Leading Landlords to the Law Library: How to use ALA's @ your library* campaign as an outreach tool to local communities

Authors

Marcia L. Dority Baker, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2-2008

Comments

Published in AALL Spectrum (February 2008) 12(4). Copyright 2008, American Association of Law Libraries. Used by permission.

Abstract

In Lincoln, Nebraska, tenants of rental-housing units often visit the University of Nebraska (UNL) College of Law's Schmid Law Library for information and help in dealing with landlord and/or rental issues. Landlords, on the other hand, rarely use the law library, which lends material to all Nebraska residents over the age of 18. Even non-residents or minors may access and use the law library's collection within the building.

Lincoln landlords are missing out on the law library's resources for assistance with tenant issues, renting concerns, housing discrimination questions, deadbeat tenants, small business needs, and other landlord concerns. According to the Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 from the U.S. Census FactFinder (http://factfinder.census.gov) Web site, 40 percent of Lincoln housing units are rentals.

Thus, the law library has a large public constituent base with potential landlord-tenant information needs yet untapped.