San José State University School of Information faculty members Virginia Tucker and Marc Lampson have completed a new book, Finding the Answers to Legal Questions, published by Neal-Schuman. The book 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.

The book includes an overview of fundamental legal information, including the basic structure of the US 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 website of legal links and for building a small, low-cost collection of print resources.

Per the Neal-Schuman description, The book is “an ideal book for practicing librarians looking to better serve users’ legal needs, as well as for LIS faculty and students preparing for careers as public librarians.”

Lampson, a part-time iSchool lecturer teaches a core course (INFO 200) and a class in Resources and Information Services in Professions and Disciplines (INFO 220) covering the topic of law. Tucker, a full-time iSchool lecturer teaches Information Retrieval (INFO 202) and Online Searching (INFO 244).

Citation:
Tucker, V. and Lampson, M. (2010). Finding the Answers to Legal Questions. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. 274 pages | 8.5 x 11 | ISBN: 9781555707187

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