If you are a CWRU law student, please let our reference librarians assist you with some of the 300+ “free-to-you” databases we provide.
The “Just in Case” blog typically has highlighted free resources on cutting-edge, interesting topics. (We hope.) While free internet resources are a welcome addition to any researcher’s toolkit, efficient and in-depth research often also requires the use of fee-based, proprietary research resources. The quality of information and time savings from enhanced interfaces and finding tools usually justify the use of proprietary databases. “Free-to-you” resources are already purchased and available to specific groups. For example, any citizen can obtain a public library card in order to access “free” books, research databases, and audiovisual material.
A CWRU Law student is a affiliated with at least three institutions that provide special “prepaid” access to information: CWRU’s law library; CWRU’s other university libraries; and OhioLINK, a consortium of over 100 Ohio (primarily academic) libraries. Through the auspices of the law library and the University libraries, and the membership of those institutions in the broader OhioLINK consortium, many subscription databases and other resources are available to you.
Of course, such resources are not “free”, but they have already been paid for with funds from tuition, taxes, etc. CWRU Law students have online access to proprietary resources such as of National Affairs publications, which offer current awareness newsletters on a variety of legal topics, as well as libraries in specialties such as labor law, health law, and intellectual property. CWRU students have access to HeinOnline, which offers a variety of domestic, and even international, legal resources. OhioLINK offers its patrons several research databases and the Electronic Journal Center (EJC), which offers current, multidisciplinary, full-text articles. Cited articles often are available for immediate download (especially in the EJC), and a majority of the articles include abstracts.
A reference librarian can assist CWRU Law students with our 300+ “free-to-you” databases.