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Keyword	Title

 

Circulation Services: Alternative Document Sources

Journal Articles * Statutes * Newspapers * Videos * PDF format * Virtual Catalog * Consortium Card * NELLCO libraries

Law Journals/Reviews: Law Journals A-Z gives holdings of journals and reviews at the law library and has links to HeinOnline and other trusted electronic sources. Please check HeinOnline for availability of the article in PDF format. Articles available through HeinOnline will not be requested on ILL.

Other Journals: Please check the B.U. eJournals list. Journal articles available in PDF format through B.U. will not be requested on ILL. Please see a reference librarian if you have questions about the reliability of any item available via the B.U. eJournals list.

Statutes

The library collects statutes in force from states other than Massachusetts in the form of annotated (unofficial) codes.  Annotated codes are preferable for research because they have better indexing and are more current. Citations to the current official code are also easily converted to the current unofficial code, which allows for easy retrieval of the cited statute. 

In addition, Bluebook rules explicitly permit citation to the annotated codes.  Rule 12.1 states "Statutes may be cited to a current official or unofficial code". Rule 12.2.1(a) and rule 12.3 echo this by stating, respectively "If possible, cite statutes currently in force to the current official code or its supplement..." and "Cite the official code whenever possible."  [emphasis added]. 

Because citation to these unofficial codes is permissible and because of the limited availability of official codes, our Interlibrary Loan policy is to only request statutes when the volume is unavailable at Pappas or does not have the cited statute.

Newspapers

To request a newspaper you must provide a full reference, including the full title of the newspaper, town/location, article title, article author (if available), date, and page number. Reference librarians can assist you in finding this information.

Please note: newspaper articles are difficult to obtain via ILL. Many libraries are relying on electronic formats and not collecting newspapers in print or microformat. Remember that Lexis and Westlaw have extensive collections of newspapers.

Videos

Krasker Film/Video Services provides instructional support to Boston University faculty, staff, and current students. Films and videos owned by Boston University are listed in an on-line catalogue.

The Geddes Language Center is dedicated to providing an extensive media resource for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the Boston University community. 

PDF format on the web

No requests will be placed for items available in PDF format from a reliable source. Some reliable sources for PDF documents include Thomas and GPO Access for U.S. government publications, and other government websites. A reference librarian can help you determine the reliability of any PDF document and/or site.

Not enough time for ILL

We try to fill your requests in a timely manner, but remember that ILL requests for books may take 7-14 days to be filled.

Please note that photocopy requests with less than 2 days lead time are entirely at the discretion of the lending library. Most lending libraries will fax articles shorter than 25 pages on request.

Virtual Catalog

Boston University students, faculty, and staff may use the Virtual Catalog to simultaneously search the catalogs of libraries in the Boston Library Consortium, view combined search results from these catalogs, and place requests for books. Materials obtained through the virtual catalog are held at the Mugar Library Circulation Desk.

Please note: items borrowed through the virtual catalog may NOT be renewed. Fines are assessed for late returns of these materials.

BLC (Boston Library Consortium)

Visit and borrow materials on site from BLC member libraries using a consortium card. Materials borrowed with a consortium card are eligible for renewals. Fines are assessed for late returns from the lending institutions. Consortium cards are issued through Mugar Library.

NELLCO (New England Law Library Consortium)

Visit and use materials on site at NELLCO member libraries. Current BU School of Law students may visit these LAW libraries using their BU ID.