Self-Help Legal Materials in the Law Library: Going a Step Further for the Public Patron

ABSTRACT

Service to pro se patrons continues to be one of the core issues facing law librarians. The current downturn in the economy makes this issue more critical than ever. This article provides one way to better meet the needs of this growing class of law library patrons.     

The Unbundling of Legal Services and its Implications for Law Librarianship

This article examines the role of law libraries with respect to free Web-based legal information sites and the lack of access to low-cost legal advice. The legal profession's reaction to these sites and suggestions on how to address professional and ethical concerns are discussed.     

Serving Pro Se Patrons

Abstract

Historically, non-lawyer patrons in law libraries have been viewed with discomfort, and library services, even in libraries open to the public, have been geared toward members of the legal community. However, changes in both the needs of the public and in the demographics of library patrons are challenging the traditional allocation of services in public law libraries. This article discusses the reasons for the traditional allocation of services, the cultural and economic forces that are bringing the public to law libraries in greater numbers, and new modes of service that can better meet the needs of public patrons.     

The Pro Se Patron

Abstract

The author contends, based on articles published in recent years discounting the legal obligation of law librarians to pro se patrons, that law librarians have a paramount ethical obligation not to cause harm, and thus to avoid the practice of law from the reference desk. As a result, the attorney patron and the pro se patron cannot be afforded the same level of legal reference service. The attorney is the conversant intermediary between the legal materials (and the librarian) and the client, whereas the pro se patron is the client with a layman's dearth of basic legal knowledge.     

How to Avoid the Unauthorized Practice of Law at the Reference Desk

Summary

A librarian's duty to avoid the unauthorized practice of law limits what reference services can be provided. Traditional approaches to reference services are being influenced by new initiatives in delivering legal services and information. Pro se patrons and the reference librarians who serve them benefit from the web-based resources, authorized non-lawyer assistance programs, and other innovative programs now available. Identifying new resources and using them effectively should enable a librarian to provide excellent reference service while avoiding the unauthorized practice of law.     

Lawyers,Archivists and Librarians

SUMMARY

Although attorneys operate within a system foreign to the world of archivists and librarians, they may become consumers of reference services. This article discusses the fundamentals of the American court system and litigation, and the ways in which information professionals and attorneys work. The author suggests a number of ways to smooth the interactions between the professions.     

Authentication of Online State Primary Legal Resources as a Social Justice Issue: The Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act and How It Can Benefit Pro Se Litigants

The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) has advocated for years for the adoption of standards to authenticate online state primary legal material. AALL's advocacy led to the enactment of the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act (UELMA), which, for the first time, provides a framework for and guidance about how state governments can ensure that their official electronic legal information is authenticated, preserved, and permanently accessible to the public. This article provides a brief history of the development of UELMA as context for the argument that the adoption of standards related to the authentication of electronic state legal resources can be considered a social justice issue, particularly for pro se litigants. This article argues that states should adopt UELMA to ensure that these vulnerable users of legal information have access to authentic and trustworthy electronic versions of the laws that govern them.     

Meeting the Information Needs of Constitutionalist Patrons

Abstract

This paper attempts to illustrate the challenges that a reference law librarian might face when facing the information needs of Constitutionalist patrons.Constitutionalist patrons here are defined as members of a diverse community of groups that challenge the validity of the mainstream legal system in a variety of ways.The paper provides background on the different types of patrons who fit the generic category of Constitutionalist, explains the theories that these patrons use to view the legal system, and discusses sources and materials that are of interest to them.The intention of the paper is to provide the reference librarian with the necessary background information to understand the perspective from which the patrons approach the law library.     

EDITORIAL

No abstract available for this article.     

EDITORIAL

No abstract available for this article.     

以司法实践审视图书馆法的制定

推动图书馆立法的策略应重视图书馆实践与司法实践相结合,一方面积极行动起诉或应诉,另一方面研究图书馆作为诉讼主体的司法案例,总结各种可指导司法实践的应用理论,以司法需要推动国家立法。     

Robots,Blockchain, ESI,Oh My!: Why Law Schools Are (or Should Be) Teaching Legal Technology

Abstract

The author explains the important of introducing legal technology into the law school curriculum. At a time when innovation in law is happening at a rapid-fire pace, the need for these courses is indisputable.     

Resources on Animals and the Law

SUMMARY

Animals have been viewed, by the laws of societies, simply as “things” throughout recorded history. Only recently have books been written promoting or simply discussing the possible granting of legal status to animals. The author presents a thorough list of these materials, with brief reviews.     

EDITORIAL

Research on the sociology of news has tended to de-emphasize the impact that the social characteristics of journalists may have on news content. This study suggests that more attention should be paid to the link between these individual-level characteristics of news workers and the content that they produce. The study is a secondary analysis of short narratives from 327 reporters who worked with a high degree of newsroom autonomy. They were asked to give a recent example of their “best work”. The topics of the stories that they cited varied systematically according to some of the reporters’ social characteristics. This finding suggests that certain individual-level factors may have a stronger link to the production of news than is generally believed.     

Wisdom from Mount Nebo (Hiei)

Abstract

Dan Wade, one of the United States' leading foreign and international law librarians, gives advice on entering the field of foreign and international law librarianship.     

From a Trickle to a Flood: A Case Study of the Current Index to Legal Periodicals to Examine the Swell of American Law Journals Published in the Last Fifty Years

Using the lists of journals indexed in the Current Index to Legal Periodicals from the last fifty years, this article analyzes the increase in the number of general law reviews, specialized law journals, student-edited journals, and peer-edited and refereed law journals during the last half-century. Data from the Current Index to Legal Periodicals were combined with further data collected from HeinOnline, American Bar Association (ABA) statistics, and U.S. News & World Report statistics. Comparison of these data not only shows a massive increase in the number of law journal titles being published but also suggests a correlation between the number of law journals published by a law school and its student population, length of time that it has been accredited by the ABA, and its U.S. News & World Report ranking. This article also contains a list of all law journals currently indexed by the Current Index to Legal Periodicals including each journal's date of initial publication, in addition to a list of all print student-edited law journals published by ABA-accredited and provisionally accredited U.S. law schools.     

EDITORIAL

No abstract available for this article.     

病历档案的证据法属性

病历档案是对患者进行的医疗活动的全过程的真实记录。它是以诊断、治疗疾病为目的 ,对就诊人的健康状况、检查情况、患病情况、诊断方法、医务人员对病情的发生、发展、转移的分析、治疗方法、治疗护理过程和治疗效果等全部医疗活动的全面而真实的记录 ,它是经医务人员、医疗信息管理人员收集、整理、加工后形成的具有科学性、逻辑性、真实性的医疗档案和医学文书。因此 ,病历资料档案是医疗质量、技术水平、管理水平综合评价的依据 ;是医学科学的教学与科研的第一手资料 ,对于医学科学的教学与科研具有重要的参考价值 ;特别是一旦产生医疗…     

情报过程——情报职业的核心：问题域及方法论——基于组织招聘网页信息挖掘的分析之二

基于各种组织招聘网页的调研发现,情报岗位在所有社会组织中都有极大的需求,情报职业和情报从业人员的工作打着明显的组织铬印,是为组织服务的,它们为组织充当耳目、尖兵和参谋,组织的情报工作与组织的价值活动紧密结合在一起的,情报工作流程与组织的价值活动流程密切统一,情报过程是情报职业的核心,它规定了情报职业的问题域及方法论。认为这一发现昭示出情报学教育改革的新方向,即情报学教育应围绕情报过程来展开。     

Citation Abuse and Legal Writing: A Note on the Treaty of Fort Laramie with Sioux,etc., 1851 and 11 Stat. 749

The Treaty of Fort Laramie with Sioux, etc., 1851 was an important transaction between a number of American Indian tribes and the federal government. However, because of administrative mishandling by the latter, there has been sustained but unwarranted confusion over whether the treaty was a valid one. Uncertainty led to the use of a brief note in the Statutes at Large, at 11 Stat. 749, instead of the treaty's full text as the law of the land. The Statutes cue, however, has been misused frequently in the opinions of various jurisdictions, even to the point of deploying it to reference specific quotations from the full document—that is, to material certainly taken from an alternative source. This article investigates the most significant citation errors to 11 Stat. 749, and uses them to discuss improvements to applications of legal writing.