Legal Information Graduate Certificate

Graduate Certificate

Legal Information 

 

Legal Information Certificate

The Legal Information Certificate is a collaboration between the School of Information and the Cracchiolo Law Library at the University of Arizona College of Law. The certificate is designed to provide librarians and legal information professionals the skills and experience needed to hit the ground running in a variety of libraries and other legal information settings.

Legal Information Professionals & Law Librarians

It is hard to imagine a discipline where legal issues do not regularly arise. There is a growing need for law librarians and legal information professions in a variety of settings, including law school and university libraries, law firm and corporate libraries, state and federal agency and court libraries, and special collections libraries. 

Law librarians and legal information professionals engage in diverse areas of work and may specialize in foreign and international law, government documents, patents, scholarly communications, empirical services, administration, and special collections, including archives and antiquarian books. 

Many academic law librarians maintain an active research and teaching agenda and are members of law school and university faculty. Other legal information professionals focus more on collection development, access to resources, and administration. Still others support law firm and business growth through competitive intelligence research, data analytics, and cyber security. 

While approximately one-third of law librarians have law degrees, many positions do not require a law degree. 

American Association of Law Librarians (AALL)

The American Association of Law Libraries promotes and enhances the value of law libraries and legal information professionals to legal and public communities, fosters the profession of law librarianship, and provides leadership in the field of legal information. 

When you enter this certificate program, you will be encouraged to seek student membership in this professional association, which will provide opportunities for professional development, networking, continuing education, and employment.

Law Library Fellows Program

The Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library, in the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona, hosts a Law Library Fellows Program for students enrolled in the School of Information. To find out if you qualify for the program and/or to apply, visit the Fellows Program web page on the Law Library website.

Required Courses

You must complete a total of 15 units to complete the certificate. This requires taking 9 units - LAW 689, LIS 572 or LIS 681E, and LIS 693, plus 6 elective units. All coursework must be completed within 3 years. Tucson-based students are encouraged to do their internship at the UA College of Law Library when possible. 

Transfer Units

Up to 6 transfer units can be applied to the certificate if approved by the certificate advisor. If you are officially enrolled in another School of Information graduate program you may count courses toward multiple use units as follows:
 
  • 12 units may be shared between the MLIS and Legal Information Certificate.
  • 6 units may be shared between Legal Information and another Certificate program.
Please note: The Graduate College does not allow course sharing among three programs, so MLIS students who enroll in more than one certificate may need to take additional courses to complete all program requirements.