Lawyers in the Library
As we all know, public libraries are bastions of knowledge, and are information citadels for the communities in which they reside. Libraries transform, and libraries lead.
As we all know, public libraries are bastions of knowledge, and are information citadels for the communities in which they reside. Libraries transform, and libraries lead.
Libraries are great places to find legal information, in the stacks, in NOLO books on every topic, and on legal websites accessed via the public computers. But librarians can only point patrons to these resources; they can’t give legal advice themselves. So why not bring in the lawyers who can?
Immigrating to a new country is a daunting and complicated task. You are surrounded by new customs, new people, possibly a new language, and paperwork. Finding help for questions as well as a welcoming place during this transitional time can make all the difference in a person’s life. As a recent article illustrates, libraries can be the place that helps newcomers to find information, services, and small comforts, as well as new acquaintances.
In Michigan, if a reference librarian performs their duty of providing a patron with information, it could now be viewed as a criminal act.
Harvard Law School has had about two months to work on its newest project, Free the Law. When I read about it in The New York Times, I was of two minds. The book lover in me shed imaginary tears as I read that the spines of nearly all the tomes in the collection were being sliced off to digitize the pages. Yet the former electronic content manager in me cheered at the access that this will grant myriad customers.
3D printing has opened up a whole new world, and a whole new can of worms.