Teaching Legal Research

Abstract

ABSTRACT Questions about the importance and viability of legal research and writing as a part of the law school curriculum are not novel. Confronting these questions head-on, however, is a responsibility that should be handled by law librarians. This article addresses the issue of teaching legal research in an academic law library setting. The reasons why the author has pursued an aggressive approach when dealing with legal research instruction are explored. The methods employed to carry out that legal research instruction mandate are examined. creased as legal research and writing are more and more frequently combined and taught by writing faculty.1 At the same time, the research skills of law students are on a downward spiral. Howland and Lewis document this plunge in an informative survey.2 Law librarian Donald Dunn substantiates this decline and attributes it, in part, to “the increased emphasis in law schools on legal writing,”3 in consequence of which, while “legal writing entered the expressway; legal research took the off-ramp.”4 Further, law librarians and legal research have even been pummeled by one of America's most popular authors.5 In this environment, it may seem unwise to continue to advance the argument that academic law librarians should teach legal research. Notwithstanding the obstacles that face such instruction, law librarians have an obligation to press forward in this important work.6 Legal writing instructors have not demonstrated that they have the expertise to provide this instruc-tion.7 Likewise, law faculty have demonstrated that they do not have the interest in tackling the task.8 Say two authorities on the subject: “Regular faculty members generally do not teach a research course, and when they do decide to teach one, the results are invariably disastrous. Most law faculty members cannot teach legal research because they do not understand it themselves. If compelled to teach the course, they rebel.”9 Perhaps it is time for law schools to cede the stewardship for legal research instruction to those information professionals who have been trained and are qualified to teach legal research instruction -law librarians.10 And it is time for any reticent law librarians to accept the obligation to take a more proactive approach toward teaching legal research.11