Coleman Karesh Law Library
Library Tour
Welcome to the Coleman Karesh Law Library at the University of South Carolina School of Law. This audio tour will start on the first floor of the library and work its way through all four floors. You may pause this recording at any time, especially as you travel between floors. Elevators are located on the left side of the library. For informational purposes, the stairs are located directly to the back of the library. You may use the stairs on this tour; however, orientation will start from the elevators on each floor.
First Floor
Circulation and Reference Desks
Upon first entering the library, the reference desk is on your left and the circulation desk on your right. The reference desk is staffed by our reference law librarians from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The circulation desk is where books are checked out, renewed, and returned; where interlibrary loan requests are processed; and where the reserve room is housed. The reserve room contains course materials on reserve, frequently used federal and South Carolina materials, multimedia materials, and current copies of journals. When you search the online catalog, your results will indicate whether the material is located in the Reserve Room.
Ready Reference
The library's Ready Reference section is directly in front of you. These shelves contain general and law reference materials, ranging from law dictionaries to atlases to the United States Constitution. If you look to your left, you will find two computers that you may use to search the online catalog, along with a legal news and technology board.
[Please turn right and proceed to the computer area where the stand-alone Westlaw and LexisNexis printers are located.]
New Book Shelf
On your right, before you reach the Westlaw and LexisNexis printers, is a table containing books new to the library's collection.
Journals/Periodicals
The library's collection of bound periodicals is arranged in alphabetical order by title starting to the left of the New Book Table.
[Please walk down the aisle between the first and second sections of shelves.]
The first section of shelves houses journals beginning with A and ending with New York University Law Review.
[When you reach the end of this section of shelves at a table and file cabinets, please turn around and come back towards the front of the library.]
The journals continue on the back of the second section of shelves with Ohio University Law Review and end at the Southeastern Reporters.
South Carolina and Southeastern Materials
South Carolina and Southeastern materials are located in the middle toward the front of the library around several reading tables. The Southeastern Reporter, the Southeastern Digest, and the South Carolina Digest are on the tall shelves. On the counter-height shelves are the Code of Laws of South Carolina Annotated, South Carolina Acts and Joint Resolutions, and South Carolina Reports.
[Please move onto the next section of shelves toward the elevator. The orientation for the next section of shelves will be from the center aisle. Please feel free to wander down any rows but know that the section of materials will be oriented from the center aisle.]
Encyclopedias
Legal encyclopedias are located within the first row of shelves behind the Ready Reference section at the first white column. The collection includes American Jurisprudence (AmJur), Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS), Words and Phrases and South Carolina Jurisprudence. All are very helpful resources for beginning your research.
Digests and State Codes
Across from the encyclopedias are the digests, which are used to find cases by subject, using West's Key Number System, or by case name. The digests include the Decennial Digest, which covers all state and federal cases, and the Federal Practice Digest,, which covers all federal cases, from federal district court through the Supreme Court.
[Please continue down the center aisle toward the back of the library.]
The next several sets of shelves contain all of the current state statutes (other than South Carolina) arranged in alphabetical order by state.
United States Code and Statutes at Large
After the state codes, you will find three different versions of the United States Code on tall shelves surrounding a row of reading tables. The first version on your left is the official United States Code, which contains the text of the law without annotations. It is revised every six years and is supplemented annually. Following the official United States Code are two unofficial versions, which contain library references and notes of decisions after the text of each statute. First is the maroon set of United States Code Annotated (USCA) (published by West), located next to the official United States Code. On the opposite side of the tables is the black set of United States Code Service (USCS) (published by LexisNexis). Next to the United States Code Service is the United States Statutes at Large, which contains Public Laws before they are codified in the United States Code.
Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations
Continuing toward the back of the library, the next row after the second white column contains the last year or so of the Federal Register and the most current edition of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Also located in this section is the current paperback daily edition of the Congressional Record and the United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN).
American Law Reports
The next section of shelves contains the American Law Reports (ALR's) with all updating and indexing materials.
State Digests
Select state digests from the Southeastern region of the country, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, are located on the last full row of shelving.
[Please continue down the center aisle toward the back of the library.]
Shepard's Citators
Located above the table at the back of the library, just before the carrels, are Shepard's citators. The library's collection includes the print Shepard's South Carolina Citations for South Carolina cases and statutes, along with citators for the United States Code, and the regional and federal reporters.
[Please move onto the next section of shelves.]
Microform Collection
Beyond the last set of shelves in the back corner of the Library are cabinets that contain the Library's microform collection. A directory of materials within the cabinets is located on top of the second row of cabinets. The Library's electronic catalog will indicate if materials are in microform. However, certain materials can only be accessed using published indexes so please see a member of the Reference staff for more information regarding the microform collection. The microform reader/printer is located next to the reference desk.
Regional, Federal & Supreme Court Reporters
Moving back toward the elevators when you leave the microform collection are shelves of regional reporters, arranged in alphabetical order by report name. After the regional reporters, you will find the federal reporters, including the first and second series of the Federal Supplement (covering federal district courts cases) and the second and third series of the Federal Reporter, (containing opinions from the federal courts of appeals). On both sides of the last shelf are the Supreme Court materials, including the Supreme Court Reporter and Supreme Court Digest (published by West), the United States Supreme Court Reports Lawyers' Edition (published by LexisNexis), and the official United States Reports.
Attorney's Room and South Carolina Legal History Room
Facing the elevator, located to your right is the Attorneys Room and South Carolina Legal History Room. The Attorney's Room is available for members of the Bar. The South Carolina Legal History Collection encompasses both primary and secondary published sources dealing with the legal, constitutional and political development of our state. Also of interest are the portraits, papers, and memorabilia it contains.
[Please enter the elevator and select the Second Floor to continue the tour. You may want to pause your audio tour.]
Second Floor
Upon exiting the elevator, the Library computer labs will be to your left. Because a login name and password are required for access, only law students are able to use the labs. For all floors, the tour will move from left to right in the shelves on the front half of the floor, then from right to left in the shelves on the back half of the floor. You should end up back near the elevators.
On the second floor, you will find books, treatises, and looseleaf services on the major subjects of the law arranged by call numbers A-KF2993 in increasing order from left to right on the first row of shelves from the elevator and then right to left on the second row of shelves.
Included on this floor (in ascending call number order) are journals of federal and state Bar Associations arranged in alphabetical order beginning at K1. British materials start at the call number KD in the first section of shelves and Canadian materials continue in the second section of shelves at the call number KE. Legal forms begin at KF170. Also of note are all of the Restatement materials at KF395.A2. Towards the last section of shelves are materials on Insurance and Bankruptcy.
[Please enter the elevator and select the Third Floor to continue the tour. You may want to pause your audio tour.]
Third Floor
On the third floor, call numbers KF2994-Z are again arranged in increasing order from left to right on the first row of shelves from the elevator and then right to left on the second row of shelves.
The first row of shelves includes materials on topics such as Employment Law, Environmental Law, and Tax Law. Of particular note are the practice materials starting at KF8816, such as Proof of Facts and Causes of Action. The state materials begin at the end of the first row of shelves and continue on the second row of shelves. South Carolina materials are classified KFS. The second row of shelves also includes International materials and United Nations and United States Treaty materials.
[Please enter the elevator and select the Fourth Floor to continue the tour. You may want to pause your audio tour.]
Fourth Floor
The fourth floor of the law library houses duplicate and superseded sets, but also contains important South Carolina and other materials.
The first row of shelves includes an additional set of the federal reporters and the United States Code Annotated, superseded Codes of Federal Regulations, the bound Congressional Record, and superseded Martindale-Hubbells. The second row of shelves contains a second copy of American Law Reports, South Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals records and briefs, South Carolina Senate and House journals, and an additional set of South Carolina Reports. Also housed on the second row is an additional set of the current Code of Laws of South Carolina Annotated along with previous versions of the Code. The fourth floor collection ends with a second set of regional reporters.
You have now completed the Audio Tour of the Coleman Karesh Law Library at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you again.
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