 FORDHAM UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW -- LEO T. KISSAM MEMORIAL LIBRARY |
HOW TO FIND MATERIALS
ACCESS
HOW TO FIND MATERIALS
TIPS FOR SEARCHING FULLPAC
LOCATIONS & CLASSIFICATION
OF MATERIALSARRANGEMENT OF THE COLLECTION
MAPS
ALPHABETICAL FINDING LIST
FACILITIES
CIRCULATION POLICIES
- FULLPAC's Web address is http://lawpac.fordham.edu. (no login required).
- FULLPAC's Telnet address is lawpac.fordham.edu ; login as fullpac.
FULLPAC contains most of the library's holdings, including all materials cataloged since 1981 and all materials classified with Library of Congress classification. We also have a card catalog, which should still be consulted if you cannot find something in the online catalog. This is because a small number of materials, primarily some microform materials and older foreign law books classed with Schiller call numbers, are not yet in the FULLPAC database. We have not filed new cards into the card catalog for several years, however, so you should always start your research in the online catalog.
- You can search FULLPAC by AUTHOR, TITLE, SUBJECT or WORD. WORD searches are especially useful when you are not sure of the exact title, or you don’t know the formal subject heading.
- If your search yields a large list of titles, you can LIMIT the search set by year, publisher, or words in the author or title. Follow the instructions on the screen to do this.
- If you find a particularly useful book, you can search for other materials under the same subject heading by choosing the SHOW SIMILAR ITEMS option.
- Each catalog record shows holdings and location information. To see which stack level a call number is on, check the CALL NUMBER LOCATION CHART.
- Holdings information includes the most current issue or volume we’ve received of a journal or reporter, as well as how far back our subscription goes. If an item is already checked out by someone else, its due date will be displayed. You can ask at the Circulation Desk to have a circulating item recalled and/or held for you.
- If you need microfilm or microfiche, you can also consult the MICROFORMS INDEX, hard copies of which are at the Reference Desk and in the Microforms Room on level 6s. The Index will tell you exactly which cabinet and drawer your materials are in.
- Course Reserves and two legal periodical indexes can also be searched directly on FULLPAC while in the Library. Due to licensing restrictions, the indexes are not available using remote access.
- Never give up after just one search! Always ask a Reference Librarian to assist you if you have trouble locating materials in the catalog.
LOCATIONS & CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS
Always check in two places in a FULLPAC record for location information: First, directly below the call number at the top of the screen, and second, the box at the bottom, which may show a special location, such as RESERVE or REFERENCE, for individual volumes.
For its basic classification scheme, the Law Library uses the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. It is an alphanumeric code that is used to arrange books on the shelves in subject order. Most classification numbers consist of three lines:
| KF | alphabetical |
| 801 | whole number |
| .W53 | decimal |
The alphabetical component is a code for the subject. In the case of law, the letter K stands for law, and letters following it are codes for jurisdiction. For example, class K is general law, or law of more than one jurisdiction. Class KF is law of the United States. Adding another letter designates the law of a subjurisdiction, e.g., KFN is the code for the law of a state beginning with the letter "N." The number component further identifies the specific subject, while the decimal is a code for the individual work. See the Abridged LC Classification Outline for more information about the subject arrangement.
If you find materials that lack a call number or stack level notation, ask a Reference Librarian for assistance. You will also need help from a Circulation or Reference staff member to retrieve items from our "Compact Shelving" location, a locked area housing superseded and lesser-used materials as well as our Rare Book collection.
Our basic working collection of
reporters, statutes, administrative materials and citators are located around the Main
Reading Room on stack level 3. State materials are one floor above; general law reviews
are one floor below. Classified treatises are located mostly on stack levels 1, 4, 5 and
7.
In addition to the stacks and reading rooms, there are special collections of reserve and reference materials located near the library entrance.
RESERVE COLLECTION: Kept behind the Circulation Desk, Reserve materials include permanent reserve items, course reserve items, and unbound periodicals. The permanent reserve collection includes student study aids, such as Hornbooks, Nutshells, and the Black Letter Series, as well as heavily used treatises and primary sources and most of the library's looseleaf services. The course reserve collection consists of books and photocopies placed on reserve by faculty for specific classes. Course reserve lists are available on FULLPAC. The unbound periodical collection includes current law reviews, legal periodicals, and newspapers.
REFERENCE COLLECTION: The Reference collection is behind the Reference Desk, across from the Circulation Desk. This is a basic "ready reference" collection of factual information sources, such as almanacs, dictionaries, directories, and statistical compilations, combined with research manuals and bibliographic tools regularly used by the reference staff. Some frequently consulted looseleaf services are also kept here. Any materials removed from the reference area must be charged out at the Circulation Desk.
Several tools are provided to help you locate materials:
- a floor-by-floor schematic,
- floor maps,
- an alphabetical finding list
- a call number location chart
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Last modified: 10 October, 1999.
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