The Accidental Law Librarian

Anthony Aycock, The Accidental Law Librarian.  Medford, NJ: 2013, Information Today.

The Accidental Librarian series is intended to provide working professionals with an introduction to new areas of practice, be they technologies or subjects.  In this volume, Aycock—who has worked in academic, court, and corporate law libraries—covers the basics: types of law, types of questions, and types of materials and sources.  It is a nice, easily-readable primer, and combined with something like West’s Legal Research in a Nutshell, would be an adequate foundation for a librarian to confidently step into a law library with tools enough to begin.

Of course, it is only an introduction, and Aycock provides plenty of pointers to additional resources.  While far from everything one needs to know, having spent several years in the field, I can say it would have been helpful to have this available when I started.  Recommended for both mid-career professionals entering a new field and new librarians just choosing their paths.