Legal Writing and Research Commons^™

Seen It All, Heard It All, Done It All. Is It All Worth It?, Julie Lim

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Time Of Day On Reference Interactions In Academic Law Libraries, Seth Quidachay-Swan

Law Librarian Scholarship

Libraries and librarians generally aspire to provide the best services they can to their user communities. But what does that mean? Assumptions about what is needed may not necessarily align with the actual preferences of a given user group. In this column, Seth Quidachay-Swan presents a case study that explores the interaction between time of day and medium of information delivery. Examining data gathered in a law library environment, the author concludes that modern presumptions about the diminishing need for traditional information services may not allow for effectively managing user expectations.

Issues And Trends In Collection Development For East Asia Legal Materials, Jootaek Lee, Alex Zhang, Keiko Okuhara, Evelyn Ma

Faculty Scholarship

The authors delineate the general policy and guidelines for developing foreign and transnational law collections in U.S. law libraries, and they analyze factors that shape East Asian collections, such as law libraries’ preservation and digitization efforts and their related cost-efficiency, and the availability and quality of English translations. The authors then discuss the main sources for Korean, Japanese, and Chinese law.

Libraries Can Help: Institutional Repositories, Yolanda P. Jones

Journal Publications

Law libraries can assist law journals beyond citation help, Westlaw and Lexis training, and gathering resources; law libraries can help with resource discovery and publication-process analysis. Specifically, libraries can guide law journals in implementing, maintaining, and expanding publication technologies through institutional repositories to stay current in this digital age.

Enriching The Vocabulary Of Law: New Legal Subject Headings, Suzanne R. Graham, George Prager

Articles, Chapters and Online Publications

No abstract provided.

Not Your Parents' Law Library: A Tale Of Two Academic Law Libraries, Julian Aiken, Femi Cadmus, Fred Shapiro

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

As academic law libraries continue to face the inevitability of a rapidly changing landscape which includes a new breed of digital users with sophisticated technological needs, it remains to be seen what libraries will look like in years to come. It is certain that libraries as we know them today will have changed, but to what extent? An ability to remain adaptable and to anticipate the evolving needs of users in a dynamic environment will continue to be key for libraries to remain relevant, and even to survive, in the 21st century; vital to this endeavor will also be an …

What's Up, Dockets?, Virginia C. Thomas

Library Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

Universal Citation In Sixty Seconds, Anne Burnett

Presentations

A large format infographic describing the system for citation which permits reference to legal or law-related information in any medium without requiring reference to proprietary products. Includes a timeline of the Universal Citation Guide from 1993 to 2012, citation elements, a list of states and territories that adopted the practice and an interactive QR code for accessing AALL's page on this citation format. The poster also encouraged viewers to advocate for adopting Universal citation with judges, attorneys and legislators.

How Librarians Can Help Improve Law Journal Publishing, Benjamin J. Keele, Michelle Pearse

Library Staff Publications

Librarians are well positioned to improve law journal publishing and help it evolve in the ever-changing digital environment. They can provide student editors with advice on a variety of issues such as copyright, data preservation, and version control. Librarians can also help journals adopt technical standards and improve the discoverability and usability of journal content. While few libraries will be able to adopt all these suggestions, a checklist of ideas is provided to help librarians select those that are most suitable to their libraries and journals.

The Hunger Games, James S. Heller

Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Will An Institutional Repository Hurt My Ssrn Ranking? Calming The Faculty Fear, James M. Donovan, Carol A. Watson

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Faculty members should not view the institutional repository as a drain on their SSRN rankings. While SSRN excels at delivering their work to the cadre of legal specialists, IRs typically do a better job of presenting it to a broader readership. This expanded exposure should be judged a

positive benefit of participation in the IR, helping to mitigate criticisms of law faculty as sequestered, insular, and writing only for themselves. Anyone interested in giving their ideas the widest possible hearing should deposit their intellectual work in as many venues as possible. For law professors, this means they should have both …

Not Your Parents' Law Library: A Tale Of Two Academic Law Libraries, Julian Aiken, Femi Cadmus, Fred Shapiro

Faculty Scholarship

As academic law libraries continue to face the inevitability of a rapidly changing landscape which includes a new breed of digital users with sophisticated technological needs, it remains to be seen what libraries will look like in years to come. It is certain that libraries as we know them today will have changed, but to what extent? An ability to remain adaptable and to anticipate the evolving needs of users in a dynamic environment will continue to be key for libraries to remain relevant, and even to survive, in the 21st century; vital to this endeavor will also be an …

Issues Facing Academic Law Libraries - New Challenges, New Opportunities, Linda K. Fariss

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Law libraries are facing new challenges, including evolving methods of legal research, and space and budget constraints. This article explores those challenges, and looks at the opportunities that accompany changes.

Degree Pedigree: Assessing The Effect Of Degree-Granting Institutions’ Ranks On Prospective Employment At Academic Law Libraries, Ashley A. Ahlbrand, Michael Johnson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In the academic law library hiring process, candidates are assessed based on a variety of factors. The study conducted here focuses on education—specifically the institutional rank of degree-granting law and library science institutions—to explore how the rank of one’s graduate education might influence hiring decisions at academic law libraries.

Splitting Hairs: What Subtle Distinctions Teach Us About Authority, Benjamin J. Keele

Library Staff Publications

Legal researchers constantly deal with issues of authority. Did the police have authority to search the car? Is this court of appeals decision binding authority on my case? What statutes are authoritative in my jurisdiction? These questions are important, and librarians often help find answers. The question of authority that librarians are best equipped to answer, however, is “How authoritative is this source?”

Book Review Of Finding The Answers To Legal Questions, Benjamin J. Keele

Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Law & Reference: Answering Legal Reference Questions, Wendy Moore, Maureen Cahill

Presentations

Answering legal reference questions can be challenging, especially when you are not doing it on a daily basis. More and more legal information is available freely on the internet, but sometimes it is hard to know what the best sources are and how to make certain you are not accidentally practicing law at the reference desk. This presentation provides exposure to helpful internet resources and discussion of effective strategies to help you answer legal related reference questions in a non-law library setting with skill and confidence.

Free Websites For Virginia Legal Research, Paul Hellyer

Library Staff Publications

It’s no secret that free websites give away content sold by high-cost subscription databases, but you might not know how useful free sites are. If you think there’s always a trade-off between cost and quality, think again. Some free resources for Virginia legal research are as good as—or better than—subscription sites. And some free resources aren’t quite as good as what you can buy, but are an option.

Working With Kf Modified: Changes And Enhancements, F. Tim Knight, Humayun Rashid, Darren J. Furey

Librarian Publications & Presentations

Provides an overview of the KF Modified classification scheme, introduces some recent editorial changes and enhancements, and includes some interactive cataloguing exercises.

Animal Law Developments, Virginia C. Thomas

Library Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

Low Cost Alternatives For Legal Research: Using Casemaker And Loislaw, Emily Janoski-Haehlen

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ab Fab Legal Apps: Legal Research Applications For Handheld Devices, Sharon Bradley

Continuing Legal Education Presentations

The term “app” has exploded into general use. The term has been around for a long time as the nickname for application, or any piece of software that works on a system. Now when people are talking about apps, they are usually talking about small programs specifically made for mobile devices. Along with the explosion of general purpose apps, come many designed and/or suited for busy, highly-mobile legal professsionals.

Fantastic Facts About The 50 States: Websites For State Legal Research, Wendy E. Moore

Continuing Legal Education Presentations

Sometimes you need legal information from states other than Georgia. While you may feel comfortable knowing where to look for Georgia materials on the Internet, you may be less certain when information is needed concerning Florida, Tennessee, or even Nebraska. This paper is a survey of websites that will help you locate legal information and resources at the state level.

Gateways To Legal Information: Best-Bet Internet Portals, Suzanne R. Graham

Continuing Legal Education Presentations

MSN and Yahoo! are examples of horizontal portals that appeal to broad segments of the population by providing a wide array of popular culture news. For 8 to 5 endeavors, the Web also has many industry portals or vertical portals, including portals targeting law professionals and legal scholars. Finding a portal and setting it to be one’s browser home page can be an easy way to keep up with information and to launch targeted searches from a familiar interface.

Print Or Perish? Authors’ Attitudes Toward Electronic-Only Publication Of Law Journals, Richard A. Danner, Kiril Kolev, Marguerite Most

Faculty Scholarship

An increasing number of U.S. law journals post at least current issues in freely accessible PDF and (in some cases) HTML formats on their web sites. Yet, perhaps without exception, the journals that make their articles freely available on their websites also continue to publish print issues in the face of declining subscription numbers, and law libraries' growing disinterest in collecting and preserving journals in print. As universities reduce staff, freeze open positions, eliminate salary increases, and cut library budgets, why have law schools continued to subsidize print publication of journals that are accessible in electronic formats? Among the reasons …

Staff Development On A Shoestring: A How-To-Do-It Manual For Librarians, Christine K. Dulaney

Book Reviews

Staff development frequently underlies a successful implementation of innovative library services and systems. As Marcia Trotta emphasizes in her book, Staff Development on a Shoestring, ongoing staff training and growth is critical to delivering first-rate library services, achieving optimal performance levels, implementing change, and preparing for the future. A program of continuing education is critical for preventing library stagnation and staff burn-out. Employees that are motivated to learn and are given opportunities for personal growth are central to a library which is implementing innovative new services and changing workflows.

Research At Your Own Risk: Free Online Statutory Codes Are Widely Available But Are They Good Enough To Meet Users' Needs?, Paul Hellyer

Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Thinking About Technology – Watson, Answer Me This: Will You Make Librarians Obsolete Or Can I Use Free And Open Source Software And Cloud Computing To Ensure A Bright Future?, Darla Jackson

Other Faculty Publications

In February 2011, Watson, IBM's "smart" computer, defeated two former Jeopardy champions. While the application of the technology may support some legal research functions, the current state of the technology probably will not allow Watson to replace law librarians in the near future. Yet, given the economic realities of our firms and institutions, librarians do need to consider technologies that may reduce the considerable cost associated with discovering and maintaining access to legal information. Free and open source software and systems and cloud-based initiatives may provide innovative approaches librarians should consider.

Getting Law Students Into The Law Library: The University Of Michigan Succeeds With A Plan, Jennifer L. Selby

Law Librarian Scholarship

The goal of the University of Michigan Law Library's Awareness Campaign was to raise the consciousness of law students about the many ways in which librarians here can help them succeed as students now and as lawyers later. We sought to increase the number of students using the library. We wanted to get them physically into the library, and, once here, we wanted to increase students' use of the library's services: reference and circulation services, research consultations; our multitude of web-based resources, including our online research guides, book sts, and tutorials; group study rooms, etc. Not onl did we strive …

Michigan Rulemaking, Virginia C. Thomas

Library Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.