Law librarians work in a variety of environments -- in courts, private law
firms, corporate law departments, law schools, and as freelance legal researchers.
Staffs range from the hundreds at the largest law libraries to solo practitioners.
Salaries in law librarianship reflect the generous compensation afforded legal
professionals.
The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), with over 5000 members, is
the largest professional organization representing law librarians. The
AALL/Recruitment Committee has a web page with resources on Careers in Law
Librarianship that has up-to-date information on the opportunities in different
types of law libraries, links to graduate programs in library science, links
to scholarship opportunities, and a selected bibliography of print and online
resources about law librarianship.
Law librarians share a pride in our profession, and confidence in the continued
need for law librarians committed to professional excellence. Working with
lawyers, judges, legislators, faculty, students, and the public to help solve
information problems is exciting and rewarding. We need the best and
the brightest of the next generation of librarians and information specialists
to join us in law librarianship.
If a student must attend a library school with no or little specialized
coursework in law librarianship, a combination of work experience in a
law library and independent study may give the student what is needed to
be competitive in the job market.*
Most law library positions require a master's degree from an American Library
Association (ALA) accredited program. Some positions, particularly those
in academic law libraries, require, or at least recommend, a J.D. degree.
If you are a Virginia resident, selecting an ALA accredited master's program
is not an easy task. Fifty-six
ALA accredited programs exist in the U.S. and Canada; none is located in
Virginia. Relocation is therefore something to consider. Fortunately ALA
accredited distance education programs exist for students not able to relocate.
Requirements vary considerably concerning geographic delivery, total credits
needed for graduation, on-campus coursework, and number of law-related courses.
A comparison of the programs at Catholic University
of America School of Library and Information Science (CUA) and University
of Tennessee School of Information Sciences (UTK) illustrates several important
factors to consider in making a decision on a library school.
The Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science in Washington, D.C., through an arrangement with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, offers limited courses in several Virginia locations: George Mason University, Fairfax; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond; Fairfax County Government Center, Fairfax; and in Loudoun County. For some Virginia students commuting to the CUA campus is also an option. CUA offers a Joint J.D.-M.S.L.S. program. Specialty courses in law librarianship include Law Librarianship, Legal Literature, and Advanced Legal Research.
The University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences in Knoxville, Tennessee, delivers a web-based curriculum to Virginia students. Students are admitted for the fall semester only and are required to attend a two-day, on-campus orientation in August immediately preceding the start of classes. UTK has no law-related courses.
CUA requires 36 credits for graduation; UTK requires 42 credits. Virginia students attending CUA courses at Virginia sites pay (2007-2008) $700 per credit hour. Virginia students enrolled at UTK are eligible for the Academic Common Market (ACM) rate (2007) of $310 per credit hour. Additional ACM institutions are listed on the VLA Web site.
Information about graduate library school programs in the southern
United States (but also in Oklahoma and Texas) can be found on the
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) “Academic
Common Market” (ACM) website <www.schev.edu/students/AcademicCommonMkt.asp>.
The ACM is an arrangement among southern states that allows Virginia
students to pay in-state tuition rates at out-of-state schools while
studying in select programs not available at Virginia public colleges
and universities. The ACM website lists more than a dozen qualifying
library/information studies programs. In addition to those at
Catholic University and Tennessee mentioned above, those closest to
Virginia include the University of Kentucky <http://www.uky.edu/CommInfoStudies/SLIS/>,
the University of Maryland College Park <www.clis.umd.edu>,
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill <http://sils.unc.edu>,
and UNC Greensboro www.uncg.edu/lis
Jim Heller, director of the law library at the
College of William & Mary
in Williamsburg, VA., created the Law Librarianship Fellow program, which
is designed to attract highly qualified people to law librarianship. To
qualify for the program students must have master's degrees in library
science and be enrolled in the College of William & Mary's law
school.
"We want the Fellows to have a diverse experience during their
three years here--one that helps achieve library needs and goals; provides
superior service to faculty, students, and other library users; and prepares
them for a career in law librarianship."*
It pays to take the time to apply for scholarships and grants. While financial
need is often a primary consideration, your potential contribution to the
profession is also important. National, regional, and local professional
associations all have scholarship opportunities for library and/or law school
education. Check
each association’s website for a list of their scholarships and grants,
application deadlines, and how to join their associations as a student member. Student
membership costs vary from association-to-association, but they are usually
very inexpensive.
Until library schools develop a model curriculum for law librarianship, the route to a successful law library career can take many twists and turns. However, the combination of law library work experience, coursework and continuing education, as well as resourcefulness and the will to succeed, has proved to be the formula for success.*
VALL members are happy to assist anyone who is interested in a career
in law librarianship. As practicing law librarians, we can tell you
what to really expect from a career in law librarianship. As library school
graduates and as faculty in library school programs, we can share our educational
experiences to help you make the best choices in your education. As those
involved in the hiring processes within our institutions and organizations,
we can offer insights into what employers are looking for in job candidates.
If you have any questions, or need any help, ask a VALL librarian.
To contact a member of the VALL Recruitment Committee, or any other member of
VALL, please send an e-mail to the current president and
your request will be forwarded.
VALL offers many benefits:
Student membership is only $7.50 a year.
VALL
P.O. Box 1378
Richmond, Virginia 23218
804-786-2075
http://law.richmond.edu/vall
* Maya Norris, "The Accidental Profession," AALL Spectrum, 6, no. 6 (March 2002): 26-30.
(This article is only available in a pdf file of the entire March issue. Be patient with the download time; there are other articles in this issue of interest.)