Survey of Law Librarians Survey of Legal Writing Faculty
Q1: Consent to participate Q1: Consent to participate
Q2: Do you currently teach or work for a U.S. law school? [Yes/No] Q2: Do you currently teach at a U.S. law school? [Yes/No]
Q3: Does your law school offer a course focused on legal writing, legal research, or legal analysis (or any combination of those subjects) to first-year J.D. students? [Yes/No] Q3: Do you currently teach a course focused on legal writing, legal research, or legal analysis (or any combination of those subjects) to first-year J.D. students? [Yes/No]
Q4: Approximately how long have you been a law librarian? Q4: Approximately how long have you been teaching as part of a J.D. program?
  • Less than one year
  • 1-5 years
  • 6-10 years
  • 11-20 years
  • More than 20 years
Q5: Do legal information vendors (e.g. Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg) play any role in designing or implementing legal research instruction to first-year J.D. students at your school? [Yes/No] Q9: Do legal information vendors (e.g. Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg) play any role in designing or implementing legal research instruction to first-year J.D. students at your school? [Yes/No]
Q6: Do you play any role in designing or implementing legal research instruction to first-year J.D. students at your school? [Yes/No] Q10: Do librarians from your law school’s library play any role in designing or implementing legal research instruction to first-year J.D. students at your school? [Yes/No]
Q7: Which of the following describe the role that law librarians play regarding legal research instruction to first-year J.D. students at your school (choose all that may apply): Q11: Which of the following describes the role that law librarians play regarding legal research instruction to first-year J.D. students at your school (choose all that may apply):
  • LRW faculty recommend or suggest that their students may want to consult with a law librarian regarding their legal research
  • LRW faculty require their students to consult with a law librarian regarding their legal research
  • Law librarians visit LRW classes at the LRW faculty member’s request sometimes to provide instruction on using legal research databases, books, or other tools
  • Law librarians offer optional legal research instruction outside of LRW class time
  • Law librarians offer mandatory legal research instruction outside of LRW class time
  • Law librarians teach legal research as a discrete component of a LRW class
  • Law librarians co-teach LRW classes with LRW faculty
  • Law librarians teach legal research to first-year J.D. students as a stand-alone class
  • Other (please describe)
  • I recommend or suggest that students may want to consult with a law librarian regarding their legal research for my LRW class
  • I require my students to consult with a law librarian regarding their legal research for my LRW class
  • I request law librarians to visit my LRW class sometimes to provide instruction on using legal research databases, books, or other tools
  • Law librarians offer optional legal research instruction outside of my LRW class time
  • Law librarians offer mandatory legal research instruction outside my LRW class time
  • A law librarian teaches legal research as a discrete component of my LRW class
  • I co-teach my LRW class with a law librarian
  • Law librarians teach legal research to first-year J.D. students as a stand-alone class
  • Other (please describe)
Q9: If you offer legal research instruction as a discrete component of a LRW class, co-teach with LRW faculty, or teach a stand-alone Legal Research class to first-year J.D. students, please select from the following choices, if any, that describe the role that legal research instruction plays in your class(es) (choose all that apply): Q5: Please select from the following choices, if any, that describe the role that legal research instruction plays in your class(es) (choose all that apply):
  • I devote one or more entire class periods to introducing legal research
  • I incorporate legal research instruction throughout the semester(s), as needed
  • I require students to receive legal research instruction from another person outside my class time
  • I require my students to use legal research vendor’s instructional modules (e.g., Lexis Learn) or CALI lessons outside of my class time
  • I invite legal research vendors to present to my class about using their products
  • I invite other faculty from my school to present to my class about legal research
  • Not applicable/None of the above
  • Other (please describe)
Q8: If you offer legal research instruction as a discrete component of a LRW class, co-teach with LRW faculty, or teach a stand-alone Legal Research class to first-year J.D. students, do you use any of the following types of stand-alone legal research assignments? Q6: Do you use any of the following types of stand-alone legal research assignments?
  • “Treasure Hunt” exercises (prompting students to find specific, individual cases, code sections, or other sources)
  • Open-ended short-answer research problems
  • I do not use stand-alone legal research assignments in my legal research instruction
  • Not applicable/Other
Q10: If you offer legal research instruction as a discrete component of a LRW class, co-teach with LRW faculty, or teach a stand-alone Legal Research class to first-year J.D. students, do you require or recommend that your students use a legal research textbook? Q7: Do you require or recommend that your students use a legal research textbook?
  • Yes, I require it
  • Yes, I recommend it
  • No
  • Not applicable
  • Yes, I require it
  • Yes, I recommend it
  • No
Q8: Are you satisfied with the amount of time you have available to dedicate to legal research teaching within your class(es)? [Yes/No]
Q11: Are you satisfied with the service that law librarians provide to first-year J.D. students at your law school? [Yes/No][Optional short answer] Q12: Are you satisfied with the service that law librarians provide to first-year J.D. students at your law school? [Yes/No][Optional short answer]
Q12: In two to three sentences, please share your reflections on the working relationship, if any, between LRW faculty and law librarians at your law school. [Short answer] Q13: In two to three sentences, please share your reflections on the working relationship, if any, between LRW faculty and law librarians at your law school. [Short answer]
Q13: In two to three sentences, please describe what benefits, if any, you perceive in working with or collaborating with LRW faculty to provide legal research instruction to first-year J.D. students. [Short answer] Q14: In two to three sentences, please describe what benefits, if any, you perceive in working with or collaborating with law librarians to provide legal research instruction to first-year J.D. students. [Short answer]
Q14: What, if anything, would you like to change about the legal research learning outcomes for first-year J.D. students at your law school? [Short answer] Q15: What, if anything, would you like to change about the legal research learning outcomes for first-year J.D. students at your law school? [Short answer]