This article is based on the parallel session given by Jackie Fishleigh at the BIALL Conference in 2011 which looked at how Legal Information Professionals can get involved and contribute their skills to collaborative projects using SharePoint.

Elena Shishmolina writes about the foundation and growth of the work of the Legal Information Centre in the National Library of Russia, Saint Petersburg, including information about its website and electronic guides.

The amount of physical space available is a vital issue for virtually all law libraries. In this article, Dunstan Speight, Library Manager at City law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP, presents the issues involved in reducing and retaining library materials, to help library managers present a sound business case for maintaining the collection they need. Dunstan's experience is that of a law firm librarian, but it is hoped that much of what follows will also be relevant to librarians in other sectors.

This article written by Hester Swift is based on the online course entitled, ‘Customary International Law’, which was created by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) Library for the Postgraduate Online Research Training (PORT) platform and is available to all at <https://port.sas.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=120>. The PORT service is provided by the University of London's School of Advanced Study.

This article by Sally Creissen offers a thorough guide to the processes involved in selecting a library management system, from the initial consideration of whether it is really necessary to the post-implementation stages.

Victoria Jannetta explores the reasons why library and information centres need to measure performance; what activities you can measure; how to report performance to management, including looking at the Balanced Scorecard. She discusses a number of measurement tools.

Google's plan to digitise huge numbers of books from over 40 libraries has been controversial from the start with court actions still taking place in the United States. Chris Holland traces the history of the project and discusses its potential impact on copyright issues.

Tim Williams explains that the use of modern digital data formats such as Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) and the Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) enables the on-line searching and publishing of data held in data repositories where the ownership rights over the intellectual property are controlled. Understanding the security and quality of the content of the documents emanating from such data repositories is vital for good business strategies to be defined. As the larger publishers move increasingly towards global trading, they will control and distribute their assets globally via the internet.

This article by Steven Whittle gives a comprehensive picture of not only how metadata has been used at the Institute but also the technical details and scope of the very impressive range of digitisation projects and other resources developed to help fellow legal information professionals access a wide array of information which was previously very hard to find.

Joseph A. Semugabi, Chief Librarian at the Law Development Centre, discusses political-legal developments since 1986 which resulted in the restoration of rule of law and the liberalization of university education in Uganda. He then explains how these have had a significant impact on the country's only institution of practical legal training and its law library.

The Squire Law Library has designed and run a series of popular escape room-style events, aimed at masters and undergraduate law students. Intended to prompt students to explore the full range of legal resources available to them, the games typically challenge participants to open a locked safe: relying on legal databases, the library catalogue and print materials to decipher a six-digit combination. This article, based on Lizz Edwards-Waller's presentation at the BIALL (virtual) conference 2020, reflects on the practicalities of running and promoting code-breaking events within the library and considers the benefits of this style of event in addition to, or instead of, more traditional law library orientation tours.

This article by Paul Clarke (Chairman) and Eric Davies (Administrator) explains the history and current aims and activities of the EIA, which provides vital networking opportunities, for all information professionals working within the European information environment.

In this paper Steven Whittle describes recent work at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies to provide open online access to the IALS/SALS official journal Amicus Curiae and selected papers from the Institute's annual W. G. Hart Legal Workshop. It discusses some of the issues involved in a transition from print to web publication and looks at the benefits anticipated from additional web delivery.

The role of the law librarian or legal information professional is thought by some to have been diminished significantly by technological advances which provide instant access to an enormous range of materials direct to individual users at their desks. The reality is that the wide range of instantly accessible materials makes the experience and knowledge of the information professional more important, not less; and imminently expected advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence are likely to confirm the vital importance of the legal information professional at the centre of legal services.

This article, by Jonathan Sims, is based on a presentation given at the national training day on Law, Gender and Sexuality: Sources and Methods in Socio-Legal Research in May 2014, jointly sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, the Socio-Legal Studies Association and the British Library. The article identifies library collections and resources which, beyond the scope of typical law collections, might be useful for broadly socio-legal academic research on intersections between law, gender and sexuality.

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are successfully used by many institutions to provide content which supports and enhances taught courses. In this article, Lizz Edwards-Waller explores the role of the library in uploading articles, case notes and book excerpts to a VLE for law students, and discusses the need for librarians to collaborate with course leaders and administrators. The article also considers the decision-making process involved in determining which resources to make available and highlights some key copyright issues to be aware of.

Jackie Fishleigh summarises some tried and tested methods that can turn an intranet into an invaluable business tool. This article provides a number of top tips for engaging users and maintaining their interest and attention for the benefit of their working community. The article, which draws heavily on recently published material by Martin White and Interact Intranet, aims to be informative and entertaining!

This article, written by Lenka Geidt, gives detailed insight into Brexit projects undertaken by Middle Temple Library. The library specialises, among other areas, in European Union law. This article explains how members of the Inns of Court and librarians can benefit from these projects which focus on legislation, case law and the legal debate regarding the United Kingdom's referendum on European Union membership and Brexit.

Suzanne Wheatley, Senior Consultant at Sue Hill Recruitment, describes the processes of redundancy from different perspectives. She discusses its potential effect on the individual and offers plenty of practical advice on how to deal with it, how to prepare for a new job and how it could potentially be an opportunity for change.

This article is written by Rebecca Herle who is the Head of Sales and Marketing at the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England & Wales (ICLR). Her article draws on material delivered by two of her colleagues at the ICLR, namely Daniel Hoadley's recent plenary session at the BIALL Conference 2014 called, ‘The Curious Case of the Judgment Enhancers’ and Paul Magrath's article published by Infolaw.co.uk, entitled ‘The Future of Law Reporting’. It also refers in part to Lord Neuberger's speech for the first annual BAILII Lecture (in 2012) entitled ‘No Judgment – No Justice’, and reflects upon the position of the ICLR in the legal profession today. From the birth of the ICLR in 1865 to the present day the article provides a brief history, and then explores the current day issues, of this charitable publisher in its surrounding legal environment. She also offers a glimpse into what the future might hold.