Connelly, Michael. The Lincoln Lawyer: A Novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2005 [PS 3553 .051165 .L56 2005]

The law library doesn’t buy a lot of fiction. Still we do purchase the occasional legal based novel and of course the latest legal thriller (Grisham/Turow/etc.) So it shouldn’t be a surprise that when, a few years ago, I read a review of The Lincoln Lawyer, I decided it was an appropriate addition to our library. Connelly is perhaps best known as being one of Bill Clinton’s favorite writers and he had a string of successful “hard boiled” detective novels published in the 1990s. A fan of the like of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, Connelly’s writing is as rough as 24 grit sandpaper. The Lincoln Lawyer, his first jump into the legal thriller genre, is no exception. Full Story »

Suggestion: I was disappointed to find that the latest editions of casebooks — the ones that professors teach out of — circulate in the library with all other materials. It seems that these should be on hand at all times for quick reference; nobody really has a need for old editions of even the same casebook. The idea that one person can monopolize the use of a book while 99% of his peers pay a not unsubstantial amount of money for their own copies seems more than a little absurd. (And, sometimes, those expensive, heavy books get left at home, as I found out the hard way this week!) Might I suggest recalling the current casebooks when they’re due and keeping them within the walls of the library? Unless there is some defense of the current policy, though I cannot fathom one. Thanks for considering my suggestion.

Response: As a rule, the Library does not purchase casebooks, which is one reason that we do not keep them in a separate, non-circulating collection. We only have casebooks that have been donated to the Library, generally by a faculty member. The expectation is that students all have their own casebooks. Occasionally, when a casebook is in short supply, a faculty member will put a copy on reserve for students. The Library does purchase hornbooks for students to study from and we do keep those on reserve behind the circulation desk. We feel that this is a better use of our resources. Thanks for your suggestion.