"Old Section"

This area of the library is informally referred to as “The Old Section.” This is because it was part of the original library before the extension was built in 1984. Along with this section, the old library consisted of the main and mezzanine levels of the Mackay Reading Room.

“The Old Section” houses foreign legal material, like UK legislation and case law, which are in stacks 351–355. You’ll also find case law in stacks 357 and 358, which house our Nominate Reports. Nominate Reports are case reporters named after the private court reporters who published the cases. Many Nominate Reports are also available in other reporter series, such as the English Reports. Most of our foreign material is historical, and we have British legislation dating all the way back to the Magna Carta.

The superseded reference materials are in stacks 359–364. This is where you’ll find older editions of reference books like legal encyclopedias, case digests, bibliographies, and more. These are great resources if you’re doing historical legal research.

Between stacks 362 and 363 is our wheelchair lift, which provides access to the third floor of the law school, where you’ll find the General Office as well as faculty offices. The door below is locked, so unless you need to use the lift, you can’t access the law school this way.

In the centre of the old section is a quiet study room with several tables and two study pods. This is also where you’ll find Stack 356, along the back wall. This isn’t a conference room, so please don’t have meetings or discussions in here.

Also in this area are professors’ offices, which are opposite Stack 352 and along the back of the room. This is also where you’ll find the Student Wellness Room, which is a place for you to relax and be mindful when things are getting a little too stressful.

This concludes our tour of the Law Library. If this tour is part of your Foundations class, don’t forget to sign out at the circulation desk before you go. And remember, when in doubt, ask a librarian!