Law

Books and eBooks

The Library has many printed and electronic books available to support your course, and electronic books are available off-campus 24/7!

Books provide an excellent overview of a topic and are a great resource when starting an assignment.  They are the easiest place to find basic legal information on a topic. They are written by experts and point out the leading cases, legislation and opinions.

The books in the Law Library cover a wide range of topics and range from basic introductions to law to detailed texts for postgraduates.

One problem with textbooks is that they can go out-of-date as the law is changing on a daily basis.

Make sure you are using the most recent edition of a textbook.

 Always check your unit reading list for recommendations!

Use the Library Catalogue to search for books and ebooks. 

• To find a particular book: enter the author surname and a couple of words from the title 
• To find books on a topic: enter some terms and refine your results to Books using the Resource Type option on the side

For printed books:

• Note the number and floor for each item and find them on the shelves 
• If the book you want is checked out, click on the Available at link, sign in with your University email address and password and place a Request. You will be emailed when it is ready for you to collect.

For electronic books: 

• If you only want to see ebooks, refine your results to Online Resources from the right hand menu  
• Follow the instructions provided to login to the ebook 
• Most ebooks are available off campus - just login with your University email address and password

How can I renew my books?

Your books will automatically renew for you for up to 52 weeks - so you don't need to renew them yourself.  The only reasons your books won't renew are:

• Someone else has reserved the book - if so, the Library will email you and ask for the book to be returned as someone is waiting for it.
• You have come to the end of the 52 weeks - the library will email you and ask for the book to be returned (you can borrow them again straight away if you wish)

So keep an eye on your Solent email account!

How can I reserve a book?

If all the copies of a book or DVD you require are on loan to another library user you can sign in to the library catalogue to place a reservation.   A reservation prevents items from being renewed each week until a copy is returned to the library. That item is then put aside for you to collect.

To place a reservation

• Sign in to the library catalogue using your university email address and password
• Search for the book or  DVD you require and click on the 'Available at' link to check there are no copies available (if there are copies showing as 'on shelf' you cannot place a hold request)
• Click on reserve. Click on hold and a message will appear to let you know if your reservation was successful
• You will receive an email via your university email to tell you request item is available. You can also check your account online. Click on my account (while signed in) and then requests. The status of your reservation will change from 'in process' to 'on hold' once the book is available for collection.

When searching the Library Catalogue for your books, sort your results by Date-newest.  

This ensures you are finding the latest editions and the most up-to-date textbooks.