I have customers who are interested in learning more about specific state regulations...

...such as those that regulate the establishment of day care centers. Where can I find this information? And is it available online?

There are times when customers want legal information, but what they are seeking is not a law. As confusing as that sounds, state regulations are significant department policies that have the force of law but are not actually statues (laws). Black’s Law Dictionary defines a regulation as “a rule or order, having legal force, usually issued by an administrative agency.” For example, in the Family Law volume of the Maryland Code, Title 5, Subtitle 5 (FL 5-550-557.1) states that the Department of Education shall have authority to register family day care homes and adopt regulations that relate to the registration of family day care. But this law does not lay out the regulations one must follow to obtain that license. Those rules can be found in the Code of Maryland Regulations, more commonly referred to as COMAR. The details for the licensing procedure are found in COMAR under the title for the State Board of Education (Title 13A of COMAR). There is a hierarchical code number system, which makes it easy to identify where to find regulations. Here’s the explanation from the Division of State Documents (DSD) in the Secretary of State’s office.

DSD manages the system, which is identical to the federal practice of issuing regulations. First proposed regulations are published in the Maryland Register and later codified into COMAR.

The Maryland Code and COMAR are both online and very much up-to-date. You can also find them and many other legal links on the Maryland Law subject guide at SLRC. There are multiple ways in which COMAR can be searched. You can search by the agency name, through a table of contents structure or by using a keyword. It’s tricky. If you don’t use the keyword as it appears in the regulation, you won’t find it. It can be challenging. There’s another thing you need to know about COMAR online. When you retrieve the citations for a topic, you will get a list of regulation links to view. Regulations can only be opened one at a time because they are listed individually. There is no way to open all the regulations for a subject at once. So if you want, for example, to retrieve all the regulations pertaining to child and family day care you will have to click on each regulation one-by-one to open them. When you have a lot of regulations in one subtitle it can be very labor intensive! So try to be as specific as possible to limit your results.

You can get help from the Maryland Department librarians at SLRC. The Department has a few different indexes to COMAR and a complete set in hard copy. If you want to get a section without opening all the individual regulations they can fax or e-mail pages to you. If you still want more help on understanding COMAR, take a look at the Maryland law section of Legal Reference for Public Libraries e-Learning Module at the LATI site on slrc.info.

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Maryland

The Maryland Department of the State Library Resource Center focuses on all things Maryland.  From historical records to legal information to genealogical sources, the Maryland Department is the best source for all things Maryland.

Essential Resources

The Annotated Code of the Public General Laws of Maryland (the Code, not annotated, is also available online) is necessary in a public library for customers to check up-to-date laws in force.

Maryland, a Middle Temperament, 1634-1980 is the most comprehensive and best history of Maryland written in the past half century.

File for Divorce in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.  A plain language reference for complicated family law questions that includes copies of the forms that customers need.

Directory of Maryland Church Records identifies where records from churches around the state are held, including records that pre-date official genealogical records.

The Place Names of Maryland, Their Origin and Meaning is one of the few books that identifies where Maryland locations got their name.

Maryland Business Directory (online as Reference USA) has basic information on every individual establishment and is arranged geographically and by type of business.

An Index of the Source Records of Maryland, Genealogical, Biographical, Historical.
Originally printed in 1940, this book contains citations to identify where information on people and surnames can be found.  An indispensible resource and a last resort when other genealogical information cannot be located.

History of Maryland, From the Earliest Period to the Present Day is a 3 volume set, published in 1879 and simply the most comprehensive history of the state written up to the late nineteenth century.

The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy is the one book to turn to when you need to learn about any type of genealogical record or method.

Maryland Practice Forms is the most useful book of legal forms containing blank copies of subjects like power of attorney, adoption, name change and various motions.

Other Sources

Maryland Guide to Local, State and Federal Laws Governing Tenant-Landlord Relations: Including Laws Prohibiting Discrimination in Housing breaks down renter’s law into terms everyone can understand but also cites the appropriate sections of the Maryland code.

How to Start a Business in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia an all-in-one guide for customers needing information on starting any form of business in the state.

Criss-Cross Directories are reverse telephone directories that are arranged by address rather than name.  They are invaluable for finding people and businesses in past years.

Black’s Law Dictionary is the most authoritative source when looking for definitions or synonyms for legal terms.  If you have law in your library, you must have Black’s. 

Motion Picture Exhibition in Baltimore: An Illustrated History and Directory of Theaters, 1895-2004 is an encyclopedic work on movie and stage theaters in the Baltimore area that provides historical information and photos.  There is a volume for the Washington area too.

International Building Code is a necessary reference as the state, counties and local jurisdictions are adopting these national standardized codes.

Maryland Operating Budget.  Aside from the obvious financial information the budget has information on personnel detail, salaries, departmental objectives and statistics.

West’s Maryland Law Encyclopedia: Based on Maryland Statutes, Case law, State and Federal; Attorney General Opinions and Law Reviews.  The savior for those who are not versed in the law, this encyclopedia has explanatory chapters for each area of the law and cites statutes in the Code as well as court precedents

What to Do About Personnel Problems in Maryland is an up-to-date digest of federal and state laws that relate to work and employment in Maryland. 

Maryland, a Guide to the Old Line State.  Published as part of the WPA state guide series in 1940, this is the definitive guide to places and historical locations in Maryland

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Social Science and History

The Social Science and History Department at the State Library Resource Center covers subject areas including: law, history, travel and maps, genealogy, sociology, politics, archaeology, politics, and education.

Essential Resources

For customers asking for definitions of legal terms, Black’s Law Dictionary is your standard source. It also contains a useful table of legal abbreviations.

The Complete Dictionary of Symbols gives you a one-volume source that explores the meanings behind many of our most familiar symbols.

Current Biography Yearbook is great for biographical articles on living leaders across the globe.

A customer planning a birthday celebration for her grandmother needs a source that will tell her events and popular books, plays, and songs for the year 1945. The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates will assist you in finding the answers.

If you’re trying to find information about any U.S. President, Facts about the Presidents: From George Washington to George W. Bush is, by far, the most comprehensive source.

Guide Book of United States Coins (or U.S. coin red book, as most of us think of it) is perfect for any questions your customers may have about U.S. coins.

Guinness World Records is fun to read as well as a useful reference tool. It provides thousands of records covering such fields as entertainment, geography, science, and sports.

The Official Congressional Directory is the place to go for any questions about a U.S. Representative, Senator, or Congress, in general.

Peterson’s Guide to Four-Year Colleges will give you recent information on financial aid, majors, student life, tuition, and athletics.

If you have ever wondered where to look for census, church, court, land, or military records, The Source: a Guidebook to American Genealogy is the perfect starting point.

Other Sources

Almanac of American Politics provides analysis of U.S. senators, representatives, and governors along with a look at their voting records and the districts they represent.

Europa World Year Book is great for customers looking for more detail on recent developments in economics, education, defense, and politics for specific countries.

Ever have someone ask you about the meaning of their last name? The Dictionary of American Family Names will tell you both the derivation of an American family name and the meaning.

The newly-revised Dictionary of American History provides users with an excellent resource on any question dealing with American history.

For students looking for details on daily life during a specific time, The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life: A Tour through History from Ancient Times to the Present is the perfect starting point for research.

The Handbook of Private Schools is the standard educational resource for information on private schools in the United States and Canada.

The Statesman’s Year-book is an excellent source for information on government, defense, economy, trade, communications, social institutions, and natural resources for every country in the world.

The United States Government Manual furnishes information on the various agencies of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government.

U.S. Laws, Acts, and Treaties is a great help for library customers seeking background information on a specific law or act such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Family and Medical Leave Act.

West’s Encyclopedia of American Law explains legal issues and topics in a manner comprehensible to readers who are not attorneys. This is particularly useful for people looking for information on subjects such as civil liberties or habeas corpus.