May 2008 - Delivering User-centric Services at the Colorado Supreme Court Law Library

• Publication year: 2008
• Pages: 67
• Citation: Vol. 37 No. 5 Pg. 67

37 Colo.Law. 67 Colorado Lawyer 2008.

2008, May, Pg. 67. May 2008 - Delivering User-Centric Services at the Colorado Supreme Court Law Library

The Colorado Lawyer
May 2008
Vol. 37, No. 5 [Page 67]

Departments
Legal Research Corner

Delivering User-Centric Services at the Colorado Supreme Court Law Library

by Robert M. Linz

This Department, published quarterly, is sponsored by the Colorado Association of Law Librarians (CoALL) to assist attorneys with common problems in legal research. Readers interested in submitting research questions may send them to CoALL, Legal Research Corner, at www.aallnet.org/chapter/coall; or to: Legal Research Corner c/o Leona Martinez, Managing Editor of The Colorado Lawyer, at leonamartinez@cobar.org.

Members of CoALL will attempt to answer as many questions as possible, either individually or as part of this Department. The information provided in this space is for educational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. No endorsement or recommendation is made of any product named in this Department. Department coordinators are CoALL members Andrea Hamilton, Madeline Kriescher, Theresa (Tracy) Leming, and Esti Shay. For more information about CoALL, visit www.aallnet.org/chapter/coall.

About the Author

Robert M. Linz is the Deputy Law Librarian at the Colorado Supreme Court Law Library - (303) 837-3720 robert.linz@judicial.state.co.us. He wishes to thank Dan Cordova, Supreme Court Law Librarian, for his assistance in the preparation of this article.

Technology drives expectations. We expect technology to simplify our lives by meeting actual and anticipated needs. Companies spend untold resources creating user-friendly devices and information services that help consumers accomplish a variety of daily tasks. However, we can be bewildered by the many information resources available to us. Furthermore, it often is difficult to assess the quality of these resources. In this environment, what value do the library and librarian provide to information researchers?

The advent of the information age has not changed the role of the librarian. Fundamentally, librarians still match information seekers to information sources. That is part of the professional, intellectual work of the librarian. However, the librarian is confronted with three challenges in the current environment. The first is to understand the information needs of users. The second is to have a good command of the available research tools. The third is to develop collections and services that meet the needs and expectations of today's technologically savvy users.

Librarians' Work at the Supreme Court

At the Colorado Supreme Court Law Library,(fn1) we take seriously these challenges to create a more user-centric library environment. In the past year, we have implemented a number of changes that affect our users. First, we reorganized the collection. We studied what materials were used most often by most researchers. We then evaluated how the collection's physical arrangement facilitated (or hindered) access to those materials. We also analyzed...