Classification of Legal Materials
- The core of the law collection (monographs, legal reporting publications and loose-leaf publications) is kept on the upper floor of the Library and is classified according the Steiner classification scheme for the law collection.
- This scheme was drawn up in 1981 for the EUI by W.A.F.P. Steiner, former librarian of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies of London.
- Each class mark is composed of:
- Jurisdiction: one or more capital letters, followed by
- Subject division: one or more small letters, followed by
- Form: a number
For example:
Dcj9 - International law -sources -monograph
ECcd9 - EU law - constitutional law - monograph
Lf4 - Germany - constitutional law- text
The scheme provides for works on all jurisdictions. The following synopsis of main classes identifies only those on which the Law Library has a certain amount of material.
- A - Legal reference works; dictionaries
- B - Jurisprudence
- D - Public international law
- EC - European Union
- F - Comparative law
- HC - United Kingdom
- HH - Republic of Ireland
- JA - Netherlands
- JC - Belgium
- KC - France
- L - Germany
- LP - Austria
- LT - Switzerland
- M - Italy
- NB - Denmark
- P - Spain
- PP - Portugal
- Q - Greece
- T - Central Europe
- U - Asia
- W - Africa
- YC - United States of America
A common set of subject divisions is applied to all country jurisdictions (classes G-Z) and includes the differing requirements of common law and civil law jurisdictions. The following synopsis lists the main subject divisions of country jurisdictions:
- a - Not restricted as to subject
- b - Legal history
- c - Special aspects of the legal system
- d - Administration of justice
- e - Public law
- f - Constitutional law
- g - Constitutional position of individuals
- h - Constitutional position of groups
- j - Administrative law (general part)
- k - Public regulation and provision of public services (administrative law applicable to specific matters)
- m - Tax law
- n - Criminal law
- p - Criminal procedure
- q - Procedure in general; civil procedure
- s - Private law
- t - Private law; property
- u - Private law; obligations
- v - Commercial law
- w - Commercial law; business organizations
- x - Conflict of laws
- y - Conflict of laws; property
- z - Conflict of laws; obligations
Special subject divisions have been developed for the classes:
- B - Jurisprudence
- D - Public international law
- EB - Council of Europe
- EC - European Union
The Guide to the Steiner Classification Scheme can be consulted with Valentina Spiga for a more detailed description of these classes.
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A selection of the most used form divisions is given below (these are form divisions used for jurisdictional main classes i.e. G-Z. Special variations are provided for main classes A, C, D, E).
23 - Encyclopedias
32 - Parliamentary papers
34 - Conference proceedings
4 - Primary legislation
5 - Law reports and court records
6 - Cases
9 - Monographs
92 - Festschriften. Collections
Page last updated on 15 January 2021