Finding the Answers to Legal Questions, Second Edition

Tucker, Virginia M. and Marc Lampson. Finding the Answers to Legal Questions, Second Edition. ALA Neal-Schuman, 2018. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1569-1

Description
Newly revised and updated, this timely, clearly organized, and easy-to-use resource is packed with guidance to help librarians answer questions that span the gamut of the law. An ideal book for practicing librarians looking to better serve users' legal needs, as well as for students preparing for careers as librarians.

Table of Contents 
A detailed table of contents is available on the publisher's web site.

Legal Reference for Librarians: How and Where to Find the Answers

Healey, Paul D. Legal Reference for Librarians: How and Where to Find the Answers. Chicago: ALA, 2014. 025.52 Heale.  ISBN 978-0-8389-1117-4

In recent years the number of Americans who have decided to handle their own legal affairs without the help of a lawyer has skyrocketed. Ranging from people writing their own wills or drafting a contract to those trying to represent themselves in court, they're going to public and academic libraries for answers. As both an attorney and a librarian, Healy's background makes him uniquely qualified to advise library staff on providing users with the legal information they seek, and in this handbook, he

•    Provides a concise orientation on legal research, including strategies for finding information quickly and a handpicked compendium of the best resources
•    Offers guidance on how to provide advice on legal research while steering clear of liability
•    Covers federal legal reference as well as all 50 states, with a comprehensive list of web-based legal resources
Library staff can provide valuable and ethical legal reference guidance with the practical guidance in this book.

The Accidental Law Librarian

Aycock, Anthony. The Accidental Law Librarian. Information Today, Inc., 2013.

In reality, all librarians get legal questions, so many of us find ourselves navigating the complicated world of legal information. This book should help: it provides great tips and hints for those challenging reference questions and working with legal publishers and databases. Those contemplating law librarianship can also benefit from chapters addressing the structure and culture of law libraries.

Finding the Answers to Legal Questions: A How-To-Do-It Manual

Tucker Virginia and Marc Lampson. Finding the Answers to Legal Questions: A How-To-Do-It Manual. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2011. 340.072073 Tucke. ISBN 978-1555707187

Finding the Answers to Legal Questions: A How-To-Do-It is a comprehensive guide to help public librarians confidently assist users in finding the legal information they need whether for self-representation, to be an informed consumer of legal service, or to learn the U.S. legal system, the workings of the courts, and common questions likely to arise. Authors Virginia Tucker and Marc Lampson provide a clearly organized, easy-to-use resource packed with guidance to help librarians answer questions that span the gamut of the law. There is an overview of fundamental legal information, including the basic structure of the U.S. legal system and primary law, and how-to instructions for finding primary law in print sources, free websites, and pay-for-view databases. The authors share tips for conducting a legal reference interview and describe common legal questions across a number of different areas, including lawsuits, family law, landlord-tenant disputes, wills and estate planning, debt, bankruptcy, employment, and criminal law. The authors also explain how to build a basic legal reference collection, including a how-to guide for creating a basic website of legal links and for building a small, low-cost collection of print resources. Finding the Answers to Legal Questions: A How-To-Do-It Manual is an ideal book for practicing librarians looking to better serve users' legal needs.

Virtual Reference Best Practices

Virtual Reference Best Practices : Tailoring Service to Your Library, by M. Kathleen Kern. Chicago : American Library Association, 2009.

From the publisher:

When it comes to virtual reference, one size doesn't fit all. What works in one library won't necessarily work in another. How do you figure out what to do? The recently published Virtual Reference Service Guidelines from the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), which is reproduced in appendix A, provides the starting point. Kern, a leading virtual reference expert, outlines the tools and decision-making processes that will help you and your library evaluate, tailor, and launch virtual reference services that are a perfect fit for your community and your library.

Moving from general guidelines to making concrete decisions about integrating virtual with traditional reference, Virtual Reference Success

• Provides a handy checklist of issues to consider
• Suggests plans for sustainability of services
• Offers activities and discussion points that support decision making
• Shares proven sample policies and materials currently in use
• Summarizes practical one-page "Research You Can Use"
• Outlines the pros and cons of collaborating in a consortium

Reference librarians, heads of library services, and managers of virtual reference services will welcome this flexible approach with its wealth of exercises and resources to implement immediately. Here's everything you need to reach sound and sustainable decisions about virtual reference services.

The law of libraries and archives (book)

Carson, B.M. (2007). The law of libraries and archives. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press.

This book has a companion website.
"This site contains a number of important documents and resources related to library law. This site also supports the book The Law of Libraries and Archives published by Scarecrow Press. The materials were selected by the author, Bryan M. Carson, a lawyer and librarian who is the Coordinator of Reference & Instructional Services at Western Kentucky University Libraries." --Bryan Carson