Basic legal resources: Making sense of the literature of the law

We have all heard about the exponential growth in government during the past decade. What the media do not point out is the concomitant growth in the body of laws, rules, and regulations created by this “bigger” government. Certainly, reference librarians—in public and academic libraries—are aware of this trend. Average citizens, businesspeople, and students are asking more and more legal reference questions. Moreover, in my experience, the nature of these questions is shifting from the traditional areas of government and politics or even international relations, into newer areas of labor relations, the environment, and ethics.