Free LegalTrac Webinar

By Alan Kilpatrick

In September 2015, I presented a webinar on LegalTrac for Saskatchewan public library staff.  LegalTrac is an online journal article index, providing some full-text coverage of law reviews, journals, and newspapers from American, Canadian, and European legal sources.

The record webinar can be viewed for free on the LibraryToolshed, an initiative of libraries in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia and a place to share library training resources.  I was gratified to learn earlier this week that my LegalTrac webinar was one of the most heavily visited pages in the Library Toolshed in Spring 2016.  I am pleased that so many library staff have found this webinar valuable and useful.

Libraries are playing an important role in improving access to justice, and this webinar was one of the ways the Law Society Library contributes to the ongoing efforts.  A 2010 survey conducted by Courthouse Libraries BC estimated that public libraries in British Columbia receive about 35,000 legal reference questions from the public every year, making libraries a natural place to connect with members of the public who have legal information needs.

My hope is that by participating in these collaborative initiatives, public librarians will come away with greater confidence to assist library patrons seeking legal information and improve access to justice in the process.