Note: Berikut
ini adalah pedoman yang dikeluarkan oleh American Association of Law Librarianship (AALL)
untuk para pustakawan yang bekerja di bidang hukum. Mudah-mudahan pedoman ini juga bisa
digunakan oleh rekan-rekan pustakawan di bidang hukum untuk meningkatkan keahlian dan
profesionalisme.
This policy statement is for the American
Library Association to use in its accreditation of graduate library school programs. Law
librarians are employed in academic, court, private firm, corporate, government, bar and
subscription libraries; the competencies this policy describes are needed by all law
librarians. These guidelines are concerned with graduate library education only,
specifically those areas that require expansion or modification of current curricula to
meet the educational needs of future law librarians.
Library school curricula must include
courses that create a high degree of competency at the general level as well as in the
subject discipline-the law. Therefore, this document is divided into two sections: general
competencies and subject competencies.
I. General Competencies
Although these general competencies are
required by librarians employed in all types of libraries, library instruction must
also include and emphasize the components of these areas that are specific to law
librarianship.
Areas of general competency include: 1)
Reference and Research Services; 2) Library Management; 3) Collection Management; ,4)
Organization and Classification.
1. Reference and Research Services
Law librarians provide reference and
research services that meet the requirements of their organizations in the most efficient
and cost-effective manner possible. An essential component of law library service includes
teaching users how to identify and use sources for legal research. Because legal materials
are the tools of the trade for lawyers and law students, effective law librarians are
sophisticated users and finders of legal information. Further, law librarians are required
to fulfill the non-legal information needs their organization.
Research and reference may include, but are
not limited to: a) provision of information to meet specific needs; b) selective
dissemination of information; c) analysis and evaluation of sources and information; d)
development and delivery of new services as needed by the organization; e) advice on the
design and development of commercial information products and services; and I) expert use
of all information media used for storage and retrieval of information. Education for law
librarianship must teach research strategies and methods that are based on sound analytic
and problem-solving skills.
2. Library Management
Principles of management and organizational
behavior must be part of all graduate library school programs. Specifically, law
librarians must learn techniques for managing library personnel and resources, measuring
and valuating library services and implementing technology-based solutions to library
management problems. Library education must emphasize communication skills, human
resources, strategic planning, budgeting, marketing strategies, productivity, innovation
and sound fiscal management, including cost recovery and profit-making.
3. Collection Management
Law librarians make decisions regarding the
identification, selection and acquisition of the legal and non-legal resources needed by
their organizations. In order to support the needs of their organizations, they must
assess the strengths and weaknesses of their collections, develop appropriate collection
policies, and employ the best methods to improve the power and scope of their collections,
including resource sharing and interlibrary cooperation as appropriate. Knowledge of
subject-specific selection tools and of acquisition procedures is essential.
Legal materials are increasingly created,
stored, and retrieved in full-text electronic databases. Whole systems of national and
state case law as well as statutory and regulatory materials have been published in
full-text in online systems. Selection policy and purchasing decisions require not only
critical evaluation of subject matter, but also consideration of the efficacy of
particular formats (e.g., print, online, CD-ROM, microform, etc.), space limitations, user
access, cost and other relevant factors. Knowledge and use of cost-benefit analysis
techniques are essential to the collection management process.
4. Organization and Classification
All law libraries contain basic primary and
secondary legal materials in a variety of formats which must be easily identified by and
accessible to users. Methods and reasons for classification and organization of a library
collection may differ from one law library to another because of size, organizational
needs, and emphasis of the collection. Knowledge of cataloging and classification theory,
serial publication patterns, government documents, database design and construction, and
indexing and abstracting is essential, with the ability to apply this knowledge in context
of organizational needs and national standards.
II. Subject Competencies
An understanding of the origins,
development and present state of Anglo/American law and legal literature is crucial to the
work of the law’librarian. Graduate library education for law librarianship must, at
a minimum, provide basic competencies in: 1) the Legal System; 2) the Legal Profession and
Its Terminology; 3) Literature of the Law; 4) Law and Ethics. In-depth knowledge of the
law is outside of the realm of library education.
1. The Legal System
In order to locate pertinent materials and
recognize their relative importance to the user, a law librarian must have a working
knowledge of the judicial, executive, and legislative branches of the United States
federal and state governments. Knowledge of the legislative history of statutes is also
essential. The interplay of common law, precedent, statutes, regulations, and
constitutions significantly affects the use of legal materials. Therefore, all law
librarians need a thorough understanding of the processes by which law is created.
2. The Legal Profession and its Terminology
Law librarians must possess knowledge about
the legal profession in order to understand the forces that drive its information needs.
Specifically, law librarians need to know about the institutions and professional
organizations of the legal profession and law librarianship.
Legal terminology is the professional
language of those who are directly or indirectly involved in the legal profession. Thus,
it is essential that law librarians have a working knowledge of legal vocabulary,
including legal abbreviations and citation systems.
3. Literature of the Law
Knowledge of the literature of the law is a
fundamental component of law librarianship. Legal literature includes primary and
secondary sources, their accompanying finding tools, and adjunct publications in all media
formats. Printed legal publishing continues, but new legal publishing formats,such as
full-text legal databases, microforms, and CD-ROM mean that library education must prepare
law librarians to exploit the advantages as well as recognize the limitations of these new
formats.
4. Law and Ethics
The use and dissemination of legal
information is affected by legal and ethical considerations. Law librarians must
understand the legal complexities that affect access to and use of information, including
copyright, freedom of information, privacy, and issues related to unauthorized practice of
law and/or malpractice. Law librarians must be familiar with and understand any legal
requirements and ethical considerations of both the legal profession and librarianship.
-Approved by the AALL Executive Board,
November 5, 1988
REFERENCES
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American Association of Law Libraries. (1988). Guidelines
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(Also printed in AALL directory and handbook, 1992-93, 766-767.)
Association of American Law Schools. (1992). 1992 Handbook:
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168-177.
Brock, C. A. (1974). Law libraries and librarians: A
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Cohen, M. L. (Ed.). (1962). Educating law librarians: A
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Hambleton, J. (1991). Does a law librarian need a law
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reader (pp. 37-43). Littleton, CO: Fred B. kothman & Lo.
Hazelton, P. A. (1990). Education for law librarians. The
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Hill, L. L. (1990). Education for special librarianship.
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Houdek. F. G.; Edwards, J.; & Parker, M. F. (Eds.).
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Houdek. F. G. (19911. AALL history and the law library
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Oakley, R. L. (1989). Education for law librarianship:
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Library Trends, Fall 1993 p. 338-341 |
