Shift #7 - Independent Deep Dive into Law Library of Congress
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 | 9-10 am PST/11 am-12 pm CST/12-1 pm EST (1 hr)
Details
Michelle Hurt, student/intern
Jennifer Gonzalez, practicum supervisor
This is a screenshot (from my phone) of the main page of the Law Library of Congress. I wanted to read more about the Law Library and understand the foundation for its collections.
I am technically on vacation this week (visiting family in Seattle) but was able to set time aside to do some practicum work. This morning, I focused on a deeper dive of the Law Library of Congress, as I begin to understand this research center and its collections. From what I read, the purpose of having a research center as the Law Library is considered goes back to the necessity of a library. It started as a library for Congress and the Supreme Court so they could access legal research materials and it has evolved since those early years. Now, the library houses materials for various departments/branches of the federal government as well as public and international law items. The Law Library has been successful because it has adapted to the changing times (digitization projects) while keeping its collections accessible by all. It is not just people of the United States that use the library but those from all around the world, since it is well known for foreign, comparative and international law (it is the custodian of law-related collections from different countries).
During this time of research, I learned that the Law Library has three areas of expertise: 1) collection services, 2) foreign law research and 3) public services. Collection services include the maintenance, retrieval, preservation and security of print and digital items. With so many materials in circulation, I wondered what the Library of Congress does in terms of environmental sustainability practices. I also thought about the percentage of users who use hard copy materials versus digital copies (I need to look into this later!). Foreign law research means that the Library of Congress has foreign-trained staff who provide research services and expertise from specific countries (including France, China, Brazil, Greece, Israel, Russia and the UK). They also conduct analysis and contribute to the Global Legal Monitor which is the source for news regarding legal matters around the world. Public services, like a public library would, include helping patrons find sources related to their inquiries about state and national legal matters and providing assistance on how to conduct research in-person or virtually.
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