Wisconsin State Law Library

The David T. Prosser Jr. Library, and Dane and Milwaukee County Law Libraries will be closed on Monday, May 27th for Memorial Day. We will respond to questions and requests on Tuesday, May 28th.

To ask a question while we are closed, call us at 608-267-9696 or Ask a Librarian online.

State agencies can change names over time, merging or splitting into new entities. When you're doing historical research, this can get confusing. There are a few sources you can use to research past agencies. One such source is the UW-Madison Library Catalog.

The May issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now available.

In this issue: 

Law Day at our libraries

We celebrated Law Day on May 1, 2019. Read more

Spotlight on: Oxford English Dictionary

Are you looking to expand your vocabulary and impress your friends? We have added an online subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary which can be used at the David T. Prosser Jr. Library public computers. We also have it in print! Read more

New Books

This month's featured titles are An Associate’s First Year: a Guide to Thriving at a Law Firm and Opening Statements: Winning in the Beginning by Winning the Beginning. Don't miss our full new book list for May. Read more

Tech Tip

How do I shrink this page? Where is the spell check button? If you are a casual user of Microsoft Word, the array of ribbons, toolbars, and menus can be confusing. Use the Quick Access Toolbar to help your experience. Read more
Library News

Get conference and National Library Week updates, learn about upcoming classes for May, and more news from our libraries. Read more

May Snapshot

Spotted on the interstate on the way to Chicago, this American Writers Museum billboard highlighting Douglass' timeless words ties into an exhibit they offered last year, Frederick Douglass AGITATOR. Read more

Recently, one of our librarians came across a Wisconsin Bar Bulletin article from 1976, commemorating Law Day. This article, 200 years of liberty and law, includes photographs from the Governor's proclamation signing, and an oral argument in the Assembly Chambers of the State Capitol "on the issue of Fair Trial - Free Press." It was great to see this window to the past, preserved in the Bar Bulletin. You can read this article and see the pictures now on HeinOnline (49 Wis. B. Bull. 56, 58 (1976)), or in print in the David T. Prosser Jr. Library.

Please join us for Law Day on May 1, 2019. The Wisconsin State Law Library is offering a free CLE-credit class on legislative history research.

Introduction to Wisconsin Legislative History
Wednesday, May 1, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: Room 150 in the Risser Justice Center, 120 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Watch for signs in the lobby. Room 150 is located on the first floor, at the same entrance for the David. T. Prosser Jr. Library.

I need the legislative history of a Wisconsin statute. Where do I start? What do I do? Participants will look at the primary resources used to research Wisconsin legislative history, learn about the online Wisconsin legislative drafting files, and learn some helpful tips and tricks along the way. This introductory class covers basic research strategies and sources.

This year’s American Bar Association theme is “Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society.” In consideration of this theme, the Dane County Bar Association will present three free CLE programs on Digital Freedom of Speech, Attorney Ethics in “My Cousin Vinny,” and Media and Open Government Issues. All programs are open to everyone, and will be at the Dane County Courthouse.

The Dane County Law Library will be hosting free legal consultations for the public with volunteer attorneys, and courthouse tours are also offered as part of Law Day at the Courthouse.