UCD School of Law - University College Dublin

UCD School of Law Library Information Resources Policy

Created 13/09/2011

Liaison Librarian: Mark Tynan 1.0 Introduction The Information Resources Policy for the UCD School of Law is designed to facilitate successful partnership between UCD Library and the School in the selection, management and promotion of information resources supporting the teaching and research interests of the School. 1.1 Application This policy will inform School and Library decision-making in recommending items for purchase or de-selection. The identification and implementation of key procedures and mechanisms will enable constructive review of existing resources as well as the selection of new resources targeted at areas of strategic growth in School teaching, learning and research. 1.2 Audience The policy is aimed at academic and research staff from the UCD School of Law and relevant staff from UCD Library. 1.3 Policy Summary This policy outlines procedures for selection, de-selection and purchase of resources. Information on the HEA-IReL initiative is provided and the range of resources, as well as the scope of the collections, available to members of the School is described. Interdisciplinary relationships between the UCD School of Law and related schools are identified and library support for resource use to promote teaching and learning opportunities are outlined. Details of the Library budget are itemised and future trends which may impact on resource provision are included. The policy will be reviewed regularly by School staff and the Liaison Librarian. 2.0 Profile of the UCD School of Law The UCD School of Law is the largest of its kind in the state and is home to approximately 50 academic and administrative staff. It has a distinguished record of academic achievement in both research and teaching, and contains a thriving community of undergraduates and graduate students (approximately 100 students are either working towards a Masters degree or reading for a PhD). Regular visits by distinguished academics and other experts from all over the world ensure that the School is kept abreast of the latest developments in legal studies. The School is also home to the Commercial Law Centre, which hosts conferences, seminars and workshops in the area of commercial law, and the Institute of Criminology. 2.1 Subject specialism’s, course offerings and staff research interests can be found on the School of Law’s website1. The main research areas can be identified as constitutional law and governance, commercial law, criminology, criminal justice and criminal law, legal history, legal systems and private law.

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UCD School of Law: Information Resources Policy

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2.2 Other Users: Courses offered by the School have a high level of uptake among students from other disciplines across the university (as electives). There is also a high uptake by Erasmus, JYA, and visiting international students. 3.0 Scope The scope of the collection of resources will reflect the School’s teaching and research activities and resource management will be facilitated by the relationship between the School and the Liaison Librarian. 3.1 Subject Coverage Topics include Administrative Law Arbitration Law and Procedure Business Law Company Law Constitutional Law Consumer Law Corporate Finance Criminal Law Employment Law EU Law Equity Human Rights French Legal Theory International Law Land Law Law of Contract Law of Tort Law of Trusts Media Law Revenue Law Trade Marks and Patents 3.1.1 Irish Legal History: The holdings of Irish law material such as statutes, law reports and journals represent a substantial component of the Library’s collection and are of international significance. Examples include Acts of the Oireachtas from 1927, Iris Oifigiúil from 1926, Dublin Gazette from 1896-1920, Daĺl Éireann Parliamentary Debates from 1927, Irish Reports from 1839 and the Irish Law Times from 1867. 3.2 Location The majority of physical Law resources are located on Level 2 of the James Joyce Library. A large number of the most popular Law books are held in the Short Loan Collection (SLC) on the ground floor of the James Joyce Library. A number of pamphlets with relevance to Law are held in the James Joyce Library Store. Other UCD library branches also contain small collections of Law material; UCD Library, Blackrock contains books on topics such as business law and corporate governance; Richview Library contains books on planning law;

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and the Health Sciences Library contains books on medical law and medical negligence. All UCD students and staff in possession of a valid student or staff card can access and borrow from any of these branch libraries. 3.3 Classification UCD Library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification system to catalogue and classify material in all formats. The primary classification range for Law is 340-349. Some materials of relevance to Law are shelved at different shelf marks. Criminology books, for example, are shelved at the classification range 364. 3.4 Chronology The resources currently include material covering the Ancient Laws and Institutes of Ireland and Senchus Mór, to the present day. 3.5 Geographical The emphasis in the collection is on primary and secondary critical sources, reflecting the laws of Ireland, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the EU, with representation from other jurisdictions where appropriate. 3.7 Dissertations and theses In accordance with university regulations, the Library receives copies of all major doctoral and research theses submitted to University College Dublin. The collection comprises mainly doctoral and Master's theses by research. For more information, see the Library website2 3.8 Legal Reference Resources The reference collection for the School provides both print and electronic resources and reflects the Library’s policy requirement (UCD Library Information Resources Development Policy section 3.2.13) “to increasingly make information resources (notably…reference materials) available electronically”. The Law reference section is located on Level 2 of the James Joyce Library, and contains legal dictionaries, year books and digests, as well as the extensive Halsbury’s Laws of England collection. 3.9 Legal Deposit The Copyright Act 1963 designates UCD Library as a legal deposit library for printed material published in the Republic of Ireland. These items are integrated into the relevant Library’s collections wherever possible or stored in closed access. 4.0 Budget A resource allocation model (RAM) divides library funding among the schools and across funds to maximize the purchase of targeted items to support both research and teaching. The fund designation for the School of Law is currently as follows: A reading list fund: to purchase items on reading and resource lists for modules across UCD A research monograph fund: to purchase monographs required for research areas represented within the 5 Colleges of UCD A general fund: to purchase items which are not represented by either the Research fund or the Reading List fund but which would materially enhance the

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teaching and research work of the school. Purchases may include electronic resources not requiring yearly subscriptions. Other sources of funding: (a) A number of multi-disciplinary electronic resources are purchased via a top-sliced Library fund dedicated to the purchasing of items not tied to the teaching or research of one particular school (b)The Irish Research e-Library (IReL) funds a number of significant databases of relevance to the School, including Westlaw and Lexis Library. Payment for IReL funded resources does not come out of the School’s budget. (See also page 8 and Appendix 1 for a full listing of School of Law relevant IReL resources). Further information is available on the IReL website4. 5.0 Selection of Resources School-Library Liaison Representative (SLLR): Dr Kevin Costello 5.1 Partnership between School and Library The SLLR will work closely with the Liaison Librarian to co-ordinate library purchases across the School, in consultation with colleagues from the School of Law. The purchase of materials in all formats will be based on a proactive partnership to ensure an up-to-date, balanced and representative collection. 5.2 Procedure for purchase Please see Appendix 2 for a diagram illustrating the book ordering process. 5.2.1 Items recommended for purchase should contain as much detail as possible including title, author, date, publisher and ISBN. Requests to support the School’s teaching and learning must specify the name of the academic concerned, module name, the estimated number of students taking the module, programme name and year of the programme. 5.2.2 Research material: Material required to support School research will be purchased when possible. Purchase requests will be based on the research interests of the School staff and on the professional expertise and knowledge of the Liaison Librarian. 5.2.3 Module and Programme support: The Library will continue to actively review its resources to ensure that modules and programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level are adequately supported and that the impact on library resources can be correctly assessed. To ensure the timely purchase of resources, the Liaison Librarian will need to be informed as soon as possible about the following: The introduction of new modules Any modification to existing modules The introduction of new programmes Current modules on offer in each programme for the new academic year The introduction of new methods of teaching (e.g. Enquiry-Based Learning)

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The Liaison Librarian monitors usage of the collection and will order replacement/extra copies of items due to: Damage Loss or theft Multiple requests for an item over a short period of time User need based on information received from Information Desk, Library Suggestion Books and online queries 5.2.4 Reading list items Reading lists will be given to the Liaison Librarian prior to the start of each semester, using the agreed procedures for collection of module reading lists. Where possible, items on reading lists will be purchased and placed in the most appropriate collection area (General collection or long loan, Week loan, or Short Loan Collection), depending on class size and numbers of copies. For items that are difficult to source or quite expensive, the Reserve Collection (i.e. Library use only) will be used. Items will be moved between collections, as required, to facilitate maximum use of resources by users. The average turn-around time for ordered items to appear in the Library is 4-6 weeks. The Liaison Librarian will also facilitate the purchase of urgent items when necessary. Requests for reading list items should be made in a timely fashion to ensure that items are available to users once the semester begins. At present, there are some financial constraints in the library budget as a result of university cutbacks and the wider national economic situation. The School will be kept informed of the library’s financial situation and included in the strategies used to purchase and maintain resources. 5.2.5 Multimedia materials: Based on School requests and in support of the UCD Library’s Information Resources Policy (section 5.1), the Liaison Librarian will facilitate the purchase of relevant multi media material and this currently includes the purchase of DVDs. 5.2.6 Electronic Resources As identified in UCD Library’s Information Resources policy, it is Library strategy to move towards electronic information provision where possible. The Liaison Librarian and academics in the School of Law will continue to identify relevant electronic databases which support the work of the school. Most library electronic material is available both on and off campus via Findit @ UCD Library. Individual databases and electronic journals are accessible in an A-Z listing via Findit by selecting the Database and Journals tabs. Electronic material is also available via the “My Library” tab in UCD Connect. View relevant material on the College of Business & Law Team 5page on the Library website. 5.2.7 Irish Research e-Library (IReL) UCD Library users have benefitted from the availability of electronic resources provided by the IReL initiative, a joint funding initiative by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to substantially increase the range of resources available to Irish university libraries.

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These IReL funded resources are reviewed regularly, and subscriptions are based on a “value for money” model – using usage statistics as a measure of “value”. Ongoing promotion of these resources to students and staff, by both the School of Law and UCD Library is therefore required to maximize usage and so ensure, where possible, continual funding of these resources by IReL. Databases, of relevance to School of Law, funded by IReL Hein Online JSTOR Justice & Justcite Lexis Library Nexis UK Westlaw IE Westlaw UK A complete list of IReL funded resources can be found at: http://www.ucd.ie/library/finding_information/searchtools/irel/6 Appendix 1 also lists multi-disciplinary resources funded by IReL that may also be of benefit to the School of Law. 5.2.8 Journals: To ensure that journal titles to which the School subscribes reflect current teaching and research interests, print and electronic subscriptions will be reviewed as required, but at a minimum of every five years. Interdisciplinary resources, of interest to the School, accessible via IReL or funded by other Schools may not be cancelled by the School of Law. The review process will be a collaborative endeavour between the Liaison Librarian and the School representative and will consider: Current holdings School teaching and research interests Impact factors Online availability Cost Savings Requests for purchase will mirror the review criteria above. When suggesting a journal title for purchase, please provide the Liaison Librarian with the journal name, subject matter and intended audience. In keeping with Library policy (Information Resources Policy, 3.2 and 3.3), new titles are purchased in electronic format where possible. 6. 0 Relationships with other Schools, Colleges and Universities 6.1 Internal. Multi-disciplinary teaching and research is significant across the university campus. The Library provides subject and liaison support for a range of subjects of relevance to the School of Law including: Business, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Medicine, Modern Languages, Gender Studies and Irish. As a result of multiple user groups accessing the resources, usage is closely monitored.

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6.2 External. The UCD-Trinity Innovation Alliance aims to build on areas of combined strength and individual distinctiveness on the two respective campuses. This will impact on 4th level PhD training in the School and the Library will seek to ensure that research resources have sufficient depth and breadth to meet these requirements. 7.0 Special Collections Special Collections contains items inherited by UCD’s antecedent institutions, the Catholic University of Ireland and the Royal University of Ireland, and consists of items mainly published before 1851. In some cases, items of significance from 1851 onwards are also collected. The School of Law and the Liaison Librarian works closely with the Special Collections librarian to support the research of the School (for further information go to the Special Collections7 page on the library website) Collections of particular relevance to the School of Law are outlined below: Palles Collection - The collection of Irish judge Christopher Palles, (1831 – 1920) consists of books and journals of a legal nature covering the period from the 17th to the early 20th century. The collection was donated to UCD by William Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin, in 1921 and at that time formed the nucleus of UCD’s law library. The pre-1850 published material from the collection is held in Special Collections while items published after that are held in closed access in the Law area on Level 2. Crime in Ireland – This includes “An essay on crimes and punishments”, by Cesare Beccaria, 1788, “The relation of economic conditions to the causes of crime”, 1893, “Statistics to illustrate the connexion between ignorance and crime”, 1852, “Treatise on criminal law”, 1835 Parliamentary Journals and Statutes, 17th and 18th centuries - Journals of the House of Commons of the Kingdom of Ireland, (series 1 ,2 ,3 & 4), the Journals of the House of Lords of the Kingdom of Ireland and the Statutes at Large. 7.1 Irish Virtual Research Library and Archive (IVRLA): the IVRLA facilitates increased access to material through the ongoing digitisation of key elements of UCD Library’s Special Collections. Items of interest to the School include the DeValera Photo Collection, the papers of Michael Collins and the UCD Letters Collection. 8.0 Donations The School of Law has actively supported UCD Library in its collection development by donating new and relevant books. The following donations of material are welcome: Books / book collections to supplement and/or augment holdings in the General Collection. Rare books, signed books and first editions to strengthen Special Collection holdings Statutes and other material of interest to Irish legal history.

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The Library will manage the donated material as appropriate and as reflected i in UCD Library’s Donations policy8. 9.0 Library Support for resource use The Library is committed to supporting the promotion and use of all information resources. To this end, the Liaison Librarian will continue to work with library colleagues and academics to maximise exploitation of key Law sources using accepted international frameworks for information skills delivery to support undergraduate teaching, academic research and postgraduate studies. The Library will work with the School to: Identify the level and detail of training required Identify a suitable place within the timetable to deliver training at point of need Identify the most suitable delivery mechanism Evaluate the training’s impact on assignment quality via assessment 10.0 Stock Review In line with UCD Library policy (section 12.2 of the Information Resources Development Policy), print resources are reviewed regularly to ensure currency and relevance. As a result, decisions will be made in conjunction with the School regarding the permanent disposal of items as well as the removal of items from the open shelves to closed storage. 11.0 Future Considerations The Library is committed to aligning the provision of information resources to the strategic priorities of the School. Identification of best practice will facilitate effective resource management to support the teaching and research of the School. Issues impacting on current planning include: Future trends in legal research The development of inter-disciplinary and thematic research The provision of lifelong learning and information skills to library users The construction and continued development of the new Sutherland School of Law building 12.0 Review of Policy This policy is intended to be an active document designed to help with information resource development and assessment in support of School teaching and research priorities. The Head of School (or the designated School of Law liaison officer) and the liaison librarian will review this document on an ongoing basis to ensure its relevance to School interests. The liaison librarian (Mark Tynan - [email protected]) welcomes comments and suggestions regarding the evolution of this policy Policy created: March 2010 13.0 Contributors

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UCD School of Law Prof John Jackson, Dean Dr Kevin Costello, Lecturer Dr Fiona de Londras, Lecturer Dr Oonagh Breen, Senior Lecturer

UCD Library Mr Mark Tynan, Liaison Librarian, School of Law Ms Valerie Kendlin, Deputy Head of Academic Library Services for Business & Law Ms Ursula Byrne, Head of Academic Library Services for Humanities, Social Sciences and Business & Law

1

http://www.ucd.ie/law

2

http://www.ucd.ie/library/finding_information/our_collections/theses/

3

http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/Guide45.pdf

4

http://www.irelibrary.ie

5

http://cms.ucd.ie/library/supporting_you/liaison_service/liaison_team/buslaw_team/

6

http://www.ucd.ie/library/finding_information/searchtools/irel/

7

http://cms.ucd.ie/library/finding_information/special/

8

http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/Guide44.pdf

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