Research Video Series

The Harvard Law School Library Research Video Series was produced in Fall 2001 and 2002 by the library's reference department in conjunction with HLS Media Services for use in the law school's then First Year Lawyering (FYL) program. The videos introduce print-format legal research tools and methods and were designed to supplement FYL legal research workshops where the focus was on online legal research.

The Research Video Series may be viewed in full length (27:20 minutes) or as three separate videos. The series is available in VHS and DVD format in the HLS Library media collection.

The series is presented in streaming QuickTime video format. Apple QuickTime player, version 7 or higher, is required for playback.

Please contact the Reference Desk (617-495-4516, research@law.harvard.edu), located on the fourth floor of Langdell Hall just off of the reading room, with any questions.

Secondary Sources 

Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are those materials that explain, analyze and interpret the law. This video focuses on four major categories of secondary sources: legal encyclopedias, annotation services, legal treatises, and law reviews; and discusses how each best fits into a research strategy.
Credits:
Written by Elizabeth Lambert and Paul George
Presented by Elizabeth Lambert
Produced by Roy Crandall, Fall 2002
Production Assistant Michele Gielis
Length 8:58 minutes
VHS & DVD A/V KF 240 .L26x 2002a

West Digest System 

West Digest System
A digest organizes case law into detailed subject or topical outlines. A digest may cover the case law of a jurisdiction, a single court or even an area of practice. This video shows you how to use the West Digest System of topics, key numbers, and headnotes to locate case law on a particular legal issue.
Credits:
Written by Deanna Barmakian and Paul George
Presented by Deanna Barmakian
Produced by Roy Crandall, Fall 2001
Production Assistant Michele Gielis
Length 7:40 minutes
VHS & DVD A/V KF 240 .G47x 2001a

Statutes 

Statutes
The two basic forms of the published statutory law of the United States are session laws and codes. This video examines the relationship between these two forms and demonstrates how to trace changes in a statute's language and how to update a statute to ensure it is still good law. You will also see how annotated codes connect statutes to the judicial opinions and secondary legal sources that discuss and interpret them.
Credits:
Written by Terry L. Swanlund and Deanna Barmakian
Presented by Deanna Barmakian
Produced by Roy Crandall, Fall 2002
Production Assistant Michele Gielis
Length 10:39 minutes
VHS & DVD A/V KF 240 .S93x 2002a