How much law should librarians know?

Abstract

The paper discusses the teaching of elements of law within the Library and Information Studies (LIS) curriculum, using the programmes at the University of Brighton as an exemplar. The inclusion of legal topics in LIS teaching has been endorsed by professional associations, but has not been extensively discussed in the literature. A small‐scale pilot research project is described, which sought to characterise senior library and information service managers’ views about legal knowledge and expertise. A series of legal topics is reviewed, and discussed in the light of the pilot project results. The topics covered are: Computer Misuse; Contracts; Copyright; Court Procedures; Data Protection; Freedom of Information; Libel and Defamation; Official Secrets; Patents; and Human Rights. The project results appear to validate the assumptions underlying the University of Brighton’s provision, and suggest that teaching elements of law is worthwhile. However, further work is required and is in progress.