Library Catalogue

All of the Library’s materials (including the majority of the law reports and journal titles contained in our subscription databases) can be located by searching our online catalogue. The catalogue may be accessed online, via any of the Library's computer terminals, or by using the search box embedded in this page:

Searching the catalogue 

The catalogue employs what is known as "fuzzy searching". This means that it will automatically compensate for variations in spelling and punctuation, as well as common typographical errors. For example, searching for the term 'encyclopedia' will also retrieve titles which use the alternative spelling 'encyclopaedia'. Similarly, searching for a singular noun will also retrieve the plural where it ends in 's' and searching for 'lloyd's law reports' will retrieve the catalogue record for this series even if you omit the apostrophe.

You can search by author, title or subject, or by using a combination of the three.

To search for an exact phrase, enter your search terms in double quotation marks " " in the same way you would when using a search engine such as Google. Alternatively, you can select 'Advanced Search' and enter your search terms in the field "Find items that have: This exact phrase".

Boolean operators

Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) do not work on this catalogue. For example, if you search for 'archbold AND criminal' it will only retrieve results that have the word 'and' in the title.

However, you can combine search terms in a similar way by using the 'Advanced Search' option. Entering search terms in the field 'Find items that have: All these words' performs the same function as the Boolean 'AND'. Entering search terms in the field 'Don't show items that have: These unwanted terms' performs the same function as 'NOT'.

You can also exclude terms from your search by putting a minus sign in front of a search term on the basic search screen.

Interpreting your results

Results are displayed in order of relevance, but you can sort them by publication date, title or author if you prefer, by using the 'Sort By' drop-down menu. You can also limit the number of search results displayed by using the menu on the left-hand side of the page to include or exclude specific subjects, authors or formats.

The results list gives basic information about each item, such as the author, title and date of publication, and for most textbooks indicates how the item has been classified using the Moys Classification scheme for law (for example, KM 587 BAN). A location guide to Moys-classified textbooks can be viewed at the bottom of the page. For serials, the catalogue indicates where the item is shelved (for example, BAY 55). For both textbooks and serials, the catalogue record will indicate whether the item is available electronically, and if so, where. Clicking on the blue hyperlinked title of an item will display further details such as whether any earlier editions are held by the Library and where they are shelved.

Clicking on blue hyperlinked terms such as author or subject will list all items with the same author or subject.

Clicking on ‘Select an Action' followed by 'Add to My Lists’ will allow you to create a list of items which you can then email to yourself or print.

Other Libraries

While each Inn has a separate library catalogue, they all use similar search interfaces, which means that you can search all four library catalogues simultaneously. To see if another Inn library has the item you require, click on the 'Other Libraries' tab. You will then need to click on the tab for each individual library to view the search results.

Each Inn Library specialises in different subjects and jurisdictions, so if you are looking for information on a specific practice area, or from a particular jurisdiction, it's advisable to search the catalogue of the Inn whose specialism it is separately.

Gray’s Inn Library: https://www.graysinn.org.uk/library/

Inner Temple Library: http://www.innertemplelibrary.org.uk

Lincoln’s Inn Library: https://www.lincolnsinn.org.uk/library-archives/

A PDF listing the specialisms of each Inn may be downloaded at the bottom of the page, or you can refer to the following alphabetical list:

 MT = Middle Temple, IT = Inner Temple, LI = Lincoln's Inn, GI = Gray's Inn