Launch of North: The Canadian Shared Print Network

A partnership between  Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC), and regional academic library consortia recently launched North: The Canadian Shared Print Network.

It is a national initiative to coordinate the evaluation and identification of uniquely held print materials, and the securing of long-term retention commitments to protect against the risk of loss of those unique titles.

On the website, one can read a brief description of existing print preservation initiatives and the network's project streams (monographs published by Canadian University Presses; Indigenous works; scarce government documents).

Earlier Library Boy posts on the topic include:

• @Risk North Summary Report on Shared Print Preservation Programs (February 13, 2018): "As libraries witness increasing demand for online resources and dwindling circulation of print holdings, while simultaneously confronting budget and space pressures, it can be challenging to remain committed to sustaining academic libraries’ print collections. Cooperative approaches to acquiring, storing, preserving, and managing the reduction of print collections are gaining traction, employing a variety of models that seek to distribute the expense and responsibility while creating value for all parties." 
• Final Report on Creation of National Shared Print Network in Canada (September 16, 2020): "A joint working group of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) and Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has released its final report with recommendations on the creation of a collective shared print program across Canadian libraries. The Canadian Collective Print Strategy Working Group made up of representatives from key academic, public, and government libraries, and from regional consortia makes thirteen recommendations for the successful establishment of a national shared print network in Canada..."

Article on Gender Inclusivity in Canadian Legal Writing and Style Guides

The blog of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries has republished an article entitled Gender Inclusivity in Canadian Legal Writing and Style Guides by association member Dominique Garingan.

It was originally published on the website Notes Between Us on June 22, 2022.

"While there seems to be a growing acceptance towards gender inclusive and non-binary pronouns, this post seeks to explore an increasingly acknowledged yet still seemingly paradoxical entity in legal writing: the singular they. This post briefly investigates the use and acceptance or lack thereof of they as a singular pronoun through a review of a limited sample of Canadian legal research, writing, and style guides accessible to the writer. Although current writing practices on gender inclusivity may have since changed since the publication of these titles, this post hopes to assist writers, researchers, librarians, and information professionals by providing a non-exhaustive point-in-time review of Canadian legal writing references and help facilitate a turning point in the journey towards greater inclusivity in legal writing."

 Garingan is the Library Manager in the Calgary office of the law firm Parlee McLaws LLP.

New Justice Canada Research Reports

Justice Canada occasionally publishes research reports on a variety of topics.

Here are a number of recent publications:

• Victims of Crime Research Digest 2022
• A Qualitative Look at Serious Legal Problems: Trans, Two-Spirit, and Non-Binary People in Canada
• Use of Technology in the Family Justice System - Annotated Bibliography
• A Review of the Measures to Address Prostitution Initiative
• The Impact of Mandatory Minimum Penalties on Indigenous Peoples and Black and Other Racialized Groups

The Department lists its many research reports on its public website.

List of Fastcase 50 Legal Innovators for 2022

Fastcase, an American-based provider of electronic versions of U.S. primary law (cases, statutes, regulations, court rules, and constitutions), has unveiled its list of Fastcase 50 winners for the year 2022:

Created in 2011, each year the Fastcase 50 award honors a diverse group of lawyers, legal technologists, policymakers, judges, law librarians, bar association executives, and people from all walks of life. In many cases, honorees are well known, but in many others, the award recognizes people who have made important, but unheralded contributions.

“ 'When we look back at the pandemic era, we will see it as a great reset in our attitudes and assumptions about legal services,” said Fastcase CEO Ed Walters. “Even if they have had to spend more time on Zoom this year than they had planned, the 2022 class of honorees is making profound changes for the next generation of law. We celebrate these impactful advocates and inspiring innovators who are shaping the future under incredibly challenging circumstances'.”

There are a number of law librarians in the list as well as Sarah Sutherland, President and CEO of the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII).

Here is what Fastcase published about her:

Michael Mills, one of the Fastcase 50 in 2012, wrote in 2015 on LinkedIn about how the winners of the previous 5 years had begun to form an ecosystem of innovation:

“They champion transparency—in lawyer/client relations, in government data, policy, and practice, in judicial proceedings, and in legal education. They advocate for access—to the law itself, and to justice. They build structures, systems, and tools for access, quality, economy, and efficiency.”

“They also collaborate. A tour of the five classes found time and again 50’s who are working together across organizations and projects, who influence and inspire one another.” [my emphasis]

Using his company as an example, Mills writes that “from any one person among the Fastcase 250, there are lines linking in many directions to many others.”

That statement is truer than ever.

English Law Commission Proposes Overhaul of Outdated Wedding Laws

The Law Commission of England and Wales has released a report recommending many changes to the laws governing the celebration of weddings.

Among other things, it would allow for a much wider range of locations for couples to get married. This would include gardens, beaches, forests, parks, village halls and cruise ships.

The changes would also allow for more personalised vows, rituals and songs chosen. In addition, the recommendations would ensure fairer treatment for all beliefs, removing the anomalies of the current system, where different religions are bound by a multitude of different rules. 

Key parts of English wedding laws date back to 1836 or even earlier. 

The Commission states that the changes proposed would bring England and Wales in line with laws in other places including those  in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.

Government of Victoria Report on How Media Coverage Should Affect Sentencing

The Sentencing Advisory Council of the Government of Victoria in Australia has released a report entitled Should Media Coverage Affect Sentencing?

The report reviews 20 years of Australian case law dealing with high-profile media coverage of certain cases.

From the media release:

"When sentencing a person for committing a crime, Australian courts sometimes consider whether the person has already been punished outside the criminal justice system. Often referred to as ‘extra-curial punishment’, it can, for example, include job loss, family hardship, physical injury and visa cancellation. If this has occurred, the offender may receive a reduced sentence."

"One form of extra-curial punishment that has received relatively little attention is media coverage about a person’s case, especially high-profile media coverage. The question is: Should media coverage about a case entitle the offender to a reduced sentence? And if so, why and how much?"

"These were questions considered but not answered in 2001, when the High Court was divided as to whether media coverage should be able to reduce a person’s sentence. More than two decades later, the issue remains unresolved."

"It is in that context that the Council sought to better understand how courts have been navigating this complex area. We found that when Australian courts are asked to take media coverage into account in sentencing, they face uncertainty as to the basis for doing so and how much weight to give it. The report does not try to resolve these uncertainties. Instead, it reviews judicial and other commentary with the aim of encouraging further discussion by judicial officers, lawyers, journalists and the general public."

The state of Victoria is in south-eastern Australia and its capital is Melbourne. 

July 2022 Issue of In Session E-Bulletin of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries

The July 2022 issue of In Session is available online.

It is the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) and contains news from CALL committees and special interest groups, member updates and events.

Most Recent Issue of the Canadian Law Library Review

The most recent issue of the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR) is available online.

Check out the feature article on page 10 by Alexandria Everitt and Beth Galbraith, All By Myself: Creating Library Training Programs as a Solo Law Librarian:

"Creating library training and onboarding programs for students and new hires can feel like a  monumental task at the best of times. Working in a one-person library adds an extra element to this task. This article details how two solo law librarians in Vancouver firms tackled these new initiatives and found success. It provides two different perspectives and concludes with tips on how to create or update effective training or onboarding programs."

The CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL). It is an open access publication.