Database Tips and Tricks
Ever wonder how a coworker magically comes up with a great resource, while you slog through hundreds of search results? Databases vary widely in content, organization, and search algorithms, so it can take awhile to learn how best to search each database. Here are some tips and tricks from Washington State Law Library staff for some frequently used databases.
Westlaw
Know the title or author of your favorite treatise. Type the first few letters in the search box, then pause. Westlaw will “suggest” the full title in the drop down menu. The treatise needs to be currently published by Thomson Reuters (formerly Thomson West).
When searching large treatises such as the Washington Practice series or encyclopedias such as Corpus Juris Secundum, go to the table of contents first. Select which parts of the treatise you want to search, then enter your keywords.
Westlaw lumps state and local court rules with Revised Code of Washington Annotated (RCWA). To narrow in on statewide court rules, go to the RCWA table of contents, select the rules category you want, then enter your keywords. Also, Superior Court Criminal Rules are listed as an appendix to RCWA title 10, not with other court rules.
Use United States Code Annotated Popular Name Table to find United States Code classification of an act, as well as current codifications, amendments to the act, and related acts.
HeinOnline
HeinOnline has digitized historic state reports from across the country (often dating to statehood). They can be tricky to find by citation, as citation styles varied significantly over time and from state to state. Instead, from the home page, click State Reports: A Historical Archive. Click it again in the drop down box. You get a handy, interactive map. Click on the state you want, and you will see a list of all official state reporters, publication dates, and HeinOnline volume coverage.
Searching for an old English case but can’t remember if it was in the Kings Bench, Privy Council or the Chancery Court? HeinOnline has indexed these cases by name, English Reports citation, nominative citation, and keyword. They also include charts to help you decipher an elusive citation. From the homepage, click United Kingdom, then English Reports.
Library Catalog
In the last few years, the State Law Library significantly expanded access to digital collections on public computers and through librarian “behind the desk” databases. However, with the exception of HeinOnline, our catalog does not currently provide links to these digital collections. If you have questions about a title in our catalog, we will be glad to help you find it on a database or download/email it to you. Some limitations may apply; see our Library Services guide for more details.
Databases available on the law library’s public computers are Westlaw, HeinOnline, CaseMaker Libra and Gale Legal Forms. Librarians have access to those databases, plus LexisNexis and National Consumer Law Center. (JL)
