Do You Really Enjoy Legal Research?

In this information-saturated age, becoming a law librarian can be a satisfying and productive career.

What do law librarians do? Law librarians are professionally trained people who work in various legal settings, including law schools, private law firms, and government libraries.

The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) has published a booklet, entitled Finding Your Way in the Information Age that explains the many roles of law librarians as well as the kinds of skills needed to be successful in this profession. You can request a free copy from AALL.

If you are interested in learning about the profession, you should also look at the two major publications of the American Association of Law Libraries, AALL Spectrum and the Law Library Journal. AALL is a professional organization representing 5,000 law librarians. The association exists to promote and enhance the value of law libraries to the public, the legal community and the world; to foster the profession of law librarianship; and to provide leadership in the field of legal information. A review of AALLNET will help you understand this profession and the kinds of work we do.

Academic law librarians with JD and MLS (Master of Library Science) degrees are currently starting at approximately $60,000 in the New York area. Law Library directors make upwards of $150,000. There is opportunity for continuous advancement in this career. For people who like to do legal research and want to teach, this might be the perfect career.