Comments on: trust your online “virtual reference” librarian http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/08/22/trust-your-online-virtual-reference-librarian/ news, views and info on self-help law and pro se litigation Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:11:37 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Laura the Law Librarian http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/08/22/trust-your-online-virtual-reference-librarian/comment-page-1/#comment-1226 Laura the Law Librarian Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:54:34 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/08/22/trust-your-online-virtual-reference-lib#comment-1226 First, you don't always have to find a LAW library that offers virtual reference service in order to get virtual legal reference. A lot of law librarians (there are at least two of us in Oregon) participate through their statewide public library virtual reference services. Our own law libraries are too small to set up our own virtual reference service, but we still want to contribute. People with legal questions might talk or email first with a generalist librarian, but they are then given the option to have their question passed along to a specialist law librarian. So, sometimes all you need to do is to email or Chat with your own public library's virtual reference service. If the answer isn't satisfactory, ask for a specialist. Second, this (above) is not to say your virtual law librarian is going to "answer" the question. An awful lot (meaning about 99%) of "legal questions" put to us in virtual reference situations need to be researched by the person doing the asking or by an attorney. Your law librarian can help focus the research, recommend good legal research resources, help you use those resources, and make referrals to advocates or others who might be able to answer the question. The last point about local referrals is another reason to make full use of your LOCAL library's resources before emailing a law librarian half-way across the country with a question about your own city's and state's laws. Your local librarians will know more about the full range of legal and non-legal resources available. But we do operate outside our geographic limits when we need to, which is what virtual reference is all about :-) First, you don’t always have to find a LAW library that offers virtual reference service in order to get virtual legal reference. A lot of law librarians (there are at least two of us in Oregon) participate through their statewide public library virtual reference services. Our own law libraries are too small to set up our own virtual reference service, but we still want to contribute. People with legal questions might talk or email first with a generalist librarian, but they are then given the option to have their question passed along to a specialist law librarian. So, sometimes all you need to do is to email or Chat with your own public library’s virtual reference service. If the answer isn’t satisfactory, ask for a specialist.

Second, this (above) is not to say your virtual law librarian is going to “answer” the question. An awful lot (meaning about 99%) of “legal questions” put to us in virtual reference situations need to be researched by the person doing the asking or by an attorney. Your law librarian can help focus the research, recommend good legal research resources, help you use those resources, and make referrals to advocates or others who might be able to answer the question. The last point about local referrals is another reason to make full use of your LOCAL library’s resources before emailing a law librarian half-way across the country with a question about your own city’s and state’s laws. Your local librarians will know more about the full range of legal and non-legal resources available. But we do operate outside our geographic limits when we need to, which is what virtual reference is all about :-)

]]> By: shlep http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/08/22/trust-your-online-virtual-reference-librarian/comment-page-1/#comment-18 shlep Wed, 13 Sep 2006 15:13:13 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/08/22/trust-your-online-virtual-reference-lib#comment-18 Eve, Thank you for a very informative Comment. Please come back regularly with your insights. Eve, Thank you for a very informative Comment. Please come back regularly with your insights.

]]> By: Eve Ricaurte, Pro Se Coordinator, Iowa Legal Aid http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/08/22/trust-your-online-virtual-reference-librarian/comment-page-1/#comment-17 Eve Ricaurte, Pro Se Coordinator, Iowa Legal Aid Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:47:14 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/08/22/trust-your-online-virtual-reference-lib#comment-17 In addition to the examples described above, Montana Legal Services Association and Iowa Legal Aid now offer LiveHelp chat assistance on the statewide legal information and referral websites www.montanalawhelp.org and www.iowalegalaid.org/IA. LiveHelp uses LivePerson’s Timpani software (http://www.liveperson.com). Funding has been provided by the Legal Services Corporation through Technology Initiative Grants as well as by project partners, Montana Legal Services Association, Iowa Legal Aid, and Pro Bono Net. The goals of this project are • To enable low-income persons to find and better use the legal information available online and to more easily access legal aid intake and services. • To improve the overall quality of the content and user experience for all LawHelp Web site visitors. Disclaimers are given before the chat begins so users of LiveHelp understand that the use of the chat feature does not establish an attorney/client relationship and that operators cannot give legal advice, only legal information. The LiveHelp staff can: • Send the visitor a link to a specific resource through the chat box. • Escort the visitor to a particular page on the Web site using a co-browse feature. • Direct pro se litigants to forms and information not only on the LawHelp web site, but also on other sites, such as court web sites. • Send information in other languages, such as Spanish, and translate information for visitors, as needed. Future tests of the LiveHelp service will include: • LiveHelp- assisted online intake for visitors to apply for assistance from Iowa Legal Aid. • Cross-jurisdiction assistance where LiveHelp operators staff LiveHelp chats for two or more states. This may be especially valuable in disaster response situations. • Review of web resources online with clients in conjunction with brief services on an intake and advice hotline. • LiveHelp to assist pro bono attorneys on the Georgia LawHelp advocate site, www.georgiaadvocates.org. Interested readers of this blog can find out more about LiveHelp in this FAQ from Montana Legal Services Association: http://www.montanalawhelp.org/link.cfm?1477 In addition to the examples described above, Montana Legal Services Association and Iowa Legal Aid now offer LiveHelp chat assistance on the statewide legal information and referral websites http://www.montanalawhelp.org and http://www.iowalegalaid.org/IA.
LiveHelp uses LivePerson’s Timpani software (http://www.liveperson.com). Funding has been provided by the Legal Services Corporation through Technology Initiative Grants as well as by project partners, Montana Legal Services Association, Iowa Legal Aid, and Pro Bono Net.

The goals of this project are
• To enable low-income persons to find and better use the legal information available online and to more easily access legal aid intake and services.
• To improve the overall quality of the content and user experience for all LawHelp Web site visitors.

Disclaimers are given before the chat begins so users of LiveHelp understand that the use of the chat feature does not establish an attorney/client relationship and that operators cannot give legal advice, only legal information.

The LiveHelp staff can:
• Send the visitor a link to a specific resource through the chat box.
• Escort the visitor to a particular page on the Web site using a co-browse feature.
• Direct pro se litigants to forms and information not only on the LawHelp web site, but also on other sites, such as court web sites.
• Send information in other languages, such as Spanish, and translate information for visitors, as needed.

Future tests of the LiveHelp service will include:
• LiveHelp- assisted online intake for visitors to apply for assistance from Iowa Legal Aid.
• Cross-jurisdiction assistance where LiveHelp operators staff LiveHelp chats for two or more states. This may be especially valuable in disaster response situations.
• Review of web resources online with clients in conjunction with brief services on an intake and advice hotline.
• LiveHelp to assist pro bono attorneys on the Georgia LawHelp advocate site, http://www.georgiaadvocates.org.

Interested readers of this blog can find out more about LiveHelp in this FAQ from Montana Legal Services Association: http://www.montanalawhelp.org/link.cfm?1477

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