
Helping Patrons with Legal Questions: Part 1 – Legal Research Basics
This first webinar in a series of three presented by the Colorado Association of Law Libraries and the Colorado State Library will address aspects of providing legal research services to patrons. In this session, attendees will learn the following: what are the basic concepts involved in legal research; how to conduct a legal reference interview; and where to refer patrons in order to find forms and legal clinics. This session will provide attendees with a basic overview of these concepts. Sessions two and three will delve more into where to locate free legal research resources.
Resources:
Part 2: Researching State and Local Laws
Part 3: Researching Federal Laws and Secondary Sources
Facilitator: Deborah Hamilton
Deborah Hamilton is the Strategic Services Librarian overseeing the Law Collection for the Pikes Peak Library District, a position she has held since 2014. She is president for the Colorado Association of Law Libraries and has served on the Government Law Libraries and Legal Information Services to the Public Committees for the Southwest Association of Law Libraries. Works by Deborah include: “Public Libraries Helping Patrons with Legal Needs: Virtual Pro Se Clinic of Colorado” in The Relevant Library: Essays on Adapting to Changing Needs; and “Google Video and YouTube” in The Complete Guide to Using Google in Libraries: Instruction, Administration, and Staff Productivity (Volume 1). Deborah is under contract with Libraries Unlimited to write, Helping Library Users with Legal Questions: Practical Advice for Research, Programming, and Outreach, which should be out sometime in 2021. Deborah earned her MLIS from the University of Washington in 2011 and taught high school English before entering the world of libraries.