Law Library Services for CSU Graduate and Undergraduate Students
Please contact a Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Research Services librarian during their regularly scheduled hours, or via email to research.services@law.csuohio.edu for help in locating these or other resources to meet your needs.
- Where is the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library?
- I'm not a Law student - can I use the Law Library?
- When are you open?
- Can I take out books from the Law Library?
- How do I know where to find a book in the Law Library?
- Can I pick up OhioLINK books at the Law Library?
- Are there PCs I can use in the Law Library?
- Can I use my wireless laptop in the Law Library?
- Do you have a copy of the Cleveland City Ordinances?
- What if I need legal advice? Is there a law student who can help me?
- Do you have a photocopy machine I can use?
- What is LexisNexis Academic and how do I get to it?
- What's the url for the Law Library's web site?
- What about all of those abbreviations you see in citations?
- Where do I find definitions for unfamiliar legal terms?
- I need to develop a research strategy for an extensive law-related project, but need to know what resources are available at the Law Library. How can I do that?
- What style manual is used for legal writing?
- Can I use Westlaw?
Where is the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library?
On the Cleveland State University campus, at 1801 Euclid Ave. , Cleveland, Ohio – On the east side of E. 18th St. – Up a level from the E. 18th St. building entrance; down a level from the Campus Connector, or Turn right if you come in at the Law Building's Euclid Ave. entrance.
I'm not a Law student – can I use the Law Library?
Yes – our Law Library is open to the community for their legal research, and certainly for our Cleveland State University Community members. We strive to be the center for legal research for our University Community.
When are you open?
Regular Semester (Fall & Spring) Law Library Hours:
Monday – Thursday, 8:00 am – 11:00 pm; Friday, 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday, 9:00 – 8:00 pm; Sunday, 12:00 noon – 11:00 pm
Holidays, Summer & Semester Break Hours may vary; check our web site at Hours for an updated listing, or call the Information Services Desk at (216) 687-2250.
If the University is closed for a snow day or other situation, the Law Library is closed also. Television announcements are made; the main University phone number 216 687-2000 has official information.
Can I take out books from the Law Library?
If you are a currently enrolled Cleveland State University student, you can bring your CSU ID (VikingCard) and check out circulating titles. In a law library, there are many titles that are part of multivolume sets, or are supplemented or other subscription titles, and these will not circulate. Titles listed as Reserve Room are checked out with your CSU ID/VikingCard for 2-hour use within the Law Library.
How do I know where to find a book in the Law Library?
Law Library titles are included in SCHOLAR, the CSU University and Law Libraries' combined catalog. When you write down a call number, also note the location and availability. If "Stacks" is indicated, Call numbers A – KE are on the Base Level, KF 1 – 150 are on the 2nd Level, and call numbers KF 151 – Z (other than KFO 1 – 599 (Ohio titles) are on the Atrium Level. Ohio titles are generally on the 1st Level - Reference Area, Reserve Room, or Ohio Room.
For the location of many of our large sets of legal titles, check the red Range Guide at the Information Services Desk.
As you enter the Law Library, you are on the 1st Level. Above it is the 2nd Level. The bottom level is the Base Level, or B on the elevator; the Atrium Level, A on the elevator, is between 1st and B. Use the stairway or elevators inside the Law Library to access the various levels.
If any questions, ask us.
Can I pick up OhioLINK books at the Law Library?
Yes, at the Information Services Desk with your CSU ID (VikingCard) if you had selected that location when you requested the title.
Are there PCs I can use in the Law Library?
Only current C.S.U. Law students have password access to the Law Library's PC Lab, although two Legal Research Workstations are available on a first-come-first-served basis across from the Information Services Desk on the 1st Level of the Law Library. These Workstations provide access to LexisNexis Academic and other electronic resources for your legal research. They do not have word processing software or email or other Internet searching availability (Google, etc.) Printouts are 10 cents per page, coins or $1 bills.
The Thomson/West Publishing Company has discontinued the Premise CD-Rom Ohio court decisions product, so that Legal Research Workstation in the Reference Area is now configured as are the other two research workstations, with Ohio court decisions available via LexisNexis Academic, or from specific courts. Copies of cases are 10 cents per page, using coins or $1 bills.
(If you want to use a similar to Premise West product for electronic searching of Ohio Cases, Cleveland Public Library's Social Sciences Dept.(Stokes Wing), on Suprerior Ave. at E. 6th St. has Ohio Westlaw available.)
For other CSU Campus PC Lab locations, see http://www.csuohio.edu/ats/campuslabs/
Can I use my wireless laptop in the Law Library?
Yes - if you are a CSU student, faculty, or staff member and your laptop is equipped for accessing CSU's wireless network. The entire Law Library is included in the CSU wireless network. For more information, see the IS&T Web Site.
Do you have a copy of the Cleveland City Ordinances?
Yes we do have a copy of the Codified Ordinances, City of Cleveland, Ohio in our Reference Area and Reserve Room, call number KFX 1291 .A6 2003
It is also available electronically at the Cleveland City Council's web site. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/clevelandcodes/
What if I need legal advice? Is there a law student who can help me?
The Law Library is a collection of a vast body of complex information. Law librarians may be able to assist you in locating legal information and can help you learn how to use law books, but we cannot do your research for you. Quite often, a good deal of effort must be used to locate answers to questions about the law. Law librarians cannot give legal advice. Interpretations of the law and
application of the law to any given set of circumstances is best performed by someone trained to do so. When confronted with a legal problem, you should consult an attorney. Law Students may not provide legal advice outside of working under the supervision of an attorney, according to Ohio Rules, so please do not consider interfering with their concentration on their work.
The Law Library has prepared a Guide:
Where to Go For Legal Advice in the Cleveland Area which may be helpful. Print copies are also available in the Law Library.
Do you have a photocopy machine I can use?
Yes - once you come into the Law Library, turn right when you get to the Information Services Desk, and the room with photocopiers is right past the elevators. Copies are 10 cents each, and the copiers take nickles, dimes, quarters, and dollars. We do not have change at the Desk, so we are not able to break a 10 or 20 dollar bill. Please do not use CSU VikingCards or credit cards in the Law Library copiers -- they do not work.
What is LexisNexis Academic and how do I get to it?
LexisNexis Academicis a research database with access via OhioLINK for the students, faculty, and staff of Cleveland State University. It provides full-text searching of many important resources, including federal and state laws and court decisions, law review/journal articles, an extensive collection of current national, state, and world news, as well as numerous business resources. If a journal is available on LexisNexis, it will be indicated on Journal Finder and also usually in Scholar.
Off-campus access may require authentication (your name, your CSU ID number, and the PIN you created on SCHOLAR.) Please note: this is a different product than law school or law firm LexisNexis (more like a subset of those products) which require password access.
To get to LexisNexis Academic, start at the CSU University Library's homepage, then click on Research Databases, then J-L on the alphabetical list, and then LexisNexis Academic. LexisNexis Academic has a new look since August, 2007, with more drop-down menus, and choices on the right side of the screen.
What's the url for the Law Library's web site?
http://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/
What about all of those abbreviations you see in citations?
There is a standardized citation format that you will encounter for many types of legal sources. For court cases, the citation includes the names of the parties, followed by the places where that case can be found. The format begins with the volume number, followed by the abbreviation for the set of reports, followed by the page number on which the case begins, and the date of the decision.
Example: Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602 (1966).
The case called Miranda v. Arizona was printed in volume 384 of the set of court reports called the United States Reports (the official set published by the United States Government), beginning on page 436. It was also published in volume 86 of the set published by the West Publishing Company (now Thomson West) called Supreme Court Reports, beginning on page 1602. The decision was issued in 1966. In the print set now published by LexisNexis, you would find the case at 16 L.Ed. 2d 694. This set is U. S. Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers Edition.
For information on deciphering citations see the Cleveland-Marshall Law Library guide: How to Read a Legal Citation .
For further information on citations see:
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Columbia Law Review Ass'n et al. eds., 18th ed. 2005), available at the Law Library Information Services Desk KF 245 .B58
Many legal abbreviations are included in Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., Law Library Reference Area KF 156 .B53.
Mary Miles Prince, Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations, KF246 .P74 2001 (Prince's 5th ed. 2001) available at Reference is very useful for unfamiliar abbreviations.
Where do I find definitions for unfamiliar legal terms?
Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., Law Library Reference Area KF 156 .B53 is the standard current law dictionary. When you are researching specific sections of the Ohio Revised Code or the United States Code, however, there may be very specific definitions included in the code for words used in particular sections of the code. So, you may need to do more extensive research perhaps including how court decisions have interpreted the law, rather than just being able to rely on a dictionary definition.
I need to develop a research strategy for an extensive law-related project, but need to know what resources are available at the Law Library. How can I do that?
Many resources are listed in SCHOLAR, the combined catalog of the University Library and the Law Library. In addition, we have available a number of other print, microform, and electronic resources. Your Research Services Librarians at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library may be able to suggest research strategies for you. Stop in or call during the regularly scheduled Research Services hours, or contact via email to research.services@law.csuohio.edu .
If you would like to make an appointment to discuss your project and potential resources, we will try to accommodate you.
What style manual is used for legal writing?
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Columbia Law Review Ass'n et al. eds., 18th ed. 2005), available at the Law Library Information Services Desk KF 245 .B58
Can I use Westlaw?
Our law school contract with Westlaw only provides passwords for students and faculty of the College of Law.
LexisNexis Academic, available to all Cleveland State University students, faculty, and staff, does include a substantial amount of caselaw, annotated codes for all states, a very comprehensive resource of full-text law review articles, and similar, easy to use, search software. We would be glad to show you how to use it.
The Thomson/West Publishing Company has discontinued the Premise CD-Rom Ohio court decisions product, so that Legal Research Workstation in the Reference Area is now configured as are the other two research workstations, with Ohio court decisions available via LexisNexis Academic, or from specific courts. Copies of cases are 10 cents per page, using coins or $1 bills.
(If you want to use a similar to the West Premise product for electronic searching of Ohio Cases, Cleveland Public Library's Social Sciences Dept.(Stokes Wing), on Suprerior Ave. at E. 6th St. has Ohio Westlaw available.)
The Law Library has many print titles from Thomson West, such as Baldwin's Ohio Revised Code Annotated, and the Ohio Handbook series, and Ohio titles from LexisNexis and other publishers. See your Law Library Research Services librarians to find out your research options.
Marie Rehmar, Head of Reference Services and
Schuyler Cook, Government Information/Reference Librarian
rev. 6/29/07; rev 9/9/07,1/15/08,2/20/08mr