CSU Law Library Blog

Students often access Lexis or Westlaw when beginning a research project. While these databases may be useful, widening the net in the search for information for your paper or project may be helpful.

When unsure about where to seek a particular type of information, think first of the law library’s Research Guides, which are subject-specific finding aids for locating resources on a topic. There is a direct link to the guides from the law library’s homepage.

The research guides also contain information on databases specific to the topic that may be of use to the researcher. The databases should be thought of in two broad categories: law databases and non-law databases. There is a link to the law databases from the law library’s homepage and the non-law databases (under the link ‘Research Databases’) from the Cleveland State Michael Schwartz (Main) Library’s homepage. The main library’s homepage link can also be found on the law library’s homepage.

The non-law databases contain full-text of articles and documents along with indexes and abstracts that cover a wide range of topics and interests. Some of the databases have many sources, while others might only have one source (e.g. Newspaper Source vs. New York Times).

Consider using other law databases (e.g., HeinOnline) to find information that is beyond the coverage of Lexis and Westlaw.

CALI lessons (our school’s authorization code is here) offer you interactive lessons on focused topics within a bigger law subject. For example, you’d find a CALI lesson on adverse possession, but not one on all of property law. CALI lessons can be a great way to review topics covered in class, or as an additional exam prep strategy. Some CALI lessons include:

Civil Procedure

Diversity Jurisdiction
Rule 12 Motion Practice
Venue

Property

Estate in Fee Tail
Life Estate
Basic Future Interests

Constitutional Law

Marbury v. Madison
Ripeness and Mootness
Contemporary Commerce Clause

CALI (The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction) is a non-profit consortium that focuses on computer legal instruction. Most members are U.S. law schools.

Where can you get access to CALI? The easiest way is from the law library’s homepage; under “Quicklinks,” click CALI. To create a CALI login, click the link for “Authorization Code” under “Quicklinks” and follow the steps.

What can I use CALI for? All 1L classes are covered via CALI lessons, as are the vast majority of upper-level ones. You can also search for lessons based on a casebook or author (professor). Searching by casebook assures that the lesson will be based on the same casebook used in your class.

CALI also offers a large number of free ebooks, which are authored by law school professors, including C|M|Law professor Deborah Geier.

Finally, CALI has a great search feature. The search box is located in the upper-right corner of the screen and will yield lessons, ebooks, and blog posts on the searched topic.

Check out A066 in the law library for most of our in print titles.  Flashcards are available at the circulation desk as well.

We also offer West Academic Study Aids online.  Series in our subscription include: Nutshells, Acing Series, Concepts and Insights, Gilbert Summaries, and Sum and Substance Audio. There are also subject matter overviews, interactive questions, exam style questions, outlines, videos, and case briefs.  Full instructions are here.

Online study aids from Aspen Publishing are available online as well. Series in our subscription include:  Examples & Explanations, Glannon Guides, Emanuel Law Outlines, Emanuel CrunchTime, and more.  There are more than 200 titles plus video and audio lectures, covering 30 topics in our subscription.  Full instructions are here.

What is CALI? CALI (The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction) is a non-profit consortium that focuses on computer legal instruction. Most members are U.S. law schools.

Where can you get access to CALI? The easiest way is from the law library’s homepage; under “Quicklinks,” click CALI. To create a CALI login, click the link for “Authorization Code” under “Quicklinks” and follow the steps.

What can I use CALI for? All 1L classes are covered via CALI lessons, as are the vast majority of upper-level ones. You can also search for lessons based on a casebook or author (professor). Searching by casebook assures that the lesson will be based on the same casebook used in your class.

CALI also offers a large number of free ebooks, which are authored by law school professors, including C|M|Law professor Deborah Geier.

Finally, CALI has a great search feature. The search box is located in the upper-right corner of the screen and will yield lessons, ebooks, and blog posts on the searched topic.