hey
you should try looking at the book "lightwave 3D 7 character animation" its an awsome book. it helps you rig the whole character step by step and even helps you with alot of animation techniques. i would highly recomend the book. heres a nice site i came over its good for beginners.
http://www.splinegod.com/rigs.htm
i still like the book. hope this helped.
sincerely roshan