Artificial intelligence (AI) is a widely discussed topic in many fields including law. Legal studies scholars, particularly in the domain of technology and internet law, have expressed their hopes and concerns regarding AI. This project aims to study how Canada's courts have referred to AI, given the importance of the reasonings of justices to the policy makers who determine society's rules for the usage of AI in the future. Decisions from all levels of both Canada's provincial and federal courts are used as the data sources for this research. The findings indicate that there are four legal contexts in which AI has been referred to in the Canadian caselaw including: legal research, investment tax credits, trademarks and access to government records. In this article the authors use these findings to make suggestions for legal information management professionals on how to develop collections and reference services that are in line with the new information needs of their users regarding AI and the rule of law.

In this article Jonathan Morgan reveals how the tradition of self-regulation in British sport has raised difficult questions for lawyers. On what basis can the decisions of governing bodies – which are clearly not organs of the state – be challenged? The Jockey Club was a regular subject of legal challenges from the mid 20th Century. An analysis of those cases illuminates the wider debate concerning the basis and extent of judicial review in English law.

Work on the official history of criminal justice prompted Paul Rock's interest in why it was that so many government papers, amounting to some 98% of the files produced, have been destroyed over the years. Successive crises in the accumulation of records, accompanied by only a limited increase in the shelving capacity of the Public Record Office - later The National Archives - led in the 1950s and beyond to a firm emphasis being placed on the destruction rather than the retention of papers. Officials and politicians were adamant that the unforeseeable demands which future historians might make on the archives had to be accorded less importance than the economic practicalities of what was called ‘weeding’.

This is the latest report analysing the results of the survey conducted on behalf of the Society of Legal Scholars and BIALL. It has been written by Peter Clinch, formerly Senior Subject Librarian for Law, Cardiff University

Where can I locate in the UK the most extensive collection of the current legislation for the Cayman Islands? Which library has a comprehensive set of the World Trade Organisation International Trade Law Reports? Where can I find verbatim debates on bills as they pass through the New Zealand House of Representatives? Where are good collections of international environmental or commercial law? What are the opening hours and access conditions for a visiting researcher wishing to use the official publications collection of a particular major UK university?

This paper, written by Wan Satirah Wan Mohd Saman and Abrar Haider, presents a case study of E-Shariah and discusses the application of information and communication technologies in the administration of Shariah Courts in Malaysia. The technologies have two roles in the administration of Shariah courts; firstly, these technologies enable the workflow of the courts and facilitate information management, and secondly they are used to integrate State Shariah Courts in various jurisdictions of Malaysia. The case study highlights the issues and challenges faced during implementation of this initiative and provides an appreciation of how effectively technology has been used to help Shariah Courts dispense speedy justice.

This is the latest report arising from the SPTL/BIALL Survey. It was prepared by Cathie Jackson of Cardiff University

Angela Donaldson describes the process of developing an online environment in which to deliver legal information skills to undergraduate LLB students.

Alison Pope explains how Staffordshire University Law School has redesigned its legal research module, with emphasis placed on information literacy and with careful timetabling to ensure the module is embedded in the curriculum.

Loyita Worley discusses the need for librarians to promote library services more avidly within their organisations. She argues that providing a high quality information service to clients is not necessarily sufficient and that librarians need to give considerably more effort to promoting and branding their services, in the way that other teams in law firms already do. She looks at why librarians should brand, how they should do this and what they should brand. The perspective of the user is also taken into account and the importance of building trust and confidence with clients is identified as a key feature in the approach to branding and promotion.

“When digital systems remove the physical object (the book) from the archive, then all that is left is a form of rights licensing. This is intellectual property in its purest form. If books as physical objects have helped to define the library in the past, then the negotiation of licences will define the library of the future. That is why the business of licensing electronic rights is so difficult.”

This is the latest report analysing the results of the Society of Legal Scholars and BIALL Survey. It has been written by David Gee, Deputy Librarian at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.

Embarking on a library space planning odyssey is exciting, terrifying and all absorbing. Planning a new library building or a major refurbishment is a challenging process requiring a strong strategic vision, attention to detail, excellent communication and an element of crystal-ball gazing. This article, written by Karen Latimer, examines the changing typology and current trends in library building design which help planners to envisage the future library and make informed decisions. These trends include the move from collections to connections, the need for varied and flexible learning spaces, sustainability, the impact of technological developments, and the need for scholarly research centres amongst others. Examples of recent library projects are cited to provide inspiration and illustrate the points made. The planning process required to brief the design team effectively and to achieve a successful outcome is considered as is the key role of post-occupancy evaluation in ensuring a continuous loop of improvement. To conclude resources available to provide support are described.

The quarterly bulletins on crime statistics in England and Wales are compiled from two sets of data: crime survey and police-recorded crime. Whilst the former is considered to give the most reliable trends, the latter has a greater level detail for a fuller spectrum of crimes types. This paper by Allan Brimicombe, explores the advantages and problems of analysing police-recorded data for the insights they contain. This is illustrated by examples from an analysis of domestic violence.

This is the latest report analysing the results of the Society of Legal Scholars and BIALL Survey. It has been written by Peter Clinch, Senior Subject Librarian for Law, Cardiff University

These are divided into three categories: Excepted Reserved and Transferred Matters. Excepted Matters are those which are always the responsibility of the United Kingdom Government. They include such matters as external defence, foreign policy and coinage and are listed in full in Sch 2 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Reserved Matters are those which, while remaining the responsibility of Westminster, could be devolved in the future. They include taxation and policing and Sch 3 to the 1998 Act lists them in full. Transferred Matters are all other functions of Government which are devolved to an Assembly.

Current debates about decolonisation and diversification raise practical issues for librarians. The Bodleian Law Library is engaging with these challenges, in co-operation with the Oxford Law Faculty, the wider Bodleian Library and the collegiate university. This article by Margaret Watson describes how the Library is taking a fresh look at its collections and their organisation, with a view to acquiring, revealing and collocating material that might otherwise by overlooked.

This is the latest report analysing the results of the BIALL and Society of Legal Scholars Survey. It has been written by Peter Clinch, Senior Subject Librarian for Law, Cardiff University

This article, by Rosemary Hunter, is based on a presentation given at the national training day on ‘Law, Gender and Sexuality: Sources and Methods in Socio-Legal Research’ in May 2014, jointly sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, the Socio-Legal Studies Association and the British Library. She begins by describing the uses of judgments as sources within feminist research on judging, and then outlines three different methods of analysis employed within this research: quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and the newest method, that of rewriting judgments.

The following report outlines the activities and funding of academic law libraries in the UK and Ireland in the academic year I 99912000.The figures have been taken from the results of a postal questionnaire undertaken by Information Services staff at Cardiff University on behalf of the Society of Public Teachers of Law (SPTL).