LPAB Student Resources
| On this page | ||
|---|---|---|
| Student ID/Library cards Borrowing Distance students Contacts |
Supplementary Materials Legal research help Study group Off-campus access to Library resources |
Other useful sitesLaw Extension CommitteeGet a Unikey Legal Profession Admission Board
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Student ID/Library cards
When you enroll with the Law Extension Committee you are entitled to a University of Sydney Library/Student ID card, which gives access to Library services, borrowing privileges and also acts as ID for exams.
You should always have your Library card with you when using the Library, as you will need it to borrow books and use the Library computers. Please note that Library cards are non-transferrable. Continuing students can use their Library card from previous sessions.
Library cards are processed by the Campus Card Centre. You should contact them if you have any enquiries relating to Library card processing, revalidation or lost cards.
When does my card expire?
Your card expires at the end of each session and should be automatically revalidated by the Campus Card Centre at the beginning of each session in which you enroll. At the start of a session it is helpful to bring proof of enrolment to the Library.
What if I lose my card?
No cards can be made at the Law Library. To organise a replacement card please contact the Campus Card Centre.
Borrowing
University of Sydney Libraries
LPAB students may borrow from any of the University of Sydney Libraries. The Law and Fisher Libraries are the most useful for legal studies. See LPAB card details for more information about your privileges.
Other Australian university libraries - University Libraries Australia and New Zealand (ULANZ) National Borrowing Scheme
The National Borrowing Scheme allows LPAB students to borrow from other University Libraries. See the Library's Borrowing at Another Australian or New Zealand University page for more information.Distance Students - additional services
Who are distance students?
Distance students are those living in Australia but beyond the following train stations:- Lisarow
- Richmond
- Faulconbridge
- Picton
- Wollongong
Supplementary Materials
PDF Troubleshooting
- Help with using and printing Supplementary Materials in PDF format
- Download the latest Adobe Acrobat reader
Legal Research Help
Library Tours
Includes a tour of the collections held at the Law Library and an overview of the facilities available.Hands-on classes
Designed to give:- an introduction (or refresher) on searching legal databases and other useful websites
- lots of hands-on practice and exercises
| Finding cases - looks at finding Australian and English cases in full text and finding information about specific cases in a variety of online databases. |
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| Finding legislation - looks at finding and researching legislation, both in the hard copy format and on-line. |
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| Finding journal articles - looks at searching databases to retrieve journal articles for assignments and study. | |
| 'All in one' research classes - these 3 hour classes are a condensed version of the individual classes to make attendance easier for students who are unable to get to individual sessions. |
| Legal Research Classes Winter 2013 Tours: 30 minute tours of the Law Library and facilities are available on request. Contact Patrick O'Mara, LPAB Librarian, to arrange a tour (Email: patrick.omara@sydney.edu.au or phone 02 9351 0293). ** Priority will be given to distance students at the 'All in One' class scheduled for 1pm to 4pm on Friday 31 May prior to Weekend School 1. However, Sydney-based students are welcome to make an expression of interest in attending this class and can do so if there are places available. More 'All in One' classes may be scheduled on another Saturday if there is sufficient demand. |
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| Monday 13 May | Finding Legislation | 12.30pm - 1.30pm |
| Monday 13 May | Finding Cases | 6pm - 7pm |
| Tuesday 14 May | Finding Cases | 12.30pm-1.30pm |
| Wednesday 15 May | Finding Journal Articles | 12.30pm - 1.30pm |
| Thursday 16 May | Finding Legislation | 6pm - 7pm |
| Saturday 18 May | 'All in One' Legal Research | Morning session: 9.30am-12.30pm Repeated in the afternoon: 1.30pm-4.30pm |
| Monday 20 May | Finding Journal Articles | 6pm - 7pm |
| Saturday 25 May | 'All in One' Legal Research | Morning session: 9.30am-12.30pm Repeated in the afternoon: 1.30pm-4.30pm |
| Friday 31 May | 'All in One' Legal Research** | 1pm - 4pm |
Legal Research Tutorials
Starting Legal Research
Before beginning any legal research, it is important to know what sort of materials you need.
| Material type | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Cases | Primary source: authoritative record of the law: decisions of the courts |
| Legislation | Primary source: authoritative record of the law: law made by Parliament. Eg. Acts & Regulations |
| Bills, Second Reading speeches & Hansard | Secondary sources. Bills are draft Acts yet to be passed by Parliament. Second Reading speeches and Hansard document the intention of proposed legislation |
| Books, Reports | Secondary sources. Can provide background as well as introductory or comprehensive overviews of an area of the law |
| Legal dictionaries & Encyclopaedias | Secondary sources. Provide legal definitions and an overview of an area of the law |
| Journal articles, conference papers | Secondary sources. Discussion of issues about or background to the law. |
Choosing Databases
Once you know what sort of material you need, the suggestions below will help pick the best databases to use for each material type.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | Legislation | Bills, Parliamentary Papers etc. | Journal articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian | - AustLII - Law Reports A-Z - Casebase (citator) |
- AustLII (All) - ComLaw (Cth) - NSW PCO (NSW) |
- Bills - Parliament of Australia - NSW PCO (NSW) - LawLex (All) |
- AGIS - Legaltrac - Casebase |
| English | - Westlaw - Lexis.com - Justis |
- BaiLII - UK Statute law database |
- UK Parliament Bills |
- Legaltrac - Westlaw - Lexis.com |
Finding a book in the Library Catalogue
| You have the exact title/author | You have some details about the book |
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Narrow down your search using the Limit/Sort button if you get too many results.
Searching by topic- Brainstorm any words that could be used to describe the topic
- Combine the words using Boolean operators such as 'OR' eg. law OR legal
More tips on Boolean operators
Boolean operators allow more powerful searching. For example:
| Operator | Effect on the search | Example | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| AND | narrows | Solicitor AND negligence (both words must be present in each record) |
Some databases use AND as the default if you type in more than one word |
| OR | broadens | Company OR corporation (either word can be present in each record) |
Useful for when there are alternative terms |
| NOT | restricts | Mercury NOT planet (the first word must be in the record, but will then discard it if it has the second word) |
Useful for ambiguous terms |
Other useful search characters
Some databases use other characters for more flexible searching. Always check the Help section of a database to see which ones work in the database you want to use. Eg:
| Truncation For example, in the Library Catalogue negligen* will find: negligence, negligent and negligently. |
Wildcard For example, in the Library Catalogue, defen?e will find: defence or defense. |
Finding a Statute on AustLII
AustLII is a leading free website for accessing Australian law.
Example
The more details that you have, the easier it will be to find - for example, if you know the title of legislation, the jurisdiction, search using a specific collection/jurisdiction.
To find the Fair Work Act on AustLII using a specific collection/jurisdiction:
- Go to Law Library > Law Databases > Legislation > AustLII
- On the left side of the window click on the jurisdiction: Commonwealth
- Select the appropriate database: Commonwealth Consolidated Legislation
- Click on alphabetical list if the exact title of the legislation is known. If not, click on name search to search legislation in that collection.
Other free legislation sites accessed via Free Web Law - Legislation
Finding a case on AustLII
ExampleThe more details you have of the case ie party names, court or jurisdiction, the easier it will be to find the case. To find the 1996 High Court case Wik Peoples v The State of Queensland via AustLII:
- Go to Law Library > Law Databases >Cases > AustLII
- On the left side of the window click on the jurisdiction "Commonwealth".
- Select the appropriate database "High Court of Australia Decisions 1903-".
- Type the most unique part of the party names into the Case name search field, combining them with 'AND' eg. Wik AND Queensland
- Click on Search
- Choose Wik Peoples v Queensland ("Pastoral Leases case") [1996] HCA 40
Try also:
Finding an English case in Westlaw
ExampleFind the following English case in Westlaw: Adler v George [1964] 2 QB 7
- Open Westlaw from the Law Databases page
- Click on Find by Title from the lefthand Shortcuts menu
- Under the Global Case Law heading in the main window, enter at least one of the party names eg. Adler George (no need to put 'and' between them)
- From the Jurisdiction drop-down menu choose United Kingdom
- Click on Go
- When the results appear, click on the link to the case citation
- The full text will appear
Try also:
Finding journal articles in AGIS
ExampleFinding some articles in AGIS on issues dealing with judicial independence in NSW
- Go to the Law Library Homepage - Legal databases link
- Click on Journal Indexes
- Select AGIS from the list of periodicals/journal indexes
- In the first text entry box: Enter (judic* or judg*) . Choose the any field search type (to perform a key word search).
- Tip: search options include any field (the key word function), title, author, journal title, cases, jurisdiction and legislation
- Connect the search terms with 'AND'
- In the second text entry box: enter indep*. Choose the any field
- Click on the Search more fields link (to add a search box)
- Connect the search terms with 'AND'
- In the third text entry box: enter new south wales. Choose the jurisdiction
- Click on Search
- In many cases the article will be available in full text via a pdf file.
- If not, click on the Check Library link to the right of the article to check if the library has the journal.
Accessing Library Resources from off-campus
When accessing Library resources off campus, you will be prompted for your Unikey before entering.
For more details see: Off-Campus access information.
Study Group room bookings
10 rooms for study groups are available in the Law Library.
Conditions:
- Bookings are made via the online Library Room Booking facility
- 2 hour limit per group per day
- Bookings can be made only 48 hours in advance
Contacts
| Patrick O'Mara Law Extension Liaison Librarian
Email: patrick.omara@sydney.edu.au |
Updating your personal details
Any changes to your personal details, including address, contact details and email address should be given directly and separately to each of the following: