties and agreements links.
Provides access to PDF versions of resources available from the U.S. Department of State Office of Treaty Affairs, including:
The U.S. State Department provides access to PDF versions of treaties pending approval in the U.S. Senate.
This publication is a PDF that lists U.S. treaties currently in force (bilateral and multilateral).
Provides additional access to PDF versions of U.S. Senate treaty documents.
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a newspapers/magazine article.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print newspapers/magazine article online, then moving to ILL.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to PDF versions of full-text articles in 2,392 major newspapers from around the world. Also provides access to PDF versions of full-text articles in 358 magazines from around the world.
This resource provides PDF versions of The New York Times (2008-recent; 3-month embargo).
Provides PDF versions of articles for newspapers dating back to the 19th century. For most titles, the collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue.
Provides cover-to-cover indexing for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today from 1995 to the present. Also includes complete coverage of the Christian Science Monitor and selective full-text coverage of the Los Angeles Times, regional U.S. newspapers, international newspapers, and newswires.
Provides access to PDF versions of full-text articles of magazines (search within journals).
This is a checklist to start spading a citation from a United Nations (UN) document.
This suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print UN document online, then moving to ILL.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to PDF versions of United Nations documents from the Security Council, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and subsidiary bodies, as well as administrative issuances and reports.
Provides PDF versions of UN documents from collections including resolutions and decisions, reports, meeting records, draft resolutions and decisions, draft reports, letters and notes verbales, legal cases and opinions, petitions, administrative issuances, concluding observations and recommendations, NGO written statements, press releases, publications, speeches, and treaties/agreements.
A useful research guide to UN resources organized by: alphabetical order, organization, topic, library catalogues, repositories, statistics, and terminology.