Law Librarianship Commons^™

De-Centering And Re-Centering Digital Scholarship, Ten Years On, Matthew Hunter, Aaron Retteen, Micah Vandegrift

Faculty Scholarship

Ten years after the publication of a manifesto attempting to describe what digital scholarship could do for and within libraries, some of the original authors reflect on the progress of the call-to-action. This article describes areas in which the integration of digital scholarship activities as core parts of librarianship has and has not become commonplace and traces larger-scale developments in the academy and global knowledge landscape that have contributed to the accuracy of the predictions made in 2017.

Marketing The Library: Engaging Law Students With Dynamic Displays, Lisa A. Gooden, Ariel Newman

Faculty Works

Academic law libraries increasingly serve as dynamic, student-centered spaces that extend beyond traditional collections. This article explores practical and creative approaches to marketing library resources through engaging, low-cost displays and interactive experiences. Drawing on initiatives at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law Library, the authors highlight strategies for introducing students to multiple formats of legal study aids, promoting faculty scholarship through institutional repositories, and fostering a welcoming library environment with interactive and frequently refreshed displays. Examples include multimodal displays that integrate print and digital resources, the use of QR codes and design tools to showcase faculty research, and …

Law Librarianship And Legal Information Science In The Age Of Genai, Paul D. Callister

Faculty Works

This article examines the relationship between law librarianship and legal information science in the age of generative AI (GenAI), arguing that closer integration between the two is essential to navigating a rapidly evolving legal information landscape. It contends that law librarianship—long grounded in stable classification systems and cognitive authority—must adopt the analytical methods of legal information science to remain effective in the digital era. Together, these fields can reinforce the rule of law by improving the organization, retrieval, and stability of legal information. The article identifies emerging subfields of legal information science that support this integration and develops several concepts …

Tracking Removed And At-Risk Government Information, Molly Blake, Sanga Sung, Ben Amata, Jenny Mcburney

SJSU Open Access Conference

The current U.S. administration is intentionally undermining public access to information as well as scholarly research by removing documents, reports, datasets, images, and language from government websites. In doing so, this administration is withholding publicly-funded information that we have a right to access, including data from government-sponsored research, historical information about marginalized groups, and speech transcripts. In removing these materials, the government is also deliberately sabotaging research related to topics it does not like, such as LGBTQ health, COVID, and climate change.

It is difficult to grasp the scope of this problem: how do we know when something is gone, …

Access Denied: Defending Research In A Shrinking Scholarly Landscape, Emily Kingsland

SJSU Open Access Conference

In early 2025, the U.S. Department of Education announced a reduction in the indexing of key journals in the ERIC database. As government censorship increasingly threatens the accessibility of educational research, librarians are emerging as critical defenders of open access and research transparency. This presentation reports on the proactive efforts of a Canadian academic librarian who developed actionable workarounds to address the disappearance of articles from ERIC. These missing records pose a significant challenge to researchers conducting knowledge syntheses, who face a reporting and reproducibility crisis when search results fluctuate or shrink without explanation. The implications are profound: systematic reviews …

Navigating Nih’S Revised Public Access Policy: On-The-Ground Experiences From Librarians And Researchers, Anneliese Taylor, Katie Fortney, Tim Vollmer

SJSU Open Access Conference

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) rolled out its revised Public Access Policy on July 1, 2025, in accordance with the 2022 Office of Science and Technology Policy Nelson Memo. The Nelson Memo calls on all U.S. federal funders to implement a policy requiring immediate public access to published articles and supporting datasets resulting from federal grants. On the surface, NIH’s new policy is a public good, ensuring that federally funded research outputs will no longer be held back from public access for 12 months after publication. But the implementation mechanisms of this new policy for researchers and publishers …

Ai In Law Libraries: Discussing Ethical Considerations And A Way Forward, Joshua Levine

Library Staff Articles

This review examines the AALL 2025 program “AI in Law Libraries: Discussing Ethical Considerations and a Way Forward,” focusing on the ethical challenges artificial intelligence presents for law librarians and legal professionals. The author highlights discussions on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, responsible and transparent use of AI, risks such as hallucinations and bias, and broader concerns including environmental impact and the future of human labor. The review emphasizes that the program raised important questions rather than definitive solutions, underscoring the need for ongoing, profession-wide dialogue as AI continues to evolve.

Law Librarians As Content Preservers And Mediators For Modern Legal Researchers, Austin Martin Williams

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Even though libraries have existed for thousands of years, one must wonder what role law libraries play and, more importantly, what roles law librarians play in supporting students, faculty, lawyers, and judges with so much information now available online? What value do law librarians add for today’s legal researchers?

At their core, law librarians continue to strive to perform two major functions: (1) “select, organize, and preserve legal information” and (2) help lawyers, judges, students, and faculty locate and use that information. This article hopes to explain just why it is important that law librarians continue to serve in these …

Generative Ai Large Language Models And Researching The Law, Paul D. Callister

Faculty Works

The article discusses the transformative impact of generative AI large language models (LLMs) on legal research. Callister explores how these AI models, despite their current imperfections, are poised to shift the cognitive (or trusted) authority within the legal profession. He attributes this shift to the ease with which AI processes vast amounts of legal information and the anthropomorphic design of LLMs, which fosters trust among users. Callister introduces the concept of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), explaining how AI platforms integrate legal texts into their responses, enhancing their reliability over purely generative models. Through various examples, he demonstrates the strengths and limitations …

Searching Govinfo.Gov/, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) database provides access to information legal, legislative, and regulatory information produced on multiple subjects by the U.S. Government. Content includes congressional bills, congressional committee hearings and prints (studies), reports on legislation, the text of laws, regulations, and executive orders and multiple U.S. Government information resources covering subjects from accounting to zoology.

The Role Of U.S. Government Regulatioms, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Provides detailed coverage of information resources on U.S. Government information resources for federal regulations. Features historical background on these regulations, details on the Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations, includes information on individuals can participate in the federal regulatory process by commenting on proposed agency regulations via https://regulations.gov/, describes the role of presidential executive orders, refers to recent and upcoming U.S. Supreme Court cases involving federal regulations, and describes current congressional legislation seeking to give Congress greater involvement in the federal regulatory process.

Congressional Oversight Of U.S. Government Programs, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Provides detailed overview of how the U.S. Congress conducts oversight of federal agency programs. Contents include a letter from a member of Congress to an agency head concerning an environmental development in Indiana, information on the foundations of congressional oversight, details on how Congress may require agency reports on various subjects in public laws, an example of a congressionally mandated report by the Department of Defense, documentation of congressional funding of individual federal agencies, examples of congressional committee hearings, congressional committee issuance of oversight and investigative reports which may include dissenting opinions, Congressional Budget Office cost estimates on congressional committee …

Oh No, Another Chatgpt Post: Incorporating Ai-Powered Chatbots Into Legal Research Exercises And Assignments, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

Since it was launched at the end of November 2022, the discourse around ChatGPT and AI search tools has been unrelenting. What impact will AI-powered chatbots have on education? Will students submit ChatGPT-written essays and homework assignments? Will AI make lawyers obsolete? Look, this chatbot just passed the bar exam! Wait a minute—is this thing. . . sentient?

Chatgpt As Metamorphosis Designer For The Future Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai): A Conceptual Investigation, Amarjit Kumar Singh (Library Assistant), Dr. Pankaj Mathur (Deputy Librarian)

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to explore ChatGPT’s potential as an innovative designer tool for the future development of artificial intelligence. Specifically, this conceptual investigation aims to analyze ChatGPT’s capabilities as a tool for designing and developing near about human intelligent systems for futuristic used and developed in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Also with the helps of this paper, researchers are analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of ChatGPT as a tool, and identify possible areas for improvement in its development and implementation. This investigation focused on the various features and functions of ChatGPT that …

Prison Libraries, Intellectual Freedom And Social Justice In Nigeria, Olusegun Adebayo Opesanwo, Oluyomi Abidemi Awofeso Phd

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper deployed a systematic review to examine prison libraries and intellectual freedom towards attaining social justice in Nigeria. Information resources used cover the periods of 2010 and 2020 to articulate the necessary development in prison libraries, intellectual freedom and social justice in Nigeria. Search engines such as Google scholar, Semantic Scholar, and RefSeek were used to retrieve information and through different queries yielded several results but very few of them were selected to fit in the study due to limited studies directed to address the focus of this study particularly in the Nigeria scenario. Information obtained were subjected to …

Law Libraries And Sustainability Of Judicial Precedent In Nigerian Legal System, Emmanuel Owushi Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study adopted descriptive study to examine law libraries and sustainability of judicial precedent in Nigerian legal system. The population involved legal educators, law librarians and practitioners in four States in different geopolitical zones of Nigeria, namely Rivers State, Lagos State, Benue State, and Anambra State. Due to the large population, the study employed multi-stage of balloting and random sampling techniques to sample 100 respondents each from the selected states. Out of the 400 samples, 389 respondents responded correctly to the questionnaire, indicating a 97.3 percent response rate. A self-designed questionnaire was utilized and means score was used to answer …

The “Food Blog” Scroll And Its Impact On Online Legal Research, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

After transitioning from a written to a “live” format for assignments in my Advanced Legal Research class, I noticed a vaguely familiar pattern of students unintentionally scrolling past relevant information on their screens.

We’Re All Historical Researchers Now: The Impact Of Dobbs On Legal Research Instruction, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

Congratulations, it’s July, which means you have officially survived what may very well be considered the most consequential Supreme Court term in the history of the United States. Simply existing in this country over the past few weeks (months? years?) feels like trying to swim through rapidly drying concrete. Avoiding the news is impossible if for no other reason than the direct impact so much of the news of late has on the job of a law librarian. Imagine teaching a legal research class at the end of this past SCOTUS sitting? I’ll spare you the image because I did, …

Using “Live” Assignments For Formative Assessment, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

At the Teaching the Teachers Conference a few weeks ago, I gave a demonstration of a formative assessment style we’ve been using at my institution for the past year and a half: a live assignment, AKA the Research Practicum. The presentation was virtual; COVID struck, of course, and I couldn’t get on a plane and fly to Portland. Fortunately, the nature of this assessment lends itself beautifully to a pivot to virtual because it is already entirely virtual. The Research Practicum uses Zoom or some other video conferencing platform and asks students to research while sharing their screen as their …

Using The “Scholarship As Conversation” Frame To Explain The Importance Of Inclusive Citation, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

It’s been nearly two years since the largest civil rights movement – the protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd by a police officer – swept the United States. That means it has also been nearly two years since law schools across the country released statements and created taskforces and enacted initiatives to inject principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into the school halls.

Availability, Accessibility And Utilization Of Electronic Information Resources By Undergraduates Of Ladoke Akintola University Of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria, Kehinde Mary Oyelade Mrs, Vincent Enyeribe Unegbu Prof, Madukoma Ezinwayi Madukoma Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigates the availability, accessibility and utilization of electronic information

resources by undergraduates of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo

state, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for this study. A population of six thousand

three hundred and forty (6340) undergraduates were involved in the study. A total number of

Three hundred and seventeen 317 undergraduates were drawn as sample size through stratified

sampling techniques. Questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Two

hundred and seventy 274 four dally filed questionnaires were received, given an overall response

rate of 86.49%. Data were collected and analyzed using …

Dare To Dream: How Would You Teach 1ls Legal Research With No Restrictions?, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

When I started in my current role as an instructional librarian, I was given space to make the changes I thought necessary to improve an already-changing legal research program. I’ve made changes – some small, some more major – in both the 1L and upper-level research curriculum, but there is more to do. In particular, I’m not entirely satisfied with how we teach legal research to 1Ls.

The Benefits Of Having Your Own Sandbox, Joe Cera

Sandbox Series

No abstract provided.

Organization And Accessibility Of Information Resources In Federal High Court Libraries In North-East Geo-Political Zone Of Nigeria, Muhammad Murtala Ibrahim, Amina Barkindo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information organization and accessibility are part of the core functions of any special library. The need for organization is necessary to accomplished a planned library's goals. Effective organization provides effective retrieval and use of the resources and also saves time for both the user and the information professional. This study highlights and describe the method of information organization and access in the Federal High Courts libraries in North-eastern geo-political zone of Nigeria. It also discusses the various ways the federal high court libraries Organize information resources, the means for information access and the challenges associated with the organization and accessibility …

Law Students, Covid-19, And Big Feelings, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

It’s Fall 2021 and well . . . we’re back. Or rather – some of us are. Along with a patchwork of universities requiring vaccinations and/or masks for students comes a patchwork of modes of instruction: fully online, hybrid, fully in-person (and subject to change). Some employees have shifted to occasional work-from-home models while others are required to be in-person every day. It’s all very complicated. Honestly, right now everything is complicated. With big, complicated situations come big, complicated feelings, and our students’ feelings are certainly that: big.

Library Management With Fayol's 14 Principles: Practical Insights, Parbat Chhetri

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study explores the practical application of Henri Fayol's 14 Principles of Management in the context of library management. Amid the evolving landscape of libraries, these principles offer a potential framework for optimizing operations and enhancing services. Through a document analysis of web resources, the researcher thoroughly examines each principle's adaptability to libraries. The study's purpose is to discern how these principles can effectively guide decision-making, workflow, and staff engagement within diverse library settings. While the findings shed light on the positive impacts of principle integration, it's important to note that the application may vary due to library-specific nuances. This …

Libraries And Intellectual Production In The Field Of Library & Information In The Centennial Of The Jordanian State: An Analytical Study, Omar Al Jaradat

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study aimed at shedding light on the progress of the library movement in the centenary of the Jordanian state, by defining the role of libraries and operative institutions in this field, in addition to measuring the reality of the published intellectual production of books and periodicals qualitatively, objectively, and temporally using the descriptive analytical approach (bibliometric). The beginning was from the library of al-Salt School Library in 1926, then followed by public and university libraries, represented by the University of Jordan Library in 1962, accompanied by the establishment of the first institute for teachers to grant a diploma, which …

Reflections On Critical Librarianship And Creating A Controlled Vocabulary, Olivia R. Smith Schlinck

Sandbox Series

During the summer of 2020, several members of the Cardozo Law Library collaborated to create a controlled vocabulary (CV) for LARC, our institutional repository. During the creation of this CV, there was no explicit intention to consider critical librarianship teachings while making decisions about what words “belonged” in the CV nor in drafting policies relating to the CV. This presentation will reflect on how beginning the project with critical librarianship in mind may have impacted the CV and will attempt to consider changes to the current policies to mitigate biases that are undoubtedly embedded in the CV as it stands.

Landscape Of Ifla Library Map Of The World: A Bird's Eye View, Pradipsinh Chudasma, Dhiren Panchal

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Present article describes an overall landscape of IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) library map of the world which includes statistical information for different types of libraries like national library, academic, public, community, school and other libraries across the globe in context of prescribed parameters such as number of libraries, libraries with internet access, full time staff, volunteers, registered users, physical visit, physical loans, and electronic loans etc, in addition article describe that how libraries will become important bodies to achieve sustainable development goals (SDG) developed by United Nations as a UN 2030 Agenda for SDG.

Analysis Of Availability And Users’ Satisfaction Of The Information Resources And Services In Law Library By Law Students: A Case Study Of University Of Jos Law Library, Plateau State, Nigeria., Eneojo Jacob, Lilian Ene Ujah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The Research was conducted on the Availability and Users’ satisfaction of the Information Resources and services in Law Library by Law students: a case study of University of Jos Law Library, Plateau State, Nigeria. Four (4) objectives were formulated to guide the study which are: to determine the extent of use of the information resources in University of Jos Law Library; to determine whether the information resources available in University of Jos Law Library are relevant and up-to-date; and to determine the level of user satisfaction in the utilization of legal materials and user services in University of Jos Law …