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Law Librarianship

Law Librarianship may be for YOU, if you:

  • Are interested in legal research
  • Hold or plan to seek a law degree (J.D.)

To learn more about different types of law librarianship, please see pages from The American Association of Law Libraries on:

Coursework for specialization in Law Librarianship:

IU-SLIS offers a joint master's degree program with the IU School of Law.

Dual Degree Program: Master of Library Science-Doctor of Jurisprudence

The dual MLS-JD program is intended for students who want to enter law librarianship, in which the law degree is usually required for top positions, and for students who want to enter the legal profession with the training and ability to do their own legal bibliography and research. Students must be admitted to both the School of Library and Information Science and the School of Law. Simultaneous application to the two schools is strongly recommended. The two degrees must be awarded simultaneously.

Requirements for the Master of Library Science degree are as follows:

  1. Completion of SLIS courses from the MLS requirements (15 credit hours minimum)
  2. Other required SLIS courses (6 cr.): S654 - Law Librarianship and S525 - Government Information.
  3. SLIS elective courses, of which S533 and S640 are particularly appropriate, sufficient to bring the total of SLIS credit hours completed to 30.

A minimum of 77 credit hours is required from the School of Law. For specific requirements see the entry for the dual MLS-JD program in the School of Law Bulletin.

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Job Outlook for this field:

The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) offers placement services at its annual meeting and via its web page. Please see:

Qualities employers seek:

  • "people-oriented"
  • "storytellers"
  • "comfortable with technology"
  • "understand developmental stages of youth"
  • "strong management and public relations skills"

Opportunities to gain experience in this field:

Indianapolis law firms have provided internships for IU-SLIS students. Internships in both the public and technical services aspects of law librarianship also are available with the IUB Law Library.

Professional Associations: Interested in knowing more? Contact:

On campus:

  • Linda Fariss, Associate Director of the Law Library
    and Associate Librarian and Lecturer in Law
    812-855-4951 or e-mail: fariss@indiana.edu
  • Keith Buckley, Associate Librarian and Lecturer in Law
    812-855-2938 or e-mail: buckley@indiana.edu
  • Leonard Fromm, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Academic Programs
    812-855-5361 or e-mail: fromml@indiana.edu
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