Law Librarians Working Group

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A Call for Law Librarians to Join the SRLN Law Librarians Working Group

As a part of the Self Represented Litigation Network, its Law Librarians Working Group contributes to the ongoing networking and joint projects of the SRLN, a nationwide non-profit organization originally fostered by the National Center for State Courts, whose purpose is to promote better understanding of how the justice system in all its facets can better serve those litigants who go to court without lawyers.

The SRLN is a network of innovative lawyers, judges, court staff, legal technologists, librarians, and other allied professionals who believe everyone deserves access to justice. We are working to transform the American legal system so that every person who faces a civil legal issue can get the legal help they need, understand court proceedings, and get a decision on the merits. We accomplish this by advancing innovative, evidence-based, access-oriented solutions, such as comprehensive court and legal aid self-help services, simplified court rules and procedure, and integrated systems that efficiently and to effectively connect people who need lawyers to lawyers.

In 2002, the SRLN’s founder, Richard Zorza, wrote a book, The Self-Help Friendly Court, in which he enumerated the seven barriers to justice for those litigants who go to court without a lawyer. Five of those seven were information barriers. He and others formally started the SRLN in 2006. They immediately recognized the need for active involvement of law librarians (and librarians in general) if the new network were to meet its goals of reaching the public, breaking down those information barriers, and coordinating the roles of the various justice stakeholders for advancing systemic change.

The network turns to the LLWG for aid and participation in its several projects, and in turn, its other members recommend the participation of law librarians on access to justice commissions and technology planning efforts at the federal, state and local levels. The SRLN also brings vital information of new ATJ efforts to the greater law librarian community, including program proposals for AALL conferences and chapter meetings.

While AALL’s GLL-SIS and LISP-SIS have increased their efforts to help law librarians serve self-represented litigants, the SRLN LLWG provides a unique opportunity to be interactive with the other national leaders in the access to justice community. In return, members are routinely introduced to upcoming advances in court technology, substantive and procedural law, justice-related research, and improvements in face-to-face services to self-represented litigants.

Currently, the LLWG is slightly down in active participants, while other working groups have increased memberships recently, especially as the SRLN has gained more recognition and more staff and financial support. So, we are making an open invitation to law librarians and public librarians who actively serve self-represented litigants or have administrative responsibilities over or with those who do. The network needs your input, your voice, and to hear of your concerns and successes.

To join, please sign-up for SRLN’s network of justice system professionals and include a note that you would like to learn more about the SRLN Law Librarians Working Group.

For more information see the SRLN About page, or contact the SRLN Member Engagement Specialist: 

    Jacquelyn Tucker
    Member Engagement Specialist
    Self-Represented Litigation Network
    [email protected]