LPAB Student Resources
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Narrow down your search using the Limit/Sort button if you get too many results.
Searching by topic
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.
The 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:
For more details see: Off-Campus access information.
On this page |
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 Student ID/Library cards
Borrowing
- University of Sydney - other Australian Universities - for Distance students Distance students
- document requests - book requests Contacts
- update your Library details - give feedback |
Supplementary Materials
Legal research help
- classes - online guides - consultations Study group
- room bookings Off-campus access to Library resources |
Other useful sites Law Extension Committee
Get a Unikey
- what is my Unikey for? - other Unikey services Legal Profession Admission Board- past exam papers (only available from the LPAB website) |
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 should use the Library card from previous sessions.
April 2008: Changes to LPAB Library Card Production
(Amendment to page 37 "Library Cards" in the Winter Session 2008 Course Information Handbook)
LPAB Library Cards will be processed by the University Card Centre. If you have any enquiries relating to Library Card processing, revalidation and lost cards, the Card Centre's contact information is listed below:
Phone: (02) 9351 2423
Fax: (02) 9351 7278
Email: university.cards@usyd.edu.au
Location: Card Services, Level 2, Fisher Library
When does my card expire?
Your card expires at the end of each session and should be automatically revalidated by the Library 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?
From June 1, 2008 no cards can be made at the Law Library. To organise a replacement card please contact the University Card Centre (details above).Borrowing
University of Sydney Libraries
LPAB student may borrow from any of the University of Sydney Libraries. The Law and Fisher libraries are the most useful for legal studies. See the LPAB card details for more information about your privileges.Other Australian universities libraries- National Borrowing Scheme
The National Borrowing Scheme allows students of Sydney University to borrow from other University Libraries. See the Library's Borrowing at Another Australian 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
- In person: request a two week
loan for books from the Law Short Loan collection that are borrowed.
Requests must be made at the time of borrowing and proof of address may be required. - Off campus: request books & documents to be sent to them by post or email.
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Book request service
Make a request to the LPAB Country Lending Officer by either:
Books can be sent by post or via Document Exchange. |
Article and cases request service Request copies of journals articles and cases (that are not available online) and have them sent to you by email.
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Supplementary Materials
PDF Troubleshooting
- Help with using and printing Supplementary Materials in PDF format
- Download the latest Adobe Acrobat reader
- Check the speed of your internet connection
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
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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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Introduction to Legal Research - introduces the basics of legal research, the Law Library web page and Catalogue. |
| Finding legislation - looks at finding and researching legislation, both in the hard copy format and on-line. |
Finding journal articles - looks at searching databases to retrieve journal articles for assignments and study. |
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Combined legal research classes - this 3 hour class (9.30-12.30 pm or 1-4pm) held on Saturdays is a condensed version of the individual classes to make attendance easier for students who are unable to get to individual sessions. Answers to class exercises |
| Legal Research Classes Winter 2008 Location: Classes: Held in Computer Training Room, Level 7, Law School, 173-175 Phillip Street, Sydney (entry via Level 8) Tours: Meet at Library Information Desk, Level 8 **No bookings required for classes or tours. |
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| Monday May 5 | Library Tours | Starting times: 1pm & 1.30pm Starting times: 5.30pm |
| Tuesday May 6 | Library Tours | Starting times: 1pm & 1.30pm Starting times: 5.30pm |
| Thursday May 8 | Introduction to Legal Research | 6-7pm |
| Friday May 9 | Introduction to Legal Research | 12.30-1.30pm |
| Saturday May 10 | Combined class | Morning session: 9.30-12.30pm Repeated in the afternoon: 1-4pm |
| Monday May 12 | Finding Legislation | 12.30-1.30pm |
| Finding Cases | 6-7pm | |
| Tuesday May 13 | Finding Cases | 12.30-1.30pm |
| Wednesday May 14 | Finding Journal articles | 12.30-1.30pm |
| Thursday May 15 | Finding Legislation | 6-7pm |
| Saturday May 17 | Combined class | Morning session: 9.30-12.30pm Repeated in the afternoon: 1-4pm |
| Monday May 19 | Finding Journal articles | 6-7pm |
| Friday May 30 | Combined class Coinciding with Distance/Country weekend school |
12.30-3.30 |
Legal Research Online Guides
| Legal Research Booklet Download in PDF: 1Mb  Updated April 2008 |
Individual Mini-tutorials |
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Starting Legal Research
Before beginning any legal research, it is important to know what sort of materials you need.
| Material type | Useful for |
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| 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 |
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| Australian | - AustLII - Law Reports A-Z - Casebase (citator) |
- AustLII (All) - ComLaw (Cth) - NSW PCO (NSW) |
- BillsNet (Cth) - 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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- 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 database uses "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 Eg. negligen* will find: negligence, negligent and negligently. |
Wildcard Eg. defen?e will find: defence or defense. |
Finding a Statute in AustLII
ExampleThe 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 Trade Practices Act on AustLII using a specific collection/jurisdiction:
- 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 the Free Web Law- legislation
Finding a case in 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 into AustLII via the Free Web Law link
- 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 The Wik Peoples v The State of Queensland & Ors; The Thayorre People v The State of Queensland & Ors [1996] HCA 40 (23 December 1996)
Try also:
Find the following English case in Westlaw: Adler v George [1964] 2 QB 7
Try also:
Finding an English case in Westlaw
Example
Finding journal articles in AGIS
ExampleFinding some articles in AGIS on issues dealing with judicial 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 your Library Catalogue 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
2 rooms for study groups are available in the Law Library. Conditions:- 2 hour limit (with 1 renewal if the room is not in demand)
- Same day bookings only
- Distance student can book 1 week in advance (conditions apply)
Contacts
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Michelle Harrison Acting Law Extension Liaison Librarian
Email: m.harrison@library.usyd.edu.au |
Grant Wheeler Circulation Librarian
Email: G.Wheeler@library.usyd.edu.au |