>From the "How They are Seeing Us Department":
In his book, "A Guide to Malpractice Liability for Legal and Law-Related
Professions" (Quorum Books, Westport: CT, 1995), Warren Feedman includes a
very brief (3 pages with two page appendix) chapter on law librarians.
While he argues that the chances of a reference librarian being sued for
malpractice are "nil," he does make a rather troubling statement about
librarianship:
In the course of describing a hypothetical lawsuit against a
librarian who recommended an outdated book, Freedman states, "There can be
little doubt that those who use professional librarian services have found
that professionals have often promised society more than their training and
talent can deliver!" (p. 171). Freedman also states that "[t]he Law
librarian is frequently the victim of the law library's efforts to increase
patronage..." (p. 171).
James E. Duggan
Computer Services Librarian and Associate Professor
Southern Illinois University School of Law Library
Carbondale, Illinois 62901-6803
618/453-8791; Telefax: 618/453-8728
Duggan@Siu.edu
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