Heather,
According to a 1996 survey of AALL members, only 29% of law
librarians have JDs. I don't have a figure for academic law librarians;
my guess is it's about the same. Many (but not all) academic law
libraries advertise for reference librarians, heads of public services,
etc., to have JDs. (In my library some reference librarians have a JD and
some don't; my colleagues are some of the best reference librarians in the
biz, JD or not.) In academic law libraries, you will find many librarians
without JDs in other positions -- catalog librarian, acquisitions
librarian, circulation librarian, systems librarian, government documents
librarian, etc.
You listed law firms, law school libraries, and public law
libraries. Law librarians also work for corporations and for state and
federal agency libraries. People with law library backgrounds also work
outside libraries -- as information brokers, publishers, trainers, etc.
See "Choosing Law Librarianship: Thoughts for People Contemplating
a Career Move," an essay I wrote for LLRX,
http://www.llrx.com/features/librarian.htm
-- Mary
__________________________________________________________
Mary Whisner, Assistant Librarian for Reference Services
Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
whisner@u.washington.edu library's website: http://lib.law.washington.edu
On Mon, 3 Apr 2000, Heather Samuels wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Do most law librarians have JDs? I have an MLIS and am currently working in
> a small academic library that has a large legal collection. I didn't have
> any legal research experience when I started and am learning as I go. But I
> wonder what I should expect if I want to pursue a career elsewhere as a law
> librarian. Do most places who hire law librarians require a JD as well as
> an MLS?
>
> Also, I know that many law librarians work at law firms. Do these
> librarians also do paralegal work or is it strictly librarian work?
>
> Obvious places law librarians work are law firms, law school libraries, and
> public law libraries. Are there other places of employment for law
> librarians that I'm not thinking of or am not aware of?
>
> Heather
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>
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