MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Every law library should contain those legal reference materials that are required for the lawyers using that library to adequately perform the legal research necessary to provide effective service in their areas of responsibility. Even though you will not be primarily responsible for determining what material should be contained in the library, you should be familiar enough with the contents of the library and the demands placed on it for specific research materials to recommend or at least be able to provide a list of books that lawyers should have available for their use when requested. To accomplish this, it may be necessary to ask the lawyers in your office what materials they need. In addition to this, you also should check the standard minimum list of commercial lawbooks that is provided to all field libraries by the Judge Advocate General (JAG). This list, as shown in figure 2-1, is a guide to what is available from JAG. An SJA located near another law library would not need a full collection, whereas an SJA in an isolated location may need a full collection and perhaps more.

This standard minimum list does not cover all the legal research materials that may be required by your office. The Head, Field Law Library Section is responsible for providing an initial supply of only those materials on the standard minimum list, but is also

Figure 2-1.-Standard minimum list-commercial lawbooks.

Figure 2-1.-Standard minimum list-commercial lawbooks-Continued.

Handling Federal Tort Claims, Personal Injury NADA Appraisal Guides Official Car, Older Car, etc. Regional or State Reporter, w/Advance Sheet subscription, as needed (Regional Reporters available also in ultrafiche) Regional or State Digest (to match reporter system) Shepard's Citations (to match reporter system) West Federal Forms

Figure 2-1.-Standard minimum list-commercial lawbooks-Continued.

responsible for providing automatic upkeep service on many other commercial lawbooks that are not listed. Commercial lawbook needs vary from office to office. Each year, each field library is informed by JAG Report 5070-2 (to be discussed later in this chapter) of the exact materials maintained for them by JAG.

Other reference materials (noncommercial) needed for your library may be handled by one of several other offices in OJAG. These include the following:

. The JAG Journal and the Off the Record-published and distributed by the Office of the Executive Assistant to JAG. l The Legal Newsletter- materials about continuing legal education and legal assistance are published and/or distributed by the Continuing Legal Education/Legal Assistance Policy Division of JAG. . The Military Justice Reporter- although published by West Publishing Company, it is considered noncommercial and is provided to all JAG field activities by the Publications section of OJAG. This office also provides for the distribution of Shepard's Military Justice Citations, military legal publications such as the Military Law Review published by the Department of the Army, and publications of the Government Printing Office (GPO) such as the MCM. In addition to the previous services, the Publications section is also responsible for distributing JAG instructions and notices, as well as the JAG Manaul.

Of those offices briefly mentioned previously, you will probably have more direct contact with the Field Library section and the Publications section than any other. The following discussion is provided to help you better understand the functions and responsibilities of these offices and their relationship to the field law libraries.