Making an informed decision about a career in a law library requires an understanding of the qualifications, responsibilities, compensation and employment prospects of law librarians. Legal librarians perform tasks such as researching, analyzing, and evaluating the quality, accuracy, and validity of sources. education and training; Writing; Management; and the purchase and filing of library materials. If the library has such printed legal reference sources, the reference librarian can direct the materials to a local user and ask them to use them as needed. For example, the librarian can show how to use the index or table of contents of a legal encyclopedia to find the law that might apply to the user`s particular problem.19 In addition, the reference librarian can discuss sources to be used to find court decisions, legal acts, and administrative regulations at the federal and state levels. It can also provide the user with printed or online research guides that explain basic legal research activities such as case search. If an email or chat user makes a request for legal information that requires the use of printed legal resources, the reference librarian may invite the user to the library to learn how to use them, or the librarian may direct the user to other legal or government document libraries in their area. In the meantime, the remote user can consult the online legal research guides available on the library`s website or on another library`s website with such guides.20 Legal research requests relate to a general area of expertise, usually without citations from specific legal documents. Users via email, chat, or on-site can ask questions or ask requests such as “Is there a law banning handgun on Minneapolis streets?” (Acts); “What are the legal requirements for transporting formaldehyde?” (Regulation); “I need cases of sexual harassment” (cases); “What important federal environmental protection laws are currently pending?” (subject); “What are the basic procedures for filing for divorce?” (procedure); “What are the right legal search engines on the Internet?” (Location). The reference librarian can teach users how to find answers to these questions or queries in physical and virtual library settings.
Paul D. Healey is both an attorney and librarian and is currently Senior Academic Services Librarian and Associate Professor of Library Administration at the Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Law Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of Professional Liability Issues for Librarians and Information Professionals, as well as a number of scientific and professional articles on various library-related topics, particularly librarian responsibility and librarian ethics. From 2001 to 2007, he was managing editor of AALL Spectrum, the official monthly magazine of the American Association of Law Libraries, and worked closely with authors on the magazine`s content. He has extensive experience in professional public speaking and has spoken at conferences and seminars in the United States and Canada. The University of Denver`s Sturm College of Law is a national leader in experiential legal education, a recognized innovator in legal education, and home to several nationally ranked programs, including a Top 10 program for legal research and writing. Located in a state-of-the-art LEED Gold building on the University of Denver campus, the Westminster Law Library supports cutting-edge faculty research, trains students in legal research skills in a variety of fields, and exposes students to a range of technologies relevant to modern legal practice. Of course, reference librarians must treat legal issues with special care. In general, reference librarians are not licensed lawyers, so they are not qualified to practice law.
Legal advice or interpretation, if not qualified to do so, may constitute an unauthorized exercise of rights in some states, a crime.1 This means that reference librarians cannot advise their users, for example, on how to fill out forms or take legal action, nor can they apply the particular legal circumstances of their users to legal decisions or procedures. Thus, when it comes to legal issues Among their users, reference librarians must strike a delicate balance between facilitating access to legal information and its actual interpretation. 1. Charles J. Condon, “How to avoid the unauthorized practice of law at the reference desk,” Legal Reference Services Quarterly 19 (2001): 167. If the user is not familiar with their legal topic, the reference librarian may suggest a topic-specific law book or electronic resource written for laymen.13 If the library`s print or online collections do not contain such sources, the librarian may consult the catalogue of the nearest law library. Alternatively, the reference librarian may provide contact information for the local bar association, court, or government agency that would offer such resources.14 Once the user has a better understanding of the process or procedure of the law, they can provide the reference librarian with more accurate information. “Healey is both a librarian and a lawyer, and her expertise in both areas will be evident to anyone who uses this specialized manual, which is a very readable and concise guide to legal research in the context of library reference books. A convenient and recommended purchase for both beginner and experienced lawyers in the library. “— Booklist”There are several other recent publications that deal with legal reference issues for libraries and librarians.
But no one has the clear purpose and organization of this. Legal Reference for Librarians is highly recommended in addition to any librarian`s Ready Reference shelf. “Suggestions on how to deal with different types of legal reference issues, such as what to say and what to avoid, are a real strength of this book. This guide is highly recommended for anyone who needs U.S. legal information. It is also excellent for explaining professional issues related to answering legal reference questions and is recommended to anyone who needs to deal with these issues. — Australian Library Journal The law library provides reference services in person and via email, telephone and chat. However, legal librarians are not permitted to provide legal advice. In addition, many questions require extensive research at the library and are outside the scope of this service. If, during the reference interview, the librarian determines that the request for legal information comes from either the finished reference or the research site, the librarian can either provide the answer to the user`s question or teach the user how to find the answer. The library may have access to a variety of print and electronic resources for legal reference and research purposes. Examples of print sources for justifiable reference questions include Black`s Law Dictionary, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, and Bieber`s Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations.17 Examples of print sources for legal research reference questions include: American Jurisprudence, Series 2; Corpus Juris Secundum; Reports of the United States; the laws of the United States as a whole; Annotated United States Code; Federal Register; and Code of Federal Regulations.18 Regardless of the format chosen, the Reference Librarian is responsible for providing the user with access to the most up-to-date information.
Laws and regulations may change on a daily basis and court proceedings may be lifted, so the reference librarian should inform the user that information found in a legal text or online may need to be updated.23 To this end, the reference librarian should teach the user how to update information found in print and electronic legal research sources. are. Whether through a one-on-one session at the reference desk or an online legal research guide or tutorial that explains this process. In addition, the reference librarian should advise the user to evaluate any legal information they find on the Internet. Whether it is a print or electronic resource, if the user finds a law or matter that may be relevant to their legal situation, the reference librarian cannot indicate that the law or case is really what the user needs, as this would be considered an interpretation of the law, which is beyond the scope of the librarian`s professional obligations.24 The user is ultimately in favour of responsible choice of laws, cases, forms or other legal documents he or she needs.
