Ambrogi writes
Whether they work in law firms or corporate legal, academia or government, law librarians play a central role in testing, recommending and deploying legal technology, according to the American Association of Law Libraries’ 2023 State of the Profession report, an exhaustive 252-page survey of the legal information landscape.
This is the third time AALL has conducted this survey, which is actually three separate surveys of U.S. law librarians based on the type of organization for which they work — one for those in law firms and corporate legal departments, another for those in academic settings, and another for those in government.
The survey is a deep dive into all facets of the profession, including library budgets, working environments, staffing, professional skills, professional development, and more.
While the report’s coverage is wide-ranging, I tend to jump to the findings related to legal technology. Similar to what I wrote about the AALL’s 2021 report and 2019 report, this year’s survey continues to underscore the instrumental role law librarians play in innovation and technology adoption within their organizations.
‘A Crucial Role’
With regard to firm/corporate law librarians, the survey found that they “play a crucial role in bringing new technology and research products to their organizations.” Specifically:
- 89.1% are involved with testing technology and research products.
- 94.5% are involved with recommending technology and research products for purchase.
- 100% are involved with negotiating library, information resource and database contracts.
See report and read post at
