Acts

The Law Library in Windsor Terrace is a divisional library of the main University Library and open to members of ALL faculties of the University. Most of the legal material is housed in the Law Library. This material includes PART of the Library's collection of Acts.

Public General Acts are usually equated with the term `Acts of Parliament'. But there are other kinds of Acts of Parliament: Local Acts and Personal Acts. The former apply to particular areas, the latter apply to individuals. Local Acts originate as Private Bills.

Public General Acts are numbered consecutively in the order in which they receive the Royal Assent. Prior to 1963 they are cited by the years of the reign in which the session took place, followed by chapter number:-
e.g. 1 and 2 Will.4. Ch.76
.or 23 and 24 Vict. cap.151

After 1963 they are cited by calendar year and chapter number.

Public General Acts are first published as separate items and are reprinted annually in bound volumes entitled `Public General Acts and Measures`. The Law Library has a complete set of Public General Acts (1797-) and Local and Personal Acts (1945-). Both are shelved in the Law Library Reference Room. The Robinson Library has an incomplete set of Public General Acts from 1830 onwards. Some of the gaps in this set are filled by volumes of the Current Law Statutes. Acts in these sets are not usually catalogued unless there is an extra copy located in the Dewey sequence.

Works about Acts are shelved in the Dewey sequence.

To trace Acts the Stationery Office lists can be consulted for the date and chapter number. There are also several indexes to Acts. The majority of these are located in the Reference Room of the Law Library, e.g. `Index to the Statutes in Force` to trace laws on a particular subject, and `Chronological Table of the Statutes` to find out whether a particular Act has been repealed or amended. The Robinson Library has a copy of the pre-current issue of `Index to the Statutes in Force` located at Public General Acts.

All Public General Acts from 1988 onwards and Local Acts from 1991 onwards are available full text on the World Wide Web via the UK Parliament Home Page or direct from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts.htm.

Robinson Library

Acts:- Shelfmark: Public General Acts
Loan Period: Reference only

Acts (2nd copies):- Shelfmark: Dewey class number
Loan Period: General

Works about Acts: Shelfmark: Dewey Class number
Loan Period: General

Law Library
Acts:- Shelfmark: Reference Room
Loan period: Reference only

Acts (extra copies):- Shelfmark: Dewey class number with prefix LAW
Loan Period: Mostly reference only

Works about Acts:- Shelfmark: Dewey class number with prefix LAW
Loan Period: Long