Law libraries are tasked with ensuring that people around the world can exercise their right to information and more particularly in the work of ensuring access to justice in an inclusive manner. These values guide the work of the IFLA Law Libraries Section.

This past summer’s World Library and Information Congress featured two law librarians whose work exhibits these values: Eunhae Jung who described her work in increasing access and usability for the public at the Constitutional Court Library of Korea (see her paper in the IFLA Repository); and Suzanna Louzada, who worked as a part of the Brazilian Legislative and Jurisprudence Monitoring Committee of the National Council of Prosecution Service to study the usability and accessibility of legislation in Brazil (paper available here). These two librarians’ works exemplify how the Section’s top value is increasing access to legal information for people around the world.

In the upcoming year, the Law Libraries Section continues work on expanding the capacity for law libraries to serve people around the world and inform them of their legal rights as we work towards two related goals. The first goal is to create tools to increase awareness and advocacy around the IFLA Statement on Government Provision of Public Legal Information in the Digital Age. The second goal is to increase capacity in regional cohorts of law libraries, by stepping up our educational programming targeted at specific regions. Look for more information from the Law Libraries Section in the upcoming year about these opportunities.

Leslie Street, Chair IFLA Law Libraries Section