The Gazette 1977

GAZETTE

Book Review

MOYS, Elizabeth M., ed., Manual of Law Librarianship;

the use and organisation of legal literature; a Grafton

Book published for the British and Irish Association of

Law Librarians. London: Deutsch, 1976. £IS.00.

(£16.S0

in Ireland, including V.A.T.)

This extensive volume is the frrst published in English in

Europe relating to this subject, and, as regards England

and Scotland, Betty Moys is to be congratulated for

editing so competently the various facets of this intricate

subject. She has entrusted each chapter to an expert, with

the result that this volume

will

remain for years the

essential textbook. Law librarianship can only be

acquired after years of practical experience.

was Don

Daintree's enthusiasm that was responsible for the

foundation of the British and Irish Association of Law

Librarians (hereinafter called the Association), and he has

given much practical insight as to the information to be

obtained in Society Libraries, Court Libraries,

Government Law Libraries, and Academic Law

Libraries, and Professional Associations. Professor

Cornish of L.S.E. has written learnedly about the

evolution of the Courts in England and Scotland,

including trial by jury, and the difference between

Common Law and equity: he has dealt with legislation,

judicial precedent, texts and custom as sources of law.

Derek Way of Liverpool University has given us the

benefit of his expertise on legislation as a primary source

of law including parliamentary Bills and Statutes, as well

as such invaluable sources as Halsbury, Current Law

Statutes, and Butterworth's Annotated Legislation

Service. The method of citing Statutes is described in

detail, as is also the bulk of English Subordinate

Legislation contained in Statutory Instruments

an~

Orders in Council. The present Chairman of the

Association, Wallace Breem, Librarian of the Inner

Temple, London, is a very learned librarian, as well as an

eminent writer, and these qualities have been displayed to

the full in writing about English and Scottish Law

Reports. He has described in detail the various English

Law Reports from

186S

to date, as well as what are

described as "Nominate Reports" from

IS71

186S.

Useful hints are given about citations and references, as

well as about Digests and Indexes and Noting-Up. Derek

Way then considers in detail the Secondary Sources, such

as specific features of textbooks, Encyclopaedias of law

and of Precedents, Practice Books, and Case Books; the

notes on the use and functions of periodicals are

particularly valuable. Wallace Breem is an expert on legal

history and he has given us an excellent account of the

historical sources of Eriglish Law. Kenneth Parsons, the

Law Librarian of L.S.E. has provided us with his deep

knowledge on publications of International

Organisations.

He considers firstly, basic general

publications, such as U.N. Official Records, then Legal

Publications, then Miscellaneous Publications such as

publications such as Yearbooks. But the subject of legal

publications relating to Foreign Law really comes to life

under the masterful pen of Willi Steiner, Librarian of the

Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (hereinafter called the

Institute) who mentions the main works not only

Comparative Law, but also Collections from several

JULY

jurisdictions, such as Peaslee's Constitution of Nations.

The main bibliographies in all main European

languages are fully covered, as is the legal bibliography of

the Commonwealth and of the U.S.A. The Civil Law

Continental jurisdictions and the publications of the

European Community are fully mentioned. Kenneth

Parsons then deals in more detail with primary legal

publications relating to Public International Law, such as

collections of Treaties, and Reports of International

cases. The secondary sources comprise treatises,

periodicals, and reference works. Ian Sainsbury, Law

Librarian of Reading, then delves learnedly into the

rarified atmosphere of Roman Law and of Roman-Dutch

Law. Sheila Doyle of Durham University deals learnedly

with religious laws, such as the Catholic Canon Law, the

Law of the Church of England, Jewish Law and Islamic

Law. Robert Logan of Nottingham University and

Barbara Tearle of University College, London, have

combined their wisdom and knowledge in writing on legal

bibliographies and Reference Books. Current

bibliographies such as "Law Books in Print" are fully

covered, as well as "Where to Look for your Law", Law

Library Catalogues, Periodicals Union Catalogues and

Law Dictionaries.

Part III of this work deals specifically with the

practical subject of the Law Library Practice. Betty Moys

offers excellent advice in dealing with general principles

such as policy and planning, Finance, Library

Administration, Office organisation and public relations

by means of publications and exhibitions. Paul

Richardson, the Librarian of the Law Society, London,

writes expertly on providing services for readers, such as

reference and lending facilities, and the essential rules and

regulations applicable to law libraries, and whether

Sub-Librarian of the Inner Temple, has given us the

advantage of her expertise on the subject of Acquisition

and Storage of Law

BOQk~

oidering, constant watch

must

Kept for new editions and in reviewing parts of

periodicals and suggestions should be invited. The rules

relating to

gifts

and exchanges, collating, stamping and

bookplates are fully set out, and very useful advice is

given as regards storage, including micro-ftlms, and also

as regards repairs and binding. Betty Moys then deals

with the various methods of Cataloguing and Indexing,

including the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules of

1967: several practical examples are given. In a

subsequent chapter, she deals with Classification of Law

Books in which she is an acknowledged expert, having

published a large book on the subject. She lays down

useful criteria for law library classification, then deals in

more detail with the general classification schemes.

Margaret Chubb of Trinity College is well aware of staff

conditions in Ireland, and her remarks are thus of

particular value; she deals with professional training and

staff management, as well as the ticklish problem of

salaries, and of conditions and career prospects. Muriel

Anderson, Deputy Librarian of the Institute of Advanced

Legal Studies, gives invaluable advice on the problem of

space, which is a perpetual nightmare to librarians. The

height and thickness and depth of books determines the

shelf space, and many illustrations are given. The

minimum recommendation for reading space is one seat

for every three members of staff or students. 30ft. sq. is

the minimum space per seat. Details are given about

catalogue space and about staff working space. Paul

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