When looking for comparative law materials in the library, it is often helpful to browse the following call number ranges on the library shelves:
KD – KDK: United Kingdom
KE: Canada
KF: United States
KG: Latin America
KH: South America
KJ – KKZ: Europe
KL – KWX: Asia and Eurasia, Africa, Pacific Area, and Antarctica
A complete outline of the call numbers related to law is available from the Library of Congress Web site:
In addition to call numbers, items in the library are assigned "subject headings." Subject headings are used to indicate the specific content of a given item. All items with similar content are assigned the same subject heading. You can easily find related items by searching the library catalog using the relevant subject heading. The following subject headings are commonly assigned to items that discuss comparative law issues:
“Comparative law”
“Civil law”
“Common Law”
“Roman Law”
The following resources are especially helpful when learning the structure and function of the legal systems in foreign countries. These works are especially useful for locating authoritative sources of law for foreign countries. Several of the works in the "Encyclopedias" section of this guide are also useful for these purposes.
