The proceedings of the fifteenth Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials, held at the University of Toronto, June 23-26, 1970, include a number of papers addressing issues relevant to the acquisition of Latin American legal resources. Fourteen years later I would like to report that many of the difficulties described therein have changed sufficiently to allow for the development of orderly selection and acquisition processes. Unfortunately, this is not generally the case. In 1970, Fernando J. Figueredo quoted a Spanish proverb: “suerte te dé Dios, que el saber te vale poco”, or in English, “ask God for luck, since knowledge will be of little help to you”. I suggest that good fortune combined with language knowledge, a familiarity with the legal systems involved, a tenacity of spirit, and a sense of humour are all requisites to the successful pursuit of Latin American and Caribbean legal materials. Since SALALM XV's proceedings are published and available for consultation, I prefer not to review all of the problems outlined there. Instead, this paper will offer what will hopefully be some creative, unusual methods of identifying and locating copies of legal publications.

The terms “admiralty” and “maritime law” are virtually synonymous and are frequently used interchangeably. They refer to that body of law which relates to marine commerce and navigation, to ships and shipping, to seamen, to the transportation of persons and the carriage of property by sea, and to marine affairs in general. Admiralty or maritime law therefore does not comprise a single category of legal theory such as contracts or torts but rather incorporates a variety of traditional legal subjects including contracts and torts, procedure, and jurisdiction as well as several unique areas such as general average. Since maritime law does not focus on a single field of legal theory, it is useful to divide the subject into separate topics. Among these are: (l)Marine Insurance and General Average; (2) Carriage of Goods and Cargo Damage; (3) Charter Parties and Bills of Lading; (4) Personal Injury and Death; (5) Collision and Rules of the Road; (6) Salvage and Towage; and, (7) Maritime Liens and Ship Mortgages. These classifications should not, however, be regarded as rigid since there often is overlap between topics. Additionally, there are general treatises on the subject, case reporters, dictionaries, directories, and journals which include articles exclusively on maritime law.