Welcome to the Earl Borgeson Award Paper Archive! This site includes information and full text PDFs for a number of the papers written by students of the University of Washington Information School's law librarianship master's program. Many of these papers were published in Legal Reference Services Quarterly or other professional journals; where applicable, citations to these published pieces are provided as well as links to the publisher's page where the paper can be purchased or downloaded.
The Earl Borgeson Research in Law Librarianship Award dates back to 2001. The Award's namesake, Earl Borgeson, was a dedicated law librarian and champion of the profession. For a retelling of his life and accomplishments, see Susan Azyndar, Earl C. Borgeson and the Image of the Law Librarian (2011).
You can learn more about the UW iSchool's law librarianship master's degree by visiting the program's home page.
Submissions from 2018
Congressional Research Service Products: History, Purpose, and Availability, Charlie Amiot
Faculty Status for Academic Librarians: A Case Study at the University of Washington, Ashley Arrington
No Nachos or Corn Nuts! Reviewing and Deconstructing Law Library Policies, Brandy Ellis
Emergency Preparedness in the Legal Librarian Community in the United States – Current Culture and the Need to Expand Collaboration, Danielle Lewis
Are Congressional Resources Created Equal: An Evaluation, Matthew P. Neely
Written Reference Services Policies for Public patrons in Public Law School Libraries, Stephen Richards
Submissions from 2017
Pro Se Patrons in the Law Library: The Case for Privacy in the Digital Age, Christine Ford
Stronger Together: Embracing Google and Linked Data in Law Libraries, Elizabeth Manriquez
Faculty Research Services for a New Era of Law Librarianship, Mariana Newman
Framing the Issue: The Case for Artwork in Academic Law Libraries, Maya Swanes
Submissions from 2016
U.S. Supreme Court Current Awareness and Legal Blogs in the Law Library, Justin Abbasi
The Loss of Thought in the Legal Research Analysis Process, Tiffany Camp
Inclusion of Team Role Theory into the Orientation of Law Librarianship at the University of Washington, Tamara Carson
We All Do It: How Bias Informs Legal Research and Teaching, Elizabeth Cook
¿Donde Esta La Biblioteca? It’s a Damn Same: Outdated, Inadequate, and Nonexistent Law Libraries in Immigrant Detention Facilities, Sarah Dunaway
The Typography of Law Reviews:A Typographic Survey of Legal Periodicals, Ambrogino Giusti
Submissions from 2015
Perspectives: Changes in Reference and Collections in the Digital Age, Stewart Caton
Draw Me a Picture: Instructional Visual Displays in the Academic Law Library, Grace Lee
Following the Herd: Bringing Electronic Casebooks into the Law School, Jeremy McCabe
Browsing Versus User-Centric Spaces in Academic Law Libraries, Paul Riermaier
Adventures, Achievement and Altruism: Ellen Schaffer, a Model for Law Librarians, Mary Thurston
Submissions from 2014
Improving Usability of Legal Research Databases for Users with Print-Disabilities, AJ Blechner
Ever Onward: Expanding the Use of Perma.cc, Matthew Flyntz
Moving Beyond the Library Catalog, Jonathan Germann
Let’s Chat: Academic Law Libraries Providing Real-Time Reference Using Synchronous Chat Services, Heather Joy
In-House Digital Libraries for Law Firms, Tanya Livshits
John West and the Future of Subscription Databases, Taryn Marks
Legal Research Deficiencies in the Law School Curriculum, Proposed ABA Rule 302, and Solutions, Kristen Rowlett
Law Library Architecture and Space Planning, Ashley Sundin
Uniform Laws: A New Path Forward, Sarah Weldon
Submissions from 2013
Law School Firms and Incubators and the Role of the Academic Law Library, Sonal Desai
Specialized Legal Research Courses: The Next Generation of Advanced Legal Research, Cassie DuBay
Stuck Behind the Curve: How the Academic Law Library Can Support Students who Struggle in Law School, Jennifer A. Haire Gonzalez
I’m Just a Bill: Citations to Legislative History by the Arizona Supreme Court and Utah Supreme Court, Wendy Lamar
My Lawyer Has a First Name, It’s G-O-O-G-L-E: Improving Online Access to Case Law Through Court-Provided Metadata, Andrew Martineau
The Unbundling of Legal Services and its Implications for Law Librarianship, Kara Noel
Assessing the Changing Nature of Authority in the Web Age: The Citation Practices of Minnesota Supreme Court, Rebecca Sherman
Submissions from 2012
The African Buffalo and the Oxpecker: An Acknowledgement of the Mutualism Between Academic Law Libraries and Their Institutions, with a Prescription for Future Coevolution, Michelle M. Botek
If You Don’t Like What’s Being Said, Change the Conversation: Effectively Marketing and Communicating the Value of an Academic Law Library, Grace Eumee Feldman
Empirical Legal Scholarship and Law Libraries, Mariah Ford
A Guide for the Creation, Use, and Administration of Electronic User Surveys in Law Libraries, Jason Giesler
Virtual Reference Service: A Case Study of QuestionPoint Utilization at the Gallagher Law Library, Christina Luini
In an Effort to Respond to Robert Berring’s Lament on the Death of the Bibliography: A Study of Online Legal Research Guides, Ingrid Mattson
Accessing Materials: Review of the MacCrate Report’s Fundamental Lawyering Skill: Search, Michael McArthur
Checking Up on Court Citation Standards: How Neutral Citation Improves Public Access to Case Law, Michael Umberger
Submissions from 2011
Earl C. Borgeson and the Image of the Law Librarian, Susan Azyndar
An Evaluation of State Legislative History Websites, Kyle Brown
“We’re Going to Make You Popular:” Popular Collections in the Modern Academic Law Library, Jordan Gilbertson
Brain Plasticity and the Impact of the Electronic Environment in Law and Learning, Sherry Leysen
Addressing the “Emerging Majority”: Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Law Librarianship in the Twenty-First Century, Alyssa Thurston
Submissions from 2010
The Discovery Process: Next-Generation Catalogs in Law School Libraries, Andrew Christensen
Digital Preservation and Authentic Legal Information, G. Patrick Flanagan
Submissions from 2008
The Effect of Economics and Electronic Resources on the Traditional Law Library Print Collection, Amanda Runyon
Rediscovering Dr. Arthur S. Beardsley: A Brief Introduction to His Life and Work, Carissa Vogel
Submissions from 2007
Web Cites: When Courts Cite to URLs: A Study of Washington and New York Cases, Kelly Aldrich
Citators: Past, Present, and Future, Laura C. Dabney
Designing Feeds to Meet Users’ Needs: RSS and the Academic Law Library, Melissa Fung
A History of America’s First Jim Crow Law School Library and Staff, Ernesto Longa
The Garden of Forking Paths: Law Libraries and the Future of the Catalog, Bret Masterson
Legal Research Instruction in County Law Libraries: Meeting the Needs of the Public, Melissa Miller
Submissions from 2006
Copyright and Digitization Initiatives, Alicia Brillon
Building a Chinese Law Collection in the Academic Law Library: Challenges, Alternatives, and Trends, Thomas Kimbrough
Submissions from 2005
Frederick C. Hicks: The Dean of Law Librarians, Stacy Etheredge
Meeting the Information Needs of Constitutionalist Patrons: A Guide for Reference Librarians, Vicenç Feliú
The Next Big Thing?: Google Scholar and Legal Scholarship, Shannon Malcolm
Submissions from 2004
Web-Based Legal Research Guides in Academic Law Libraries, Jennifer Locke Davitt
Promoting Psychological Health in Law Students, Lara Dresser
What Is Your Library Worth? Changes in Evaluation Methods for Academic Law Libraries, Tammy Hinderman
Submissions from 2003
Washington State Minority and Justice Commission’s Bibliography Project, Adrienne Cobb
Submissions from 2002
Serving Pro Se Patrons: An Obligation and an Opportunity, Kerry Fitz-Gerald
Submissions from 2001
Trust v. Antitrust: Consolidation in the Legal Publishing Industry, John Dethman