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Figure 2-4.—Library layout for small- or medium-sized library.
specific areas of law, such as military justice, legal
in one book, then obtain another book to help develop
assistance, and claims, should be kept in the spaces of
the division primarily concerned with those specific
areas. Even though some of the materials contained in
the library are located in various offices, there are
certain materials that should be kept in a central loca-
tion. These include such materials as finding tools,
reporters, and certain sets containing statutes. A definite
arrangement is needed in the central library for these
particular materials to help you and those individuals
using the library to locate specific references quickly
and easily. The arrangement of the materials kept in
separate offices should be left up to the individuals
controlling those offices. However, the accountability
for these materials is still your responsibility since they
are part of the law library.
Legal research frequently entails the use of several
books simultaneously. Observe someone researching
the law and you will see that person find a point of law
that point, then refer to another book to develop it
further, and so on until that person has refined it to its
most effective point. This process involves the examin-
ing of a law from many varied sources. The physical
arrangement of the library should be established in a
manner that will permit the researcher to reach each of
these books with a minimum of wasted motion. Space
and equipment limitations will dictate the most effec-
tive layout for your library. Figures 2-3 and 2-4 show
two sample arrangements.
The following suggestions may be helpful to you in
determining the arrangement of the materials in your
library.
. Organization by major subject—In some librar-
ies, the books are shelved in groups based on their major
subject content (military justice, criminal law, or admi-
ralty law).
2-9
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