Databases

The Thurgood Marshall State Law Library has an extensive collection of legal databases. The databases listed below are available to library patrons free of charge from the library's public access computers. Most are also available throughout the judiciary network, including the Library's public WiFi connection. By using these databases the user agrees to the publisher's terms of use.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Catalog | Legal Research | General Research | Journals and Law Reviews | Legal Forms | Historical Legal Sources | News and History | Maryland

Library Catalog

Search the Library's Catalog for books, ebooks, journals, ejournals, government publications, task force reports available at the Library.

Online Legal Research

Judiciary Staff can visit the About Judiciary Services page for information about Westlaw Edge, LexisNexis Digital Library, and CALI (Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) access.

Westlaw Public Access
Access via Library WiFi and public computers.* Limited seats.
Search for primary legal materials. Includes U.S. case law, codes and regulations.

HeinOnline
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
Database of full-image, full-text legal journal articles from the Law Journal Library, Restatements, Uniform Laws and State Session Laws, Attorney General Opinions and Statutes and Reporters.

Law Journal Press
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
Selected treatises available from Library's public computers and WiFi.

LexisNexis Digital Library 
Availability: Library public computers, Wi-Fi, with Judiciary Login 
Provides eBook access to an extensive collection of legal treatises published by LexisNexis. Content includes Maryland-specific titles, as well as general legal research. 
Access is available within the Law Library using the Library code ebooks and the Sign in As Guest option. For Judiciary login, please review About Judiciary Services. 

National Consumer Law Digital Library
Availability: Library public computers and WiFi
National Consumer Law Center treatises the areas of: debtor rights, warranties, consumer litigation, and credit & banking. Includes full-text along with supplemental pleadings, links to primary sources, practice tools.

Nolo Books
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
Legal Information Source and links from the library catalog.

VitalLaw (Formerly Cheetah)
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
VitalLaw, formerly Cheetah, is a legal research platform, powered by Wolters Kluwer.

West Academic Reference Collection
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
The West Academic Reference Collection provides electronic access to the entire collection of legal reference titles from West Academic’s Hornbook®, Concise Hornbook™, and Nutshell® Series.

General Research

Legal Information Archive
Availability: Universal Access
The Legal Information Archive is a collaborative digital archive established to preserve and ensure permanent access to vital legal information published online. It is a program of the Legal Information Preservation Alliance. The materials feature government, policy, and legal information archived from the Web.

Oxford English Dictionary Online
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
To cite the OED, click on the "cite" link top right. The Chicago citation format provides the info needed for Bluebook Rule 15.9 Electronic Media and Online Sources.

Scanned Collections
Availability: Universal Access
The Thurgood Marshall State Law Library has embarked on a program to digitize those printed Maryland materials that are both fairly unique to the Library and frequently used by legal researchers. Current collections include Judicial Conference Proceedings, Judiciary Administrative Orders, Legislative Bill Files, Legislative Council Materials, Rules Committee Materials, Task Force Reports, and Transactions of the Maryland State Bar Association.

Journals and Law Reviews

Law Review and Journal Portal
Availability: Universal Access
Search for all journals, both online and print owned by the library. Includes direct links to journals available online.

HeinOnline
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
Database of full-image, full-text legal journal articles from the Law Journal Library.

Law Review Commons
Availability: Universal Access
The Law Review Commons contains over 75,000 articles from open-access law reviews with issues dating from 1904.

Index to Legal Periodicals Current and Retrospective
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
Comprehensive coverage of U.S. legal periodicals from 1908 to present. Many articles available in full text.

Legal Forms

Library policy prevents Library staff from recommending forms. However, staff can assist with using the websites and databases below or finding print forms from our extensive collection of form books.

Maryland Legal Forms from the Maryland People's Law Library
Availability: Universal Access
Links to the most commonly used forms from Maryland's District and Circuit Courts, Office of Register of Wills, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Maryland Judiciary Court Forms
Availability: Universal Access
Includes many court forms in the following areas: general law, civil law, criminal law, domestic violence, protective orders, peace orders. Also see Family Law Form Finder.

Forms and Pleadings from the National Consumer Law Center's Digital Library
Availability: Library public computers and WiFi
Forms and pleadings in the area of debtor rights, warranties, consumer litigation, and credit & banking.

Maryland Legal Forms from Gale/Cengage
Availability: Library public computers and WiFi
This commercial database contains a wide variety of sample Maryland state-specific legal forms.

Please note: All forms in "Maryland Legal Forms" are provided without any warranty, express or implied, as to their legal effect and completeness. The Library suggests consulting the Maryland Rules when submitting forms to the court. Please use at your own risk.

Historical Legal Sources

Making of Modern Law
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
Comprehensive full-text, full-image database of over 22,000 historical American and British legal treatises, published from 1800 to 1926.

LLMC Digital
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
LLMC Digital includes scanned full-text access to many old reporters including Maryland reporters from 1658-1922 and MD AG Opinions 1917-1971.

Historical Sources from HeinOnline
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network

News & History

NEWS, CURRENT

Newsbank: Daily Record, Baltimore Sun and Maryland News Sources
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network

Washington Post (1987-current)
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network

NEWS, HISTORICAL

Baltimore Sun (1837-1997)
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network

Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988)
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network

Washington Post (1877-2007)
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network

Historic American Newspapers via Chronicling America
Availability: Universal Access
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.

Newspaper Archive
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
Collection of Maryland newspapers, from 1752-present. The database provides full-image content and is fully searchable by keyword and date. Includes the Annapolis Capital from 1887-present and the Baltimore Daily Record from 1888-1928.

Maryland State Archives - Online Digitized Newspapers
Availability: Universal Access
Access all of the newspapers that the Archives makes available online. Newspaper titles are listed alphabetically, with available dates.

OTHER HISTORY

African American Heritage
Availability: Library public computers, WiFi, Judiciary Network
ProQuest African American Heritage helps individuals by not only bringing together records critical to African American family research, but also by connecting them to a community of research experts, whose mentoring and assistance can frequently be the difference between research success and futility.

Ancestry Library Edition
Availability: Library public computers and WiFi
Ancestry Library Edition offers instant access to a wide range of unique resources for genealogical and historical research. With more than 1.5 billion names in over 4,000 databases, Ancestry Library Edition includes records from the United States Census; military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists and more! These collections are continuously expanding, with new content added every business day.

Maryland

Thurgood Marshall State Law Library Scanned Collections
Availability: Universal Access
Search and browse an expanding list of Maryland "task force" reports, Maryland Rules Committee meeting minutes and agendas, MSBA Transactions, Proceedings of the Maryland Judicial Conference.

Archive-It: Thurgood Marshall State Law Library
Availability: Universal Access
Archived webpages of the Maryland Judiciary and other sites relating to the government of Maryland. Webpages are stored as they appeared through the not-for-profit data centers operated by the Internet Archive, providing free access to preserved information.