Law Librarianship as a Profession in the United States of America

The performance of duties which law librarians consider professional varies in quantity and in quality among different types of law libraries. It is hoped that this small paper will reflect these differences and yet provide information typical enough of American librarians to provide an adequate picture for comparison. Noting the essential differences, this paper will briefly describe the organization of professional law librarians in their jobs and in their relationships with other librarians, their educational status and requirements, and other indicia of professionalism which affect their status. It will undoubtedly reflect the biases of a librarian from a university law library.