No one would have imagined our timing, but we visited Middle Temple Law Library the day after the UK voted to leave the EU. Yes, we visited a law library after Brexit. I don't mean to make it sound like there were riots at the doors. There weren't. However, the information we received about the collection seemed a little more important as a result of the new political decision.
Our tour guide informed us pretty quickly that the Middle Temple Law Library made it a point of collecting all laws that might impact or come into play for lawyers who were affiliated with this library. That is, they had collections of EU and US laws (along with other laws from other countries) available for lawyers to use. I couldn't help but think about the line in their collection. After new laws are passed in unaffiliated England/the UK, materials will be noted as post-EU (one would think). The collection would be forever altered by this political break.
Beyond the politics of Brexit, this reminded me of the impact that politics have on all facets of living, including libraries. It is easy to become distracted by the nuances of the "best library software" or the "most useful organizational strategies", but politics can make a well-executed plan and turn it to mush. I'm not saying that Middle Temple Law Library has experienced this, but the notations required and the types of queries they experience will be altered by this vote. Their collections and organizations of materials will likely be altered.
Our tour guide informed us pretty quickly that the Middle Temple Law Library made it a point of collecting all laws that might impact or come into play for lawyers who were affiliated with this library. That is, they had collections of EU and US laws (along with other laws from other countries) available for lawyers to use. I couldn't help but think about the line in their collection. After new laws are passed in unaffiliated England/the UK, materials will be noted as post-EU (one would think). The collection would be forever altered by this political break.
Beyond the politics of Brexit, this reminded me of the impact that politics have on all facets of living, including libraries. It is easy to become distracted by the nuances of the "best library software" or the "most useful organizational strategies", but politics can make a well-executed plan and turn it to mush. I'm not saying that Middle Temple Law Library has experienced this, but the notations required and the types of queries they experience will be altered by this vote. Their collections and organizations of materials will likely be altered.
No, these pictures do not belong to another visit. Middle Temple Law Library, like nearly all law libraries in the UK, limits its membership to those who are appropriately affiliated based on specific criteria. This means that membership has always been impacted by social hierarchy and politics. So beyond a Brexit vote, access to library materials (at most of the libraries we visited) has everything to do with affiliation and level of scholarship. Assuredly (as it should), this alters the state of the collection and the needs of the patrons.