PENNSYLVANIA MATERIALS AND LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Where Are Pennsylvania Materials?

Most Pennsylvania materials are located on the third floor, south side. The call numbers for all Pennsylvania materials in this section begin with KFP. Titles found in other locations include the Legal Intelligencer, in the Reserve Reading Room on the second floor. Locations for other titles are listed below.

What Materials Are Available?

Biddle's Pennsylvania collection includes cases from all levels of state courts, annotated statutes, session laws, bills, regulations, and secondary sources such as digests, encyclopedias, form books, other books intended for practicing attorneys, law reviews and legal newspapers. There are also sources used to research Pennsylvania legislative history (see below).

Where Should I Start?

Researchers unfamiliar with a topic might want to consult the Pennsylvania Law Encyclopedia (KFP 66 .P4), beginning with the index. To find books using LOLA (the library's online catalog), click on "keywords," and type "pennsylvania" and the topic. For example, to find a book about religious liberty in Pennsylvania, click on "keywords" and type "pennsylvania religion." Most books about Pennsylvania law will be found on the third floor in the KFP section.

Where Can I Find Articles on Pennsylvania Law?

To find articles on Pennsylvania law in journals, use the Wilson Web index at the computer terminal to the left of the reference desk. Bound journals are on the 5th floor, and current, unbound issues are in the Reserve Reading Room on the second floor. All are shelved under the call number PER, followed by the first letter of the title (other than "the"). For example, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review is shelved under the call number PER U.

How do I find Pennsylvania Cases?

To find Pennsylvania cases, begin by using West's Pennsylvania Digest, 2nd edition (KFP 57 .W47 1983). See a Reference Librarian if you need help using the digest. Pennsylvania cases are published in Pennsylvania state reports (KFP 45 .A2), Pennsylvania Superior Court Reports (KFP48 .A2; ceased after volume 456), Commonwealth Court Reports (KFP49 .A2), and in the side reports, or case reporters for the many counties in Pennsylvania. The Atlantic Reporter, 2nd series (KF 135 .A7), publishes current cases from the Pennsylvania Superior Court and other Pennsylvania courts. Other reports covering more than one court include the Pennsylvania Reporter, 2nd series (KFP 47 .A32), and the Pennsylvania District and County Reports (KFP 51 .A4 D55).

Where Are Statutes and Regulations?

Pennsylvania statutes are organized by subject in Purdon's Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Annotated (KFP 30 1973 .A44). Check the General Index at the end of the set to find laws on a given topic. (Note: Purdon's is in the process of being recodified, and may be somewhat difficult to use. Check with a Reference Librarian if you have questions.) For other statutory sources, see the legislative history section below.

Pennsylvania regulations are organized by subject in the Pennsylvania Code (KFP 35 1970 .A23). New regulations are published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin (KFP 36 .P46).

Where is the Philadelphia Code?

The Philadelphia Code is at KFX 2121 .A65 1997, on the third floor, a few shelves away from the KFP section.

Where Are the Pennsylvania Practice Books and Form Books?

Practice books and form books for Pennsylvania are in the KFP section on the third floor. Most "Pennsylvania Bar Institute" titles (large volumes with yellow covers) have the same call number (KFP 81 .P46). They are organized by the publisher's number of each publication. A major set of form books is Dunlap-Hanna Pennsylvania Forms (KFP 68 .D81 1987).

Where Are Directories of Pennsylvania Lawyers?

The current Martindale-Hubbell volume for Pennsylvania is on Reserve at the Circulation Desk. Other Pennsylvania legal directories are immediately behind the Reference Desk in the Ready Reference section.

Where Are Pennsylvania Legal Newspapers?

The Legal Intelligencer and other current legal newspapers are kept in the Reserve Reading Room on the second floor (near the Circulation Desk). Look for the tall wooden bins perpendicular to the stacks of periodicals. Older issues of the Legal Intelligencer are available in the microforms rooms under the call number FILM PER L. Ask at the Reference Desk for assistance.

Are Pennsylvania Materials Available on the Internet?

A number of websites provide access to Pennsylvania materials. For example, opinions and calendars from the Supreme, Superior and Commonwealth courts are at the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts website at http://www.courts.state.pa.us/. The Constitution, selected statutes, bill indexes, and recent bills may be found at http://www.findlaw.com/11stategov/pa/index.html. Consult the Biddle Law Library Electronic Resources page for other materials available on the Internet (http://www.law.upenn.edu/bll/eresources).

How do I Research Pennsylvania Legislative History?

Legislative history materials are located on the third floor, south side. There are four steps in researching Pennsylvania legislative history:

1. Find the year and P.L. number in Purdon's. Check the Historical and Statutory Notes in Purdon's (KFP 30 1973 .A44) under the provision you want to research. Note the year and P.L. number, i.e., the pamphlet law page number on which your act begins, not the act number.
2. Find the bill number in the Laws of Pennsylvania (KFP 25 .A23). Find the Laws of Pennsylvania volume for that year, shelved just prior to Purdon's. This set is the annual compilation of session laws, or state acts arranged in chronological order by date of passage. The P.L. number corresponds to the number of the page on which the law was published. Near the top of that page, look for the bill number (preceded by either SB or HB) and make a note of the bill number and the year.
3. Find the entry in the Combined History of Senate and House Bills (KFP 15 .P46). Find the volume of the Combined History of Senate and House Bills for the year of your bill. This set has had many titles. All volumes are shelved together under the same call number. Look up the bill number in the "History of House Bills" or "History of Senate Bills" section. The entry will give you potentially important dates in the history of the bill's progress through the legislature. There may also be a reference to remarks published in the Legislative Journal for one or both chambers. Normally this is the only source of legislative history available for laws enacted in Pennsylvania.
4. Find the debates in the Legislative Journals. If any remarks were published, note the date, the chamber, and the page numbers. You will find them in the Legislative Journal for the House of Representatives (Folio KFP 18 .P42) or the Senate (Folio KFP 18 .P43) in the third floor Folio (oversized) section.