The President of the American Association of Law Libraries, the biggest professional body in the world for the legal information sector, tells LIM about his long career as a law librarian, his “ghoulish nature” and his unique method for finding volunteers.

In this article BIALL President Claire Mazer reviews the findings of the BIALL/SLS Academic Law Library Survey, which was conducted in 2024 and covered the academic year 2022/23. Claire’s article provides some analysis of the responses, while it also outlines some key themes and trends. The author would like to thank Laura Griffiths and Marilyn Clarke at IALS for their work in conducting the survey on behalf of BIALL and SLS (Society of Legal Scholars).

In this article, Jackie Hanes analyses law database usage at the University of Warwick over the last five academic years. She also brings her BIALL conference lightning talk up to date in the process, with data for the complete 2023/24 academic year.

Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, have demonstrated impressive capabilities in summarisation and content generation. However, they are infamously prone to hallucination, fabricating plausible information and presenting it as fact. In the context of legal research, this poses significant risk. This paper, written by Sally McLaren and Lily Rowe, examines how widely available AI applications respond to fabricated case citations and assesses their ability to identify false cases, the nature of their summaries, and any commonalities in their outputs. Using a non-existent citation, we analysed responses from multiple AI models, evaluating accuracy, detail, structure and the inclusion of references. Results revealed that while some models flagged our case as fictitious, others generated convincing but erroneous legal content, occasionally citing real cases or legislation. The experiment underscores concern about AI’s credibility in legal research and highlights the role of legal information professionals in mitigating risks through user education and AI literacy training. Practical engagement with these tools is crucial to understanding the user experience. Our findings serve as a foundation for improving AI literacy in legal research.

This article by Dr Charlotte Smith, of The National Archives, begins by articulating the importance and character of open justice. It then examines how this is evidenced in the justice system, before exploring the factors shaping its implementation within the archives. It does this through a treatment of third-party access to court records. It concludes by identifying questions that the justice system and archives might consider when developing the archival policy and practice applicable to archived court records.

This year’s BIALL Annual Conference is in Birmingham, and with a packed schedule of fascinating presentations, insights into cutting edge products, fun social events and a very underrated city to explore, it certainly looks like being a good one. Here the LIM co-editors guide you through all the things to look out for in Brum come June the 11th.

Nominative reports are a vital part of legal history, providing the foundation for case law documentation before the advent of standardised legal reporting. Compiled by barristers, judges and legal scholars, these reports offer unique insights into the evolution of legal precedent and judicial reasoning across the globe. In 2024, HeinOnline introduced the first comprehensive digital collection of all published nominative reports, transforming access to these historical legal records.

Here Lauren Mattiuzzo, a seasoned professional with over 20 years at HeinOnline, examines the significance of these reports, their challenges in legal research, and how HeinOnline’s digital tools improve accessibility and usability. As a key marketing leader and head of the HeinOnline support team, Lauren helps drive initiatives that empower researchers.

This study, authored by Dr Fahimeh Abedi, Prof. Tim Miller and Prof. Atif Ahmad, explores the skills gaps lawyers face when advising on emerging technologies in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach, the authors conducted qualitative interviews with 26 in-house lawyers and a broader quantitative survey revealed key challenges, including complex legislation, unclear regulatory frameworks and ethical concerns in data use. Findings highlight a significant gap in technological literacy within the legal profession, emphasising the need for improved knowledge, skills and ethical awareness. This research provides a roadmap for equipping legal professionals for responsible leadership in a technology-driven future, offering significant insights for policymakers and regulators.

In the latest in our series reviewing archived copies of Legal Information Management and The Law Librarian – as the journal was once known – LIM’s co-editors leaf through the three issues published in 1975.