Thanks for participating in the Restatements Quick survey - here is the
list of responses. Most respondents shelf the Restatements together.
Question: Any opinions on the pros or cons of classifying and/or
shelving the Restatements within their subjects verses keeping all the
Restatements together?
1. Your filer will curse you if you classify them by subject.
2. I find that shelving all Restatements together makes it easier
for regular users to find them, regardless of the field of inquiry. And
often, some requesting a Restatement only want the Restatement and have
no immediate interest in other treatises on the topic. Personally, I
look at them as a unified set, along the lines of ULA, etc.; and it's
easier to file pocket parts and other updates when they're together. I
'm in quite a small one-person library, so shelving the Restatements
within their subjects wouldn't be TOO bad. (But I'm not about to do it.)
In larger libraries, I'd even more strongly resist separating them by
subject. So far, I can't say I've encountered a downside to shelving the
Restatements together. This doesn't reflect a policy of my employer, or
other librarians within our Branch.
3. I classify them by subject, but I don't have all of them. If I
had the complete set, I would probably keep them together.
4. We shelve them as a set - probably because people are used to
finding them here that way. They're stuck on very visible shelves to
that people can walk in and grab them. Seems to work for them.
5. Since we're in a firm setting, we keep them together in the part
of the collection that is closest to our litigators. They tend to use
them more than anyone else.
6. Ours used to be altogether but I merged them with their subject
areas when the library moved. It just seems to make more sense. Now
the attorneys can easily see if we have a restatement on a certain topic
where as before they had to go over to the ""restatement shelf" to
check.
7. We have the first and second restatements in a KF 395 number.
But the third restatements are classified into their appropriate LC
subject numbers. One part of the rationale was that the first and second
restatements covered the "broad" areas of the law; and the third is
focusing on much narrower topics like foreign relations, products
liability, etc. That's an incomplete rationale. But it does work for us.
8. Keep them together or the attorneys/professors will go nuts and
you will never hear the end of it. (Students probably could care less.)
9. We catalog by subject area of the Restatement. Found it best to
have them with related titles rather than as a separate set.
10. Shelving all the Restatements volumes together definitely makes
it easier to insert the new pocket parts, so that's what we do here.
11. I would keep them together. For one thing, they are far more
easier to manage: i.e., to update, to make sure nothing is missing,
and to make sure there is nothing wrong with the subscription(s).
12. We recently decided to move all the Restatements together - it's
been easier for upkeep (pocket parts that all come together) as well as
easier for patrons to locate them.
13. Bottom line: ask your users how they want them. My guess is
they will want them together, as that's how they've been used to finding
them.
14. We shelve them as a special part of the reference collection.
This has worked well because many of our first years consult them for
their classes. They are also there because, invariably, a student needs
assistance working through how to use them properly.
15. Long standing discussion. I prefer them in one location, so
that if you are looking for Restatements you know where to look. also, I
think breaking up the set would make them disappear into the shelving
with other books.
16. I want one go to place for Restatements.
17. I asked our local organization of law librarians about this and
seems most of them (maybe 10 responses) shelve together.... Think that
University of Pittsburgh Barco Law Library was the exception. I guess
in some ways a catalog (that time honored way to find "stuff") helps
remind people to consult Restatements given subject headings.
18. Keeping them together makes it a whole lot easier when the
pocket parts show up.
19. We shelve ours together. When people ask for the restatements,
they expect them to be together and ask for them that way.
20. Just a personal opinion-I think most attorneys, professors and
law students are more used to all the Restatements being shelved
together. Few non-librarians really understand subject arrangements
anyway.
21. The updates in the form of the "Interim Case Citations to the
Restatements of the Law" - we get one copy of this pamphlet, but it is
to be used with all cumulative annual supplements and pockets parts for
all subject areas. One of my predecessors decided to separate the
Restatements withing their subjects, so when this soft-cover supplement
comes in - I never know where to shelve it...keep them together. This
is my 4th law library and the only one where they were separated. Just
my opinion.
22. At present they are shelved together.
23. I personally like them all together because it's easier for me
to go to the set rather than remember where they are all scattered
about. I've found it's about half and half with our attorneys. Some go
to agency and expect the restatement to be there with the rest of agency
materials whereas others ask or look around for the entire set. We
don't have the entire set so I suspect that's why the Librarian before
me chose to break up into subject areas.
24. We keep them together because people tend to ask for the
Restatements specifically and it just seems easier.
Robert W. Hudson
Reference & Instructional Services Librarian
Nova Southeastern University
Shepard Broad Law Center - Law Library & Technology Center
3305 College Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314-7721
(954) 262-6223
(954) 262-3839 fax
Email: hudsonr@nsu.law.nova.edu <mailto:hudsonr@nsu.law.nova.edu>
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