Finding Everything Legal
By Jean Holcomb
Finding legal information gets easier all of time. With the advent of the Internet and the development of online research services, much of what a legal researcher needs to find is only a key stroke away. The challenge for 21st century legal researchers becomes one of sifting through an explosion of options to find the really key, narrowly targeted piece of information that’s the exact match for their query.
While all types of primary authority for all levels of government can now often be found via a Google search or through access to one of the major online research tools, finding secondary source information using the web and online tools still presents a challenge. If a researcher needs to find information to explain a topic area, to find out information about what the law used to be on a topic, or to predict where the law might be going in the future, fewer options exist for finding an electronic resource that matches this type of search profile.
Savvy researchers have never lost sight of the value of the library catalog as a finding tool. The King County Law Library’s online catalog has for years been available only to those who came to the library to search in person or to library staff in other libraries with the ability to search the OCLC bibliographic database that contains a record of our library’s collection. In December KCLL put our catalog online at www.kcll.org.
Instructions about using this resource via the web appear on the first screen users reach when linking to the catalog. Staff contact telephone numbers and emails also appear so questions about using the catalog and finding out more about the library’s collection will be just a call or a few key strokes away.
Because our web-based catalog service is so new, we’re very interested in hearing from our users. We invite comments and suggestions and have provided a straightforward mechanism to encourage those who use the web catalog to share information about their experience with the library staff.
In this day of overwhelming legal research options, our library wants to make the task of the researcher as streamlined as possible. By making our collection information available on the web, we’ve taken another step to further that goal.
Subscriber Program Reminder: Subscriber Program renewal notices for 2005 were mailed in early December. The fee for enrollment in the Subscriber program will remain at $55.00 per attorney for 2005. The fee must be paid for each King County attorney employee of the business. As in the past, there will be no charge to enroll law library staff, summer associates, and other non-attorney staff. If you would like information about the benefits of becoming a member of the Subscriber program, contact Rick Stroup at (206) 296-0940. If you did not receive your renewal invoice or have questions about your account, please contact Craig Burgess at (206) 296-0940. You can find information about the Subscriber program on the Library’s web site at www.kcll.org.
85th Anniversary Campaign final progress report: Even though the Library moved back to its old home in the Courthouse in early October, we continued to accept donations to the Capital Campaign to support renovation efforts until the end of the year because items remained on our priority for purchase list that we had been unable to fund. Donors who make a gift at the $250.00 level and above by December 31, 2004 have been recognized by having their names listed on a commemorative plaque that will be displayed in the Library. For more about the Campaign and to see a listing of all who made a gift, visit www.kcll.org/ fundraising.
Internet class topic: The Seattle Law Library Internet lunch-break class for web users will be held on the third Thursday of the month on the sixth floor of the County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue. The January 20 class will focus on tax law resources found on the web. The February 17 class will cover training tips for using the library’s new web-based catalog. For information about the training, contact Rita Kaiser at (206) 296-0940. For information about additional training opportunities, view the monthly training calendar on the library’s web page at www.kcll.org.
Gifts: the library appreciates gifts to the collection from Stokes Lawrence, P.S.
Recent Acquisitions, King County Law Library: Civil Procedure: Attorney-Client Privilege in Civil Litigation; Class Actions and Other Multi-Party Litigation in a Nutshell; Contracts: The ABCs of the UCC (Revised) Article 7: Documents of Title; Copyright: Open Source Software: Risks, Benefits & Practical Realities in the Corporate Environment; Corpora-tions: 2nd Annual Directors’ Institute on Corporate Governance; Project Financing Update 2004: Reworking & Building New Projects in Developing Markets; Fundamentals of Franchising; The Outsourcing Revolution 2004: Protecting Critical Business Functions; Responsible Corporate Leadership in Washington State; The Revolution in Investment Company Governance: New SEC Rules & the Challenge of Implemen-tation; Domestic Relations: Child-Cen-tered Residential Schedules; Family Law Fall Conference: Protecting the Rights of Relationships-Advising the Unmarried or Gay/Lesbian Couple; Environmen-tal Law: Navigating the Maze: A Checklist Approach to Land Use and Environmental Law; Estate Planning: Living Trusts, Annuities, Securities and Reverse Mortgages: Fraud and Best Practices; Labor Law: 4th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference; Libraries: Virtual Reference Training: The Complete Guide to Providing Anytime, Anywhere Answers; Survey on Circulation Practice and Procedures; Patents: Patents in the Financial Services Industry: What You Need to Know; Practice of Law: Guidelines for the Utilization of Paralegal Services; Red Flags: Solutions for the Solo/Small Firm Practitioner; 2nd Annual Pacific Northwest Arts Symposium; Running From the Law: Why Good Lawyers are Getting Out of the Legal Profession; Public Welfare: Learning Curves: Education Advocacy for Children in Foster Care; Securities: Communica-tions with the Market, Analysts & Investors; Taxation: RIA’s Complete Analysis of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004; American Jobs Creation Act of 2004: Law, Explanation and Analysis.
Jean Holcomb is the King County Law Librarian. She welcomes your comments. Call her at (206) 296-0940,
or email her at jean.holcomb@metrokc. gov.
Collections Note
By Rita Dermody, Collection Access Services Librarian.
What is a law library, but a “Guide to Everything Legal”? The Random House Webster’s College Dictionary defines guide as “a book, pamphlet, or the like with information, instructions or advice”. Out of the thousands of titles the King County Law Library owns, over 300 contain the word guide in its title.
We have titles such as The ABA Guide to Lawyer Trust Accounts, Attorney and Law Firm Guide to the Business of Law, Business Franchise Guide, A Complete Guide to Marketing Your Law Practice, Condominium Development Guide, and Construction Lawyer’s Guide to Labor & Employment Law. We also have Crime Victim’s Guide to Justice, Environmental Law Practice Guide, Everybody’s Guide to Small Claims Court, Family Estate Planning Guide, A Guide to Federal Agency Adjudication, Guide to Statutory Interpretation, International Guide to Combating Cybercrime, A Legal Guide for INS Detainees, and The Swiss Army Knife Guide for the Real Estate Practitioner.
The next time you are in the Courthouse, stop by the Library and search on your favorite topic to see what guides we have available for your use.
