Developing a

Library Best Practices

Framework
Best Practices & Management Strategies for
Law Firm Library, Research & Information Services
(23 February 2016)

Jean OGrady, DLA Piper

Ron Friedmann, Fireman & Company

Agenda
Develop a framework of what law libraries do (partial,
not complete)
Fill in a few sample best practices (test the process)
Evaluate if this exercise should continue

Develop a Sample
Framework
Create a top-level taxonomy

What Does a Framework Look Like?

Major topic 1
Sub 1
Sub 2
Sub 2

Major topic 2
Sub 1
Sub 2
Sub 2

Et Cetera

Thats Easy to Do
Librarians know taxonomies
What is the taxonomy for Library Best Practices?

Time to Brainstorm

Some Sample Top Level Nodes

Strategy
Client (internal and external) service
What else

The Simplest Yet Comprehensive Top

Level (?)
Strategy
Client (internal and external) service
List of services
Checklist / workflow examples

Operations
What else, parents and children?

Sample Best Practices

Taxonomy
Samples for each of the top level nodes
Illustrative only

Strategy
Overall staffing
Operating model (e.g., centralized vs distributed, insource vs
outsource, embedded librarians)
Alignment with firm strategy and practice group demands
Business research coordination with other departments and
stakeholders
Metrics
Reporting value to management
Research only or research attorney service
Billing policy

Lawyer and Client Facing Service

Services to consider include

Legal research
Business research
CI
KM
Training
Analytics
Populating practice portals

Checklist / workflow examples

Research a judges background
Locate + vet an expert witness

For any service or workflow...

Service level agreements

(e.g., turnaround times,
billing policies)
Standardized intake system
Standardized outputs
Metrics + formal feedback
system

Operations
Collections management and ongoing rationalization
Digital versus print mix
Total Cost of Ownership analysis - not just resource cost, but
also staffing to support, space, other costs
Usage analysis to drive selection / data-driven decisions over
anecdote

Contract negotiation
Space management
Technical services
Management structure

Work on Sample Best

Practices

Discuss Sample Best Practices

Choose one child from each of three parent nodes
Spend about 5 minutes discussing each

New Resource Evaluation, Trial, and

Purchase
Collect incoming suggestions
Evaluate suggestions

Who is suggesting
Pricing and access
Target audience / evidence of need
Existing substitutes
Unique features

Trial
Comparison to competing products
License evaluation
Survey trial users

Purchase
Make decision, obtain approval(s), submit for payment

Build Sample Best

Practices
We will do this for at least 2 and up to 4 nodes
Stop at about 2:20 to discuss value of this exercise

Was this a Valuable

Exercise?

Questions
Is this approach helpful?
Why or why not

If not helpful, what would make it more helpful?

If helpful
Should this process continue in the profession
If yes, what are the mechanics of doing so?