So by now you’ve read all about various board games beloved by the Law Library Staff. Maybe you’ve even blown the dust off your old Monopoly set and are trying to locate all the various items needed for a good game of Buckaroo. Just make sure you don’t forget the best game of all… Guess Who!
Unlike Trivial Pursuit, you don’t need a wide range of general knowledge. Unlike chess, you don’t need the strategic mind that easily responds to the Urusov gambit. And best of all, unlike every single other game ever, you don’t need to find an opponent of equal skill. Why? Because when you are asked ‘Guess Who?’ every single possible answer is on your board, right in front of you.
I know what you’re thinking…If only we could always see all the information we needed this easily. Unfortunately the law library is marginally bigger than your average Guess Who board. Especially for first time users, the four floor behemoth can almost be heard, dauntingly calling, ‘Guess which book?’
(Photo taken by Val_McG and used here under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5)
Do not lose heart, intrepid adventurers, for we have a multitude of wise sages to guide you in your research.
Yes, even the Bodleian Law Library can be rendered as clear and simple as a Guess Who board. Simply avail of our ‘Book A Librarian’ service. (Our wise sages are often referred to as librarians despite the obvious aptness of the former title).
These sessions can be booked by anyone with a University Library card by contacting the team on law.ref@bodleian.ox.ac.uk . The sessions are usually about 1-2 hours long and can cover anything you need help with.
So, who would be on our Guess Who board of Law Librarians?
First we have Kate Jackson and Nicola Patrick, Legal Research Librarians extraordinaire. Both are happy to help with research on UK law. They are also experts in transforming the labyrinth of legal databases into a straightforward path to answers.
Next we have Elizabeth Wells, our foreign and international law librarian. She is keen to aid with queries about foreign jurisdictions, public and private international law and the history of the Anglo American law tradition.
She is also our resident Oscola Oracle bringing clarity to the murky intricacies of Law Authorities referencing here in Oxford.
Our Academic Services Librarian is Margaret Watson, both willing and able to deal with EU enquiries and research.
Hannah Chandler is our Official Papers Subject Consultant (which is almost as impressive a title as Wise Sage). The Official Papers section might be easily missed by the inexperienced traveller. A crying shame! Our ground floor contains a treasure trove of Parliamentary Papers as well as depository collections of the United Nations and more besides. For help navigating through this cave of wonders, Hannah is definitely the one to call.
Last but not least is Helen Garner. She is the Information Resources Librarian and responsible for the collection here at the Bodleian Law Library. (Not to mention that she is also currently the acting Law Librarian). Legend has it that Helen need only click her fingers and the perfect book appears on the desk in front of her! Whilst she might not always be willing to show you this particular super power she is always happy to help readers find UK legal sources and materials.
Interested in a topic that hasn’t been mentioned here? Our librarians are a brave bunch and always ready to test their wits against a new challenge. It’s always worth booking a session because, just like Guess Who, you can’t know unless you ask!
(Photo taken by Tim Evanson. Posted here under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike.)
- All images (except those that state otherwise) are reproduced here under Creative Commons CCO.
