RCL: Subjects
LAW The Law section recognizes law as a discipline of study at the undergraduate level as well as a reality in students' everyday lives. As such, it includes general interest and scholarly works and selected practical aids designed to help students effectively deal with legal issues they may encounter during their college years. In his introduction to The Oxford Companion to American Law, Kermit Hall states that "law is best understood as a system of social choice, one in which government provides for the allocation of resources, the legitimate use of violence, and the structuring of social relationships." The aim of this collection is to provide undergraduate students with that type of understanding. The focus is on United States law, recognizing that the United States is the focus of most undergraduate law courses and acknowledging the limits of college library budgets. The collection consists of core reference books and legal websites, general interest and scholarly monographs, and practical guides. It includes classic works cited in BCL3, a few other retrospective titles and a selection of the most important works published since 1988. Titles were chosen primarily for their balanced perspective on the topic; when a single perspective is presented, an effort was made to include a title with an alternative view. Only a few of the most authoritative and appropriate websites were included. The taxonomy reflects the organization of the "K" (law) section of the Library of Congress Classification schedule. Return to Subject List