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UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO LEGAL RESEARCH CENTER

COLLECTION POLICY

(Rev. December 2011)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. PURPOSE AND GOALS 1

II. ACQUISITIONS GUIDELINES 1

a. Levels of Collecting 1

b. Evaluation Factors for Prospective Purchases 1

c. Format Selection Guidelines 2

d. Interlibrary Loan Resources 3

e. Types of Materials 3

f. Secondary Sources by Subject Areas 6

g. Foreign and International Law Collection 11

III. SPECIAL PURPOSE COLLECTIONS 13

a. Clinic Library 13

b. Faculty Offices 13

c. Reserve Collection 14

d. Reference Collection 16

e. Archives and Rare Book Collection 17

f. Superseded and Historical Collection 17

g. Office Collection 18

h. Leisure Reading Collection 18

i. Law in Popular Culture Collection 19

IV. COLLECTION MAINTENANCE AND PRESERVATION 19

a. Collection Records and Arrangement 19

b. Shelf-reading and Inventory 20

c. Reshelving and Edging 20

d. Binding and Repair 20

e. Security Measures (including Photocopy Policy) 21

f. Replacements 21

g. Weeding 21

V. COLLECTION POLICY REVISION 22

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I. PURPOSE AND GOALS

This collection plan is intended to serve as a guide for conducting the collection development operations

of the Legal Research Center. The goals of the plan are to support the educational mission of the school

of law, meet the research needs of the law faculty, meet accreditation and other external standards, and

support the legal research needs of related university programs.

II. ACQUISITIONS GUIDELINES

a. Levels of Collecting

The four collection levels used in the LRC collection plan are:

B Basic information level

The LRC collects selected basic works and reference materials that introduce and define

the subject.

I Instructional support level

The LRC collection supports the law school curriculum, including sustained areas of

independent study, but not in-depth research. It includes the works of important

writers, a selection of representative journals, and the relevant reference and finding

tools.

R Research level

The LRC collection includes the major published source materials necessary for

advanced scholarly research, including important reference works, specialized

monographs, and an extensive selection of journals.

0 Out of scope

The LRC supports patron needs in areas beyond the scope of the collection by providing

interlibrary loan services.*

b. Evaluation Factors for Prospective Purchases

The following factors are considered when deciding whether to acquire a resource (not listed in

priority order):

Significance of the subject matter to the law school curriculum, faculty research

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interests, and general developments in the law;

Origin of request (serious consideration is given to law faculty and law student requests);

Accuracy of information and data;

Potential for use;

Authoritativeness of publisher or issuing body;

Inclusion of title in established bibliographies, lists, and recognized reviewing media;

Current and/or permanent value;

Scarcity of materials on the subject;

Price;

Format (e.g., book, looseleaf, microform, audio-visual, electronic, etc.);

Availability online (see section II);

Duplication of other sources or availability at Copley Library;

Available space;

Physical quality (e.g. binding, quality of paper);

Maintenance cost and complexity;

Language;

Jurisdiction;

Intended audience and use (practice materials are carefully evaluated for their usefulness in the academic setting); and

Importance of the author.

c. Format Selection Guidelines

In our rapidly changing legal information environment, the LRC strives to provide access to a

robust collection of primary and secondary source materials in a variety of formats, including,

but not limited to, print, online, microforms, and audio-visual. Online access may be provided

through subscription licenses to online databases, digital content purchased and added to the

permanent collection, or stable and reliable free legal information websites. The following is a

list of criteria designed to aid in format selection decisions.

Ease of use

Instructional value

Permanence (i.e., are we acquiring a permanent collection or just a license for current usage?)

Availability

Enhanced search capabilities (i.e., full-text searching, e-mail alerts, etc.)

Currency

Cost-savings

Space considerations

Ability to provide simultaneous access to multiple users

Ability to provide access to remote users

Whether or not the materials are high or low use

Trends in legal information publishing

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d. Interlibrary Loan Resources

i. OCLC

The LRC subscribes to OCLC, an online bibliographic database that provides interlibrary loan

access to libraries in 170 countries and territories.

ii. San Diego Circuit

The LRC shares a unified online catalog listing with the county public library system and

three local state university research libraries. Patrons may electronically generate their own

interlibrary loan requests and have most materials delivered for pick up at their home

campus library within 24 to 36 hours.

e. Types of Materials

i. Primary Sources I. The LRC exceeds ABA Standards in providing USD law faculty and students

complete access to Federal and California primary sources and varying levels of

access to primary sources of other state, local, and regional government entities

in formats appropriate to their needs. Partial access is provided for other

patron groups.

II. The Legal Research Center is a selective U.S. Federal Depository Library,

collecting or providing electronic access to approximately 10% of the materials

offered. We are a selective California Depository Library, focusing on legal and

regulatory documents.

ii. Secondary Sources

I. Bar Association Publications

Publications of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of California, and the

San Diego Bar Association are collected in print. Bar journals of all other states

and the District of Columbia are collected in microform. Additionally, major

organs of the National Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association and other

specialized bar groups are collected. Publications from other city bar

associations are collected on a selected basis. In support of the paralegal

program the journals of the major paralegal associations are also collected.

II. Encyclopedias, ALRs, & Treatises

Subscriptions are maintained for American Jurisprudence, Corpus Juris

Secundum, California Jurisprudence, as well as the multi-state and federal series

of American Law Reports. Major California and American law treatises are

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collected to a degree commensurate with the LRC’s collection development

policy for specific subjects. Access to encyclopedias and treatises for other

states is provided through LEXIS and Westlaw.

III. Restatements, Uniform Laws, Model Acts

Copies of all the current Restatements are collected. The full archives of the

American Law Institute is collected in microform. The LRC strives to acquire and

maintain a complete collection of Uniform Laws and Model Acts, as well as

other published materials relating to the work of the National Conference of

Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.

IV. Finding Aids & Reference Tools

Access is provided to citators, case digests, periodical indexes, bibliographies,

dictionaries, and other finding aids and reference tools to a degree that meets

or exceeds the ABA’s requirement for a core collection. As legal research is

increasingly conducted online, the LRC collects fewer of these items in print and

instead provides greater electronic access.

V. Legal Periodicals

All primary law reviews published by U.S. law schools are collected in print

because of licensing embargoes that limit access to recent journal issues in

online databases. Access to other law reviews is provided through online access.

VI. Newspapers

A current collection of leading legal and non-legal newspapers is maintained at

the LRC, and Copley Library provides access to back issues of select newspapers

in microfiche. Access is provided to other newspapers through online resources

and interlibrary loan services.

VII. Practice Materials (Formbooks, Jury Instructions, Local Rules of Court)

Major practice guides for California are collected. In addition, the Library

collects several sets of legal forms, jury instructions, and court rules for both

California and the U.S. Access to practice guides from other states is provided

through LEXIS and Westlaw.

VIII. Self-Help Law Books

In keeping with its service priorities, the LRC does not attempt to meet the

needs of the general public for self-help law books or legal materials written for

laypersons. Patrons seeking these types of materials are referred to the San

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Diego County Public Law Library. A select number of self-help titles deemed

especially useful to law students are collected.

IX. Student Hornbooks and Study Aids

Hornbooks are collected to support the law school curriculum. Additionally,

there is a standing order to purchase all Nutshell and all first-year Examples and

Explanations and Crunchtime texts. Prepared briefs, course outlines, bar review

materials or similar study aids are not purchased.

iii. Other Materials

I. Casebooks

Casebooks are generally not purchased. Exceptions may be made, such as when

the casebook is a highly regarded out-of-print edition, is authored by a USD law

faculty member (see Law Faculty Writings below), or if the casebook relates to

an area of law not covered in other sources.

II. Continuing Legal Education Materials

CLE materials are not purchased by the LRC.

III. Directories

Access is provided to legal and non-legal directories on a limited basis, with a

preference for electronic access. Titles are re-evaluated as they come up for

renewal. For most titles, only the current edition is retained.

IV. Law Faculty Writings

The LRC attempts to acquire an exhaustive collection of books, articles, reports

and other writings of law school faculty.

V. Law School Related Documents (Law School Publications, Catalogs, Annual

Bulletins)

The Library currently collects all USD law school publications, catalogs and

curriculum bulletins.

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f. Secondary Sources by Subject Areas

LRC COLLECTION LEVELS - By Subject

Subject Areas Basic Instructional Research Notes

Accounting for Lawyers

Administrative Law

Admiralty Law (see also Law of the Sea)

Alternative Dispute Resolution (see also Negotiation)

American Indian (Native American Law) (see Indian Law)

Anti-terrorism Law (see National Security Law)

Antitrust Law (Law & Economics)

Arbitration (see Alternative Dispute Resolution)

Art Law

Appellate Practice (see also Trial Advocacy)

Aviation Law (see also Transportation Law)

Banking & Finance Law

Bankruptcy Law

Bioethics and the Law

Biotechnology and the Law

Business Law (see also Securities, Corporations, Partnerships)

Children & the Law (see also Family Law, Education Law)

Civil Procedure

Civil Rights Law

Climate Change Law (see also Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law)

Commercial Law (see also Business Law)

Community Property

Comparative Law

Complex Litigation

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Cyber Law

Conflict of Laws

Constitutional Law

Consumer Law

Contracts

Copyright Law

Corporations

Criminal Justice

Criminal Law

Criminal Procedure

Criminology

Cyber Law

Disability Law

Domestic Relations (see Family Law)

Economics & the Law

Education Law

Elder Law

Employment Law (see Labor & Employment Law)

Energy Law

Entertainment Law

Environmental Law

Estate Planning (see also Taxation)

European Union (Formerly European Econ. Comm.)

Evidence

Family Law

First Amendment Law

Food, Drug & Cosmetic Law

Gender & the Law (see also Sexuality & the Law, Civil Rights)

Health Law

Human Rights Law

Immigration Law

Indian Law (U. S. Federal)

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Insurance Law

Intellectual Property

International Business & Finance Law

International Commercial Arbitration

International Environmental Law

International Law

International Trade

Judicial Administration

Jurisprudence

Juvenile Crimes

Labor and Employment Law

Land Use Law (see also Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Property)

Law of the Sea (see also Admiralty Law)

Law Office Management

Legal Biographies

Legal Careers

Legal Education

Legal Ethics (see Prof. Resp)

Legal History

Legal Research and Writing

Local Government Law

Maritime law (see Admiralty Law)

Mediation (see Alternative Dispute Resolution)

Military law (see also National Security Law)

Natural Resources Law (see also Environmental Law, Energy Law, Water Law)

National Security Law

Negotiation (see also Alternative Dispute Resolution)

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Paralegal Studies

This reflects the level of LRC purchases; the USD paralegal program supplements this buying level by purchasing items for the LRC collection.

Partnerships (see also Business Law, Corporations)

Patent and Trademark (see also Intellectual Property)

Professional Responsibility

Products liability (see Torts)

Property

Public Interest Law

Real Estate

Religion and the Law

Remedies

Securities

Sexuality and the Law (See also Gender & the Law, Civil Rights)

Space Law

Sports Law

Taxation

Telecommunications Law

Torts

Tribal Law

Transportation

Trial Advocacy (includes Trial Practice)

U.S. Supreme Court (see also Legal History, Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law, Judicial Administration)

Water Law

Wills & Trusts (see Estate

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Planning)

Workers Compensation

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g. Foreign and International Law Collection

Foreign and International sources are collected selectively and with an emphasis on electronic

materials. Collections strengths in international law include International Human Rights,

International Environmental Law, and Peace and Justice Studies. The LRC collects foreign law

materials, mostly in English, from commonwealth jurisdictions and to a limited extent other

national jurisdictions. Foremost among these are Canada, England, Australia, Mexico, France,

Germany, and China. Additionally, the Library selects sources in foreign and international law to

support the needs of our LLM programs in International and Comparative Law.

i. International Law

I. Treaties

a. The Library seeks to acquire:

o the full-text of all treaties to which the United States is or

has been a party;

o a full collection of those treaties registered or filed and

recorded with international organizations of which the

United States is a member or with whom it maintains close

ties.

b. Treaties are available through the Library’s subscriptions to

Westlaw, Lexis, and HeinOnline’s Treaties and Agreements Library.

In addition treaties are available online through a number of free

websites including the UN Treaty database.

II. International Case Law

a. The Library collects decisions of all major intergovernmental

tribunals including the International Court of Justice, European

Court of Justice, European Court of Human Rights, and the Inter-

American Court of Human Rights (selected print publications). The

Library’s subscriptions to Lexis and Westlaw provide for full

coverage for the European Communities and International Court of

Justice decisions. The Library seeks to acquire the major

publications of intergovernmental tribunals and extensive

secondary material.

III. Intergovernmental, non-governmental, and regional organizations

a. Although much primary material is now available on the internet,

the library will continue to acquire materials related to international

and regional organizations (e.g. WTO, NAFTA, EU), and selected UN

documents. Current documents and a retrospective collection of

microfiche for historical documents are available through the online

Official Document System of the United Nations and WTO website.

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ii. Foreign Law

I. Foreign sources are collected very selectively with an emphasis on

electronic materials. The selection criteria for foreign materials listed below

are the same levels described in our Acquisitions Guidelines modified to

more accurately describe primary and secondary foreign legal materials. The

collecting levels apply here to the jurisdiction, rather than to a subject.

II. Selection Criteria for Foreign Material

a. Basic – The LRC collects selectively English language secondary

sources in major subject areas (e.g. constitutional law,

environmental law, and trade).

b. Instructional – The LRC collects some of the major codes and laws of

a jurisdiction (e.g. Constitution, Civil, Civil Procedure, Commercial,

Criminal, Criminal Procedure, Labor) in English. No minor statutes

or regulations are collected at this level. The LRC collects selectively

English language secondary sources in major subject areas (e.g.

constitutional law, environmental law, and trade).

c. Research – The LRC collects all of the major codes and laws of a

jurisdiction (e.g. Constitution, Civil, Civil Procedure, Commercial,

Criminal, Criminal Procedure, Labor) as well as some minor statutes

and regulations in English. Primary materials in the original

language may be purchased where law school curriculum and/or

faculty scholarship needs are present. Numerous secondary

materials are collected at this level including minor treatises and

historical material.

III. Collection by Country

Country Level Notes

Africa – all countries Out of scope

Asia and Oceana

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia,

Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia,

Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea,

Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan,

Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Yemen

Out of scope

India, Japan Basic

China, Australia, Israel Instructional

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Caribbean – All countries Out of scope

Central America – All Countries Out of scope

Europe

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria,

Comm. Independent States, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia,

Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco,

Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovak

Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Vatican City, Yugoslavia

Out of scope

Ireland, Italy, Spain Basic

France, Germany, England Instructional

North and South America

Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru,

Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Out of scope

Mexico Research

Canada Research

III. SPECIAL PURPOSE COLLECTIONS

a. Clinic Library

The clinic library, housed in the Alcala West building off the main USD campus, is a basic collection of materials needed to support the law practice conducted through law school clinical programs.

In addition to items purchased from the LRC clinic budget lines, the LRC provides the complimentary copy of each California Continuing Education of the Bar practice book to the Clinic Library.

b. Faculty Offices

i. Newspapers and Periodicals

All purchases made with university funds must be delivered to and billed to the university address. When you are updating your subscriptions, make sure you have identified the university as the address of record. Include Warren Hall and your office number in the address field.

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ii. Books

When a faculty member wants to purchase a book using faculty development funds, he/she will contact the LRC to request the book purchase and provide a valid POETS code for the purchase.

When contacting the LRC to request a book purchase, the preferred method of communication is email to the acquisitions assistant. The request should include the faculty member’s name, email address, valid POETS code, the book title, author, edition number (if any), and other information, including publisher and date of publication (if known), and preferred format (hardcover or paperback). A need to have the book rush or express shipped should be expressly indicated. The LRC will order the book using their corporate purchasing card. The book will be delivered directly to the LRC where it will be processed into the system. The LRC will deliver the book to the lead executive assistant, who will distribute the book to the faculty member.

The LRC will process the invoice(s) using the POETS code provided by the faculty member and send it to the director of budget and administration for signature authorization.

iii. Purchases that do not follow the process will be handled as follows:

When a faculty member has purchased a book and is requesting reimbursement, he/she will provide the reimbursement request form, original receipt and the book(s) to the lead executive assistant, who will deliver the book(s) and reimbursement documentation to the LRC to be processed into the system. The LRC will sign the reimbursement request form in the "Supervisor" section and deliver the signed reimbursement documentation and the processed book(s) to the lead executive assistant, who will deliver the book to the faculty member, obtain signature authorization from the director of budget and administration, and send the reimbursement documentation to procurement for payment.

Approved 12/1/2009

c. Reserve Collection

A reserve collection is housed in a separate room that is open to patrons. The purpose of the reserve collection is to facilitate access by the greatest number of primary patrons by limiting the length of time a specific title may be used. The major purpose of the separate course reserve section is to facilitate access to specific titles assigned by a faculty member for use by an identifiable group of students. Only materials specifically identified or provided by a professor for use by students enrolled in a particular course will be placed on course reserve.

Donations of commercial outlines and study aids are accepted and housed in the reserve room. The Library will retain only the latest donated edition; thus, it may not hold the latest available edition, which might not be the current edition.

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Items under consideration for placement or retention in the reserve collection will be evaluated by the head of public services with input by the reference librarians and circulation staff to determine where they will be most useful.

The criteria for inclusion and maintenance of items in the reserve collection include:

i. As few materials as possible will be placed on reserve.

ii. Items which are expected to be used frequently for brief periods of time by numerous primary patrons will be placed on reserve.

iii. Items for which the high demand may compromise their security or integrity will be kept on reserve for added protection.

iv. Only the latest issue or edition of a title will be placed on reserve.

v. In the case of Restatements, when one copy has been placed on reserve, all accompanying material such as tentative drafts must also be placed on reserve to preserve the integrity of the set.

vi. Any material designated by a law professor, paralegal instructor, or any other USD faculty member as being of special interest to a specific law or law-related course will be placed on course reserve for a term. Materials on course reserve will be automatically returned to the professor or their normal location in the LRC collection at the end of each term, unless the professor specifies otherwise.

vii. Cost of an item is not a criterion.

viii. General categories of materials to be placed on Reserve:

I. Subject outlines

II. Current nutshells

III. Selected current treatises

IV. CEB program materials three or less years old

V. Selected legal research texts

VI. Selected current hornbooks

VII. Selected Restatements (See Restatements policy)

VIII. Selected legal writing texts

IX. Citation style manuals and guides

X. Rules of Court for federal and California state and local courts

XI. Selected forms for local, California and federal courts

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XII. Federal, California and Pattern jury instructions

XIII. Bar examination materials

XIV. Selected compendiums

XV. Unbound issues of periodicals

ix. The fact that a source may fit into one of the above categories does not mean it will automatically be placed on reserve when patron services can be enhanced by an alternative to placement on reserve.

x. Some items on reserve may be duplicated on reference, e.g., items e, h and j, above.

RESERVE MATERIALS RETENTION POLICY:

CEB: Program material, current edition on reserve, previous editions withdrawn. "Recent developments in...," and state proposition materials and annual institutes, current edition on reserve, previous edition retained in stacks. Hardbound, current edition copies 1 and 2 on reserve, copy 3 to legal clinic; one copy of previous editions to stacks.

Hornbooks: Multiple current editions on Reserve, one copy of previous editions in stacks.

Nutshells: Multiple current editions on Reserve, one copy of previous editions retained in stacks.

Study guides are not purchased. Latest edition only retained on reserve if received as gift. They are not cataloged or accessioned.

Adopted 5/1/89

Amended 4/92; 8/04; 11/11

d. Reference Collection

The reference collection is located in the study area adjacent to the reference desk in order to keep handy sources for finding frequently sought information and facts such as definitions, grammar, usage and citation forms, statistics, addresses and other contact information, and general legal research guidance. Indexes to legal periodicals and congressional materials are also located in reference so that the librarians can assist patrons with their legal research assignments and legislative history research. There is a ready reference collection of legal research guides, citation and language usage material, California rules of court, and directories behind the reference desk for answering quick and frequent reference queries.

Many standard materials traditionally used for legal reference have been supplanted by more current and comprehensive online databases, both free and subscription-based. The older print versions of these electronic resources have either been withdrawn or relocated to the general collection for historical research. In some cases, paper versions of reference materials have been retained for ease of use.

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The reference collection is kept up-to-date, spare, functional and physically contained. It includes, but is not strictly limited to: general encyclopedias; directories; dictionaries; thesauri; quotation books; citation, usage and style manuals; legal research books and indexes; as well duplicate sets of the United States Code Annotated and West's Annotated California Codes.

The collection is periodically reviewed against this policy statement and weeded by the reference librarians in consultation with the head of public services. If new collection policy decisions evolve through this process, they are reported for inclusion in the library’s collection policy.

Adopted April 26, 1989

Revised November 1994; August 2004; November 2011

e. Archives and Rare Books Collection

The LRC maintains an informal archive of School of Law publications as an historical record of law school activities. The collection is arranged topically and stored in filing cabinets Archival copies of all School of Law journal publications are also maintained on shelves.

Copies of preprint versions of articles written by the faculty are housed in the archives collection. These are generally obtained through faculty donations and filed by author in Princeton files kept on shelves.

Copies of sound recordings from the law school oral history project are also housed in the archives collection. (The original recordings are housed in the university archives at Copley Library).

The LRC has a small number of books published prior to 1850, and a number of other fragile items. Due to early mishandling and the former poor physical environment of the law library building, the value of these materials as rare books has been severely compromised. Although additional items are occasionally assigned to this collection for preservation purposes, the LRC is not directing funds to the development of a Rare Books collection.

In 2002, the LRC reached a milestone with the acquisition of its 500,000th volume, a rare edition of the Magna Carta. This was followed with the purchase of the first American edition of the Magna Carta to mark the LRC’s 500,001st acquisition. In 2010, a room was renovated to house the LRC archives, and a volume of the 1872 Code of Civil Procedure of the State of California was added as a dedicatory volume.

Revised December 2011

f. Superseded and Historical Collection

i. Superseded Collection

With an aim to support historical legal research, the LRC maintains a superseded collection. The collection is housed in compact shelving in the Lower Level of the LRC. Materials meeting the following criteria are relocated to the superseded collection when replaced by current editions. Each volume is clearly labeled as “Superseded.”

Materials of an “expository” nature are kept in this collection because citations to corresponding sections in later editions are often difficult to locate; and authors often change

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emphasis, and sometimes conclusion, between editions. Additionally, one copy each of the following titles is sent to the Superseded Collection:

United States Code

United States Code Annotated

United States Code Annotated pocket parts (kept here until replaced with microfiche)

West’s Annotated California Codes

Deering’s California Codes

ii. Historical Collection

Because of space constraints in the reading room, large sets of historical government documents (such as the United States Serial Set and the Congressional Record and its predecessors), volumes of state reports that pre-date the NRS, and duplicate copies of various reporters are being housed in compact shelving in the lower level of the LRC.

g. Office Collection

The office collection consists of carefully selected professional materials offering reading for current awareness and problem solving to librarians and the classified staff of the LRC. A limited number of leading library science journals, annual statistical publications, and other reference works are purchased. Monographs are purchased when directly related to issues or problems under consideration at the LRC, or when recognized as an exceptional contribution to the field. Audio recordings of annual AALL conference presentations are selectively purchased for this collection. Titles are placed in the office collection only when it is assumed that the primary users of the information will be library employees.


h. Leisure Reading Collection

The leisure reading collection includes a small collection of current, general interest magazines. Selections are reviewed periodically to consider all suggested additions to the collection. The following currently comprise the collection:

Atlantic Monthly Business Week Ebony Harpers Money National Geographic New Yorker Newsweek PC World Psychology Today Rolling Stone

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San Diego Magazine Smithsonian Sports Illustrated Sunset Time Vanity Fair


i. Law in Popular Culture Collection

This is a collection of books and movies that have a legal theme, explore fundamental issues of justice, or have lawyers as characters. The collection comprises popular fiction and movies that portray a trial, or some typical aspect of the professional life of a lawyer or judge, that delineate methods of prosecution, skillful cross examination, presenting rules of evidence and punishment of crime. Besides the genre known as legal procedural, works that deal with issues of social justice, civil rights and investigations leading to mass tort trials are also included.


IV. COLLECTION MAINTENANCE AND PRESERVATION

a. Collection Records and Arrangement

All items acquired by the LRC, including microforms, are cataloged, with the exception of gift copies of study aids, legal outlines, some reserve items, and a small number of federal documents arranged by Superintendent of Documents number.

AACR II and the most recent and highest standards of the Library of Congress are employed in cataloging and classifying the LRC collection. As of 2011, a small but growing number of items have been cataloged using RDA.

All materials are classified. The LRC collection is classified using the Library of Congress classification scheme. The full range of LC classification numbers is used and materials are reclassified as necessary to conform to the expanding tables of the LC numbering system.

Most classified materials are arranged by LC call number in the reading room. Break-outs from that arrangement are: the tax collection, encompassing KF 6200 -KF 6899, and the California collection, encompassing KFC 1 - KFC 1199, both located on the 1st floor; the rare books in the archives; the office collection, and superseded and historical collection on the lower level; the reserve collection in the reserve room; the reference collection, index collection, and popular law collection all located in the information services area, and the ready reference collection in the reference service area.

Periodicals are unclassified on the 2nd floor and 1st mezzanine. Newspapers, the leisure reading collection, and the Superintendent of Documents collection are not classified to the Library of Congress system. They are all located in the information services area. Unclassified copies of Webster's Third Dictionary and Black's Law Dictionary are affixed to stands placed on every floor of the library.


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b. Shelf-reading and Inventory

It is the policy of the LRC to conduct an on-going shelf-reading which moves through all the active collections of the library and focuses on certain high-use materials (California and federal codes, the Reserve collection, etc.). A shelf-reading log is maintained to ensure that every part of the collection is sequentially read for misshelved items. The superseded and historical collection, office collection and other low-use areas are shelf-read annually.

Using the automated inventory feature of the library automation system, a perpetual inventory is underway at the LRC. Barcodes are electronically scanned, and reports identify any missing or misshelved books.


c. Reshelving and Edging

Because a large portion of law library materials stand in numbered sets and are in high demand, it is the policy of the LRC to encourage reshelving of materials after use. Additionally, an LRC employee is assigned primary responsibility for the condition of the stacks. Materials left unshelved by patrons and items returned to circulation are reshelved on a regular basis throughout the day and evening operating hours.

To preserve bindings by facilitating retrieval, the shelving practice of edging is used in the LRC, e.g., books are arranged so that the spine is in alignment with the edge of the shelf. Other preservation practices are followed in shelving, including the use of book supports on every partially filled shelf, the shelving of oversized books on the spine to prevent the block from separating from the binding, and the special packaging of fragile items to resist shelf wear.

d. Binding and Repair

The LRC shall maintain an adequate binding program to assure that periodical and other materials are promptly and permanently bound.

California legal periodical volumes and volumes of legal periodicals that are not available from the Hein Online database are sent to the bindery on a regular basis throughout the year. No volume of a periodical will be bound in an incomplete form. In selecting a bindery, the LRC will consider quality, cost, turn-around time and the extent of services offered.

Ephemeral materials and those retained for a limited period may be maintained in looseleaf binders or other inexpensive alternatives to binding. When used for long-term storage, permanent plastic or metal file holders shall be used.

Filers of looseleaf materials shall make repairs when aware of loose or torn pages. All other repairs shall be centrally performed by an employee trained in correct library repair technique and using materials that conform to the principles of good materials preservation practice.


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e. Security Measures (including Photocopy Policy)

The LRC protects against the unauthorized removal of materials by using a single entrance and exit for every patron including access for the handicapped. The main exit is equipped with an electronic security system. All materials added to the collection are sensitized for security purposes during the processing stage.

All emergency exits are protected with an alarm system activated when the door is opened.

In the interest of discouraging theft and mutilation of materials, it is the policy of the LRC to provide a generous number of conveniently located photocopy machines, maintain the lowest possible per-copy charge, and furnish a change machine. Each photocopy machine is to be promptly serviced as needed and should be equipped with both coin and photocopy card activators. A notice regarding photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted materials (Title 17, U.S. Code) is posted near each photocopy machine.

The LRC posts the required California code section allowing suspected library thieves to be reasonably detained. It is the policy of the LRC to report student violators of the honor code, to bring charges against suspected thieves or mutilators of LRC property, and to participate in fact finding in hearings or cases.

f. Replacements

Materials are identified as missing through regular inventory and the reports of patrons. It is the policy of the LRC to institute a search for the item and if the item is not found within a week, to annotate the online catalog record for the item with a "missing on search" report in the status field. If the search is unsuccessful after a month, a determination is made whether or not to replace the item. Items in high demand by law students or faculty may be replaced immediately, if they are not too costly. These decisions are made on an ad hoc basis, considering all relevant circumstances. If a replacement volume is ordered, the online catalog status is changed to "missing on order."

When a replacement copy is ordered and received, it is identified in the online item record by the note, "replacement copy." A decision not to replace a missing item may also be made. For monographs, the record is then suppressed from the online catalog public display, an item record note of "withdrawn" is made, and the collection count is reduced. Six months later the record is deleted if the missing item still has not been returned to the collection.

If an item is missing and selected for replacement, but is out of print or otherwise unavailable for purchase, it may be added to the "desiderata list" and checked against offerings of used book dealers increasingly listed on the Internet via web sites such as Bookfinder.com. The LRC also supplies an annually updated want list to used book dealers.


g. Weeding

The last comprehensive weeding of the law library collection was conducted in 2005. Weeding selections for the reference collection were made in 2011 and are in the process of being relocated or withdrawn at the time of this writing. For the foreseeable future, the LRC will weed the collection only

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on a limited basis. When a title which is held in multiple copies is replaced by a later edition, a decision shall be made as to the number of copies of the earlier edition to be retained. Copies not retained shall be withdrawn from the collection, removed from the collection count and sold or discarded.

When a subscription to a loose leaf service is cancelled, the volumes are appropriately labeled “NOT UPDATED AFTER [DATE]” and retained for a short period. If they are available in one of the online services, they are appropriately labeled. They are subsequently reviewed for usability and relevance and withdrawn when no longer deemed useful for research.


V. COLLECTION POLICY REVISION

An archival copy of the original version of the collection policy shall be maintained for historical purposes. A working master copy of the policy shall be maintained by the head of public services, who shall coordinate the process of annotating it with changes and evolving decisions. Any portion of the policy may be revised when deemed appropriate, but the entire policy is to be formally updated every five years with all revisions and additions.
