Reaching the diverse public of Alberta, Canada: How law librarians helped fill a gap in legal information delivery and access to justice through an innovative and collaborative new website
Loading...
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
LegalAve is a new public legal information website in Alberta, Canada. The project was initiated by public and law librarians to help deal with the gap in legal information delivery and access to justice in Alberta.
The founding librarians recognized that while much legal information can be found freely on the internet, this increased access can mean trouble for many members of the public who are not discerning consumers of legal information. Information overload, confusion over jurisdiction, and a disconnect between substantive law and the legal process are continual concerns for law librarians committed to making “access to justice” a reality for their users. Similarly, geographical hurdles, language barriers, funding challenges, and navigating the fine line between legal information and advice affect law librarians’ ability to deliver legal information to Albertans.
Faced with these challenges, the founding librarians determined that, rather than trying to bring Albertans to the legal information, law libraries should instead work with other experts in the field, and with the reigning paradigms and inescapable hurdles, to bring legal information (and the law library) to Albertans. Thus was born LegalAve.
Through LegalAve, librarians and other legal information providers reach the public indirectly, contributing their resources and information to its non-threatening online environment. LegalAve’s “Guided Pathway” feature helps users find the information that fits their situation based on question-and-answer “decision trees.” The website makes the connections between legal information, community services, legal processes, and the basics of legal research (including referrals to law libraries for further assistance). In short: LegalAve is a success story about how Alberta law librarians brought together the strengths of all members of the legal community, and thereby expanded their role to meet the needs of users while remaining a key player in facilitating access to justice.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Action to End Poverty in Alberta. “Poverty Facts.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.actiontoendpovertyinalberta.org/poverty_facts.
Alberta Law Foundation. “Welcome to the Alberta Law Foundation.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.albertalawfoundation.org.
The Alberta Library. “TAL Online.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.thealbertalibrary.ab.ca/services/tal-online.
Alberta Ministry of Aboriginal Relations. “Facts about Aboriginal people in Alberta.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www.aboriginal.alberta.ca/documents/FactsCard-Aboriginal_People_in_Alberta-WEB.pdf.
Alberta Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General. “What is the proportion of Aboriginal people represented in the justice system?” Accessed May 20, 2015. https://justice.alberta.ca/programs_services/aboriginal/Common%20Questions%20Library%20%20Aboriginal%20Justice/WhatProportionAboriginalPeopleRepresentedJusticeSystem.aspx/DispForm.aspx?ID=4.
Alberta Ministry of Municipal Affairs. “Public Library Statistics.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/plsb_statistics.
---. “Supernet.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/plsb_supernet.
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. “Roaming Charges: What You Should Know.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/t17.htm.
CBC News. “Legal Aid closing northern Alberta offices, cutting jobs in Calgary.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/legal-aid-closing-northern-alberta-offices-cutting-jobs-in-calgary-1.2706885.
Centre for Public Legal Education of Alberta. “Law for Alberta’s Multicultural Communities: Research Report.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.cplea.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Law-for-Albertas-Multicultural-Communities-Research-Report-2013.pdf.
Global News. “Migration to Alberta is exploding.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://globalnews.ca/news/1220698/migration-to-alberta-is-exploding.
Google Maps. “Alberta Law Libraries Locations.” Accessed May 19, 2015. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zQRLVQMJIN-k.kIycEv7KuDEw.
Legal Aid Alberta. “Getting Legal Aid: Eligibility.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.legalaid.ab.ca/help/Pages/Eligibility.aspx.
Library Association of Alberta. “LAA Response to Alberta Budget 2015-2016.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.laa.ca/page/news/ezlist_item_0e0d8f27-ed64-4cbb-aa56-5d5aa6dcddc2.aspx#.VVt7gWTBwXB.
The National Self-Represented Litigants Project. “What Court Staff Told Us: A Summary from the National Self-Represented Litigants Study, 2011-2012.” Accessed May 20, 2015. https://representingyourselfcanada.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/nsrlp-what-court-staff-told-us.pdf.
Office for National Statistics. “Main comparisons: Population and Migration.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/compendiums/compendium-of-uk-statistics/population-and-migration/index.html.
Statistics Canada. “Estimates of population, Canada, provinces and territories.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a26?lang=eng&retrLang=eng&id=0510005&paSer=&pattern=&stByVal=1&p1=1&p2=31&tabMode=dataTable&csid=.
---. “Interprovincial migration by province and territory, 2011/2012.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-215-x/2012000/ct004-eng.htm.
---. “Interprovincial migration by province and territory, 2012/2013.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-215-x/2013002/ct005-eng.htm.
---. “Interprovincial migration by province and territory, 2013/2014.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-215-x/2014000/ct005-eng.htm.
---. “Net interprovincial migration for provinces and territories, 1976/1977 to 2010/2011.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-209-x/2013001/article/11786/tbl/tbl1-eng.htm.
---. “NHS Profile, Alberta, 2011.” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=48&Data=Count&SearchText=Alberta&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=48.
---. “Population by home language, by province and territory (2011 Census) (Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon).” Accessed May 20, 2015. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo61c-eng.htm.
---. “Population, urban and rural, by province and territory (Alberta).” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo62j-eng.htm.
---. “Population with an Aboriginal mother tongue by language family, main languages within these families and their main provincial and territorial concentrations, Canada, 2011.” Accessed May 19, 2015. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-314-x/2011003/tbl/tbl3_3-1-eng.cfm.