|
Nov. 14, 2005.
Kristy Moon, editor.
New Westlaw Database: 50 State Surveys
by Cheryl Nyberg
Westlaw unveiled a new database this summer: 50-State Surveys (SURVEYS).
This database contains tables that compare and identify states’ laws on
numerous subjects.
The three sources for these 50-state compilations include:
1. Richard Leiter’s National Survey of State Laws. KF386 .N38 at
Reference Office (latest edition). 2. Tables prepared by the Legal Research
Center, Inc., from Minneapolis, http://www.lrci.com/. 3. Tables prepared by
West researchers.
Among the subjects covered are business and consumer laws, civil and
criminal laws, education, employment, environment, family, financial
services, health care, insurance, manufacturing, marketing and retail, real
estate, statutes of limitations, tax, telecommunications, and utilities.
Several more specific subjects are included under each of these subject
headings.
Does the database contain a state law compilation on particular topic?
Users have three ways to determine the answer:
Open the SURVEYS database and click on the Table of Contents link.
Browse the list of topics and click on the plus sign next to a topic to view
a list of subtopics. Open the SURVEYS database and do a Terms & Connectors
search. Open a state statute database (such as STAT-ALL (all unannotated
state statutes) or WA-STAT (a single state’s unannotated statute database)).
When your search retrieves a statutory section that is represented in one of
the state law surveys, you will see a link called 50 State Surveys under the
Results Plus heading.
For information about other sources that answer the “What states have
laws on X?,” see Subject Compilations of State Laws, KF1 .S93 at Reference
Office (most recent three years).
SUMMIT: Visiting Patron & Pick Up Anywhere
by Tyler Bosma
The Gallagher Law Library is a member of a 32-member consortium called
SUMMIT. As UW law students, you're able to borrow books from any of these
consortium members (including law libraries at Lewis & Clark, the University
of Oregon, and Seattle University). When you request materials online
through the SUMMIT catalog (http://marian.law.washington.edu/, click on
Summit under the Other Library Catalogs heading), they'll be delivered to
the circulation desk here and you'll receive an email notifying you of their
arrival. But there are other ways to use SUMMIT, too:
Pick Up Anywhere: Heading out of town for a long weekend? When you
request an item through SUMMIT, you have the option of selecting a pick-up
location other than your home library, which is the circulation desk here at
Gallagher. Maybe you're planning on spending some time in Portland – request
books through SUMMIT and pick them up at the University of Portland. You can
opt to pick up your SUMMIT materials at any of the 32 institutions involved
in the consortium.
Visiting Patron: Or maybe you'll be in Eugene for a week, visiting
relatives. Visit the University of Oregon's John E. Jaqua Law Library, and
use your Husky Card to borrow materials in person. All consortium members
participate in the Visiting Patron procedures, which allow any patron from a
member institution to borrow materials from any other member library.
There are over 25 million items available to you through the UW's
membership in the SUMMIT consortium, and there are many ways to take
advantage of these materials. Feel free to ask questions about these
services in the Reference Office or at the Circulation Desk.
| 