October 21, 1998
Prof. Bodansky, Law B511, Seminar on Problems in
International Environmental Law
Speakers:
Mary Whisner, Head of Reference, Gallagher Law Library
Peggy Roebuck Jarrett, Reference & Documents Librarian, Gallagher Law Library
- Introduction: Types of
information: laws, cases, and treaties from national and international bodies; scholarly
discussions of the law; news; scientific and technical reports; policy studies.
- Types of sources: books, periodicals, microfiche and
microfilm, locally mounted databases, commercial online services, Internet sites.
- How you get them: at this library, at other libraries on
campus, through interlibrary loan, on library terminals, through your own computer, in the
Computer Lab.
top
- Library Departments and Branches
- Gallagher Law Library, http://lib.law.washington.edu
- The Reference Department (2d floor; 543-6794) handles
reference for United States law and the law of all foreign jurisdictions with the
exception of China, Japan and Korea. The Reference staff also handles international law
questions, and many indexes to treaty materials are kept in the Reference Office.
Reference librarians can also help with electronic sources.
- The East Asian Law Department (6th floor; 543-7447;
e-mail: wbmcloy@u, rrbritt@u)
handles Chinese, Japanese and Korean law.
- The Circulation Department (2d floor; 543-4086)
provides a variety of services with respect to access to materials. If a book you need is
checked out, you can put a hold on it. If a book (or journal) you need is not available
here in the law library or on main campus, Circulation may be able to borrow it through
interlibrary loan. For more information, see the
Gallagher web site.
- UW Libraries, http://www.lib.washington.edu
- Government Publications (543-1937 or http://www.lib.washington.edu/Govpubs)
is a depository for U.S. federal government publications and for United Nations and
European Union documents. Collects selected documents from a variety of international
organizations.
- Engineering (543-0741 or http://www.lib.washington.edu/Engineering)
technical materials on the environment.
- Fisheries-Oceanography (543-4279 or http://www.lib.washington.edu/Fish/) has
general scientific, technical, and international materials on marine affairs.
- Suzzallo/Allen Reference (543-0242 or http://www.lib.washington.edu/SuzRef)
serves as eference for the graduate library. Includes International studies, social
sciences, humanities, general sources.
top
- Electronic Sources
- Many electronic sources are available to you from your home
(or wherever you have a computer and a modem or a campus direct network connection). The
software you need is in the UW Internet Connectivity Kit (UWICK). UW students and staff
(with ID) may purchase UWICK at the University Bookstore for $17. UWICK includes software
for email, two web browsers (Internet Explorer and Netscape), and WinWillow (an interface
for using the UW's library catalogs and many periodical indexes).
- The University Libraries' Information Gateway, http://www.lib.washington.edu, is an excellent
entry point for a variety of indexes and databases available to UW users. Some of the
databases it links to are CD ROM products owned locally; others are accessed via the
Internet. Some of them may be accessed in more than one way (e.g., through a web interface
or through telnet or through WinWillow).
- LEXIS-NEXIS and WESTLAW: UW law students have
LEXIS-NEXIS IDs and WESTLAW passwords for educational purposes. For help, ask a reference
librarian, a LEXIS-NEXIS or WESTLAW student representative, or Customer Service
(LEXIS-NEXIS 1-800-543-6862; WESTLAW 1-800-WESTLAW or 1-800-REF-ATTY). The websites for
law student access are at http://lawschool.lexis.com
and http://lawschool.westlaw.com. (Note:
this handout is aimed at University of Washington law students. If you are not a UW
law student, check with your parent institution to learn about access to these systems.
For example, UW students from other schools and departments may use LEXIS-NEXIS Academic UNIVerse
under the UW's license.)
- A wide variety of material is available on the Internet.
Government agencies, IGOs, universities, businesses, and individuals load documents on
websites. The Internet has become particularly valuable for international law researchers
because some documents are now available on the Web that are otherwise very difficult to
obtain. This handout lists many sites that are useful for environmental law researchers.
See also the ASIL Interest Group in International Environment Law site, hosted by Prof.
Dan Bodansky, at http://www2.law.washington.edu/bodansky/intgroup.htm.
This site links to a variety of sources and is a great starting point. In addition, you
can find other sites by using web search engines. For information about how to
search the Internet see The Scout Toolkit at http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/toolkit.
- Email discussion lists enable people to communicate
and share information quickly and easily. For a searchable list of law-related discussion
lists, see http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/lawlists/info.html.
For information about how to use listservs, see Jim Milles, Discussion Lists: Mailing
List Manager Commands, http://lawwww.cwru.edu/cwrulaw/faculty/milles/mailser.html.
top
- Research Guides and
Bibliographies--International Law
- Claire M. Germain, Germain's Transnational Law Research:
A Guide for Attorneys, K85.G47 1991 at Reference Office or Quick Reference floor 6.
Last updated in 1997. Very useful guide. Chapter 1, "Foreign and International Law:
Procedural and Practical Issues," provides an excellent overview. Chapter II,
"Foreign and International Law: Substantive Issues," discusses treaty research,
unification of international law, EU law, and other topics. Chapter III is "Foreign
and International Law Research Sources." Chapter IV, "Subjects," presents
essays on how to research 39 subjects-- including Environmental Law. Chapter V,
"Countries," includes sections on 17 European countries. Annotations throughout
describe and evaluate the sources listed.
- George Washington Journal of International Law and
Economics, Guide to International Legal Research, 3d edition. JX1297.G84 1998 at
Reserve or Reference Office. Great place to start. Covers treaty research, international
organizations.
- Peter I. Hajnal, ed., International Information:
Documents, Publications, and Electronic Information of International Government
Organizations, 2d ed. JZ4850.I58 1997 at Reference Office. Comprehensive research text
on IGOs.
- International Law Video Course. Produced by Seton
Hall University School of Law in cooperation with the American Society of International
Law. JX1291.I58 1996 at Reserve. 10-part series. Not a research guide, but a good overview
of the nature and sources of international law, law of treaties, international
organizations.
- Bob Berring's Commando Legal Research, Tape 7:
International Law, KF240.B374 Tape 7 at Reserve or Classified Stacks. 65-minute video from
1989--brief introduction to foreign law research in English; most of the tape concerns
international law.
top
- Research Guides and
Bibliographies--International Environmental Law
- ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law:
International Environmental Law, http://www.asil.org/resource/env1.htm.
Project of the American Society of International Law. ASIL also offers electronic
resources guides for treaties, the United Nations, etc. at http://www.asil.org/resource/Home.htm.
- Virginia Evans Templeton & Howard J. Taubenfeld, World
Environment Law Bibliography: Non-Periodical Literature in Law and the Social Sciences
Published Since 1970 in Various Languages with Selected Reviews and Annotations from
Periodicals, K3581.T46 1987 at Classified Stacks. Unique in its coverage, but
unfortunately, it is not up-to-date.
- Research Strategy and Sources for International
Environmental Law, 2 Colo. J. Int'l Envtl. L. & Pol'y 141-195 (1991).
- Alberto Szekely, The International Law of Natural
Resources and the Environment Selected Bibliography, 30 Natural Resources J. 765-917
(1991), and Alberto Szekely, Julie Mauer & Amy Serrano, The International Law of
Natural Resources and the Environment Selected Bibliography (Part 2), 31 Natural
Resources J. 265-427 (1991). Lengthy, unannotated, divided into 10 categories.
top
- Directories
- Encyclopedia of Associations, HS17.G334 1997 at
Reference Office. (1998 is in Collection Development Office) and Encyclopedia of
Associations--International Organizations, AS8.E53 1996 at Reference Office.
Well-indexed directory; includes descriptions of associations and organizations. Also
available on WESTLAW.
- Yearbook of International Organizations, JX1904.A42
at Reference Office. Descriptions of IGOs and NGOs. Note: Gallagher has vol.1 & 3 of
the set; Suzzallo Government Publications Reference has the full set.
- International Organizations, http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/idtf/igo.html.
Alphabetical list of IGO web sites. Updated regularly.
- International Agencies and Information on the Web, http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/intl.html.
Up-to-date list of web sites, plus links to other IGO sources.
- Green Globe Yearbook of International Co-operation on
Environment and Development: An Independent Publication on Environment and Development
from the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway, HC79.E5G69, 1993-date, current at
Reference Office. Part yearbook, part directory. Good way to find addresses for convention
secretariats and NGO headquarters.
- World Directory of Environmental Organizations, 5th ed. S920.W67 1996 at
Reference Office. Handbook of national and international governmental and
non-governmental organizations and programs. Includes a section "Who's
Doing What," that organizes IGOs and NGOs by specific environmental
concerns.
- The United States Government Manual, JK421.U57
current at Reserve or Reference Office. Organizational charts and descriptions of federal
agencies. Also available on the Internet at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara001.html.
- Federal Web Locator http://www.law.vill.edu/Fed-Agency/fedwebloc.html.
Most comprehensive listing of U.S. government web sites.
top
- Library Catalogs
- The Law Library catalog and the UW Libraries catalog (which
does not include the Law Library, but does include Fisheries-Oceanography, Engineering,
and other branch libraries) are both available through several interfaces: on dedicated
terminals in the library (WILLOW), via UWIN (available through the same account where you
use email), and via WinWillow (a Windows-based interface).
- Searching is possible by author, title, subject, or a
combination of words in any of these fields. You may also restrict your search to books
published in a specified year or range of years, in a given language, or by a particular
publisher. For help searching, use the online help screens or ask a reference librarian.
- Subject headings for international environmental law
topics include the general , e.g., Environmental-law-International, and the specific,
e.g., Global-Warming, Marine-pollution, Transboundary-pollution. Note that there are often
closely related headings, e.g., Endangered-species, Rare-plants, Wildlife-conservation. Do
not stop with your first search! The subheading Environmental-aspects is used with
many unrelated headings, e.g., International-trade --Environmental-aspects.
- Geographic subdivisions of subject headings indicate
the jurisdiction or geographic area covered. Examples: Antarctica, China,
European-Economic-Community-countries, United-States, Washington-State. For international
environmental law topics, you might often want to search for regions, e.g.,
Arctic-regions, Mediterranean-Sea, or Europe.
- Language may be searched in two ways: (1) use the
"English only" box to limit the search to materials in English. (2) use the
Language field to search for works in a given language. You must search by language code:
Chinese = chi; English = eng; German = ger; Japanese = jpn; Korean = kor. To find
other language codes, click on "Browse Language List" button.
- To find a book or other item in the Law Library, you need to
know its call number and location.
- Call numbers arrange books by jurisdiction and
subject area. For example:
JX and KZ international law
K jurisprudence and comparative law
KD British law
KF United States law
KNX-KNY Japanese law
- Locations:
Floor 2: Reserve, Reference Office, Reference Stacks, Reading Room
Floor 6: Quick Reference Floor 6
Floor 7: Periodicals (some periodicals are in Classified collection)
Floors 4-6: Classified. Floor 4: call numbers A-KE5299; Floor 5: call numbers KE5300-KFW;
Floor 6: call numbers KFX-Z.
- For more on call numbers and the layout of the Law
Library, see http://lib.law.washington.edu/collect/libhold.html#arrange
- Note: Many of the government documents available at
Suzzallo/Government Publications (including United Nations and most older Federal
documents) are not listed in the UW Libraries catalog.
top
- Periodical Indexes--Introduction
- For your research projects, you may need periodical articles
from different types of publications--for example, U.S. law journals and international
scientific journals. Consequently, you will use different periodical indexes.
- Be aware that the indexes may vary in their search language.
For example, if you want to truncate the word "environment" so you will retrieve
records with "environmental" as well as "environment," in Legal
Resource Index you would enter environment$2, but in Index to Foreign Legal
Periodicals you would enter environment#. For assistance, use the online help
screens (including SCOPE on WESTLAW), read the Search Tips sheets (available from the
Information Gateway's list of databases or in print.), or ask a reference librarian.
- The list below indicates whether each index is available
through the UW Libraries Information Gateway, http://www.lib.washington.edu,
through library terminals, on LEXIS-NEXIS,
on WESTLAW, or in print.
top
- Periodical Indexes Useful for
International Environmental Law Research
- Legal Resource Index: US, UK, Canadian, Australian
legal periodicals, 1980-date. Information Gateway,
LEXIS-NEXIS, WESTLAW. Print equivalent: Current
Law Index, Reading Room.
- Index to Legal Periodicals and Books: US, UK,
Canadian, Australian legal periodicals, 1908, 1926-date. Print: Reading Room.
- Current Index to Legal Periodicals: Weekly current
awareness service--mostly US law reviews (published by the Gallagher Law Library). Print:
Reading Room. WESTLAW.
- Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals:
Non-Anglo-American legal periodicals, plus some comparative and international articles
from US and Commonwealth journals, 1960-date. Information Gateway
(links to web interface). Print: Reading Room.
- European
Integration Current Contents, http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/JeanMonnet/TOC/index.html,
allows you to search or browse the tables of contents of 104 journals
relevant to European law, human rights, economics, history, and
political science. Service began in spring 1999.
- Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin and
PAIS International: Indexes periodical articles, books, and government reports from
around the world--6 languages, incl. English. Information Gateway,
WESTLAW.
- Public International Law: A Current Bibliography of Books
and Articles: Indexes articles in journals and other collected works, 1975-date. Since
1990, also lists newly published books. Published by Max Planck Institute. Several
languages, incl. English. Print: K3150 .P8 at Reading Room.
- NTIS (National Technical Information Service): An
index of U.S. government-sponsored scientific and technical research and worldwide
scientific, technical, and engineering information. Information Gateway.
- Dissertation Abstracts: Indexes and abstracts
dissertations from North America and Europe. The web version includes options for ordering
copies of the dissertations (for a fee) (recent UW dissertations are available online free
to UW users). You can also use the information you find to request a dissertation through
Interlibrary Loan. Information Gateway; WESTLAW.
- Geobase: An index to the international literature of
geography, ecology, earth science and marine science. Information
Gateway.
- BIOSIS: The world's largest database in the life
sciences, covers a wide range of topics, including ecology. Information
Gateway.
- Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts: Indexes and
abstracts journals, monographs, conference proceedings and technical reports, 1978-date. Information Gateway.
- Oceanic Abstracts: Indexes and abstracts technical
literature on marine-related subjects, 1964-date. Includes citations to some FAO
documents. WESTLAW.
- Water Resources Abstracts: Covers water resources as
treated in the life, physical and social sciences, plus related engineering and legal
topics, 1967-date. Information Gateway.
top
- Full-text Sources
- Both LEXIS-NEXIS and WESTLAW
have the full text of many legal periodicals available online. Remember that both
only include selected periodicals, generally starting in the mid-1980's, and that until
recently WESTLAW only included selected articles from most periodicals it covers.
- Both WESTLAW and LEXIS-NEXIS
also have the full text of many news sources, including major newspapers and wire
services, both U.S. and foreign. WESTLAW has a number of newspaper databases from both
Dialog and Dow Jones.
- World News Connection (WNC), formerly called Foreign
Broadcast Information Service (FBIS), is a collection of translations of newspaper
articles and radio and television broadcasts from foreign countries. The emphasis is on
political, socioeconomic, scientific, technical, and environmental information. WNC is
only available via the World Wide Web at http://wnc.fedworld.gov.
This is a subscription service; to obtain the password go to the Reference Office. Please
note that only one person at a time can use WNC with our password. Currently, WNC has the
latest two years of information available. The main campus also subscribes to WNC at
Suzzallo Government Publications and the Microform and Newspaper Collection. The
librarians do the searching. For early news stories, before WNC, use the FBIS microfiche
located at the Suzzallo Microform and Newspaper Collection.
top
- Periodicals and Yearbooks
- Green Globe Yearbook of International Co-operation on
Environment and Development: An Independent Publication on Environment and Development
from the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway, HC79.E5G69, 1993-date, current at
Reference Office. Part yearbook, part directory.
- Yearbook of International Environmental Law. v. 1-
(1990-date). Gallagher Law Library, K3584.4.Y42 at Classified Stacks.
- Global Environmental Law Annual. v.1- (1993-date).
Gallagher Law Library, K3581.2.G56 at Classified Stacks.
- Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and
Policy. v. 1- (1990- ). Gallagher Law Library, Periodicals Fl. 7.
- Georgetown International Environmental Law Review. v.
1- (1988- ). Gallagher Law Library, Periodicals Fl. 7.
- International Environmental Affairs. v. 1- (1989- ).
Gallagher Law Library, Periodicals Fl. 7. Suzzallo Periodicals Stacks, HC79.E5I56, current
at Suzzallo Periodicals Display Shelves. Not a law review.
top
- Sources of International Law: (1)
international conventions (treaties), (2) international custom, as evidence of a general
practice accepted as law, (3) the general principles of law recognized by civilized
nations, (4) judicial decisions and teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of
the various nations. Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice.
top
- Environmental Treaty Compilations
This is just a selection of environmental treaty compilations available at the Law Library
and on the Internet.
- Bernd Rusto & Bruno Simma, International Protection
of the Environment: Treaties and Related Documents, first and second series,
K3585.4.I575 1975 and 1990 at Reference Stacks. Quite comprehensive, but not well-indexed.
- Wolfgang E. Burhenne & Nicholas A. Robinson, International
Protection of the Environment: Conservation in Sustainable Development, K3585.4.I577
1995 at Reference Stacks. Updates the Rusto and Simma set, post-UNCED. Reprints both
policy and legal documents.
- International Environment Reporter: Reference File,
K3585.4.I57 at Reference Stacks. v.1 of the International Environment Reporter
prints selected treaties, bilateral agreements, and European conventions; includes section
on UN and other international organizations.
- Environmental Law Treaties of the United States,
K3583.2.U6 1997 at Reference Stacks. 2 v.
- Richard L. Wallace, The Marine Mammal Commission
Compendium of Selected Treaties, International Agreements, and Other Relevant Documents on
Marine Resources, Wildlife, and the Environment, K3897.U55 1994 at Reference Stacks.
3-volume base set, plus 1997 update. Valuable source. Also on WESTLAW.
- Multilaterals Project, http://fletcher.tufts.edu/multilaterals.html.
An "ongoing project designed to make available the texts of international multilateral
conventions and other instruments." Subject divisions include "Marine and
Coastal," "Flora and Fauna-- Biodiversity," and "Other
Environmental."
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network
(CIESIN), Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI), http://sedac.ciesin.org/entri/. Complex site
that allows you to search the text of more than 169 environmental agreements.
- Pace Virtual Environmental Law Library, http://www.law.pace.edu/env/vell6.html.
Straightforward collection of documents listed by topic, alphabetically, or
chronologically.
- W.E. Burhenne & Marlene Jahnke, International
Environmental Soft Law: Collection of Relevant Instruments, 1993-date. K3583.I58 1993
at Classified stacks. A "collection devoted exclusively to guidelines or decisions
relating to the environment which, while generally accepted, are still in the process of
further development, but nonetheless acknowledged to be at least morally binding:
so-called 'soft law'."
top
- Treaty Indexes
- Treaties in Force, JX236 1929.T7 (annual), current at
Reference Stacks or Reference Office. State Department list of U.S. treaties and other
international acts.
- Igor I. Kavass, United States Treaty Index: 1776-1990
Consolidation, JX231.U58 1991 at Reference Office (includes 1995 revision). Updated by
Current Treaty Index, JX 231.K392 1998 at Reference Office. Multi-volume set
includes subject, country, chronological, and geographical indexes.
- Igor I. Kavass, Hein's United States Treaties and Other
International Agreements Current Service, JX231.K394 at Reference Office. Updates United
States Treaty Index. Includes microfiche of treaties and agreements not yet published
in TIAS. Fiche is located at JX231.K394 at Reference Stacks.
- M.J. Bowman & D.J. Harris, Multilateral Treaties:
Index and Current Status, JX171.B68 1984 at Reference Office (includes 1995
supplement). Useful little index since it includes important treaties regardless of
participants.
- Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary
General, JX171.A46U45 current at Reference Office. United Nations list of signatures,
ratifications, accessions, reservations, and objections.
- Peter Rohn, World Treaty Index, 2d ed. JX171.R63 1983
at Reference Office. Unique index. Useful, although dated. 5 v.
- United Nations Environment Programme, Register of
International Treaties and Other Agreements in the Field of the Environment, K3583.R44
current at Reference Office (latest received: 1993)
top
- Treaty Collections
- United Nations Treaty Series, 1946-date. JX170.U35 at
Reference Stacks. Also available as United Nations Treaty Collection, http://www.un.org/Depts/Treaty/. This Internet
service of over 30,000 treaties and agreements is currently free, but users must register.
- United States Treaties and Other International Agreements,
1950-date. JX231.A34 at Reference Stacks. Series began in 1950; before that, treaties were
published in United States Statutes at Large, KF50.U5 at Reference Stacks. Updated
by Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS) pamphlets, JX231.A34 at
Reference Stacks.
- C. Bevans, Treaties and Other International Agreements of
the United States of America 1776-1949, JX236 1968.B4 at Reference Stacks.
- International Legal Materials, 1962-date. JX68.I543,
current at Reserve or Reference Office. Publishes text of treaties and other international
documents, often years before official sources. Available in full from 1980 to date on LEXIS-NEXIS and WESTLAW. Current issue's Table of
Contents available at http://www.asil.org/ILMtoc.htm.
- USTREATIES database on WESTLAW.
Includes U.S. Treaties (TIAS) from 1979 forward, Senate Treaty Documents from 1993 forward
and some State Department documents.
top
- Updating U.S. Treaties
U.S. Department of State Dispatch, 1990-date. JX232.D57 at
Classified Stacks. Continues Department of State Bulletin, 1939-89. JX232.A33 at
Classified Stacks. Current information on the status of various treaties. May reprint text
of treaty. Also available on WESTLAW, LEXIS-NEXIS, and the Internet at http://www.state.gov/www/publications/dispatch/index.html.
top
- Custom, Principles, Teachings
- See secondary sources (treatises, yearbooks, journals). Use
the periodical indexes and library catalog. Consult annotated bibliographies and research
guides, such as Germain's Transnational Law Research.
- For U.S. perspective, see:
- Restatement of the Law, Third, the Foreign Relations Law
of the United States, KF395.F67 1987 at Reference Stacks. Also available on WESTLAW and LEXIS-NEXIS.
- Digest of United States Practice in International Law,
1973-date. JX21.D54 at Classified Stacks.
- West's Federal Practice Digest 4th (current) at
Reading Room.
- West's Federal Practice Digest 3d (1975-beginning of
4th) at Reading Room.
top
- International Cases
- International Law Reports, JX68.A65 at Classified
Stacks. Commercial publication that covers decisions of a variety of courts including the
International Court of Justice. See especially Consolidated Indexes.
- International Court of Justice:
- Pleadings, Oral Arguments, Documents, JX1971.6.A26 at
Classified Stacks.
- Reports of Judgments, Advisory Opinions, and Orders,
1947-date. JX1971.6.A27 at Classified Stacks. Also on WESTLAW.
- Reports of International Arbitral Awards, 1948-date.
JX1991.A25 at Classified Stacks.
- Yearbook, JX1971.6.Y4 at Classified Stacks.
- International Court of Justice, http://www.icj-cij.org/. Includes full text of cases
since 1996, and the Court's current docket. See also unofficial site at Cornell, http://www.law.cornell.edu/icj/.
- World Court digest / prepared by Rainer Hofmann ...
[et al.], 1992-date. JX68.W57 1992 at Classified Stacks. Also at http://www.virtual-institute.de/en/wcd/wcd_home.cfm.
- Rudolf Bernhardt. International Court of Justice. Digest
of the decisions of the International Court of Justice, 1959-1975 = Repertoire des
decisions de la Cour internationale de justice, 1959-1975 = Handbuch der Entscheidungen
des Internationalen Gerichtshofs 1959-1975, JX64.F6 Ser.A-1 v.6 at Classified Stacks.
- Rudolf Bernhardt. International Court of Justice. Digest
of the decisions of the International Court of Justice, 1976-1985 = Repertoire des
decisions de la Cour internationale de justice, 1976-1985, JX64.F6 Ser. A-1, v.7 at
Classified Stacks.
top
- United Nations
- Generally
- Basic Facts about the United Nations, JX1977.A37B3,
current at Reference Office.
- Edmund Jan Osmánczyk, The Encyclopedia of the United
Nations and International Relations, JX1977.O8213 1990 at Reference Office.
- Yearbook of the United Nations, JX1977.A37Y4 at
Classified Stacks. Official publication; slow to publish
- Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law, 1997-date.
KZ21.M39 at Classified Stacks.
- Documents
- The UN produces an overwhelming number of documents each
year. There are several types of UN documents, most notably sales publications and
mimeograph/masthead ("working") documents. The Law Library has most sales
documents on international environmental law and law of the sea.
- The Government Publications Division of the Suzzallo/Allen
Libraries is a UN depository; they receive most of the working documents. These documents
are invaluable to the researcher, but can be difficult to access and slow to arrive. They
are not accessible through the online catalog, but through a variety of print and
electronic indexes, in particular AccessUN, and are organized by UN call numbers. For more
information about the UN working documents, see United Nations Documentation Research
Guide, http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/.
- Index to United Nations Publications, 1983-date. At
Suzzallo Government Publications. Commonly called the "Readex" CD ROM (after the
name of the producer), this is an index of UN official records, resolutions, reports,
proceedings and studies, and documents from selected specialized agencies. Suzzallo
subscribes to a microfiche collection of documents indexed on the CD ROM. The microfiche
is housed in the Microform/Newspaper Division.
- AccessUN, 1991-date. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/ This is the Internet
version of the Readex CD ROM.
- UN Info Quest (UN-I-QUE), http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/unique. Provides
quick access to symbols and sales numbers of tens of thousands of selected UN documents
from 1946 to date. Does not give full bibliographic citation. Created by the UN Reference
Librarians to answer frequently asked questions.
- The United Nations Environment Programme has two
websites: Headquarters (http://www.unep.org) and the
Geneva Executive Center (http://www.unep.ch/).
- Many Convention and Conference Secretariats have
websites with the full-text of documents. See for example, the Conference on Climate
Change at http://www.cop3.de/ or the Convention on
Biological Diversity at http://www.biodiv.org/. To
find a particular convention or conference website, try one of the directories listed in section 6.
top
- European Union
- Guides
- Researching the European Union, http://www.eurunion.org/infores/resguide.htm
- Bob Burns, Everything's Gone Green: A Brief Guide to
Sources of Information on European Union Environmental Law and Policy, 25 Law
Librarian 61-64 (June 1994).
- A Selective Bibliography of Environmental Law in the
European Economic Community, 16 Hous. J. Int'l L. 423 (1993).
- European Union Law Reporter (CCH), KJE925.5.C65 at
Reference Stacks. Looseleaf service with selected texts, digests, and commentary. Selected
case reporting from 1989-date can be found in companion service, European Community
Cases (CCH) KJE925.5.E9 at Reference Stacks.
- Official Journal of the European Communities. Legislation
(L-series). KJE908.L43 at Reading Room Microfiche.
- Official Journal of the European Communities. Information
and Notices (C-series). KJE908.I53 at Reading Room Microfiche.
- Reports of Cases Before the Court, 1979-1989,
KJE924.5.R46 at Classified Stacks. Reports of Cases Before the Court of Justice and the
Court of First Instance, 1990-date, KJE924.5.R46 at Classified Stacks. 1958-1978 is at
same call number, but decisions are in French.
- Suzzallo Government Publications is a depository for
official European Union documents.
- Official web site is at http://europa.eu.int/.
top
- Researching Foreign Law
- Guides
- Thomas H. Reynolds & Arturo A. Flores, Foreign Law:
Current Sources of Codes and Basic Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World,
1989-date. K38.R49 1989 at Reference Office. Excellent multi-volume set; very thorough.
- Claire M. Germain, Germain's Transnational Law Research:
A Guide for Attorneys, K85.G47 1991 at Reference Office or Quick Reference floor 6.
See Chapter V, "Countries."
- Overviews
- Martindale-Hubbell International Law Digest, KF190.M34
at Reserve or Reference Office. Summaries of the laws of most countries. Good starting
place. Also on LEXIS-NEXIS.
- International Association of Legal Science, International
Encyclopedia of Comparative Law, 1973-85. K530.I58 at Reference Stacks.
- Kenneth R. Redden & William Emerson Brock, Modern
Legal Systems Cyclopedia, K530.M63 1984 at Reference Stacks.
- Foreign Law Compilations
- J. Andrew Schlickman et al., International Environmental
Law and Regulation, K3585.4I573 1991 at Reference Stacks. 2 v. looseleaf. Reviews and
summarizes environmental laws and regulations and enforcement of these laws and
regulations. Covers 23 countries at present. Most country chapters include citations to
primary sources.
- International Environment Reporter: Reference File,
K3585.4.I57 at Reference Stacks. v. 2-4 reprints many European Union decisions, directives
and regulations; v.4 also includes summaries environmental laws of 32 countries, with
directory of environmental agencies.
- International Digest of Health Legislation, v. 1-32,
1948-81; v. 49, 1998-date. K3569.2.I57 at Classified Stacks. (A complete run is available
at Suzzallo Health Sciences Reference Serials 614.05 IN.) Includes environmental
protection and hazardous substances legislation.
- European Community Environment Legislation,
KJE6242.A42 1996 at Classified Stacks. 7 v., divided by topic.
top
- Selected Foreign Law Databases and Internet Sites
- Environmental, Health and Safety Regulations
(current), compiled by ERM Computer Services, Inc. LEXIS-NEXIS and WESTLAW.
- European Communities--CELEX database, produced by the
Commission of the European Communities; coverage varies depending on document type. LEXIS-NEXIS.
- Canadian statutes and cases. LEXIS-NEXIS.
- Australian statutes and cases. LEXIS-NEXIS.
- French law--cases, treaties, laws, regulations. In French,
including French connectors (e.g., "et" instead of "and"). LEXIS-NEXIS.
- Mexican law--legislation and cases. In Spanish. LEXIS-NEXIS.
- FAOLEX Legal Database http://faolex.fao.org. Index and abstracts of treaties,
laws, and regulations taken from official gazettes of member nations. Subjects include
environment, fisheries, forest, and wildlife & biodiversity.
- Environmental Law Around the World http://www.igc.org/igc/issues/el/. Produced
by the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide's U.S. office in conjunction with IGC/Econet.
Links to country and intergovernmental organization sites. Full-text searchable.
- Foreign Governments http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/idtf/foreign.html.
Current and comprehensive alphabetical list of foreign government websites.
- Guide to Law Online: Nations of the World (Library of
Congress) http://lcweb2.loc.gov/glin/x-nation.html.
Annotated list of links to the law of jurisdictions around the world.
- U.S. House of Representatives Internet Law Library http://law.house.gov/52.htm. Links to laws of other
nations.
- ForInt-Law (a web site maintained by Washburn Law
Library) http://lawlib.wuacc.edu/forint/forint3m.html.
Links to law-related sites around the world.
- Foreign Governments: Strategies for Locating Foreign
Government Information on the Internet http://www.libraries.psu.edu/crsweb/docs/forgate.htm.
Describes several approaches to finding foreign government information on the Web
(produced by the international documents librarian at Penn State).
top
- Federal Legislative Materials
- The Law Library has a strong collection of Congressional
documents, which may be helpful in researching the United States position on international
agreements. Some documents are in paper, some in microfiche, some of the older materials
are at Suzzallo, and some newer material is on LEXIS-NEXIS and the Internet.
- Congressional documents (reports, prints, hearings) are not
individually cataloged, but can be identified using the CIS Congressional Universe
(http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/)
or the CIS print indexes (KF49.C62 at Reference Stacks). Congressional Universe indexes
documents from 1970 forward. Older material can be identified through the print indexes
(KF40 and KF49 at Reference Stacks).
- For a quick overview of an act's legislative history, check US
Code Congressional & Administrative News, KF48 at Reference Stacks. If you are
looking for a compiled legislative history of an enacted law, check Sources of Compiled
Legislative Histories, Z673.A54P8 no. 14 at Reference Office.
top
|