Law Libraries and Laboratories: The Legacies of Langdell and His Metaphor

Law Librarians and others have often referred to Harvard Law School Dean C.C. Langdell’s statements that the law library is the lawyer’s laboratory. Professor Danner examines the context of what Langdell through his other writings, the educational environment at Harvard in the late nineteenth century, and the changing perceptions of university libraries generally. He then considers how the “laboratory metaphor” has been applied by librarians and legal scholars during the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. The article closes with thoughts on Langdell’s legacy for law librarians and the usefulness of the laboratory metaphor

Law Libraries and Laboratories: The Legacies of Langdell and His Metaphor

Law Librarians and others have often referred to Harvard Law School Dean C.C. Langdell’s statements that the law library is the lawyer’s laboratory. Professor Danner examines the context of what Langdell through his other writings, the educational environment at Harvard in the late nineteenth century, and the changing perceptions of university libraries generally. He then considers how the “laboratory metaphor” has been applied by librarians and legal scholars during the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. The article closes with thoughts on Langdell’s legacy for law librarians and the usefulness of the laboratory metaphor

Defining International Law Librarianship in an Age of Multiplicity, Knowledge, and Open Access to Law

Many law librarians are experts in international law and legal research. The concept of ‘international law librarianship’, however, encompasses something more than a field of study in which a group of experts practise their profession. In the broader sense, the idea suggests a common calling, similar interests, and goals shared by librarians with a range of specialties beyond international law, working in all types of law libraries. What commonalities create and sustain the concept of international law librarianship? This paper suggests that they can be found in: law librarians’ common need to respond to the ‘multiplicity’ of information sources facing twenty-first century legal researchers; the development and nurturing of a shared base of professional knowledge; and a common commitment to work toward ensuring free and open access to legal information globally

UNM School of Law Library Annual Report 1969-1970

The annual report for the University of New Mexico School of Law for the period July 1, 1969 through June 30, 1970

UNM School of Law Library Annual Report 1974-1975

The annual report for the University of New Mexico School of Law for the period July 1, 1974 through June 30, 1975

UNM School of Law Library Annual Report 1970-1971

The annual report for the University of New Mexico School of Law for the period July 1, 1970 through June 30, 1971

Supporting Scholarship: Thoughts on the Role of the Academic Law Librarian

Discussing the role of the law library in legal education is necessary and essential, both because of the demands libraries place on increasingly tight law school budgets and space, and the challenges that libraries face as the information they collect and organize has moved largely from print to digital formats. This paper explores the roles of academic law librarians in supporting faculty scholarship within the context of the forces affecting libraries, librarians, and legal education in the (still early) twenty-first century. Although it has been more than 30 years since the widespread adoption of the legal research databases in the 1970s, the legal information environment continues to be seen as changing and uncertain, roiled by such new developments as working paper services providing pre-publication looks at new articles, growing interest in blogs and other varieties of short form legal scholarship, and the potential for open access publishing to reduce or eliminate reliance on printed law journals. As these developments continue to affect the processes of legal research and scholarly communications in law, what implications do they have for the role of law librarians in those processes

Embedded Librarians and the TEACH Act

Embedded librarians who work in online courses in American post-secondary institutions should embrace the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act, or TEACH Act, the federal law that governs online teaching and learning. As embedded librarians take on online instructional assignments, knowledge of TEACH will provide guidance in their role as online instructors. In addition, as they come to a better understanding of TEACH and copyright issues the law covers, based in part on their knowledge of copyright concerns in library-related situations, embedded librarians will have more clarity about the work they can and cannot do in an online environment. Finally, as embedded librarians increase their presence in online classes in varied ways, the embedded librarian position evolves into a version of Bell and Shank\u27s blended librarian who serves as both a librarian and educator, and becomes a more valuable member of the academic community. The current lack of discussion about the provisions of the TEACH Act among embedded librarians who write about the work they have done in online courses, however, is a troubling sign. Knowledge of the TEACH Act will help protect embedded librarians and others from copyright infringement and aid in the further development of embedded librarianship

UNM School of Law Library Annual Report 1980-1981

The annual report for the University of New Mexico School of Law for the period July 1, 1980 through June 30, 1981

UNM School of Law Library Annual Report 1989-1990

The annual report for the University of New Mexico School of Law for the period July 1, 1989 through June 30, 1990