Local Government Law Research
November 2005

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Items on this page with the label are only accessible on campus or off campus with a W&M login.

See Off-Campus Access to Library Resources for more information on remote access.

Books

Library Catalog

To search for books, journals, and audiovisual materials held by William & Mary libraries, use the LION catalog.

Search Tips:

• Subject Queries: local government; municipal corporation
  
• Remember that individual jurisdictions can be searched, e.g. local government and Virginia; municipal corporations and Virginia
  
• Library of Congress Call Numbers for Local Government Law: KF 5300 - KF 5332. Browse the shelves under these call numbers to locate relevant treatises.

To search for materials from other libraries, use the Worldcat database on FirstSearch

Other Libraries - Links to other libraries and library catalogs available through the web

Selected Treatises and Form Books

• McQuillin, Eugene, The Law of Municipal Corporations, 3d ed. by Clark A. Nichols, et al., Chicago: Callaghan, 1949 - .
  KF5305 .M33
  
  
• Moore, Ralph J., Municipal Legal Forms with Commentary, Rochester, NY: Callaghan, 1976 -.
  KF5305 .A3M6 1976
  
  
• Rosenberg, Ronald H., ed., Handbook for Local Government Attorneys, Richmond, VA: Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, 1992 -.
  KFV2830 .H36 1992 (Reserve)
  
  
• Sands, C. Dallas and Michael E. Libonati, Local Government Law, Willmette, IL: Clark Boardman Callaghan, 1981 -.
  KF5300 .S26
  
  
• Stevenson, Sandra M., Antieau on Local Government Law, 2d ed., New York: Matthew Bender, 1997 - .
  KF5300 .A6A52

Ordinances

• Matthews, Thomas A. and Byron S. Matthews, Municipal Ordinances; Text and Forms, 2d ed., Chicago: Clark Boardman Callaghan, 1972-.
  KF5313 .M342
  
  
• Ordinance Law Annotations: A Comprehensive Digest of American Cases that Interpret or Apply City and County Ordinances, Deerfield, IL: Clark Boardman Callaghan, 1969 - .
  KF5313 .S5
  
  The Library of Congress call number for city ordinance services is KFX. The Library subscribes to a number of Virginia City and County Code compilations. Virginia ordinances are shelved on the first floor in the Virginia Collection with an additional copy of the Code of the City of Williamsburg and the Code of the County of James City on Reserve.
  
  Code of the City of Williamsburg, Tallahassee, FL: Municipal Code Corporation, 1992 - .
  KFX2546 .A35 1992 (Reserve) (copy 2 in Virginia Collection)
  
  Code of the County of James City, Tallahassee, FL: Municipal Code Corporation, 1997 - .
  KFX1546 .J5A35 1997 (Reserve) (copy 2 in Virginia Collection)
  
  Many city and county codes are available on the web. Two excellent web sites to access nationwide municipal code web sites are:
  
  Municipal Codes Online
  
  Municipal Code Corporation

Directories and Reference Materials

• County and City Data Book, 13th ed., Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1952 - .
  Comprehensive coverage of statistical information on U.S. cities and counties.
  REF/HA202 .A36 2000
  
  
• The Municipal Year Book, Washington D.C.: International City Managers' Association, 1934 - . Compilation of articles discussing issues of importance to local governments. Numerous statistical tables, lists of contact individuals and sources of local governmental information.
  REF/JS344 .C5A24 2005 (older copies in stacks)
  
  
• Municipal Yellow Book: Who's Who in the Leading City and County Government and Local Authorities, New York: Monitor Publishing Co., 1991 - . Names, addresses and phone numbers for the primary elected and appointed officials in 100 major United States cities and counties.
  REF/JS39 .M79
  
  
• Statewide Associations in Virginia, Richmond, VA: The Virginia Chamber of Commerce, 1993. Names, addresses and telephone numbers for numerous Virginia organizations.
  REF/AS28 .V5S8 1993
  
  
• Statistical Abstract of the United States, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census, 1991 - . Includes local government statistics.
  REF/HA202 2004-2005 (older copies in stacks)
  
  
• VACO/VML Directory, Richmond, VA: Virginia Association of Counties & Virginia Municipal League, 1993 - . General information on Virginia localities. Contains names, addresses and telephone numbers of principal officers.
  REF/JS451 .V65V57 2003-2004
  
  
• Virginia Review Directory of State and Local Government Officials, Chester, VA: County Publications, Inc., 1990 - . Includes names, addresses and telephone numbers of state and local government officials. Information on Board/Council meeting dates and times if known as well as population, real estate tax rates.
  REF/JK3930 .D57 2004-2005
  
  
• Virginia Statistical Abstract, Charlottesville, VA: Center for Public Service, University of Virginia, 1987 - . Comprehensive coverage of statistical information on topics related to the Commonwealth and its subdivisions.
  REF/HA686 .V57 2000

Journal Articles

Indexes to Journal Articles

Legal Trac  

Suggested Subject Headings: local government; local laws; municipal government; ordinances, municipal

Indexes articles from nearly 900 legal journals, bar association publications, law reviews, and legal newspapers. Includes book reviews. Options for accessing this index include:


• Online: 1980 - Present. Updated Daily
• Print Coverage: Current Legal Index 1980-Present. Updated Monthly. Location: Reference Index Table
• Lexis: LAWREV;LGLIND
  
• Westlaw: LRI

Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP) (Print Only)

Indexes articles from legal journals, bar association publications, law reviews, book reviews, and legal newspapers. Location: Reference (Index Table)

Subject Queries--

• Cities and Towns
• Municipal Corporations

Full Text Articles (from journals, newsletters, and legal newspapers)

• Lexis-Nexis - Suggested Libraries/Files:
  Lexis Combined Law Reviews LAWREV;ALLREV
  
• Westlaw - Suggested Databases:
  Westlaw Law Reviews, Texts & Bar Journals TP-ALL
  

Specialized journals on labor and employment law include:

• Current Municipal Problems, Chicago: Clark Boardman Callaghan. Library has volume 1, 1959 - to date.
  
  
• Fordham Urban Law Journal, New York: Fordham University School of Law. Library has volume 1, 1972 - to date.
  
  
  • Lexis: FULJ Coverage from 1993
    
  • Westlaw: FDMULJ Full coverage begins with 1993 (vol.20, no.4)
  
  
  
• University of Detroit Mercy Law Review, Detroit: University of Detroit, (title varies). Library has volume 39, 1961 - to date.
  
  
  • Lexis: UDMLR Coverage from 1994
    
  • Westlaw: UDTMLR Full coverage begins with 1984 (vol. 61)
  
  
  
• The Urban Lawyer: The National Quarterly on Local Government Law, Chicago, IL: American Bar Association Section of Urban, State and Local Government Law. Library has volume 1, 1969 - to date.
  
  
  • Westlaw: URBLAW Selected coverage begins with 1987 (vol. 19)
  
  
  
• Washington University Journal of Law and Policy, St. Louis, MO: Washington University School of Law. Library has volume 24, 1983 - to date. (Continues: Urban Law Annual; Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law).
  
  • Lexis: WUJLP Coverage from 1995
    
  • Westlaw: WAUJLP Full coverage begins with 1993 (vol. 44)

Looseleaf Services & Newsletters

Newsletters

• McQuillin Municipal Law Report: A monthly review for lawyers, administrators and officials, Willmette, IL: Clark Boardman Callaghan. Library has number 1, 1981 - to date.
  KF5305 .M332

Additional Resources

• Eis, Arlene L., Legal Looseleafs in Print, New York, NY: Info Sources Pub., 1981 - .
  REF/KF1 .L4
  
  
• Legal Newsletters in Print, New York, NY: Info Sources Pub., 1985 - .
  REF/KF1 .L44

W&M Databases

Lexis-Nexis

Libraries include case law, proposed and enacted legislation, and regulations. Selected secondary sources include treatises, journal articles, and newsletters.
The Nexis database, containing valuable local government information is accessible through Lexis-Nexis.

Westlaw

Databases include case law, proposed and enacted legislation, and regulations. Selected secondary sources include treatises, journal articles, and newsletters. Content-rich DIALOG databases, containing valuable local government information are accessible through Westlaw.


• Public Information, Records, and Filings: Various public records available; check the Westlaw Database Directory for specific records and database identifier.

World Wide Web Resources

Many local governments have Internet sites. Planning, development, budget, public records, meeting agendas and dates, etc. can be found for many localities. A wealth of new local governmental information is placed on the Internet weekly, so it’s important to search often for new Internet sites.

Association web sites, many with additional local government links, are listed in the Association Section.


• Central Virginia’s Free-Net
  http://freenet.vcu.edu/
  Central Virginia's Community Online is a non-profit Web site dedicated to providing information about and to the Central Virginia community. Provides information about Central Virginia's Community by "hosting" web pages for non-profit community organizations, agencies, and clubs. The Government link provides access to online government information in Central Virginia.
  
  
• Commonwealth of Virginia’s Home Page
  http://www.state.va.us
  The Government icon links to Virginia cities, counties, and communities on the Internet, and includes legislative information, information technology resources, state government Internet addresses - plus the federal information exchange.
  
  
• The Institute of Government Information at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service
  http://www.coopercenter.org
  The University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service is a research and training organization focused on the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Center provides objective information, data, research, technical assistance, and practical training to state and local officials, community leaders, and members of the general public. The Cooper Center's 35-member staff includes experts in public management, demography, economics and public finance, political science, organizational development, workforce issues, and minority affairs.
  
  
• National City Government Resource Center
  http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1389
  This website serves as a collection of city-related URL's from throughout the United States. For ease of reference, these internet sites have been broken down into the following categories: General City Links, Functional City Links, Regional City Links, and Other City-related Links for those sites that do not fit neatly into these categories. You may check-out most cities in the United States on this page by using either CityGuide and/or CityNet.
  
  
• State and Local Government on the Net
  http://www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm
  A Piper Resources guide to government sponsored Internet sites.
  
  
• The Virtual Library of Virginia
  http://www.viva.lib.va.us
  VIVA is a consortium of academic libraries offering a wealth of information on the Internet for students attending participating institutions.
  
  
• Wise County, Virginia Circuit Court Clerk’s Office
  http://www.courtbar.org
  Example of the type of information of interest to attorneys which many local governments are beginning to place on the Web. This is the first Virginia Circuit Court to place information on the Web, but more are coming.

Associations

Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, Inc.
Administrative Office
Center for Public Service, University of Virginia
2015 Ivy Road, 4th Floor
Charlottesville, VA 22903
(804) 924-4871 fax: (804) 295-4667
http://www.coopercenter.org/lga/index.php

Local Government Institute
4009 Bridgeport Way West, Suite E
Tacoma, WA 98466-4326
(253) 565-6253 fax: (253) 565-2575
http://www.lgi.org
e-mail: lgi@lgi.org

National Civic League
1445 Market St., Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202-1728
(303) 571-4343 fax: (303) 571-4404
http://www.ncl.org/ncl

International Municipal Lawyers' Association
1110 Vermont Ave., N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C.20005
(202) 466-5424 fax: (202) 785-0152
e-mail: info@imla.org

National League of Cities
1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20004-1763
(202) 626-3000 fax: (202) 625-3043
http://www.nlc.org
e-mail: pa@nlc.org

The Professional Local Government Management Association
777 N. Capitol Street NE, Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20002-4201
(202) 289-4262 fax: (202) 962-3500

Virginia Association of Counties
1001 East Broad St., Suite LL 20
Richmond, VA 23219-1928
(804) 788-6652 fax: (804) 788-0083
http://www.vaco.org
e-mail: mail@vaco.org

Virginia Chamber of Commerce
9 South Fifth Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 644-1607 fax:(804) 783-6112
http://www.vachamber.com

Virginia Institute of Government
700 East Franklin Street, Suite 700
Richmond, Virginia 23219-2318
(804) 371-0202 fax:(804) 371-0234
http://www.institute.virginia.edu

Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA)
P.O. Box 29800
Roanoke, VA 24018-0798
(703) 772-2004
http://www.coopercenter.org/vlgma/index.php

Virginia Municipal League
13 East Franklin Street
P.O. Box 12164
Richmond, VA 23241
(804) 649-8471 fax: (804) 343-3758
http://www.vml.org

Other Associations may be found in the Encyclopedia of Associations (REF/AS22 .E5).



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