In the United States, the occupation of law librarianship has existed longer than the American Library Association, and law librarians have their own professional organization that is now more than 100 years old. Throughout this history, however, the related issues of degree requirements and education standards for law librarians have been…

Libraries today are determined to meet the expanding needs of their patrons by keeping their services and book collections up-to-date with the rapidly growing technological advances. Many have adapted to the innovative changes seamlessly by integrating new technology trends such as: (1) purchasing more ebook titles; (2) using social media sites…

The problem of the "pro se" patrons (people who are representing themselves in a legal dispute or transaction) has received significant attention in the legal information literature, and many excellent suggestions have been offered to aid law librarians in dealing with this population group. However, these suggestions can be usefully applied in…

As with many other libraries in the U.S., the Rutgers University Law Library-Newark (RULLN), where the author works as digital services librarian, offers VHS tapes and CDs to its patrons. In 2006, some faculty members asked if their lectures could be posted online with protection so that only authorized users of the university's NetID system could…

Step into a classroom in the 21st century, and the odds are it won't look all that different from one in the 20th century. One decade into the 2000s, many schools and universities have been frustrated in their efforts to upgrade their facilities and resources because of shrinking budgets. But even with the ailing economy, some education…

Use of the physical collections and services of academic libraries continues to plummet, with some exceptions, while use of electronic networked resources skyrockets. This article frames the extent of this decline with a focus on circulation and reference among ARL University, Medical, and Law Libraries, the Ivy League, other associations,…

Jenkins Law Library is the oldest law library in America, and has a reputation for offering great content not only to local attorneys, but also to the entire legal research community. In this article, the author, who is Web manager at Jenkins, describes the development of an automated process by which research links can be added to the database so…

Provides background on the establishment of the Congressional Research Service, focusing on the growth of reference services and special librarianship during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The contributions of Melvil Dewey and Charles McCarthy, as well as legislative reference work in the Library of Congress, are discussed. (10…

Genie Tyburski did not set out to be a law librarian. When asked at Drexel's library school what kind of librarian she wanted to be, she was surprised that "a good one" was not one of the options. But six weeks into the semester, she landed a part-time cataloging job at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia; six months later she was…

Troy Johnson was a devoted reader and library user even as a teen living in Alaska. His experiences with librarians there and at the University of Nebraska College of Law made law librarianship an appealing career choice when he received his law degree and realized he had no idea what he wanted to do with it. Now, as Electronic Services and…

This review of current applications and future possibilities of optical disk technology in law libraries covers the basics of what optical disks are and their advantages and disadvantages in terms of storage capacity, durability, speed, cost, and information retrieval. A sampling of commercial products is provided. (Author/EM)

The first part of this article reviews developments in Canadian legislative libraries since the 1960s, with emphasis on reference and research services. The second part is an annotated bibliography of looseleaf and newsletter services available from legislation, regulations, and legislative activities. (12 references) (MES)

This discussion of a model for law librarianship continuing education programs consists of three parts: (1) the background of law librarianship, including a comparison of education programs in other professions and a general discussion of continuing education; (2) a description of a regional plan for assessing the profession's education needs; and…

Describes the experiences of a librarian who assists with prison law library outreach for the Minneapolis State Law Library. Topics addressed include the importance of good reference interviews; legal reference versus legal advice; confidentiality; and the rewards of public service. (LRW)

Discussion of the effect of book scarcity on law libraries and the legal profession in Nigeria addresses the country's law library collections, reasons for book scarcity, local publication of legal literature, reasons why Nigerians publish abroad, and measures already taken and suggested measures to combat book scarcity. (14 references) (MES)