LISNews: Librarian News

Old-School Prisoner Wants Books, Not Westlaw
Since 1989 a prisoner has been serving time in an Ohio state prison for rape, kidnapping, felonious assault and aggravated assault convictions. Frustrated that the prison library replaced law books with computer access to Westlaw, her has sued the prison, requesting $80,000 in compensatory damages and up to $200,000 in punitive damages for the violation of his constitutional right to a law library.

Everything Must Go From Law Libraries

It's not fair to say that area law schools, libraries, historical preservation societies and other groups interested in North Carolina law and Guilford County history are circling like vultures around the remains of the law library at the Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro – which recently closed its doors due to funding cuts and other considerations. However, it is fair to say there's a great deal of interest among those groups as to who ends up with the library's contents.

Bloomberg LP is buying legal tax and regulatory research company BNA for about $990 million in an all-cash deal.

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New AALL Caucus on Consumer Advocacy
A group of law librarians has begun the steps to create a Caucus on Consumer Advocacy. The caucus' statement of purpose reads:
"Statement of Purpose of New AALL Caucus on Consumer Advocacy
Business practices of legal information vendors (LIVs) warrant more vigorous consumer advocacy than our profession has pursued. Our caucus may: (1) recommend or implement improved disclosures of LIV practices that harm consumers or weaken LIV competition; (2) determine if law librarians and their supporters should renew efforts to investigate unfair, or anti-competitive, business practices by LIVs; (3) recommend further investigation to AALL, interested parties (such as library and attorney associations), or government agencies; (4) examine whether voluntary guidelines have provided adequate remedies to unfair, or anticompetitive, business practices by LIVs; (5) propose legal remedies to AALL, interested parties, or government agencies; (6) encourage law librarians to discuss or pursue these options among themselves and attorneys; and (7) partner with all parties seeking stronger consumer protections from unfair, or anti-competitive, business practices of information vendors. Our caucus may also take other actions to advance the strongest consumer advocacy allowed by law.
Once AALL approves our caucus application, we will welcome partnerships with other LIS consumers like attorneys, their affiliated associations, and LIS vendors who follow the letter and spirit of the law in their business practices." -- Read More