It’s been a while since my last blog post! I’ve been focusing on getting through my LIS program (I’m halfway done) and learning as much as I can in my job as an academic law librarian. I’m currently writing a paper for my Library Management class on planning law library facilities as makerspaces. A makerspace, […]
Category Archives: A2J Lawbrary Services
Illinois Legal Aid Online Debuts Re-designed Self-Help Center Pages
Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) recently re-designed their directory of legal self-help centers. Site users in need of legal help should now be able to better understand what each center does and doesn’t offer. The ILAO network includes 173 legal self-help center (LSHC) locations in 99 counties, and they organized the information on the site in a way that […]
Round-Up: What I’m Reading
How Do We Engage with Ideas that Make Us Uncomfortable from the RIPS Law Librarian Blog Digital Divides and Justice Gaps from Ex Libris Juris, a blog publication for the Harris County Law Library Legal Reference for Public Libraries from the Maryland State Law Library 2013 National Self-Help in Libraries Survey by the Self-Represented Litigation Network’s Library Working Group […]
Yale, Cornell Law’s A2J Lawbrarians Launch Global Online Access to Legal Information Project (GOALI)
The Global Online Access to Legal Information project (GOALI) will provide universities, nonprofits, judges, and others in low- and middle-income countries access to law journals, e-books, and databases with a focus on international law, human rights, humanitarian law, and labor law. Recipients within the 115 selected countries have not had previous access to these materials, and this […]
Madison County Law Library (IL) Receives Grant to Expand & Coordinate Services for Self-Represented Litigants
The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts Civil Justice Division recently awarded grants to eight circuits, including Madison and Bond counties. The larger Madison County will be using the $15,000 grant to expand their services into Bond County. In addition to adding computer terminals, Madison […]
Harris County Law Library Expands Services for Low-Income Houstonians
I’m a proud Houston native, so I was especially thrilled to read this announcement. Joseph Lawson, Deputy Director of the Harris County Law Library, shared a press release announcing extended “Library Booth” hours for self-represented litigants. The booth is staffed by local pro bono attorneys. Full press release below: HVL Announces Expanded Pro Se Program at […]
I Need Your Voice!
Are you part of a law library that helps self-represented litigants in unique ways? Innovative assistance can come in the form of programs, events, published materials, protocols, workshops, tutorials, online help, and more. If you’re interested in sharing these methods, please email me at matthewsa@cua.edu, drop a comment below, or click “Contact” in the header […]
Law Library Makerspaces
The Cochise County Law Library in Tucson, Arizona recently told a local news outlet that they’re renovating their building for the first time in about 50 years. From Tucson News Now: For decades, the Law Library has housed thousands of books, which were available to both the public and legal experts looking for information or […]
Paradigm Shift: Focus on what we *can* do as Law Librarians, and not on what we can’t
This post will be quick since I’m swamped (in a good way, I suppose!) with work at the law library, library school finals, group projects, research, and way too many other things. Found this older article by A2J lawbrarian Shawn Friend on the RIPS Law Librarian blog, and this paragraph jumped out at me: For dual-degreed […]
“Eliminating Barriers to Justice” Con: Teach pro se litigants to D-I-Y
The “Eliminating Barriers to Justice” conference at Georgia State University School of Law gathered A2J experts together to discuss access to justice for Georgia’s rural population, specifically for those who speak limited English or have a disability. During the event, Georgia Supreme Court Justice Nels Peterson noted that access to justice means more than having access to […]
