Libraries

Introduction

• Law libraries are considered as special libraries or specialised libraries. Special Library
Association (SLA) defines a special library as “an organisation that provides focused,
working information to a specialised clientele on an ongoing basis to further the
mission and goal of the parent company or organisation”.
• Law libraries, medical libraries, theological libraries are the examples of special
libraries.
• Law libraries deal with information sources in specific subject areas and serve
restricted clientele with a rather narrow range of interests and with specific needs for
particular pieces of information.

Types of Law Libraries

“Law libraries may be roughly classified into these groups which are known as state libraries,
county libraries, bar libraries, and private libraries”
The law libraries provide vital legal information to clientele/patrons and play a role in the legal
process and social justice.

ACADEMIC LAW LIBRARIES

“Academic law library is the centre of activity for law students, academics,
lawyers/attorneys, judges, members of the public and whoever else finds the need to
use them”.
“The primary mission of the law school library is to meet the information needs of the
faculty and students of the institution it supports.
In addition to their role in educating future lawyers, law schools are the major
producers of scholarly literature in law and rely on academic law libraries to provide
the resources and support needed for research and publication.”
Academic law library require a lot of personnel because it provides various types of
services to the academic community.
Academic law libraries or law school libraries may further be classified on the basis of
parent institutions’ nature:
i. National Law School/ University Libraries
ii. Law Faculty/ Department Libraries in Universities
iii. Law College Libraries
The use of law school library takes two different forms – physical and virtual. According
to Hazelton (2012) the students use the law library due to various reasons:
1. The convenience of the law library in relation to the classrooms
2. Comfortable seating with a variety of options, including tables, carrels, group
study rooms, computer workstations, and casual seating
3. Quiet, uninterrupted space
4. Wireless Internet
5. Access to printers and photocopy machines
6. Help from library staff
7. Access to print materials on course reserve or for course assignments
8. Access to library-licensed electronic resources
9. Access to student study aids not part of the student’s own collection

Judicial Library

➢ The Supreme Court Judges Library was established in 1937 and then known as Federal
Court Library.
➢ The library contains significant legal literature to support the need of the Hon’ble
Judges and the Courts.
➢ It is a grid of libraries. It maintains workable collection in 15 Bench Libraries and 31
Residential Libraries.
➢ There is also a separate “Library-cum-Reading Room” for the Hon’ble Judges in the
Judges Gallery.
 ➢ The library contains significant library collection of 2,80,000 legal documents including
Books, Bound Volumes of Journals, Committee/ Commission Reports, Bare Acts,
Central and State Gazettes, Parliamentary Debates, Manuals of Central and State Acts.
➢ The library subscribes 220 Indian and Foreign legal journals, and 22 Newspapers.
➢ The library is subscribing commercial databases like SCC Online, Manupatra, Westlaw
India, AIR Infotech Database, ITR Online, Taxmann and other databases.
➢ Judicial libraries serve the judges of the court and court officers to which the library is
attached.
➢ Judicial libraries are part of judicial system infrastructure, established and funded by
the State or Central Government.
➢ The court libraries vary considerably in their provisions. The size and collections of
judicial libraries vary on the basis of jurisdiction of its parent court.
➢ Judicial libraries serve Judges of the Supreme Court, High Courts, quasi judicial bodies
and administrative tribunals at different level.

BAR ASSOCIATION LIBRARIES

• The Bar Associations at different levels (National, State, Regional, District level) have
established libraries for their members.
• These libraries are very essential for the practicing lawyers but the staff in these
libraries is not competent enough to provide legal research and reference service.
• Bar Association Libraries cater to their member lawyers, providing a working collection
for their requirements.
• These libraries are financed by the parent bar associations and major decisions
including book purchases are usually made by the library committee under the bar
association.
• The core collection of these libraries is based on legal material from its home state
including published decisions and rules of the respective courts.

PRIVATE LAW LIBRARIES

➢ Private law libraries are those maintained by large corporations, partnerships, and
individuals.
➢ Law Firm Libraries and LPO Libraries come under this category.
➢ The law firm libraries have a core collection of the primary and secondary materials in
the jurisdiction in which the firm practices and electronic legal databases in the
concerned field are preferred due to physical space.
➢ Law firm libraries use ICT to provide access to information available at different
locations. Current Awareness Service is preferably in electronic format as e newsletter,
e-zines, e-mail, RSS feeds etc.
➢ “Right information to the right users at the right time” is the motto of these libraries.
➢ The work of a law firm librarian is time bound because the clients of the firm work in
multiple time zones around the globe.
Government Law Libraries

❖ Governments are now under more pressure to advance public welfare on a number of
fronts, including national development.
❖ Libraries are essential for all types of information, including records from different
government agencies and divisions. These, of course, meet the requirements for legal
information.
❖ To meet their functional requirements, ministries and departments arrange their
libraries differently from other types of libraries.
❖ The law library's reference service was created with its staff's needs in mind when it
comes to legal knowledge.
❖ It satisfies the demands of particular courts, organisations, and legislative bodies.
❖ Some legal libraries run by the government allow public access.
❖ It offers clients a huge selection of legal books, periodicals, and databases in print and
online.