Alternative Careers: Law Librarianship
by Shirley H. David, Director, Sacramento County Public Law Library

Law librarianship is a field people often come to after doing something else, as is the case with most of the librarians at the Sacramento County Public Law Library. All the reference librarians hired in recent years hold law degrees and most hold both law degrees and master's degrees in library and information science.

Peter Egler, who holds a law degree from Catholic University and library science degree from the University of Pittsburgh says, "Prior to working as a law librarian, I worked as a civil litigation attorney for eight years. I enjoyed legal research and writing, but I didn't like the confrontational aspects of being an attorney. Working as a law librarian allows me to continue to work with legal information resources, and gives me the opportunity to assist patrons with legal research. Law librarianship is a good fit for my personality."

Coral Henning, who for many years served as reference librarian specializing in computer services, is currently working part-time as the library's training coordinator and is completing her master's degree in library and information science at San Jose State University. "Like most of my colleagues at the Sacramento County Public Law Library, I have a law degree. I supported myself, while attending Golden Gate University School of Law, by working at the San Francisco Law Library. It was while working there that I was exposed to the breadth of duties law librarians carry out. In any given week, a reference librarian might work at the reference desk, assist in research for a patron, serve on a committee, edit a newsletter, conduct a training session, write a policy manual and clear a printer jam. It was this variety that attracted me to the profession."

Josefina Gomez recently joined the staff after working as an attorney in Stockton. She holds a J.D. from University of California, Davis and a Master of Library Science from San Jose State University. Josefina worked as a librarian at Sacramento Public Library and Office of the District Attorney of Santa Clara County before she received her law degree. "Law librarianship allows me to participate in two worlds that I find fascinating. The legal world is fascinating to me in that it runs the gamut of being the most complicated and incomprehensible of information to the most simple and instinctive information, including every shade in between. Librarianship is fascinating in that it allows me to have a role in the distribution, comprehension, and use of that broad range of legal information, and I enjoy knowing that my role helps attorneys and non-attorneys alike in tackling that incredible range of legal problems on a daily basis."

It is not required that one hold a specific set of degrees to be a law librarian but it does give one more options. Many academic law libraries require law degrees for reference librarians and many middle management positions. Since academic law library directors are usually members of the law school faculty, almost all of them have law degrees. Law librarians at law schools often have the opportunity to publish and teach.

George Grossman, Director of the Law Library at University of California, Davis, holds a LL.B, Stanford University Law School, and a M.S.L.S., from Brigham Young University. Before becoming a law librarian George worked at the California Law Revision Commission. George was director of law libraries at University of Utah, University of Minnesota, and Northwestern University, before coming to UC Davis. During his career he developed an expertise in library building design. "Now is the most interesting time to be in the information business since Gutenberg invented movable type," stated Grossman when speaking about the twin challenges of applying new technology to library operations at a time of financial stringency. Grossman also teaches American Legal History, the topic of his 1999 book, which has been recommended as summer reading for students about to start law school.

Faye Jones, the director, Gordon D. Schaber Law Library at McGeorge Law School holds an M.L.S. from Florida State University and a J.D., Nova Southeastern University. She currently teaches courses in Computer and Internet Law, Advanced Legal Research. After law school, she served as a Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Navy, and now holds the rank of Commander in the Naval Reserve. Faye Jones has more than 20 years of experience as a law librarian. She joined the McGeorge faculty after serving as Acting Director at the Hastings College of the Law Library. Her articles have been published in the Journal of Internet Law; the Hastings Law Journal; and in the Nova Law Journal.

Law librarianship can open doors to jobs in other countries, as is the case with California State Law Librarian, Mark Linneman. Linneman was the law librarian at the University of Melbourne, Australia from 1981-1990.

The reason for a library science education is to provide skills and knowledge that will make one a better librarian. While it is possible to pick up a lot through on-the-job training, self-education, and independent reading, a good graduate program exposes the student to more in a shorter time. One learns the basics of cataloging, issues of intellectual freedom, web page design, indexing, effective research techniques, reference interview techniques, collection development, the resources for various disciplines, and library management. It is possible to take most classes at San Jose State University library school through their distanced learning program. The master of library and information science program at the University of Washington includes a special certificate program for law librarians. The program is designed for persons who already have completed their law degree. The American Association of Law Libraries website is a good source for finding library and information science programs. AALL also award scholarships.

So what can one expect to earn as a law librarian? There are considerable variations in the different categories of law librarianship, depending on the area of the country, degrees held, experience, and type of library. According to the American Association of Law libraries' Biennial Salary Survey 1999, the mean salary for a readers' services (reference) librarian in the pacific coast states was $42,262. Of library directors in the same region at the 90th percentile the salary was $119,412. Throughout the United States, a law library director with both a law degree and library science masters degree at the 90th percentile salary was $130, 171. A readers' services librarian with both degrees received a mean salary of $44,928. This is not a field for those who will be working with others who are less well educated but make substantially more. It is for those who get satisfaction from knowing they have put legal information and people together in a meaningful way.

For more information about law librarianship, check out the American Association of Law Libraries website at www.aallnet.org or talk to one of the local law librarians featured in this article.

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