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Collection Development Policy: Legal Materials

The purpose of the UNT Libraries’ Legal Collection is to provide access to legal materials in support of the UNT curriculum. The collection is intended to be a resource for the academic community, as well as for local and regional community members.

The Legal Collection, as referred to in this policy, consists of those legal materials located on the Third Floor of Willis Library. It is maintained as a part of the Government Documents Department, with Government Documents Department staff members providing reference assistance and access to the collection. The Government Documents Librarians, in consultation with liaisons and requesting faculty, are primarily responsible for selection of the collection.

Acquisition

The collection consists primarily of purchased items. The Libraries receive many titles on standing order, with additional monographs purchased out of various funds. Materials obtained through the Federal Depository Library Program and the Texas State Publications Depository Program, such as the United States Reports, Code of Federal Regulations, and the Texas Administrative Code, are considered supplements to the Legal Collection.

Language

English language materials are primarily collected.

Collection Areas

The collection includes primarily U.S. federal and Texas state laws. We have standing orders for numerous titles, including the regional Reporters, West’s Supreme Court Reporter, and Vernon’s Texas Code Annotated. Some foreign government and international law materials are purchased from departmental allocations.

Our subscription to LexisNexis Academic includes Canadian, European Union, and other foreign government materials not found in the print collection, as well as numerous law reviews and legal news publications.

In addition to these primary sources, the Libraries acquire consumer law publications to support the non-academic needs of our users. Topics include books on how to do your own divorce in Texas, how to start your own business, copyright, renters’ rights, etc. Because of the frequency with which these publications are updated, we purchase them almost exclusively through netLibrary, weeding older editions as new ones are acquired.