Target Audience: Anyone who uses The Bluebook, primarily academic law librarians Learning Outcomes: 1. Law librarians will gain insight into The Bluebook and better comprehend the rationale behind the rules to better assist their patrons. 2. Bluebook editors will gain insight into the difficulties law librarians face when using The Bluebook with their patrons.
The Bluebook is the bane of all academic law librarians - We wonder if we can cancel the print format if The Bluebook requires it for cite checking. Why does interlibrary loan have to get a copy of the print resource when we know the author must have used an online source? Why are the rules so restrictive in an online age? Law librarians have long struggled with meeting the needs of the journal editors while balancing the needs of the collection and budgetary limits. But why do these rules exist? Why do some law review editors ignore the rules while others follow them as written? Is there a middle road for Bluebook rules? This program will feature an open discussion among law librarians and the editors of The Bluebook. By answering questions posed by the moderator, the editors will explain the rationale behind Bluebook rules, while the librarians will discuss issues they face as they assist users with The Bluebook. The program is not intended to make the editors change the rules "for us," but, instead, to make all users of The Bluebook better informed as they work with their editors and students.
