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A university’s research output is only beneficial when others can easily find it. This is where libraries can add tremendous value to the research process: By leveraging their expertise in collecting, organizing, and making information easily discoverable, academic libraries can help raise the profile of their institution’s research

With most patrons still unable to browse the stacks, public librarians are finding creative ways to provide the experience of serendipitous discovery through book bundles and grab bags.

On the afternoon of January 6, as Congress prepared to count the electoral votes to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump—many of them armed—stormed the Capitol Building. The Capitol was evacuated and placed on lockdown, including the Library of Congress offices in the James Madison Memorial Building.

When I look at the state of the nation, my first reaction is frustration with squandered opportunities for the federal government to address both pandemic spread and economic hardship. Both could have been considerably ameliorated with sustained, coordinated action from the top over the past 10 months.

Teacher, raconteur, debater, mentor, advocate, editor, and above all, librarian: Colleagues and friends from the field recall John N. Berry III’s vital voice.

On the afternoon of December 21, Congress released and passed a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package. The FY21 budget, along with a $900 billion Emergency COVID Relief spending package, includes a $5 million increase from FY20 for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), including nearly $2 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The bill did not, however, include direct funding for libraries.

AHC Library enables students to access digital course reserves from any device, TLC Migrates to Oracle Cloud, and ProQuest Launches a new text and data mining visualization interface.

Gina Millsap, CEO and director of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library (TSCPL) for the past 15 years, retired on December 1. LJ caught up with her on her next-to-last day at TSCPL to find out more about her achievements, her challenges, and what’s next on her agenda.

The National Endowment for the Humanities teams up with the UK-based Arts and Humanities Research Council, ALA and Humble Bundle team up to offer library supporters and advocates an opportunity to fund ALA initiatives supporting social justice and intellectual freedom, The Canadian Research Knowledge Network and the National Information Standards Organization have announced a consortium agreement, and more news briefs.

Academic librarians are seeing more interest in open access (OA) content and open educational resources (OER) during the COVID-19 pandemic, survey respondents reported, due in part to a lack of access to physical materials and a desire to keep textbook costs low. Those are some of the findings from the Library Journal Open Access Content/Open Educational Resources in Academic Libraries Survey, released this month.

When people think of Federal presidential elections and the Electoral College, they do not typically think of the role of archivists. Nonetheless, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) plays a critical role in collecting documents, ensuring that everyone who needs them has them, and finally keeping them for prosperity.

Libraries and archives nationwide have launched initiatives to diversify their collections, institute antiracist descriptive practices, and conduct outreach to marginalized communities. We knew that our collections lacked all these things, but questioned how we could authentically start this work. What can libraries and archives do when confronted with limited resources, material, and community engagement to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in their work?

Martha Fogg of Adam Matthew Digital describes this database that charts the social history of Britain.

On November 7, Pfizer announced interim findings of a 90 percent effectiveness rate for its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. On November 16, Moderna announced a similar interim finding of 94.5 percent effectiveness. While there are cautionary notes—these are the companies’ numbers, not the FDA’s, and at press time the trials were not yet complete—it is still a hopeful sign that the most stringent measures to contain community spread may be behind us by 2022. Yet the right-now coronavirus news is grim.

On August 11, St. Louis County Library (SLCL), MO, announced the layoffs of 122 part-time workers. All 600 employees, both full- and part-time, had been paid during nearly three months while library buildings were closed. But a number of staff, along with other supporters, feel that the layoffs will impact services once the library reopens. Some workers have also alleged that the layoffs were retaliatory.

Despite precautionary measures against the coronavirus, such as regular testing and social distancing rules, as a second pandemic wave picks up across the country some schools are opting for an early shut-down of in-person learning. With classes pivoting to all online and residential students being sent home ahead of their Thanksgiving break—or being instructed not to return to campus afterward—academic libraries are once again adjusting to support their communities’ needs.

An early breaking announcement on November 25 stated that Penguin Random House has acquired Simon & Schuster in a $2.2 billion deal.

Library distributor Baker & Taylor announced on October 28 that it would be returning to the academic market as a full-service vendor.

Publishers and librarians offer their perspective on what makes for a great reference collection, and how to maintain it to serve all information seekers.

Library Journal covers many projects initiated within libraries, but occasionally a great idea is born of sheer fandom. The Library Land Project emerged from consultants Greg Peverill-Conti and Adam Zand’s love of libraries, and their goal to visit as many in their home state of Massachusetts as possible—and kept growing from there.

The Iowa City Public Library (ICPL) has embedded concrete, quantified steps toward equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into its three-year strategic plan, released on September 23.

Whether librarians are providing services in-person or virtually, reference has changed with the pandemic.

Carl Grant, former president of Ex Libris North America and interim dean of the University of Oklahoma Libraries, this summer became managing director of The Revs Institute, a Naples, FL–based not-for-profit dedicated to the research and historical study of automobiles.

While the nation is on tenterhooks waiting for votes to be tallied in the general election, a number of critical library ballot measures were decided on election day—and the wins far outnumbered the losses.

On October 12, a group of partners from different corners of the book world launched Book the Vote, a website devoted to combating disinformation and increasing voter turnout this election season. Penguin Random House (PRH), together with freedom of expression nonprofit PEN America, voter participation nonprofit When We All Vote, and literary apparel company Out of Print (owned by PRH), brings a variety of content—videos from PRH authors, relevant titles for all ages, voter registration information, and resources to increase voter engagement and general understanding of civic topics.

Michigan State University will migrate to the open source FOLIO Library Services Platform, and will fully implement FOLIO in 2021, it announced today. EBSCO Information Services will provide hosting, implementation, training, and development support, and will leverage integrations with EBSCO Discovery Service and OpenAthens access management.

ALA 2022–23 Presidential candidates include Stacey A. Aldrich, Ed Garcia, and Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada; Shira Perlmutter has been selected as the 14th Register of Copyrights; Cuyahoga County Public Library announced the appointments of Pamela Jankowski, Scott Morgan, and Monique Good; and more library people news for October 26, 2020.

Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe and Christine Wolff-Eisenberg discuss the fourth and final analysis of their Academic Library Response to COVID-19 survey, “Indications of the New Normal,” looking at the current phases of academic library pandemic reactions.

After initially exploring the donation of some of its library collections to nearby Wayne State University, Marygrove College ultimately decided to give its 70,000 books and 3,000 journal volumes to the Internet Archive, which digitized the collection and made it available via Controlled Digital Lending.

The events of 2020 have sparked an awakening to long-standing inequalities in our society. As a result, students and researchers are looking to their libraries and universities for insights and information from a wider variety of perspectives, including those of people who have been historically marginalized.

John Nichols Berry III, Library Journal editor for more than half a century, died on October 10, 2020, at the age of 87, of an apparent heart attack.

Wyatt has been part of LJ's team for well over a decade as a freelance contributor and most recently, creator of the Book Pulse daily book news bulletin. She is also co-editor of Reference and User Services Quarterly’s (RUSQ) RA column and has served as president of the American Library Association’s Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) and chair of the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES).

In 2020, the Nashville Public Library (NPL) looked to expand its Civil Right Center with a new Votes For Women room. After 18 months of planning, the grand opening was scheduled to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which cleared the way for women to vote. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, the NPL realized that the grand celebrations envisioned would not be possible.

There is a threadrunning through almost all major headlines in our country this year: racial injustice.

Because of concerns about travel and gathering during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)’s Board of Directors announced on October 1 that the 2021 ACRL conference, previously scheduled for April 14–17 in Seattle, WA, will instead be held as an all-virtual event.

When Multnomah County Library (MCL), OR, announced its plan in July to reduce staff by some 14 percent, staff and members of peer institutions responded with anger and concern that library services would be compromised, even as management defended the cuts as necessary stewardship of library funds in a changing service environment. After two months of outcry on the part of staff and others, on September 2 MCL Director Vailey Oehlke issued a press release drastically rolling back the number of cuts. 

Because information is critical to an informed electorate, the government formed an institution to ensure affordable access and avoid censorship. As a result, a high literacy rate led to economic growth. I’m speaking, of course, of the Postal Service Act of 1792, decades before the first modern public library opened in Peterborough, NH.

This year’s winner talks about creating community and The Seclusion.

Saratoga Springs Public Library picked up a Green Business Partnership Transportation Award for modeling green alternatives to driving, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ Jerome Robbins Dance Division has acquired dancer Trisha Brown's Archives, and the University of California–San Diego Library has digitally reconstructed the ancient Temple of Bel in Palmyra, Syria , destroyed in 2015 during the Syrian civil war, and more News Briefs.

Welcome to Trans + Script, a column dedicated to amplifying the voices of transgender, nonbinary (nb), and queer library people and highlighting topics related to their experience in libraries. We’re in big cities, small towns, rural communities, on military bases, in areas of wealth, and in areas of poverty. Why is that reality important enough to be the first topic in this column? Because even though there are a lot of us and we’re everywhere, representation still matters.

Central Technology (Cen-Tec), developers of the i-circ line of self-check stations, created Point 2 Click, a patent-pending adapter that enables library patrons to use public touchscreen interfaces without ever physically touching the screens. The adapters were developed in response to heightened cleaning protocols as libraries reopen branches during the COVID-19 pandemic.

UPDATE 9/10/20:  On September 3, the REALM project published the results of the fourth round of Battelle’s laboratory testing for COVID-19 on five materials common to archives, libraries, and museums. Results show that after six days of quarantine the SARS-CoV-2 virus was still detected on all five materials tested. When compared to Test 1, which resulted in nondetectable virus after three days on an unstacked hardcover book, softcover book, plastic protective cover, and DVD case, the results of Test 4 highlight the effect of stacking and its ability to prolong the survivability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

California’s 2020 wildfire season is one of the worst on record, with fires causing extensive damage to homes, businesses, and forestland. Libraries across the state have largely escaped severe fire or smoke damage. However, harsh smoke conditions have curtailed many libraries’ curbside or front-door pickup services, and the resources they have offered patrons in past wildfire seasons, such as assistance filing claims and in-library computer use, are impossible to provide safely because of COVID-19 related library closures.

While exact demographics are hard to come by, the informal consensus seems to be that members of most public libraries’ board of trustees or directors are largely white, well-off, and older. Meanwhile, the communities they represent are often far more diverse.

UPDATE: On August 25, the Douglas County Library Board of Trustees voted 3–2 to approve an investigation into Amy Dodson and her staff over the proposed diversity statement. The investigation, to be conducted by an independent firm, would cost an estimated $30,000, although the scope of the investigation was not specified.

With most museums still closed, digital exhibits offer opportunities to consider outbreaks past and present from a safe distance.

On July 27, the Internet Archive (IA) responded to a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, Wiley, and Penguin Random House by filing a brief in the U.S. Southern District of New York that denies all charges of willful infringement.

Black Lives Matter. Indigenous people should be honored and recognized. Xenophobia is not acceptable. This movement across our country is a call to action, and libraries are redefining what the scope of this work entails and how we need to take the appropriate action to create a safe space for everyone.

Linked Data is only as useful as the metadata on which it depends, and poor quality metadata ultimately causes the challenges many librarians hope to address with Linked Data.

An enlightening and concise overview of the life and times of irony and sarcasm, an analysis of how state and non-state actors leverage digital rhetoric as a twenty-first-century weapon of war, and an examination of the evolution of emoji top the list of best-selling language books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

Best-selling author, actor, stand-up comedian, podcaster, and producer Phoebe Robinson partners with Plume to launch the imprint Tiny Reparations Books, which will give her a forum to "highlight and amplify unique and diverse voices."

New directors include Joslyn Bowling Dixon at Newark, NJ; John Herron at Kansas City, MO; and Joan R. Johnson at Milwaukee; Dana Canedy and Lisa Lucas bring fresh faces to big publishing; Urban Libraries Council elects its 20–21 executive board, with DC Public Library Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan to serve as Chair; and more library people news for August 4, 2020.

Libraries can and should continue to apply creative problem-solving to mitigate the worst impacts of this pandemic on staff and users. There is a limit to what even the most nimble, inventive, and dedicated libraries—or even consortia or associations—can fix. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing we can do. We need to think bigger and to throw the collective power of our profession toward advocacy for large-scale solutions.

Ry Moran is the founding director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba, Canada. For the past five years Moran, a member of the Red River Métis, has led the creation of a permanent home of a national archive for all materials gathered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. LJ caught up with him recently to learn more about what it took to build an archive of such a critical chapter of Canada’s Indigenous history.

Ry Moran, founding director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) at the University of Manitoba, Canada, will become the inaugural Associate University Librarian for Reconciliation at the University of Victoria (UVic), BC, this fall. LJ caught up with him recently to hear more about his plans and thoughts on helping create institutional equity.

A comprehensive guide to carbon inside Earth, an entry point to the growing journal literature on green oxidation in organic synthesis, and a useful tool for synthetic chemists top the list of best-selling chemistry books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

On July 2, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) introduced the bipartisan Library Stabilization Fund Act in both chambers (S.4181 and H.R.7486, respectively). The legislation, introduced with 13 cosponsors on both sides of the aisle in the Senate and 27 in the House, would establish a dedicated $2 billion fund to be administered by IMLS that would address the financial losses incurred in the pandemic shutdown and bolster library services going forward, with priority given to the hardest-hit communities.

Siobhan Reardon, who served as president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) since 2008, has resigned in the wake of accusations of systemic racism throughout the library. The library has been accused of discrimination for several years, including in public discussion during City Council budget hearings in April 2019.

ValChoice, an independent data analytics company focused on the U.S. insurance industry, is offering public and academic libraries permanent, unlimited access to online calculators, insurance company ratings, tutorials and “how-to” videos, worksheets, and other tools designed to help users understand how insurance—such as car and home insurance—is priced, and how to decide on policies based on their age, deductibles, coverage limits, and other factors.

UNC Chapel Hill Libraries has received a collection valued at $6.2 million from rare book collector and alumna Florence Fearrington, the Panorama Project has released a custom version of Panorama Picks spotlighting antiracist titles, the Library Freedom Institute has announced its fourth cohort, and more News Briefs.

A unique exploration of the life and work of Rudyard Kipling, an ambitious rethinking of H.G. Wells as both writer and thinker, and an earnest survey of how and why feminism has or has not been presented on the stage top the list of best-selling literary criticism books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

In late June, Macmillan announced the creation of the Trade Management Committee, which will “set the goals and objectives for the publishers, divisions, and departments that comprise U.S. Trade and Shared Services.” However, the question remains whether this committee and other steps taken by the publisher will result in real change or are a temporary measure to placate criticism.

In summer 2016, four librarians—Jessica Anne Bratt, Amita Lonial, Sarah Lawton, and Amy Sonnie—created Libraries 4 Black Lives (L4BL), an online space for libraries to support the Movement for Black Lives and develop a support community for advocates doing racial justice work in libraries. While L4BL is no longer active, Bratt, youth services manager at the Grand Rapids Public Library, MI, has continued her advocacy and social justice work. LJ recently caught up with her to find out more about what she’s been doing.

Shifting instruction and campus services entirely online in a matter of days in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a near-Herculean feat for the nation’s colleges and universities. But for institutions that have developed robust and forward-looking library programs, the transition has proceeded more smoothly.

In many towns across the United States, seeing members of the police in the public library is common-place. Off-duty officers moonlight as library security guards. Library programs like “Coffee with a Cop” aim to help the police develop closer bonds of trust with the community. And police are often called to deal with behavioral issues or threats to patron or staff safety. But as the past weeks of protest after the police killing of George Floyd, among others, make plain, for a substantial portion of patrons and staff, the presence of the police is itself a threat.

As calls for accountability are amplified across the country, many institutions are starting by addressing their racist history—many of which involved naming rights for funders or founders. Recently the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University (LSU) unanimously voted to remove the name of former university president Troy H. Middleton, whose 1961 correspondence stated his wish to keep the school segregated, from the LSU Library.

Seven experts discussed long-term trends that are becoming even more significant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A riveting insider's look at the race to find a cure for antibiotic-resistant infections; the fascinating story of the search for cancer viruses in the US; and an insight into contemporary, robust methodologies for studies into the pathogenicity and virulence of human and animal bacterial pathogens top the list of best-selling microbiology books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

In partnership with 10 state libraries, BiblioLabs has announced that more than 4,000 digital comics, graphic novels, and children’s materials will be available for free, unlimited simultaneous use through August 31. In addition, the library partners will be participating in a new Virtual Library Comic Convention scheduled to be held on July 30.

Gale, a Cengage company, today introduced five interactive dashboards for its Gale Analytics demographic data visualization platform.

At the American Library Association's (ALA) virtual conference held this week, replacing the annual in-person conference which was canceled because of the pandemic, ALA President Wanda Brown invited as her President’s Program speaker Stacey Abrams—author, Georgia gubernatorial candidate, and founder of the organizations Fair Fight (for voting rights) and Fair Count (for census participation).

Online meetings have become ubiquitous for many of us. Once our library started offering Virtual Meeting Rooms to the public via Zoom, we immediately began fielding questions on how to best structure online events. Since how an event is structured has such a large impact on its success, we wanted to share some best practices we’ve learned.

The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly shuttered academic libraries across the United States in March, leaving library staff scrambling to continue some semblance of library services. As states have taken steps toward reopening, academic institutions are now looking toward the fall semester and considering how they might safely open their own facilities.

How do you reopen a library with no guidelines or best practices to work from? That’s the question public leaders and staff are considering as library buildings gradually open across the country.

Most public libraries stopped distributing materials during the pandemic to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But that doesn’t mean they stopped distributing anything. Some leveraged their expertise at getting resources into the hands of patrons to help those suddenly struggling with the bare essentials of life: food, diapers, the means to clean up, or a place to sleep.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers not only resulted in protests throughout the country, it also forced many non-Black Americans to finally grapple with the realization that Black lives are systemically devalued. To help readers learn to recognize and combat systemic racism, several institutions and organizations are making resources readily available.

The last untold tale from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, a treasure trove of cartographic delights, and collection of new insights about the relationships between networks and maps top the list of best-selling geography books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

As libraries prepare to reopen, measures to keep staff and patrons as safe as possible from coronavirus infection are being instituted across the country. But most of those measures require patron cooperation. General worries over lack of compliance or having to enforce new rules have added an extra layer of uncertainty for those returning to work. 

Joy Bivins is the new Associate Director of Collections and Research Services at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Maureen Sullivan is the Interim State Librarian at the Connecticut State Library, Chad Helton was named director of the Hennepin County Library system, and more library people news.

Though most libraries remain closed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, public librarians are still connecting with their patrons—thanks, in part, to virtual book clubs.

The massive change in life circumstances over the weeks since my last column have been strange, terrible, and beautiful—often all at once.

A vibrant and inspiring introduction to feminist music history, an exploration of the Bauhaus school and its legacy, and a thoughtful account of how art and history inform each other top the list of best-selling music and art books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

We need a National Library Workers Organization. The COVID-19 crisis has brought home to American workers their individual vulnerability—and their collective power. 

There is no 100 percent protection against the risk of COVID-19 aside from self-isolation, but we hope that the plans we’ve developed for re-opening our academic libraries will help you figure out how to provide the best protection for your staff and patrons.

Online classes pose many challenges, from baseline access to computers and the internet to requiring proficiency with new technologies and platforms, as well as motivation issues.

In response to coronavirus shutdown orders that have left public library branches closed across the country, Playaway—developer of products including Playaway pre-loaded audiobook devices, Wonderbook read-alongs, and Launchpad pre-loaded tablets—recently began offering its customers the option to ship products directly from the company to patrons’ homes.

The New York Public Library of the Performing Arts has acquired the archive of modern dance trailblazer Martha Graham, IMLS and the FCC will team up to promote the use of $50 million from the CARES Act to help address the digital divide during the ongoing pandemic, the University Press of Kentucky will continue operations with funding by the Kentucky General Assembly and the Thomas D. Clark Foundation, and more News Briefs.

Some libraries are already attempting to reopen their physical locations to the public, at least to some limited extent. Others, in harder hit areas or with local governments more focused on stopping the spread of Coronavirus, are still months away. But all are considering how to reconfigure their space, as well as their service, to best shield staff and patron health.

As we begin to reopen more and more libraries across the country the pressure you will feel as a leader is going to increase. You are crucial to your organization’s future right now. It’s okay to be nervous; it’s okay to be scared. Those emotions will not stop you from doing what you need to do. We can do this. You can do this.

As the coronavirus makes internet access even more crucial for schooling, many jobs, and applying for unemployment, library staff have been working on creative solutions to bring access to thousands who would otherwise be without, moving beyond Wi-Fi in parking lots and cultivating external partnerships.

As libraries approach their third month of closure, many institutions that had continued to pay employees—whether or not they were able to engage in active work—are now turning to layoffs or furloughs, often citing concerns about budget cuts.

On May 18, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS), and the Public Library Association (PLA) announced the formation of the Building Cultural Proficiencies for Racial Equity Framework Task Force.

As states and cities suspend coronavirus-related shutdown orders, two library apps—ConverSight LIBRO and CapiraMobile—are introducing curbside pickup features that will enable library staff to fulfill requests for books and other physical materials while maintaining social distancing recommendations and minimizing personal contact with patrons.

The remarkable story of the trailblazers and the ordinary Americans on the front lines of the epic mission to reach the moon, a lively and innovative collection exploring the diverse conditions that shape how—and whether—scientific knowledge travels across borders, and a history of the space program through the eyes of its engineers and scientists top the list of best-selling History of Science books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

As public libraries do more and more in times of crisis to fill gaps in our social safety net, it is time to rethink how publishers and content providers relate and do business with public libraries and their customers. How can those relationships be retooled and reimagined to provide outcomes that are more beneficial for all?

There’s been a trend in articles coming out in major publications about how excited people are to get back to their libraries and how resilient libraries are. While they pay important attention to the needs libraries are still striving to meet in their communities, these narratives do nothing to expose the miserable realities that library workers are experiencing, or incite any kind of action to be taken in their defense.

A handful of shuttered library buildings across the country are temporarily providing workspace that allows essential workers and services to properly social distance amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Barbara Rockenbach appointed Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian at Yale University, Julie Garrison elected as ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect, Brian Hart is the new Director of the Forsyth County Public Library, NC, and more library people news.

Construction work is scheduled for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, OH, and Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, MI; Paramus Public Library has applied for NJ Construction Bond funding; and yes, there's a podcast for everything—now, a new library construction podcast from the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program.

An astonishing behind-the-scenes chronicle of the New York Times’s bombshell Harvey Weinstein exposé; an important, thoughtful, and thorough examination of criminal justice in America; and the first part of a sweeping two-volume history of the devastation brought to bear on Native American nations by U.S. expansion top the list of best-selling politics and law books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.