Skip to the content
Habush Reading Room

Location Guide - Resources by Type

This selected guide to some of the UW Law Library's most heavily used materials is organized by type of resource. 

Dictionaries, Glossaries and Thesauri

Dictionaries, English Language

  • Wooden stand near entrance to Grand Reading Room, 5th Floor West
  • Wooden stand along the south wall of the Quarles & Brady Reading Room, 5th Floor East
  • Law Library Reference Collection in call numbers beginning with PE
  • Law Library Reserve Collection, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary PE1628 M36 2003

Dictionaries, Legal

  • Ballentine's Law Dictionary, Reference & Reserve Collections KF/156/B3/1969

  • Black's Law Dictionary, Wooden stand near entrance to Grand Reading Room and Reference & Reserve Collections KF/156/B53/1999

    • A Dictionary of Law,  Reference Collection KD/313/C66/2006

    • Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage, Reference Collection KF/156/G367/1995 and Lawyer's Reference Shelf

    • Dictionary of Legal Terms: A Simplified Guide to the Language of Law, Reference Collection KF/156/G52/1998

    • Nolo's Free Dictionary of Law Terms and Legal Definitions

    • Words & Phrases, Reference Collection KF/156/W67

    Thesauri

    • Burton's Legal Thesaurus,Reference Collection KF/156/B856/1998

    • West's Legal Thesaurus / Dictionary, Reference & Reserve Collections KF/156/S72/1985

    Encyclopedias

    • American Jurisprudence 2d, Reference Collection KF/154/A47

    • Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S), Reference Collection KF/154/C57 and 4th Floor East, stack 26

    Treatises

    Most treatises or scholarly books are classified under the Library of Congress classification system.  Many of the more popular and well-respected treatises are located in the Law Library Reserve Collection shelved behind the Circulation Desk.  Most other treatises are shelved in the second and third floor stacks.  To search for treatises and other materials owned by the UW-Madison Libraries use the Library Catalog.

    Legal Periodicals

    Legal Periodicals are shelved alphabetically by title on 3rd Floor South and 3rd Floor East, beginning in the South stacks.

    Legal Periodical Indexes

    American Law Reports (A.L.R.)

    • American Law Reports (ALR) 1st - 6th, Reference Collection KF/132/A52 to KF/132/A56 and 4th Floor East, stacks 24-25 (subscription discontinued after 5th Series)

    • American Law Reports Federal, Reference Collection KF/132/A48 and 4th Floor East, stack 25

    Restatements

    • Restatements of the Law -- Current, Reference & Reserve Collections KF/395...

    • Restatements of the Law -- Older, 3rd Floor South - KF/395...

    Case Law

    Federal Courts

    • U.S. Reports, 5th Floor East, stacks 6-11 and 4th Floor East, stacks 17-18

    • Supreme Court Reporter (West),  5th Floor East, stacks 11-13 and 4th Floor East, stack 18 (subscription discontinued after vol.120)

    • US Supreme Court Reports (Law. Ed.), 5th Floor East, stacks 14-16 and 4th Floor East, stacks 18-19

    • Federal Reporter, 5th Floor East, stacks 30-35 and 4th Floor East, stacks 19-21 (subscription discontinued after 3rd Series, vol. 195)

    • Federal Supplement, 5th Floor East, stacks 36-50 and 4th Floor East, stacks 22-24 (subscription discontinued after 2nd Series, vol. 67)

    • Federal Rules Decisions, 5th Floor East, stacks 52-54

    • US Law Week (BNA), Reference Collection KF/101/U55 and BNA Online

    State Courts

    • West's Regional Reporters, 5th Floor West, stacks 1-8 (2nd & 3rd series) and 4th Floor East, stacks 24-26 (1st series).  NOTE: there is another complete set of the North Western Reporter on 2nd Floor East, stacks 22-23
      • Atlantic Reporter (CT, DE, DC, MA, MD, NH, NJ, PA, RI, VT)

      • North Eastern Reporter (IL, IN, MA, NY, OH)

      • North Western Reporter (IA, MI, MN, NB, ND, SD, WI)

      • Pacific Reporter (AL, AR, CA, CO, HI, ID, KS, MT, NE, NM, OK, OR, UT, WA)

      • South Eastern Reporter (GA, NC, SC, VA, WV)

      • South Western Reporter (AR, KT, MO, TN, TX)

      • Southern Reporter (AL, FL, LA, MS)

    • State Court Reports, 2nd Floor South & 2nd Floor East (shelved alphabetically by state)

    • Wisconsin Reports (Callaghan's), Reference Collection KFW/2445/A2, 4th Floor East, stacks 14-15, and 2nd Floor East, stacks 21-22

    Digests

    Federal

    • US Supreme Court Digest, 5th Floor East, stack 13-14

    • US Supreme Court Digest (Lawyers' Edition),  5th Floor East, stack 17

    • Federal Digests, 5th Floor East, Index Table

    • Modern Federal Practice Digest, 5th Floor East, Index Table

    • Federal Practice Digest, 5th Floor East, stacks 1-6 and Index Table

    State

    • American Digest System (Century, Decennial, & General), 5th Floor West, stacks 8-9

    • Northwest Digest (MI, WI, IA, MN, ND), 5th Floor West, stack 9

    • State Digests, 2nd Floor East & 2nd Floor South (shelved alphabetically by state)

    • Wisconsin Digest 2d (West), Reference Collection KFW/2457/W47, 4th Floor East, stack 15 and 2nd Floor East, stacks 22

    • Wisconsin Digest (Callaghan's), Reference Collection KFW/2457/C34, 2nd Floor East, stack 22

    Case Citators

    • Law Library Web, see KeyCite (via Westlaw Patron Access), 

    • Shepard's Wisconsin Citations, Reference Collection KFW/2459/S53

    Statutes & Constitutions

    Federal Statutes & Laws

    • United States Code, 5th Floor East, stack 23, 4th Floor East, stack 16 and GPO Access

    • United States Code Annotated, 5th Floor East, stacks 27 and 4th Floor East, stack 16-17

    • United States Code Service, 5th Floor East, stack 24-26 and 4th Floor East, stack 16

    • Current Slip Laws (Public Laws), 5th Floor East, stack 22

    • United States Statutes at Large (1789 to date) 5th Floor East, stack 18-22, LexisNexis Congressional

    State Statutes & Laws

    • 2nd Floor South & 2nd Floor East (shelved alphabetically by state)

    Wisconsin Statutes & Laws

    • Wisconsin Statutes (current edition), Reference and Reserve Collections KFW/2429/A2

    • Wisconsin Statutes (older editions), Reference Collection KFW/2429/A2 and 2nd Floor East, stack 20

    • Wisconsin Statutes Annotated, Reference & Reserve Collections KFW/2430/1957/A53, 4th Floor East, stack 15 and 2nd Floor East, stack 20

    • Laws of Wisconsin (session laws), Reference Collection KFW/2425/A215 and 2nd Floor East, stack 19-20

    • Slip Laws (Acts), Reference Collection KFW/2425/A217

    • West's Wisconsin Legislative Service, Reference & Reserve Collections KFW/2430/1957/A5

    Statute Citators

    • KeyCite (via Westlaw Patron Access), 

    • Shepard's Wisconsin Citations, Reference Collection KFW/2459/S53

    Administrative Regulations

    Federal

    • Code of Federal Regulations, 5th Floor East, stack 29, Older editions available on microfiche (2nd Floor West) and Hein Online 

    • Federal Register, 5th Floor East, stack 29, Older editions available on microfiche (2nd Floor West) and  Hein Online 

      State

      • State Administrative Regulations, 2nd Floor South & 2nd Floor East (shelved alphabetically by state)

      • Wisconsin Administrative Code, Reference Collection KFW/2435/1956/A27 and 2nd Floor East, stack 20-21

      • Wisconsin Administrative Register, Reference Collection KFW/2435/1956/A27

         

      Updated by Tara Boyer & Bonnie Shucha
      University of Wisconsin-Madison Law Library
      Revised: November 2006

      Log in to edit