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Are Law Libraries Becoming Obsolete?

Are law firm libraries going the way of the dinosaur (or the typewriter)? Perhaps not just yet.  As  the Birmingham Business Journal describes, with the proliferation of electronic research, law firms are downsizing their libraries -- but they're not eliminating them entirely.

According to the article, law libraries will always serve a purpose. As attorney Mark Ayers explains, many times books are more efficient for legal research than a computer.  Moreover, not every legal document is available online, so libraries may have access to documents that can't be found on the computer.

But the library also serves other non-research related purposes.  Another lawyer quoted in the article, John Bolus says:

[t]echnology makes research more convenient, but it also takes attorneys out of a library atmosphere where they can focus solely on reading case law, rather than at a desk where they may have other distractions, such as a telephone or e-mail.

And believe it or not, some potential hires and clients are still impressed by the presence of a handsome, well-stocked law library.

Is your firm's library becoming an endangered species? 

Posted by Carolyn Elefant on March 7, 2008 at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Comments

Why do paper collections always get equated with Libraries? The demand for Librarians certainly isn't decreasing. And the demand for legal research materials certainly isn't decreasing. Just because Librarians are facilitating research via materials located on the firm intranet, or offering research training via a youtube video doesn't mean the function of Libraries has gone away. Printed case law & statues are Libraries; legal research is.

Sorry but it does bug me that every other department in the law firm can evolve, but when Libraries do, they're suddenly obsolete.

Posted by: Steve Matthews | Mar 7, 2008 12:36:28 PM

Intended to say: Printed case law & statues aren't Libraries; legal research is.

Thanks. :)

Posted by: Steve Matthews | Mar 7, 2008 12:38:27 PM

As a law librarian, I see no signs of fossilization in my industry. Aside from the offhanded offensiveness of the question, this posting does take a very shallow view of what a "law library" is. As Steve Matthews points out, a law library is not a collection of books. It is a unit of a law firm, university, business, government, or nonprofit organization that provides access and guidance to the use of legal and other resources necessary for understanding and using the law. Human beings called "librarians" or "information professionals" add value to their organizations by helping them navigate the chaotic world of ever-changing licensing agreements with their peculiar pricing policies, and the confusing plethora of sometimes-duplicative content.

Law libraries can be endangered only if law librarians have nothing to offer their customers. Our organization subscribes to hundreds of databases as well as maintaining a print collection, and our expertise in pricing, purchasing, and using these materials is quite valuable to our staff and lawyers.

Posted by: LM Defendeifer | Mar 7, 2008 2:40:48 PM

As you might have guessed, your question is a hot button issue for law librarians. So is your answer, "not just yet." That's because most of us associate ourselves with the entity that is the law library. However, most of us went through massive print weeding/collection down-sizing years ago and the law library is still going strong. Print is only a small fraction of what a law library is today. In fact, my job is 100% online. I have nothing to do with print (unless someone accidentally wanders into my office looking for a book). I provide information for our Virtual Library - which is very much a part of the law library.
The real question you're asking is not "Are law libraries (and all that they possess) becoming obsolete?," but "Are print publications becoming obsolete?" And that's one to pose to Thomson West, LexisNexis Matthew Bender, Amazon, etc., who, like law librarians, are obviously very heavily involved in online services as well.

Posted by: Abbie Mulvihill | Mar 8, 2008 12:01:50 PM

Law librarians will never admit that they're mostly underutilized at this point. I can't remember the last time I needed to consult with one or even used our handsome, and expensive, library space (filled with mostly unused print volumes). If a firm can afford the luxury of having librarians around looking for things to do and can afford the space to house unused books, that's great. But let's face it, in today's world the in-house library/librarian is unquestionably on the way out.

Posted by: richard | Mar 10, 2008 5:50:45 AM

I just left a law library position that got busier and busier over the years.

Not all lawyers have time to keep up with the frequent changes to the online search tools, and many are relying increasingly on the library staff for their in-depth research. As well, library staff evaluate new online services, manage on-line licensing and subscriptions, provide search assistance, trouble-shooting problems with the online services. We provided classes on research skills development and support for new associates.

I never had to look for work the way Richard-the-troll describes. If anything, our challenge was trying to find ways to increasingly streamline things so we could handle more questions and requests.

Librarians also have expertise in areas other than legal research,that may not specifically be "housed" in the library including: knowledge management, records management, database management, competitive intelligence, and web services.

If I was underutilized, it was because I didn't always have enough time to lend my expertise in these other areas.

Posted by: Connie Crosby | Mar 10, 2008 9:51:23 AM

Interesting comment "Sorry but it does bug me that every other department in the law firm can evolve, but when Libraries do, they're suddenly obsolete."

Posted by: Dallas Attorney | May 23, 2008 8:53:44 AM

I've been a law librarian for almost 29 years. Yes, libraries have changed. Evolved. Grown in many ways.

Obsolete?? No. We teach more now. Do non-legal research, negotiate information contracts and manage other information resources - like docketing and records.

Obsolete?? Not hardly.

Posted by: Lynn Merring | Jun 9, 2008 3:17:24 PM

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