2017 MLA Annual Conference

Many librarians are afraid of legal questions at the reference desk. When asked something legal-ish, the gut reaction is to reply, "I'm not a lawyer, I can't give you legal advice." However, when the first thing the patron hears is, "I can't help you," they may not be receptive to the legal information you can provide. Can you provide a successful legal reference experience without giving legal advice? Yes, you can! The speakers will first review differences between legal information and legal advice, and then share a series of tactics and helpful phrases to employ when answering legal information questions. Finally, the presenters will role-play some legal reference interactions to demonstrate how to be helpful and effective without giving advice. The audience will participate by suggesting which phrases could be employed in that situation and then critiquing the overall reference interview.