Skip to main content
Recently The New York Times published an article by David W. Dunlap called 'So Little Paper to Chase in a Law Firm's New Library' about how a major law firm's relocation resulted in "leaving behind" nearly 95% of their physical library collection.

The article has lead the President of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), Holly M. Riccio, to write a Letter to the Editor pointing out that the article failed to understand the shift to digital that has allowed for such a large discard of print material.

Riccio writes:

“Given the author’s rhetorical strategy, one might conclude that Kaye Scholer’s library was “left behind” in the firm’s move. To the contrary, the law library was transformed into a comprehensive, firm-wide digital repository of legal information and resources.

Law libraries, like newspapers, are going through major transitions as they adapt to changes in technology and culture. Our members are helping to lead the way—reconceiving the library as a service, a virtual clearinghouse of legal knowledge, not just a physical space.”

Dunlap's article does note that a partner of the Firm does still have a print copy of a key text in his new office, and points to the location shift of the library from "the heart of the firm's headquarters" to "the basement".

What do you think? Was Dunlap too negative about the move? Was he too focused on the decorative nature of the physical editions "beloved of any photographer, videographer or cinematographer"? Do you agree with Riccio that "these transformations are necessary"?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Keeping Up With ALLA (WA) News

In March 2023 we announced the  closure of the Allgwa list , and welcomed the arrival of the  ALLA (WA) Google Group .  To take full advantage of the Google Group - particularly the ability to deliver news directly to your inbox - the ALLA (WA) Committee has made the decision to cease posting to the ALLA (WA) Blog.  ALLA (WA) Members are encouraged to join the Google Group to make sure they don’t miss out on key news, events, job opportunities from the committee and our members.  Over the past twelve and a half years we've have over 208636 visitors (and still counting) to the ALLA (WA) Blog, from all over the world. We thank all of our readers who have supported the blog. We especially thank all of our blog editors and contributors who have volunteered their time, skill and knowledge to develop this resource. The ALLA (WA) Blog will continue to be available in an archive format. We look forward to using the ALLA (WA) Google Group to share information, foster collegiali

ALLA National Board - Nominations Open

ALLA members would have received an email from Emma Joneshart, President of ALLA Ltd regarding a call for nominations for members to join the ALLA Ltd Board of Directors. Nominations will be voted upon at the ALLA AGM, held on Thursday 23 September during the ALLA Virtual Conference 2021 . The ALLA Ltd Board of Directors is an important part of the Australian Law Librarians' Association's governance. Made up of at least eight members of ALLA, nominations are open for the following positions:  Vice President Secretary Treasurer Vendor Relations CPD Coordinator General Directors The Vice President position is for a term of 3 years, consisting of a year each as Vice President, President and Past President. The other positions are for a 2-year term, allowing for a sufficient time period to become familiar with the role and have meaningful impact on ALLA projects.  Each role is varied, with support from other members of the Board, and in addition to monthly meetings (mainly via tel

Job Opportunities : Seeking a Shelf Change 2023 (5)

Senior Librarian Squire Patton Boggs has advertised for a part-time  (0.8 FTE) role of Senior Librarian in their Perth office. Details can be found on the Squire Patton Boggs website .  As an aside, we wish Kelly the best in her new endeavours and thank her for all her contributions to ALLA (WA) over the years.  Library Officer Corrective Serives, Department of Justice have advertised for a full-time Library Officer role located at Hakea Prison. Details can be found on the Jobs WA website . Applications close 24 April 2023. Library Assistant The Parliamentary Library, Department of Library Services has advertised for a full-time Library Assistant located in Canberra. Details can be found on the APS Jobs website . Applications close 17 April 2023. Archival Officer The National Archives of Australia are advertising for a full-time Archival Officer based in Perth. Details can be found on the  APS Jobs website . Applications close 16 April 2023. Still Open Positions Previously Published on