Library Services for out of London Student Members

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1 Library Services for out of London Student Members

2 Introduction As a student member of the Inner Temple you are entitled to use the services of the Inner Temple Library. Even if you cannot come into the Library in person on a regular basis, there are various services that are available to you. If you are in London for a training session or dining, you are welcome to visit the Library and make full use of the facilities available. Inner Temple Library website The website has information on our collections, services and contact details, as well as Library guides which can be viewed and downloaded. There is also a virtual tour to help you find your way around the Library. Help with legal research On the Library's website there is a series of Legal Research FAQs. They are designed to help with legal research queries and provide pointers to the hard copy and electronic resources that can be used to answer certain questions. Current FAQs cover UK and EU case law and legislation, treaty research and Parliamentary publications, and there is also a glossary of legal terms and phrases. The Legal Research Training page of our website also has links to recorded versions of three training sessions on UK case law and legislation.

3 You can also telephone or the Library for help with legal research. Examples of queries we can help with are: legal abbreviations, commencement dates and checking sources for the judicial history of cases. Our address is our telephone number is We can also provide quick refresher sessions on using the main legal databases and hard copy sources. Contact if you are interested. Finding authoritative legal websites Inner Temple Library staff maintain a gateway site called AccessToLaw which provides annotated links to selected free UK, Commonwealth and worldwide legal resources. These include legislation, case law, commentary and organisations. Entries are arranged in five sections: United Kingdom, Commonwealth, Other Jurisdictions, Legal Subject Areas and General Resources. The content is updated quarterly and is a good first port of call if you are looking for free authoritative legal information on the web.

4 Keeping up to date with legal news We produce a selective Current Awareness blog, which is updated daily by Library staff, and provides information on new case law, changes in legislation, and legal news. This free service is an easy way to keep up to date with the frequently changing legal world. Content can be accessed via the blog itself. You can also sign up for daily alerts, subscribe to the RSS feed, or follow our updates on Twitter. If you are preparing for a pupillage interview, for instance, checking the blog is a good way to make sure you are aware of current legal developments. Library catalogue The online catalogue, which can be searched remotely, has records for most of the works held by the Library including books, journals and law reports. You can use it to check bibliographical references, to find information on current editions of textbooks and to get correct references for citations. In addition the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations is searchable from the catalogue page so if you have an abbreviation you do not recognise, you can use this database to decipher it.

5 Tours of the Library We are always happy to organise a Library tour. Please contact tdennis@innertemple.org.uk if you would like to arrange a visit. Tours last around 30 minutes and are a good way to get to know how the collections are arranged and about services we can offer to Library users. Opening hours During legal terms the Library is open: Monday to Thursday 9am - 8pm Friday 9am - 7pm One of the four Inn Libraries is open each Saturday during legal terms. The opening hours are 10am - 5pm. Students may use whichever Library is open. There is a link to the Saturday rota in the Opening Hours section of the Library s website. Entry to the Inner Temple on Saturdays is via the Tudor Street gate only.

6 Useful web links Library Website: Library Catalogue: AccessToLaw: Current Awareness Blog: Legal Research FAQs: Conclusion The services of the Inner Temple Library are available to all student members. Even if you are not based in London, we would encourage you to look at our website and check what we can do for you. We are here to help all our members wherever their location. Inner Temple Library August 2015