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Statutory Research: Federal Statutes: Print

Guide to researching federal and state statutes in print and online.

Maps

Finding print material in the library can sometimes be tricky. These maps provide quick guidance to all of the locations in the library.

Know Your Codes!

Access

The Code has several methods of access:

1. Find by citation. If you know your citation, match the title with the titles printed on the spine of each volume. Remember that some titles may cover many volumes. Be sure to check that your section is in the volume. (Ex. sections 1-345 may be in one volume, with sections 346 - 700 in another volume.)

2. Popular Names Table. The USCA and USCS both contain a softcover volume at the end of each set that lists statutes by their popular name. Ex - "the Brady Bill".

3. Index. All sets include a large index that can be very helpful in locating sections. There will be cross references and many subdivisions in the index.

United States Code

Location: Main Stacks (first floor) Compact Shelving: Shelf 2A

The United States Code (USC) is the official publication of the federal code. It is published every six years with supplements in intervening years. Often it will not be up to date and it does not contain any annotations.

United States Code Annotated (USCA)

Location: Main Stacks (first floor) Compact Shelving: Shelf 2A

The USCA is published by West and includes annotations to:

  • Cases
  • Law Review Articles
  • Legal Encyclopedias
  • ALRs
  • Treatises and Practice Books
  • Forms
  • Other Material

There is a large multivolume softcover index shelved at the end of the set. This index includes plenty of cross-references. Additionally each volume also contains an individual index and there are table of contents in each volume.

United States Code Service (USCS)

Location: Main Stacks (first floor) Compact Shelving: Shelf 2B

The USCS is published by LexisNexis and also contains annotations to:

  • Cases
  • Secondary Sources (encyclopedias, law review articles, etc)
  • Forms

Each volume contains an index and a table of contents, but the easiest access point is the large multivolume softcover index that is shelved at the end of the set.

Citation Reminder

Rule 11 covers statutes.

If you don't have a copy of the Bluebook with you, there are several on reserve at the Circulation Desk. The library also has several helpful Bluebook guides available.