Library Stuff

“We have seen the legal industry evolve considerably during the past several years, largely in reaction to the sluggish economy, client demands, the rapid proliferation of information on the Internet and technological advancements. Throughout these developments, the mission of librarians has endured. The mission is to solve information needs by getting information—the right information—into the hands of the attorney or client quickly, efficiently and cost effectively. We are knowledge enhancers; the library can be described as providing “knowledge services.” However, accomplishing this mission has become more challenging as a result of the changing legal landscape—especially the information explosion and corresponding tidal wave of resources now available for solving information needs.

via National Law Journal

“Today’s economy and how it is affecting librarianship in private law firms has been the focus of many discussions. At the 2012 American Association of Law Libraries meeting and the 2012 Private Law Libraries Summit, it was the central theme running through many of the programs, and there was consensus that the current economic climate calls for innovation and flexibility from private law librarians. We all faced significant challenges with the downturn of the legal market in 2008 that culminated in the credit crisis in 2009. In mid-March and in October 2009, AALL conducted a survey of law library directors to understand how the economic crisis was affecting the profession. What they found was that in private law libraries, 30 percent saw staff reductions, but 72 percent also had a hiring freeze in place.”

via Daily Report

“Copyright laws apply to lawyers too. Yet sometimes they seem to forget this seemingly obvious fact.”

via Law.com

A must read for law librarians.

Cornell Daily Sun – “Femi Cadmus was appointed head of the Law School Library and associate dean for Library Services this August. She said that as libraries nationwide face an uncertain future she is not afraid to adapt to a digital age. “My vision is for a transformative, innovative, forward-thinking, library. I’m not afraid to try new things,” Cadmus said. “With the shift to digital collections and reliance on technology, we, as librarians, need to stay relevant, be adaptable and explore new avenues.” Cadmus comes to Cornell from the Yale Law School, where she was Associate Director for Administration and a Lecturer in Legal Research.”

Philly.com – “John Joergensen, Rutgers-Camden law school librarian, is also a lawyer, a harvester, and a shepherd. The last two titles sound a bit agrarian, but they are essential arts in his mission: to collect, catalog, curate, and present online a digital archive of the law of the land. Free.”

Arizona Daily Sun – “A cream-colored book on a shelf in the Coconino County Law Library in the courthouse is so wide it has clear tape holding it together. Dated 1912, it contains the session laws for the state of Arizona in the first legislative session after it left territorial status and became a state on Feb. 14, 1912. “That one is our first set of laws,” explained Gretchen Hornberger, who has been the sole librarian at the library for 10 years. “Probably most are adopted from territorial law. I guess they had a lot to do that year.”

Bev Butula – “Individuals consider several factors when selecting websites for research. Those factors could include currency of the data, whether clear bias exists, if the site is user friendly, and the authority or source of the information. From this list, I consider authority the most important. Is the data from a trustworthy source? Is the author an expert on the topic? To ensure good authority, I often start my search with government websites. Here are a few of my favorites.”

On Firmer Ground – “A collaborative effort of the Legal Division of the Special Libraries Association, the Private Law LIbraries Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries, the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (l’Association Canadienne des Bibliothèques de Droit) and the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians.”

I’m excited about this new blog.  

NYTimes – “MORRIS, the name of the online catalog of the Yale Law School Library, is not an acronym. It’s a tribute to Morris Cohen, the school’s longtime librarian and law professor, who died in December at 83 and was one of America’s great scholarly librarians.”