Want to know if we have a certain book, video, or journal? Our catalog is now online. Search by title, author, or keywords. If you see a title you are interested in, give us a call & we'll mail it to you. WSLL's catalog contains titles owned by the Wisconsin State Law Library, Dane County Law Library, and Milwaukee Legal Resource Center. Over 1,000 of these titles (mostly published by federal or state agencies) are linked to full-text versions on the Web. Can't find what you want in the online catalog? We can pinpoint what other libraries own by searching OCLC, an international database containing over 45,000,000 records of more than 38,000 libraries. Let us suggest some options for obtaining your material as it may be possible to borrow from one of these libraries.

Q: I prefer to get legal information free from the Internet but often I can't find what I'm looking for. What are some guidelines for knowing what's on the Internet and what isn't? A: When searching for legal information on the Internet, consider the type, source and date of the information. First, are you seeking primary or secondary sources? Primary law (statutes, court decisions, regulations) is very likely to be provided free of charge on the Internet. A visit to an official court page, legislative page or government agency page is usually the best method of finding primary law. Secondary sources such as ALRs, CJS, AmJur, Restatements, and treatises are unlikely to be found free of charge on the Internet. These resources are published by private corporations which sell legal expertise and analysis. The exception is law reviews and journals. Many law schools and bar associations are now providing articles free on the Internet. Also, keep in mind the date of the information. Most legal sites begin coverage in the mid-1990's. Some provide more historical coverage but, in general, legal information dated prior to 1995 is less likely to be found on the Internet. If you need assistance searching the Internet or locating information, please phone our reference librarians at 608-267-9696 or 800-322-9755. Send your suggestions for future legal research Tech Tips to the editor.