The Law Bod's collection is shelved over four floors. An interest in African law may well see you visiting at least three! All the floors are connected by both stairs and a lift. Use the tabs in this box to understand how the Law Bod's collection is arranged.
There is an Enquiry Desk on Level 2, just as you enter the main Reading Room: please do come and have a word if you are having any difficulty in using the library when you are here.
Looking for a Reading List title?
When you search SOLO for books on your Oxford Law Faculty Reading List you may find that the location is shown as Law Library Reserve Collection. Books in this collection must be asked for at the Enquiry Desk on Level 2. Please remember to bring your Oxford University Card or your Bodleian Reader's Card when you come to the Desk.
Note. The books in the Reserve Collection are available to all categories of readers, not just those on the particular course.
The Law Library's collection is fully catalogued on SOLO, Oxford University's online resource discovery tool. For those wishing to learn more about using searches, we recommend the following:
The Law Bod shelves its collections of printed materials for individual African nations on Level One, one floor below the entrance level. The arrangement is alphabetical, by the English name of the jurisdiction. If the country is a member of the Commonwealth (the voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific) there will be a Cw at the beginning of the shelf mark, but this does not affect its position in the alphabetical arrangement. There is no further subject arrangement within each jurisdiction's collection, the books are arranged by the last name of the author or editor.
Depth of coverage varies considerably: you may well discover that for some countries the collection has an historic rather than a current emphasis. Our largest collection is for South Africa - for more information on this jurisdiction please consult our South Africa guide) You may well find that there is more recent commentary about your jurisdiction between the covers of a comparative study or work on international law. For more help with these please click on the relevant tabs in this box.
Commercial and Economic Law in Nigeria by 
The Copyright Thing Doesn't Work Here Adinkra and Kente Cloth and Intellectual Property in Ghana by On Level 2, the level at which you enter the Law Library, an area of the open shelf collection has books with shelf marks beginning General.
This is where you will find comparative studies, and works surveying the response to legal problems in two or more jurisdictions.
Sometimes the comparison will be between or among other African states, sometimes between one or more African states and jurisdiction(s) elsewhere in the world.
If all the countries being compared are (or were) members of the Commonwealth (the voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific) the book should have a shelf mark beginning Cw Gen. This collection is also on Level 2, but separate from General.
Please ask at the Enquiry Desk on Level 2 if you are having difficulty finding your way round our collection.
Copyright Africa : how intellectual property, media and markets transform immaterial cultural goods by 
Judicial independence in Africa by 
Citizenship Law in Africa by 
Intellectual Property Law in Africa Harmonising Administration and Policy by On Level 2, the level at which you enter the Law Library, an area of the open shelf collection has books with shelf marks beginning Jurisp (short for jurisprudence) where we shelve books on legal philosophy and theory. Within this section the books are arranged by the last name of author or editor.
As the Law Library moves to the Moys Classification Scheme, you may find legal philosophy books with shelf marks beginning KA .
KA titles are probably described on SOLO as being in the Law Reserve Collection. Please ask for these books at the Law Enquiry Desk - and remember to bring your University or Bodleian Reader's card with you, as these heavily used titles are issued to you for use in the Library. You can keep reading them for the rest of day if you like - but we do ask that you return them to the Enquiry Desk as soon as possible after you have finished consulting them.
KA books not held in the LAw Reserve collection are on Level 2 - but a few shelves away from those with shelf marks beginning Jurisp.
Please ask at the Enquiry Desk on Level 2 if you are having difficulty finding your way round our collection.
Jurisprudence in an African context by 
What is Africanness? : contesting nativism in race, culture and sexualities by On Level 3, one floor above the entrance level to the Law Library, an area of the open shelf collection has books with shelf marks beginning Internat (short for public international law). These books are further arranged by topic as described below.
Also on Level 3 is an area of the open shelf collection with books with shelf marks beginning Private Int. (This is short for private international law or conflict of laws as it is sometimes called.) In this section books are simply arranged by the last name of the author or editor, not by topic.
The Regional Law of Refugee Protection in Africa by 
Africa's International Investment Law Regimes by 
African Perspectives in International Investment Law by 
Making Markets Work for Africa : markets, development, and competition law in Sub-Saharan Africa by 
The Performance of Africa's International Courts by 
Private International Law in Commonwealth Africa by The public international law collection on Level 3 is subdivided by broad areas of law. The divisions used are listed alphabetically below, with the corresponding shelf mark alongside. Within each shelf mark the books are next arranged by author/editor.
Air law Internat 640
Atomic energy Internat 600
Dependent states and special regimes Internat 535
Economic law Internat 590
European Court of Human Rights: literature Internat 575
General and theory Internat 500
History Internat 510
Human rights Internat 570
International crimes Internat 580
International relations Internat 660
Jurisdiction of states Internat 560
Law of the sea and waterways Internat 630
Nationality Internat 565
Recognition Internat 545
Servitudes Internat 550
Social legislation and organisation Internat 610
Space law Internat 650
State responsibility Internat 555
State succession Internat 540
The state (as a legal entity) Internat 530
Title to territory Internat 520
Transport and communications (except sea, air and space) Internat 620
Treaties (theory etc.) Internat 670
International organisations History and general Internat 680
General and regional political organisations Internat 681
League of Nations: general Internat 685
League of Nations: publications (series) Internat 686
United Nations: general Internat 687
United Nations: publications (series) Internat 688
Peace and disarmament Internat 700
International disputes and arbitration General and theory Internat 710
Individual arbitration tribunals: literature Internat 740
International courts and tribunals: general Internat 720
Permanent Court of Arbitration: literature Internat 730
Permanent Court of International Justice and the International Court of Justice: literature Internat 725
Termination of war (including specific peace treaties) Internat 760
There are several London libraries which may be able to help you with your African legal studies. Please follow the links below and search their online catalogues to see if temporary membership and a visit would be worthwhile.
Various aspects of African law are considered on other pages on this guide: content includes guidance on books in our collection.
If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the print or ebook you are looking for, you can make a recommendation by completing the form below (Oxford Single-Sign On required).
If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the book you are looking for, we may be able to source it through Oxford's inter-library request service.