ALL-SIS members often run informal surveys on the ALL-SIS listserve and later release the results. We thought it would be useful to compile the results in a convenient place so decided to start this new column. This first column has results reported from informal surveys from December 2007 to December 2008. Future columns will cover surveys between issues of the Newsletter.
Question: Short legal research videos available to the public.
Summary of responses:
Videos/vodcasts
- Harvard Law Library, Tutorials & Videos: www.law.harvard.edu/library/research/tutorials/ (original link updated by editor);
- Oklahoma City University School of Law Library, Introduction to Federal Statutory Research: www.okcu.edu/law/lawlib/statutesqt.mov;
- Boston College Law Library, Shepard’s in Print: www.bc.edu/schools/law/library/research/researchguides/shepards.html;
- Stanford Law Library Librarians and Advanced Legal Research Students, Legal Research - The Movie: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCX3RkVTRkI;
- University of Denver Westminster Law Library, Case Finding Using Reporters and Digests: www.law.du.edu/flashvideo/library/case%20finding%20using%20reporters%20and%20digests.htm (original link updated by editor).
Audio/podcasts
- University of Buffalo, Teaching Legal Research students, Buffalo Legal Research Podcast: http://buffalo_legal_research_podcast.classcaster.org/;
- Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Andy’s Research Lectures: http://blog.case.edu/andy/feed.atom (original link updated by editor);
- Berring’s Legal Research Podcast: www.berringlegalresearch.com/podcast.asp;
- Ross-Blakley Law Library Channel, Diane Murley, Using Search Engines Better: http://ross-blakley_law_library_channel.classcaster.org/blog/internet_searching/2007/09/02/using_search_engines_better;
- Southern Illinois University School of Law Library, Diane Murley, Introduction to Researching Administrative Law: http://media.law.siu.edu/murley/adminlaw_intro.mp3; transcript available at www.law.siu.edu/lawlib/guides/adminlaw_intro.rtf (link & transcript added by editor);
- Southern Illinois University School of Law Library, Diane Murley, Why and How to Use Secondary Sources: http://media.law.siu.edu/murley/secondary_review.mp3; transcript available at www.law.siu.edu/lawlib/guides/secondary_review.rtf (link & transcript added by editor);
- Southern Illinois University School of Law Library, Diane Murley, Introduction to Practice Aids: http://media.law.siu.edu/murley/practiceaids-20070314.mp3; transcript available at www.law.siu.edu/lawlib/guides/practiceaids.rtf (link & transcript added by editor).
Source: Sue Altmeyer, Electronic Services Librarian at Cleveland Marshall College of Law, CSU Ohio. Summary is from her email to all-sis@aallnet.org, dated Dec. 5, 2007, Subject: [all-sis] Legal Research Vodcasts.
Question: Commercially printed legal research workbooks
Summary of responses:
Do you use a commercially printed workbook for legal research instruction? Yes - 42; No - 109; No answer - 3
Which one?
- Sloan & Schwim, Basic Legal Research Workbook - 23;
- Oates and Enquist, Just Research (exercises included in text) - 2;
- Mersky & Dunn, Assignments Accompanying Fundamentals of Legal Research and Legal Research Illustrated - 3;
- Johnson & Phillips, Legal Research Exercises Accompanying Finding the Law - 12;
- McKinney, Legal Research: A Practical Guide and Self-Instructional Workbook - 5;
- Teply, Legal Research and Citation (exercises included in text) - 3;
- Murray and DeSanctis, Legal Research and Writing: Problems and Exercises - 2;
- Kunz, et al, The Process of Legal Research (accompanying exercises) - 15;
- Armstrong & Knott, Where the Law Is: An Introduction to Advanced Legal Research - 1.
Source: Shaun Esposito, Head of Public Services and Adjunct Professor of Legal Research at Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona. Summary is from his email to all-sis@aallnet.org, dated Oct. 22, 2008, Subject: [all-sis] Legal Research Survey PDF version.
Question: Cost recovery for faculty ILL and document delivery
Summary of responses:
Of 10 responses, none charge through the costs. Ideas from the narrative responses included:
- Keep information for reporting contributions to the dean;
- “If a professor wants something quite blatantly ‘personal’ and costly, rather than for their direct research, we would ask that they charge it to their $2000/year stipend.”;
- Budget costs in as part of the costs of faculty research support (part of research/collection development budget);
- Allot each faculty member annual sum to buy library materials (not office collections), allowing fund-pooling for large purchases, and including updating costs as part of allocation.
Source: Ellen Platt, Senior Reference Librarian at Heafey Law Library, Santa Clara University. Summary is from her email to all-sis@aallnet.org, dated July 2, 2008, Subject: [all-sis] Cost recovery for Faculty ILL.
Question: Library internship programs
Summary of responses:
Library Type
- Academic - 21
- Firm - 4
- County - 2
- Public/Court - 2
Length of Time
- Semester/summer - 18
- One Full School Year - 3
- 100+ hours - 3
- Varies - 5
Number of Interns at One Time
- One - 15
- No more than two - 9
- Three - 1
- Varies - 4
Intern Compensation
- Volunteer - 1
- Paid - 6
- Credit - 12
- Varies - 10
Department Specific Internships
Yes - 6; No - 23
Number of Years Hosting Interns
- One - 1
- Two to Four - 10
- Five+ - 8
- Ten+ - 2
- Twenty+ - 6
- Did not answer - 2
Source: Kathleen Brown, Adjunct Professor and Faculty and Student Services Librarian at St. Thomas University Law Library. Summary is from her email to all-sis@aallnet.org, dated Dec. 9, 2008, Subject: [all-sis] Intern Survey Numerical Data Summary.
Question: Print or online Tax Management Portfolios
Summary of responses:
- Maintained both subscriptions, with no plans to cancel - 7;
- Initially cancelled print and went entirely online, but re-subscribed to print based on faculty response - 4;
- Maintained both subscriptions but are evaluating cancelation of print - 2;
- All online and the Estate and Gift portfolios in print - 1.
Source: Chuck Marcus, Head of Reference at Hastings College of the Law Library, University of California. Summary is from his email to all-sis@aallnet.org, dated Nov. 25, 2008, Subject: [all-sis] BNA Tax Management Portfolios – summary of results.
Question: Pushing library information, blogs and newsletters
Summary of responses:
The suggestions I received included:
- Publicize blogs by displaying them prominently on the library web page, or mentioning them in workshops, etc.;
- Send blog highlights out in an email newsletter - either with the posting, or a headline and a link to the posting;
- Have an e-mailed newsletter in addition to, or instead of, a blog;
- Use a Mylaw page from AppointLink;
- E-mail news to faculty that is automatically archived to a blog;
- Use an RSS feed to populate a web page;
- Publish news/articles or summaries of blog posts in the law school’s newsletter;
- Have contests on your blog where the students can win prizes like free coffee certificates;
- Use a Facebook page for the library;
- Use FeedBlitz to allow email subscriptions to the blog;
- Make your blog posts controversial to attract readership.
Source: Janet Sinder, Associate Director for Research Services at Thurgood Marshall Law Library, University of Maryland School of Law. Summary is from her email to all-sis@aallnet.org, dated Nov. 5, 2008, Subject: [all-sis] Library blogs/newsletters: Responses.