Yesterday, attorney Andrew S. Fleischman observed on Twitter: "Law schools teach you how to write briefs by having you read opinions. Which is a bit like learning to cook by reading restaurant reviews." Many law students would likely agree with this sentiment for just about any legal subject, as they work to piece together disparate holdings from their casebooks in order to form a bigger picture of the law.
Enter study aids, which can provide an overview and introduction that presents the law more clearly than a casebook. These titles range from basic introductions or casebook-keyed outlines to more in-depth discussions of a particular subject. The Goodson Law Library provides electronic access to several law-related study aid collections, accessible to current members of the Duke University community.
- West Academic Study Aids Library includes more than 500 study aid titles. Available series include Nutshells, Hornbooks (and Concise Hornbooks), Sum & Substance, and Black Letter Outlines. Users may search or read online, or create an account that allows for offline reading and annotation.
- Wolters Kluwer Study Aids includes full-text access to nearly 200 study aids. Available series include Examples & Explanations, Glannon Guides, Emanuel Law Outlines, and more. Users may search or read online, or create an individual account that allows for offline reading and annotation.
- Elgar Advanced Introductions to Law currently includes 17 titles, although more will be added during the coming year. These accessible, concise overviews tend to focus on comparative and international law topics.
With the Reserve Collection unavailable for the indefinite future due to coronavirus quarantine protocols, electronic study aids should help fill any gaps in your class outlines. For help with locating a study aid for a particular topic, or with using these databases, be sure to Ask a Librarian.
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