Goldsmiths, University of London, started teaching LLBs in Law in 2019/2020. Greg Bennett was hired in 2018 to be the subject librarian for law, and to stock the library before teaching commenced. In this article, based on his presentation at the BIALL Online Annual Conference in June 2021, the author will discuss his decision-making and selection processes regarding his choices about what to include, and what not to include in the collection.

Masoud Gerami, Managing Director of vLex Justis, and Aidan Hawes, Head of Commercial Development, discuss the development and launch of the new vLex Justis platform. They describe the process of making decisions behind the content and features available on the platform, and how these will be continually enhanced in the future. They also discuss the global circumstances the platform was launched within and share their goal of meeting customer needs in a future which will bring new ways of working.

Elizabeth Mary Moys, known to all her colleagues as Betty, was born on 26 June 1928 at Wickford, Essex. She was brought up in Kent where she spent most of her life when in the UK. She attended Chislehurst County Grammar School then went on to Queen Mary College, London, to read English and took a BA (Hons) degree in 1949. Her first job was in Crayford Branch of Kent County Library Service from 1949–50. After library school in 1950–51 (Northwestern Polytechnic School of Librarianship, where she was one of the leading spirits in starting a School of Librarian-ship Students' Association), Betty became reference librarian at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in 1951.

This article by Janice Clarke of Holman Fenwick Willan covers the basic materials required for a shipping law library (both hard copy and online) and then addresses how to answer some of the queries most frequently received by the shipping law librarian. The emphasis is on specialised sources.

This paper, which was written by Rona Blair, is drawn from her presentation at the 2015 BIALL Annual Conference. The article looks at the challenges of working in a geographically dispersed team and how to overcome these challenges using pragmatic and workable procedures.

In this paper presented at the Joint Study Institute in Oxford, Michael Bowman traces the history of international law, with its basis in custom, and identifies the late Nineteeth century as the period when multi-lateral treaties became commonplace. He considers whether such treaties, which were essentially static in nature, provide a suitable framework for the Twenty-first century global community. However, since the Vienna Convention, treaties have become dynamic as they now incorporate mechanisms for continuous monitoring and review of treaty obligations.

Law publishing in Scotland has seen something of a renaissance during the last 20 years. This article by Margaret Cherry is an overview of Scots law publishing from a Scottish perspective. It looks at the factors which influence publishing decisions, including market and economic considerations and the nature of Scots law itself. It also covers the principal publishers – both past and current – who have produced books on Scots law.

In this article John Bell follows his previous LIM article which was published in December 20121 by suggesting that, despite the development towards an open access world for publically funded research, the journal as a form of publication for peer reviewed research is far from dead; indeed, it has an active role to play in the future.

In this article, three members of the BIALL Publications Committee, Katy Davies, Kate Manning and Jude Wilson, relate their experience of lockdown in their working environments and mention some of the ways that the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL), as a professional organisation, has been supporting its members.

This article, written by Samuel Wiggins, examines current trends within commercial law firm libraries, and considers how those trends might continue over the next five to ten years. Areas considered include legal technology, the future of the library space, the role of the professional body, training, and the relationship between traditional librarianship and knowledge management.

The modern Library or Information Service (IS) cannot, and should not, operate in isolation from the strategic planning of its wider organisation. Most IS units already tie their aims and objectives to the organisation's strategic mission, but how can the IS move from the confines of its traditional role to have greater influence and responsibility within the wider organisation? How can building relationships with key individuals/departments strengthen the overall role of the IS?

In this article Jackie Fishleigh reviews and analyses three of the sessions, held at the BIALL Conference 2013 in Glasgow, that were concerned with ‘soft skills’.

This article by Dr Peter Clinch, Senior Subject Librarian for Law, Cardiff University, provides a brief background to, and reprints a part of, the latest revision of the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) document: A Library for the Modern Law School: the Statement of Standards for University Law Library Provision in the United Kingdom. Dr Clinch was a member of the Working Party responsible for revising the standards and he adds comments describing current practices relating to the standards.

Professor Brice Dickson offers forthright views relating to law reform issues in Northern Ireland against the background of the peace process.

Much has been written and discussed about the outsourcing of library staff. In the following article, Dunstan Speight, Library Manager at Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP, looks at the role of in-house information teams. Although written from the perspective of the manager of a team of researchers in a City law firm, the author hopes that elements of his experience will have a relevance to other sectors and team structures.

In this paper Samuel Wiggins uses the results of a survey undertaken by the author in 2011 as a way to contemplate both current and future issues for the legal information sector. The survey results act as a point of reflection for four key areas challenging the profession; relationships between lawyers and librarians, changing budgets, the nature of enquiries, and job roles. The article concludes by reminding the reader of the importance of reflection on their work, as well as highlighting areas where law librarians might strengthen their position within their firm.

Victoria Jannetta describes her experiences at the AALL annual meeting in Philadelphia focusing on various particular sessions given in relation to free speech, Delaware corporation law, company mergers, academic library issues and ebooks.

Martha Facey summarises the answers given by three panellists during the seminar “Thinking beyond the Law: Effects of Interdisciplinary Research on Law Libraries” delivered at the conference of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries/Association Canadienne des Bibliotheques de Droit (CALL/ACBD) which took place in May 2011 in Calgary, Alberta.

Back in December 2009, I joined Arnold & Porter as an information professional. Working at a law firm that values and celebrates the contributions made by their support staff, has meant that this role has transformed into a very rewarding career. Reflecting on the last 10 years, the one word I would use to sum up law librarianship is expertise. As information professionals, we research and review areas and concepts that are unfamiliar but we are adept at not only pinpointing the key points and issues but conveying them with clarity, certainty and confidence. As well as providing this invaluable support, we guide, inform and advise. Over the past decade, BIALL has remained central to the law librarian community, helping us to navigate the ever changing landscape of the legal sector.

Jennifer Barrow, Head of Knowledge Management at Baker & McKenzie, presented a paper to the BIALL Annual Conference in Edinburgh in June 2004 which discussed effective strategies for managing the sometimes difficult relationship that can exist between legal information professionals and professional support lawyers in large law firms.