Access to Justice: Join the Trusted Intermediary-Legal Information Network

Many Canadian librarians may have heard of Trusted Intermediary-Legal Information Network (TI-LI Network).

In 2019, the Saskatchewan Access to Legal Information Project (SALI) joined forces with the BC LawMatters Program and the National Self Represented Litigants Project’s Family Law in the Library Project to establish the Network to encourage cooperation between legal information providers in order to enhance access to justice.

Last week, the blog of the Vancouver Association of Law Libraries (VALL) published an invitation calling on law librarians to join the Network that has more than 80 contributors across Canada:

"The organizers recognize that user-centred design, interdisciplinary approaches, and networks are needed to address urgent, complex access to justice problems, especially during these uncertain times. The TI-LI Network thus connects legal information providers from across Canada to exchange information and maximize efficiency by encouraging collaboration and adapting of resources and materials related to legal information provision by trusted intermediaries."

"The justice landscape is changing in response to the current crisis with COVID-19 and TI-LI Network member organizations are creating new responses that are shared with trusted intermediaries to address current needs that have arose as a result of COVID-19."

The next meeting will be held on October 27th. The VALL blog post contains contact information.

There were a number of presentations about the Network at the 2019 annual CALL conference:

• Part 1: The Role of Legal Information Providers and Public Libraries in Promoting Access to Justice: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges (Brea Lowenberger, Melanie Hodges Neufeld: "In part 1 of this session, Melanie and Brea will facilitate a macro discussion to set the stage for conversation about establishing a 'National Trusted Intermediaries – Legal Information Network' (TI-LI Network). They will draw on their experience in co-establishing the Saskatchewan Access to Legal Information (SALI) Project to share their observations on the need for a establishing a national network, and invite participants' feedback on this emerging development."
• Part 2: The Role of Legal Information Providers and Public Libraries in Promoting Access to Justice: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges (Dayna Cornwall, Megan Smiley): "In part 2 of this session, Dayna and Megan will facilitate a micro discussion on lessons learned in establishing, like the SALI Project, library and legal information projects in Ontario and British Columbia. Dayna will share initial lessons learned in establishing the 'Family Law at the Library', a new project that involves partnering with libraries in the Windsor area, and Megan will share how Courthouse Libraries BC has worked since 2007 with public libraries to enhance public access to legal information in all communities throughout British Columbia."