The Accidental Law Librarian: Legal Reference for Public Service Librarians
Where can I find child support guidelines? What ae the laws in Nevada on gun ownership? Can you help me apply for a business license? How do I copyright my name? Legal questions are not unique to law librarians. In an era of rising self-representation and shrinking courthouse staff, all librarians are apt to receive legal questions. Yet fe MLS programs offer more than a single course on law librarianship. Some off none at all. This course steps into that breach. It will cover the basics of legal publishing, how to understand and respond to legal questions, and which information sources are the go-to sources for any type of legal question. More broadly, the course will delve into the overwhelming need for free public law libraries.
By the end of this course, the participant will be able to:
- Locate primary and secondary sources of law
- Interpret legal citations
- Discuss the issues around the unauthorized practice of law (UPL)
- Conduct a legal reference interview
This four-week course is asynchronous with weekly live sessions on Wednesday from 12pm-1pm Central. The live sessions will be recorded and atendance is not required.
The instructor, Anthony Aycock, Legislative Librarians with the North Carolina General Assembly has 20+ years experience in public, private, and academic law libraries. Since 2017, he has been the librarry director for the North Carolina General Assembly i.e. the legislative of the Tar Heel State. He also worked for the North Carolina Justice Academy and for Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, North Carolina's largest law firm. His education includes a B.A. in English from Mars Hill College, an MLIS from the University of South Carolna, an M.F.A. from Queens University of Charlotte, and a master's in criminal justice from Methodist University. Anthony is also a freelance writer, publishing in libraries and other topics.
This course is co-sponsored by RUSA's Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Interest Group.