Finding books and e-books: IALS Library Guides

Guide last updated by Katie Radford, August 2025

Using IALS Library Search is the best way to find out what books we have in our collections. Here you can find information about both print books and e-books. This guide will explain how to search for books using Library Search and how to understand the book records.

At IALS library books are organised by jurisdiction or by subject. Within jurisdiction and subject, the books are further alphabetically arranged by the author's name. All print books are given a combination of letters and numbers called a classmark (sometimes called a shelfmark). If you find a book on Library Search that you want to look at, you need to make a note of the classmark then find it on the library shelves. The floorplans can help you find the right area within the library.

A more detailed outline of the arrangement of books can be found in the guide Classmarks and the Location of Resources in the Library.

If you are looking for a specific book, you can use the advanced search function to run a Title or Author search, or a combination of both.

Title search:

Select 'Title' from the drop-down search fields and enter the full title in the text box. You may omit words like "the" or "and", for example:

The law of international finance
law of international finance

If you know a specific title, select 'contains exact phrase' as this will ensure the search only looks for the exact title you have entered. If you choose 'contains' your search will find all titles which contain all of the words you enter in the text box anywhere in the title. 

Author search:

Select 'Author/Creator' from the drop-down search fields. Type the Author's LAST NAME first, for example:

McKnight

McKnight, A

McKnight, Andrew

Title & Author search:

You can combine a Title & Author search using the advanced search. To do this, enter either the Title or Author as described above, and then enter the other as an additional line to your search. Make sure you use 'AND' to find results featuring both the author and title as specified. 

Once you've run your search, you can use the 'Tweak your results' options on the left-hand side of the results page to further refine the results.

If you are not looking for a particular item, but would like to check the library's holdings for a particular subject, you can run a keyword, subject or classmark search.

Keyword search:

This searches across the entire catalogue record, so can be useful if a title or subject search does not bring back any results.

1. Use the main search bar on the Library Search homepage, or select the 'Any field' filter on the advanced search.

Once you have run your search, you can use the 'Tweak my results' options on the left-hand side of the results page to filter and sort your results.

Subject search:

This searches across the controlled subject headings of each item on the library catalogue.

1. Go to the advanced search and select 'Subject' from the drop-down search filters.

Once you have searched for a relevant term, you can use the 'Tweak my results' options on the left-hand side of the results page to filter and sort your results.

2. If your search is unsuccessful, try a keyword search. When you have found a record on your desired topic, take a note of the subject headings listed on the catalogue record - you can use these subjects for subsequent subject searches.

Classmark search:

If you know the classmark of the subject or jurisdiction you may want try searching the catalogue using the classmark or searching the bookshelves directly. To find out the classmark try:

• The guide on Classmarks and the Location of Resources in the Library
• Individual Subject Guides
• Asking staff at the Enquiry Desk on the 2nd floor or emailing ials@sas.ac.uk 

Once you know the classmark, you can use the advanced search to search for all items with a particular classmark. Choose the 'Classmark' filter and enter the classmark in the text box.

In many cases core textbooks will have a number of editions published in different years. Once a new edition has arrived in the Library the previous edition is removed from the open-access library shelves and placed in the Library's basement storage area. These earlier editions are identifiable by having a classmark that includes DEP or RES (meaning Depository or Reserve Collection). The most recent edition will have a recognisable Library classmark e.g. Short Loan or GA2.C.1 JOW.

To help you find the most recent edition, it is possible to order your search results by publication date.

1. Run a search using Library Search
2. Click on 'Sort by' on the 'Tweak my results' options on the left-hand side of the screen and choose 'Date-newest'
3. This will list all of the items with the most recent edition at the top.

If you find that all of the editions which your search turned up have depository numbers it may be worth re-submitting your search as a keyword search in order to find the most recent edition.

IALS Library Search contains records of thousands of e-books. Where a book is available electronically, it will say 'Available Online' on the search results screen and the individual book record:

The links to access the e-book can be found in the 'View Online' section on the individual e-book record. There may be more than one link: one for onsite access in the library and one for remote access. It will also specify here which user groups are able to access the e-resource remotely. Make sure you select the correct link depending on whether you are working onsite or offsite.

To limit your search so that you only see e-books and not print books in your results, select and apply the 'Available online' filter from the 'Tweak your results' menu on the left-hand side of the screen. 

Many of the large law databases to which IALS subscribes provide access to e-books. All e-books are individually catalogued and can be found via IALS Library Search. Alternatively, you can search a database directly. Searching the database directly may give the advantage of being able to browse by subject area or run full-text searches for particular words and phrases.

The main databases with significant book content are:

• Bloomsbury Law
• Brill Online
• Cambridge Core Books
• Ebook Central (access to individual e-books purchased by IALS from a variety of publishers)
• Elgaronline
• HeinOnline (see Legal Classics collection, mainly US and UK historical titles)
• IBFD (for international tax law titles)
• LLMC (mainly 19th and early 20th century foreign and international titles)
• Oxford Legal Research Library
• Oxford Scholarship Online
• Westlaw Books

All of these databases can be accessed through our A-Z Databases page page and many can be accessed remotely.

If you need to locate titles which are not held at IALS Library, try the following places.

• Library Hub Discover - brings together catalogues of major UK and Irish libraries.
• British Library Public Catalogue - to search the British Library holdings

If another library holds the material you need, you should check their access arrangements before you visit.

Alternatively you may be able to obtain titles from other libraries using interlibrary loan or document delivery services offered by your own institution. 

If you are looking for a book that we do not have in our collection, you can recommend that we purchase a copy. We cannot promise to buy everything that is recommended, but we will consider all suggestions.

To recommend a book, complete the form on our website: Recommend a book