Thursday, April 28, 2022

HBR Consulting Report on Law Firm Library Priorities for 2022 and Beyond

The Chicago-based firm HBR Consulting has just published a white paper on Law Firm Library Priorities for 2022 and Beyond: Enhancing Client Service Delivery and Firm Operations Support.

The document is based on US experience but the conclusions can probably also serve in the Canadian context:

"The abrupt shift to a virtual environment over the past two years made law firm leaders acutely aware of the valuable role that library/information service departments play in their firms. When COVID-19 lockdowns forced us into remote working conditions, law librarians quickly shifted into 24/7 providers of legal research services and access, which quite literally kept the firm working."

"While 2020 was a year in which legal information professionals reacted to change, 2021 was a year in which they began to rethink those changes to evaluate which shifts were temporary and which ones are likely to be permanent. We believe 2022 will be the time to capitalize on the gains made and further the level and reach of service provision."

"HBR’s 2021 whitepaper 'Are you Maximizing the Value of Your Firm’s Library? Three Law Firm Library Areas to Prioritize' laid out three recommendations for maximizing a law firm library’s value, strategically positioning both the department and the firm for the future. Those priorities included cost management, talent and service delivery, and client-centric focus. One year later, our recommendations build on those priorities, evolving to reflect the changing market conditions and offer new considerations for maximizing value in the year ahead."

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 4:27 pm 0 comments

Program for the 2020 Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries will hold a virtual 2022 annual conference May 30 to June 3, 2022.

The conference program has been made available online.




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posted by Michel-Adrien at 4:14 pm 0 comments

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Publications Nominated for the 2022 Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing

Every year, the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) hands out the Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing.

It honours a publisher that has demonstrated excellence by publishing a work, series, website or e-product that makes a significant contribution to legal research and scholarship.

The short list of nominees this year:

  • CanLII for Civil Procedure and Practice in Ontario edited by Noel Semple. A comprehensive and free guide sophisticated enough for specialist litigators, but also straightforward and understandable for law office staff, self-represented litigants, and the general public.
  • Emond for Modern Criminal Evidence, Brian H. Greenspan and Vincenzo Rondinelli, General Editors. A truly practical and comprehensive guide to criminal evidence law in Canada that guides readers through evidentiary issues in all components of criminal law, providing insight from Crown, defence, and judicial perspectives.
  • LexisNexis for The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Canadian Law by Kevin P. McGuinness. The definitions provided in this text are taken predominantly from both Canadian jurisprudence and statutes and also include important terms from pertinent related fields such as economics, sociology, political science, forensic medicine, science and engineering, business and accounting, and many others.
The winner will be announced at the 2022 CALL Virtual Conference, May 31, 2022 to June 4, 2022. The award honours Hugh Lawford (1933-2009), Professor of Law at Queens’ University and the founder of Quicklaw.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 8:17 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

2022 International Library Automation Perceptions Survey

Every year since 2007, Library Technology Guides has conducted an International Library Automation Perceptions Survey.

The results for the most recent edition were published just the other day.

From the intro:

"The 2022 Library Automation Perceptions Report provides evaluative ratings submitted by individuals representing 2849 libraries from 95 countries describing experiences with 132 different automation products, including both proprietary and open source systems. Since last year, the survey is titled according to the year in which the report is published rather than when the survey period started. The survey results include 544 narrative comments providing candid statements -- both positive and negative – about the products and companies involved or statements of intent regarding future automation plans. This report analyzes the results of the survey, presents a variety of statistical tables based on the data collected, and provides some initial observations."

"It aims to provide information to libraries as they evaluate their options for strategic technology products and to the organizations involved in providing these products and services as constructive criticism to help guide improvements."

It is possible to view the results of all previous surveys on the Library Technology Guides website.

The website is maintained by Marshall Breeding, a well-known library automation expert. 

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 4:58 pm 0 comments

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

The April 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.


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posted by Michel-Adrien at 4:49 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Using CanLII's Subject Classification Terms

 Susannah Trewell, Manager of Library Services at DLA Piper (Canada) LLP in Vancouver, posted a research tip on SlawTips.ca today about how to Use CanLII's Subject Classification Terms to Narrow Your Search Results.

As she explains, when searching in CanLII's collection of case law for Ontario and Saskatchewan, it is possible to click on the All subjects dropdown menu and then select a topic:


CanLII, the Canadian Legal Information Institute,  is a portal funded by Canada’s provincial and territorial law societies to make legal information content (court judgments, tribunal decisions, statutes and regulations, commentary) available to Canadians free of charge.



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posted by Michel-Adrien at 9:01 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Supreme Court of Canada Releases 2021 Year in Review

The Supreme Court of Canada has released its 2021 Year in Review which shares information and stories about the work of the Court and the employees.

The document summarizes the Court's activities in 2021, including information about decisions and statistical trends.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 8:00 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, April 06, 2022

New Issue of IFLA Journal on COVID and Libraries

The most recent issue of the IFLA Journal, published by the International Federation Of Library Associations, is devoted to how the COVID-19 pandemic brought about innovation in libraries.

There are feature articles from around the world on issues ranging from national and parliamentary libraries, to school and academic libraries, and from onboarding of new employees during the pandemic to how libraries dealt with COVID disinformation.


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posted by Michel-Adrien at 6:49 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, April 05, 2022

Library of Parliament Legislative Summary of Bill to Amend Judges Act

The Library of Parliament has published its legislative summary of Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Judges Act:

"By replacing the existing complaints process regarding alleged misconduct with a new system, Bill C-9 changes how complaints against federally appointed judges are handled. The existing process was established in 1971 under the Judges Act, which defines the criteria for removing a judge from office and prescribes certain other requirements; procedural elements of the complaints process are largely set out in Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) policy documents and by laws."

"The CJC is a federal body created under the Judges Act and empowered to investigate public complaints and referrals from the Minister of Justice of Canada or a provincial/territorial attorney general about the conduct of federally appointed judges. It does not review judges’ decisions. After conducting an inquiry, the CJC may make recommendations to the minister, including the recommendation to remove a judge from office. The CJC’s judicial conduct oversight role is part of its general mandate to help the judicial system remain efficient, uniform and accountable. Its 41 members include all chief justices and associate chief justices and certain senior judges from federal and provincial/territorial superior courts."

It is possible to follow the progress of the bill through both Chambers of the Canadian Parliament on the LEGISinfo website.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 6:39 pm 0 comments

Monday, April 04, 2022

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 Bradley Budden, "On the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Law ". Budden is an articling student at McInnes Cooper, currently working out of the St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, office of the firm.

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


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posted by Michel-Adrien at 4:19 pm 0 comments

Supreme Court of Canada Calendar of Upcoming Hearings

The Supreme Court of Canada has published its calendar of upcoming appeals that will be heard in April 2022.

To find out more about any particular case, click on the docket number in parentheses next to each case name to find docket information, case summaries as well as facta from the parties.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 4:13 pm 0 comments