University of Melbourne collection assessment
Law

Lisa Sukkel, Collection Management Librarian, Law Library
1997


Introduction

This document aims to report the methods and results of the Conspectus review of the Law Library's collections conducted in 1993-1996, and to identify future collection issues for consideration. Conspectus refers to a standardised means of describing library collections via a database of evaluations of such collections. The Australian version of this database currently holds 45,000 records from 47 participating libraries and provides invaluable data for resource sharing and collection development arrangements with other libraries, a more complete picture of resource patterns held nationally, and an opportunity for individual libraries to evaluate their collection whilst undertaking the exercise.

Before presenting the results and the implications of the Conspectus exercise for the Law Library, it is important to describe both the library and user environments in which the evaluated holdings exist.

Overview of Legal Holdings in the Collections of the University of Melbourne Library

2.1 Law Branch Library

The major holdings of legal material in the University of Melbourne Library are found in the Law Branch Library. This large collection of legal sources, printed, electronic and microform, has been housed in the northern wing of the Law Quadrangle since 1959, when the removal of the General Library collection from this site to the newly built Baillieu Library in October 1958, freed the premises. Legal material had, however, long been part of the General Library holdings and there had been a separate law collection since 1951 when a Law Room was created. Library staff specifically assigned to deal with this collection were also first appointed in this period. The core collection from this period, has been built upon since this date in response to the teaching and research requirements of the Faculty of Law. A period of particular growth was in the late 1970's in line with active period of collection development throughout the whole university library. By 1995/6 the collection had grown to approximately 140 000 volumes (including microform equivalents) and has as its principal source of income, a materials vote from the University Library budget. Linked to the Monash index, these funds were $580,000 in 1995.

The Law Library collection falls into two parts, printed sources and other sources (electronic and microform).

Printed sources

These sources in the collection are mainly serial in nature, reflecting the reliance of Law on court decisions and legislation and the importance of current information as contained in looseleaf services and journals. Over the past five years, expenditure on serials has constituted close to 80% of the total materials expenditure.

The printed materials in the Law Library are organised into seven collections or locations :

Law reports and Legislation

There is a strong emphasis in these first two components of the printed collection on Australia and the other English speaking common law jurisdictions: the U.S., New Zealand, Canada and the U.K. However some civil law jurisdictions in Europe and Asia are also represented. Whilst there is an emphasis on current material in these collections, there are also extensive backruns of legislation and reports, including much older English and Australian material.

Reference

The reference collection includes general and legal dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, printed library catalogues and handbooks. It also includes the most of the case law digests in the collection. It reflects the same jurisdictional bias as the collections of primary sources.

Periodicals

There are roughly 300 current subscriptions to journals represented in this collection. The great majority are from the English speaking common law jurisdictions. A few European journals are in languages other than English.

Natural Resources

This collection of material relates specifically to natural resources and environmental law and was created to support the Centre for Natural Resources Law established in the Faculty of Law in the 1970s. Initially special funding was obtained to develop a collection of materials to support the Centre's work. However, since then, it has been supported out of the Faculty bookvote. While it was once a distinguished collection, this is no longer the case and the collection will be incorporated into the general monograph collection during the Moys reclassification project in July 1996.

Monographs

This collection of 40,000 titles is essentially the Law Library's lending collection, containing textbooks, research material and some serial holdings. Although the subject range of the material covers the whole spectrum of the DDC sequence (000-999) only a small proportion of the collection - approximately one tenth - falls outside the 340 range. Within the 340s the collection has developed fairly evenly across the principal subject areas represented, and expresses a pronounced emphasis on Australian, English and North American publications and English language material.

Rare Books

The Rare Books collection holds approximately 1000 titles, some dating from the seventeenth century. It is principally legal and monographic and is currently poorly housed. The twin issues of preservation and accessibility will need to be addressed in the forthcoming collection development policy for the Law Library.

Other sources

Electronic

This component of the collection has grown exponentially in the past two years, with the Law Library now providing access to over thirty databases and spending an increasing proportion of its expenditure on legal sources in the electronic format. Much of this material is CD-ROM based and loaded on the Law Faculty network, thus facilitating access for students and staff. There is also wide scale access to LEXIS NEXIS for users. Many of these titles so far collected duplicate paper resources held in the collection such as law reports and legal reference tools, and will necessitate consideration of the most appropriate format/s for such information in the near future.

Microforms

The Law Library has also invested heavily in this format. The collection includes personal and institutional archives, bibliographies, law reports, statutes, treaties, periodicals and formed collections. Notable elements are Harvard University's D'Olivart collection on international law, English Scottish and Irish nominate reports and pre-N.R.S. U.S law reports. It is a collection which continues to grow and will require rehousing and increased equipment support in the near future.

2.2 Other law holdings in the University of Melbourne

Whilst the Law Library has the principal responsibility to serve the teaching and research needs of the Faculty of Law and those on campus requiring legal information and thus by far the largest law collection, many other branch libraries hold material which falls into the 340 sequence of DDC. The largest of these are the Baillieu Library, Education Resource Centre (ERC), and the B and AB collections housed in the ERC. However, there are also holdings to be found in branch libraries such as the Architecture, Brownless Medical and Engineering libraries and in special collections such as the BX and AX collections.

2.3 Material relevant to law outside the 340 Dewey Decimal range

Alongside the holdings in the 340 range of Dewey Decimal, the parliamentary material found in the 328 range also greatly support the users of legal material. Whilst the Law Library does hold some material in this category - recent Hansards and government gazettes for several jurisdictions - the vast bulk of this material is found in the Baillieu Government Document collection. In combination with the Special Collections for material pre-dating 1900 and the Baillieu microform collections for some jurisdictions such as the United States, this rich resource provides ample support to legal research. Evaluation of holdings in this Dewey range shall follow in the Baillieu Conspectus exercise, to be completed by 1997.

Overview of the Users of the University of Melbourne Legal Collections

The collections and services of the Law Library aim to provide, as with all of the University of Melbourne Library system, information for a large and varied group of users. Interested members of the public, high school students, legal professionals, other law libraries, and students and staff for other academic institutions use the legal resources provided, alongside those from the University of Melbourne. Whilst every attempt is made to ensure the best possible allocation of resources between these different groups of users the core group remains the students, teachers and researchers in The University, most particularly the Faculty of Law. Because of this, it is important to consider the stated information requirements of this group when evaluating the collection.

The library collection requirements of the Faculty of Law

Some of the best indications of the requirements the Faculty of Law has for the library's law collection lie in the Faculty's objectives, research activities and teaching programs.

The objectives of the Law Faculty

The complete objectives for Faculty of Law in 1994/6 are given in Appendix A. Following are lists of subjects targeted by the Faculty within this document for continuing strength, further development or new development.

Existing priority areas

Asian law
Commercial law
Judicial administration
Legal theory
Law and social justice
Media and communications law
Intellectual property law
Labour law

Targeted for new strengths:

Aboriginal law and society
Natural resources law
Public law

Targeted for further development :

Family law
Finance law
Health and medical law
Information technology law
Maritime law
Migration law
Legal history

Areas of activity indicated by the Research report

The University of Melbourne Research Report 1994 lists other subject areas of importance to the Faculty:

Conflict of Laws
Constitutional Law
Criminal Law
Discrimination Law
Equity and Trusts
European Community Law
Law and Economics
Evidence
Legal Education
Restitution
Taxation Law
Torts
Trade Practices Law

Current teaching commitments

Finally further subjects of importance, in light of both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programs in 1996 are :

Contracts
Insolvency
Restrictive trade practices
Roman law
Succession

Recognised Law Library standards

Another final important measure for evaluation for any library collection are professional standards. However in the absence of agreement between the Council of Australian University Librarians and the Committee of Law Deans on university law library standards, no authorised standards presently exist for evaluation of Australian law collections.

Conspectus Process and Results

Aims of the Conspectus review

By using Conspectus methodology the Law Library intended :

Methodology

To achieve these results the University of Melbourne Library collections were assessed using the criteria laid down in the Australian Conspectus Manual:

Three indicators were sought for each area of the collection.

CL Current collection level
AC Acquisition commitment
GL Collection goal

The indicators were graded as follows :

0 Out of scope: do not collect

1 Minimal: few selections; introductory; very basic
1a Minimal with uneven coverage
1b Minimal with even coverage; few selections, but key authors; some core works and a spectrum of views

2 Basic information
2a Basic information: introductory e.g. general information, support students enrolled in introductory level courses
2b Basic information: augmented e.g. support students in basic courses

3 Intermediate
3a Intermediate: introductory e.g covers primary topics in a subject area, support undergraduate study
3b Intermediate: augmented e.g. covers primary and secondary topics in subject area, supports undergraduate and most postgraduate coursework

4 Research e.g. current and retrospective resources, supports postgraduate and independent research

5 Comprehensive e.g includes as far as is reasonably possible all significant works of recorded knowledge in all applicable languages

Current collection level (CL) was determined for each area by tabulating the findings in each of the three criteria. Where there are substantial differences between the bibliometric data - list checking and shelf scanning - and academic staff ratings (a difference of two levels in the Conspectus rating scale), a median rating was assigned. For Acquisition commitment (AC), the grading was determined by consultation between the previous Law Librarian, Stephen Connelly and past Collection Management Librarians, Shaunagh Harte and Priscilla Stott and incumbent Lisa Sukkel. The Collection Goal (GL) was largely determined by the current Law Librarian, Ruth Bird.

3.1 List checking

The list checking process was undertaken in 1993/4 and used the following bibliographies:

Law books in print: law books in English published throughout the world and in print through 1990 6th ed., Glanville, 1991

International legal books in print 1990 - 1991 London, Bowker - Saur, 1990

Fong, Colin Finding the law Sydney, Legal Information Press, 1990

Law Books 1876 - 1981: books and serials on law and its related subjects New York, Bowker, 1981

Beyerly, Elizabeth Public international law: a guide to information sources London, Mansell, 1991

de Nicolai, Linda Legislation in Looseleaf services South Perth, TFC Business Information Systems, 1993

Index to legal periodicals New York, Wilson

The list checking process provided an invaluable adjunct to the shelf scanning process by providing some qualitative aspects of collection evaluation alongside the essentially quantitative aspects of shelf scanning. However, the results need to be considered in light of a number shortcomings in the lists chosen.

One of the most evident problems in the bibliographies chosen is the North American bias. It was difficult to avoid choosing bibliographies that exhibited such a bias from a field lacking alternatives. Fong was an important source in countering this bias for Australian material, but the results from the list checking for jurisdictions falling outside the North American context should be interpreted with care. Similarly the monographic bias of the majority of these lists needs to be considered when using the results for evaluating serial holdings. It should also be noted that as none of the lists used were critical bibliographies, the failure to hold all titles listed is not as significant as would be with bibliographies which sought to list only the essential legal works. Finally the results ignore the impact of full text electronic sources and formed microform collections, as individual titles in these holdings were not checked against the lists. Major holdings in these types of sources were considered in the overall Conspectus rating but are not reflected in the list checking tables.

The decision to use list checking tools which concentrated on current materials was deliberate in light of one of the aims of the Conspectus exercise within the Law Library being to stimulate suitable recommendations for new orders. The practical value of knowing a particular title had not been collected when that title was out of print was seen to be lower than when the title was able to be ordered. This part of Conspectus did lead to a great many new orders for the collection. The use of such tools however, does mean that data upon the historical depth of the collections is by no means complete.

Results obtained from this phase of the exercise are both incorporated into the final Conspectus ratings given to subjects and presented in tables 1-3 in Appendix B.

3.2 Shelf scanning

The shelf scanning process involved the recording of the number of shelves filled by monographs on all subjects evaluated. This process did not cover periodical collections. The data was sampled over two periods ; the Law library collection being evaluated in 1993/4 and the holdings in other sites being evaluated in 1996. Results from the Law Library need to now be considered in light of the major weeding project which took place in the summer break of 1994/5.

3.3 Evaluation by academic staff

Interviews were conducted in 1994 with the academic staff liaison officers in the Law Faculty in the following subjects :

Administrative law
Artificial intelligence and the law
Banking and finance
Constitutional law
Contracts
Corporations law
Equal opportunity law
Equity and Trusts
European law
Evidence
Family law
Feminist legal theory
Intellectual property and trademarks
Jurisprudence
Labour law
Natural resources law
Law of procedure
Property law
Taxation law
Torts
Insurance law
Accident compensation law
Trade practices

The form used as a basis for these interviews is attached in Appendix C.

The emphasis in these interviews was on Collection Level (CL) and Goal Level (GL), rather than Acquisition Commitment (AC). The interviews sought information from the academics as to how they viewed the collection and where they desired it to go in their subject area. As such, these interviews gathered a range of useful information of a generally qualitative nature that balanced, and in some cases, conflicted with the information collected in the preceding phases of the exercise. A list of such subjects areas of contention can be found by comparison of the raw bibliometric data and academic rating in the final four columns in Table 4 in Appendix B.

This Table also presents the general evaluations arising from the interviews. When summarised, the 23 interviews present a number of consistent comments upon the collection :

Results

Overall

The overall Conspectus ratings for the three indicators assigned to the subjects within the law holdings of the University of Melbourne are to be found in Appendix D, both in text and graph form. Appendix D also contains a conversion of data referring to both CL and AC into the main subject divisions in the Moys Law classification, the scheme to which the collection will soon be transferred. This incorporates the earlier information, but necessarily involves further estimates by library staff.

The overall data can be, at its briefest, summarised into the table below.

Table 1: Overall frequency of Conspectus gradings by indicators

 
	 
Conspectus grading Collection Level (CL)
No. / %
Acquisition Commitment (AC)
No. / %
Goal Level (GL)
No. / %
1 - Minimal 14/13.6% 21/20.4% 15/14.1%
1a - Minimal, Uneven coverage 10 12 6
1b - Minimal, Even coverage 4 9 9
2 - Basic information 28/27.2% 31/30.1% 15/14.6%
2a - Basic information, Introductory 11 18 4
2b - Basic information, Advanced 17 13 11
3 - Intermediate 51/49.5% 31/30.1% 37/35.9%
3a - Intermediate, Introductory 32 20 14
3b - Intermediate, Augmented 19 11 23
4 - Research 10/9.8% 20/19.4% 31/30.1%
5 - Comprehensive - - 5/4.8%

As these figures show just under 60% the law collection is of an intermediate level or higher with the goal that figure shall rise to 70% whilst 28% is a 3b or higher with 57.2% of subjects having a goal of this level. This disparity between the actual and ideal at the higher levels of the grading scale reflect a larger trend for the goal level of a subject to be higher than the collection level. 60% of subjects require an improved collection level to meet expectations.

When the three indicator levels of CL, AC and GL are compared, the scale of the task and some of the problems in reaching those goals becomes more evident. Full lists of how each subject fairs in these comparisons between the three indicators are found in Appendix B, List 1-2.

Table 2 reveals for 27% of subject areas requiring an increase in collection level to meet goal level, there needs to be an improvement of 2 Conspectus grading levels. Such a shift in gradings constitutes considerable material commitment, a commitment which can only be partially offset by those subject areas which require lower collection levels to meet goals.

The situation is further exacerbated by the acquisition commitment for a subject often being out of step with the intended goal level as Table 3 shows. Again 60% of subjects require an improved acquisition commitment to reach their goal, for just over half of these an increase of at least two grading levels is required. Goal levels simply cannot be met if current acquisition commitments are maintained whilst for 6% of subjects the Library will be acquiring too greatly. A thorough evaluation of commitment levels will need to be undertaken to ensure that appropriate levels are maintained for subjects we do not greatly desire as well as those we do.

Table 2: Current collection level vs goal level

No. of subjects % of total subjects
Requiring improved collection level to meet goal level 62 60.2
1 Conspectus level 34 33
2 Conspectus levels 24 23.3
3 Conspectus levels 4 3.9
Collection at an appropriate level to meet goal level 34 33
Requiring a reduced collection level to meet goal level 7 6.8

Table 3: Acquisition commitment (AC) vs Goal Level (GL)

No. of subjects % of total subjects
Requiring improved acquisition level 62 60.2
1 Conspectus level 30 29.1
2 Conspectus levels 18 17.5
3 Conspectus levels 11 10.7
4 Conspectus levels 3 2.9
Acquired at an appropriate level 35 34
Requiring a reduced acquisition level 6 5.8

The consequences of not addressing such inequities are indicated in Table 4. Whilst for just under a third of subjects, current acquisition levels will result in a narrowing of the gap between the ideal and actual collection level, for over 20% there will be a widening of this gap. Disparity between AC and GL also effects subjects who have actually met their goal level. Just under 5% of subjects will actually see such a balance undermined due to under-commitment.

Comparison with Law Faculty requirements

When those subjects identified by Faculty objectives, research activities and teaching commitments are measured against the Conspectus results, there is also cause for concern. For complete date see Table 5, Appendix B. If level 3b/4 is considered an appropriate collection level to support such research and teaching interests only 22% of subject falls into this category. Although close to 75% of the subjects have a collection goal at an appropriate level, only 16% have an acquisition commitment to attain/retain such a level. Indeed for several subjects, for example legal history and law and social justice, the current acquisition commitment level means that the collection level will actually deteriorate. For some subjects such as Aboriginal law and society and health and medical law, extra collection support is available through new development grants. This still leaves, however, 25 subjects that require at least one Conspectus level improvement in acquisition rates. Obviously, such findings indicate the need to re-evaluate and redirect acquisition commitments, directed by what the Faculty requires for teaching and research.

Table 4: Comparisons between AC, GL and AC

 
	 
Relationships between Conspectus indicators No. of subjects % of total no. of subjects
> differential between AC and GL than between CL and GL 22 21.3
< differential between AC and GL than between CL and GL 32 31.3
CL = GL 31 30.1
> differential between AC and GL than between CL and GL AND CL = GL 5 4.8

Table 5: Evaluation of comparison of conspectus ratings and Faculty requirements

 
	 
Indicator grading Collection Level Acquisition Commitment Goal Level
2a - Basic information, Introductory - 4 -
2b - Basic information, Advanced 2 3 1
3a - Intermediate, Introductory 21 16 7
3b - Intermediate, Augmented 6 6 11
4 - Research - - 10

An examination of the spread of material in the 340 range over the campus reveals that whilst there are pockets of sometimes sizeable holdings in other collections, law does not suffer to the degree of some disciplines. Table 6, Appendix B displays the extent of such holdings along with commentary about each collection.

Some of these scattered holdings are clearly related to the specific information requirements of the principal users of these collections - for example planning law in the Architecture library or issues in medical negligence in the Brownless collection. For some collections, however, there is duplication either in actual titles or collecting interests, of the holdings of the Law Library. In this way, the ERC law holdings replicate in a far reduced scale many components of the Law Library collection. Other holdings contain unique titles which fall within the collection brief of the Law Library collection. However there are sometimes valid reasons behind such "scatter". For some material, such as the considerable UN material in the B collection, support the research of many disciplines and thus are most appropriately housed in the general research collection B. Similarly interdisciplinary titles on subjects such as law and politics and law and society, cover several disciplines and come to be housed in the Baillieu library.

However, although the degree of scattering for core material is not great for law material, the issues of inappropriate duplication and/or collection placement needs to be addressed upon completion of Conspectus for the other relevant collections, principally the Baillieu and ERC to ensure that material is best sited to serve its intended user group and shelf space, always a valuable resource, is best utilised.

Strengths

For some core parts of the collection, in particular the Australian Commonwealth and State laws, regulations and cases, the results of Conspectus are uniformly good. High goals are matched by strong commitment levels building on already very strong collections.

Areas of particular strength for individual subject areas are :

International law
Jurisdiction & jurisdictional relations of states
Constitutional law and history
Equity

Generally over all subjects, there are strong holdings particularly in Australian material, but generally in common law jurisdictions. Such material has both historical depth and solid current holdings and is supported by journal, reference and electronic resources.

Weaknesses

Balancing such strengths are problems areas, both of a general and specific nature. For many subjects, there is a tendency for uneven collecting patterns. There is also an overall paucity of nonEnglish material, even for topics such as European and international law.

Areas of particular weakness for individual subject areas are :

Current

Constitutional reform
European Community Law
Family law
Law of Asia, Orient and Far East
Regulation of trade

Future

Conflict of laws
Disputes & conflicts between states
Judicial administration
Law and social justice
Legal education
Legal history
Legal theory
Relationships between states
Roman law
Succession

Outcomes from the Review

The intended outcomes from the Conspectus process for the Law Library range from the immediate to the long term, and address some of the most fundamental questions about the law holdings within the University of Melbourne library system.

Some of the outcomes of Conspectus for the Law Library have already been achieved, or shall be in the near future :

Many more of the projected outcomes, however, are longterm and will be undertaken in the next several years :

Such a list of intended outcomes is no small task and will require considerable work by the Law Library staff in protracted consultation with their key user groups. The eventual completion of such projects, shall however, be essential to ensure that the Library provides the most appropriate collection for its users in a world of rapidly changing information resources and finite funding sources.

Acknowledgments

The Conspectus project in the Law Library has involved the effort of many people over the past three years. The three Collection Management Librarians, Shaunagh Harte, Prisicilla Stott and myself, have all contributed to the collection, evaluation and presentation of the data. Other staff in the University of Melbourne Library involved in Conspectus, have also contributed, through their expertise and practical support. Shirley Sullivan, Collection Librarian for the Physical Sciences and former Conspectus Librarian, deserves special mention for both her practical assistance and advice. Finally, the Law Librarians, past and present, have played major roles. Ruth Bird, current Law Librarian, has brought her fresh eye to the data and provided an invaluable source of comment for the final draft of this document whilst Stephen Connelly, former Law Librarian, left as one of his last projects a draft version of this report which provided not just the structure and much of the content of the final report, but much of the spirit of the final recommendations to come from this exercise. It is fitting that one of his last tasks was to contribute to the future of the Law Library of the University of Melbourne.

Lisa Sukkel
Collection Management Librarian
Law Library
University of Melbourne
May 1996


Appendix A

The University of Melbourne Faculty of Law
Strategic Plan 1994-1996

Objective 1

To be the best centre for research, teaching and scholarship in law in Australia, and among the leading centre for research, teaching and scholarship in law in the world, judged by international standards

Strategies

1.1 Expand the academic staff of the Law School.

1.2 Increase the number of chairs in the Law School

1.3 Continue to develop a program for the achievement and evaluation of high qauality teaching and learning in the Law School.

1.4 Improve the quality of teaching, academic, administrative and student facilities of the Law School

1.5 Develop further a comprehensive program of staff development for all members of academic and administrative staff.

1.6 Extend the utilisation of computers in teaching, research and administration.

1.7 Increase substantially the financial resources of the Law School.

Targets

Objective 2

To make a significant contribution to ideas, knowledge and learning in the University, Australia, and the rest of the world.

Strategies

2.1 Increase the quality and level of research activity and output of staff and students of the Law School.

2.2 Maintain a commitment to existing priority areas: Asian law, commercial law, judicial admininstration, legal theory, law and social justice, media and communications law, natural resources law, and public law.

2.3 Develop further the strength of the Law School in the following areas: family law, finance law, health and medical law, information technology law, intellectual property law, international law, and labour law.

2.4 Establish a strength in the Law School in the following areas: Aboriginal law and society, maritime law, migration law, legal history.

Targets

- Corporations and Securities Law

- Intellectual Property Law

- International Law and Human Rights

Objective 3

To be a vigorous, fearless and diverse community of legal scholars, as students, teachers and researchers.

Strategies

3.1 Attract the most able students in undergraduate and graduate programs.

3.2 Attract the most able members of academic staff with a wide range of legal interests.

3.3 Promote an environment of collegiality and cooperation among all staff in the Law School.

Objective 4

To exercise its influence and discharge its obligations in the interests of the wider community, with a particular commitment to justice.

4.1 Participate with the legal profession in a review of the requirements for admission to practise law.

4.2 Contribute to law reform in Australia and overseas

Targets

Objective 5

To maintain a strong commitment to affirmative action and equal opportunity

Strategies

5.1 Improve the Law School's record as an equal opportunity employer in relation to ethnicity, disability and gender.

5.2 Improve the gender balance at all levels of academic staff.

5.3 Improve the quality of facilities for staff and students with disabilities.

5.4 Provide equal opportunities for staff development for staff with disabilities.

Targets


Appendix B

Results

List checking results

Table 1: Periodicals evaluated in list checking exercise

Category checked Held/Numbers % Held
Law reports (Aust) 89/115 77
Looseleafs (Aust) 52/97 54
Journals 310/682 45

Table 2: Subjects not evaluated by jurisdiction in the list checking exercise

 
	 
Subject Held/Titles checked % Held
Jurisprudence 130/353 37
Comparative law 146/252 58
Conflict of laws 102/198 52
International law
Treaties, cases etc 20/49 41
Sources of international law 21/46 52
World community 12/43 28
Relations between states 9/16 56
Jurisdiction and jurisdictional
Relation of states 59/116 51
Dispute and conflict between states 4/14 28
Law of war 25/64 39
International co-operation 63/157 40

Table 3: Subjects evaluated by jurisdiction in the list checking exercise

Subject Australia UK US Canada Other
Constitutional law 95% 70% 49% 40% 42%
Administrative law 94% 87% 33% - 48%
Taxation law 89% 23% 33% 10% 13%
Trade practices 83% 20% 33% 25% -
Insurance law 81% 75% 16% 29% 50%
Banks and banking 71% 36% 18% 13% -
Securities 100% - - - -
Bankruptcy 69% 70% 13% 17% 29%
Intellectual property 95% 80% 30% - -
Property 100% 67% 39% 50% 20%
Torts 83% 82% 29% 20% 0
Contracts 80% 50% 28% 25% 44%
Corporations law 64% - - - -
Labour law 100% 63% 30% 22% 30%
Consumer law 75% 50% 8% - -
Environment law 67% 44% 40% 25% 65%
Media and communications law - 100% 35% 50% -
Natural resources - - 50% - -
Courts and procedure 55% 95% 35% 12% 45%
Evidence 75% 64% 13% 20% 20%
Courts and procedure 55% 95% 35% 12% 45%
Evidence 75% 64% 13% 20% 20%

Table 4: Results from the academic interviews (with comparison to Conspectus overall rating)

Explanation of abbreviations/terms used

Aust. - Australian material held in the collection
Conspectus rating : academics - grading given in the course of the interviews with academics
Aus. - rating of the Australian material in the collection
Int. - rating of the international material in the collection
Conspectus rating : collection - grading given
CL - Collection level
AC - Acquisition commitment
Ref. - level of Reference material held in the collection
Int & comp. - level of International and comparative material held in the collection
Loose-leaf - level of loose-leaf services held in the collection
Foreign lang. - level of foreign language material held in the collection
Online d.bs - level of online databases held in the collection
History of collecting -
E - Even history of collecting in the subject area
UE - Uneven history of collecting in the subject area
P - Poor coverage of the subject area
S - Satisfactory coverage of the subject area
G - Good coverage of the subject area
NA - Not applicable (ie. not relevant for this subject, academic not in a position to judge due to recent appointment)
UK - Unknown (ie data incomplete)

SUBJECT              Journals  Ref.  Int &  Loose  Foreign  Online  History of  Aust.  Conspectus  Conspectus
                                     comp.  -Leaf  lang.    D.b.    collecting          rating:     rating:
                                                                                        academics  collection
                                                                                        Aus.  Int.   CL  AC
Administrative law      S        S     G      UK     UK      UK          E        G      3B    -     3A  3A
Artificial intelligence S        P     UK     P      S       NA          NA       NA      -    -      -   -
Banking & finance       G        S     S      NA     NA      NA          UE       G      3B   3B     3A  2B
Constitutional law      G        S     P      S      P       P           UE       G      3B   2B     3A  3A
Contracts               G        S     S      G      NA      NA          UE       G      3B   3B     3B  3B
Corporations Law        S        S     P      G      NA      P           UE       G      3B   2B     3A  4
Equal opportunity Law   S        S     S      S      NA      NA          NA       NA      -    -      -   -
Sex Discrimination Law  S        S     S      S      NA      S           E        G      3B   3B      -   -
Equity & trusts         S        S     S      NA     P       S           UE       S      4    3B     3B  3B
European Law            G        NA    G      S      NA      NA          UE       NA     -    3A      -   -
Evidence                S        S     P      S      NA      NA          UE       S      3A   3A     2A  2A
Family Law              S        S     S      G      NA      P           UE       S      2A   2A     2B  3A
Feminist legal theory   P        NA    S      NA     NA      NA          NA       S       -    -      -   -
Intellectual property   S        S     P      P      NA      G           UE       G      3A   3A     3A  3A
Jurisprudence           G        G     S      NA     P       NA          E        G      4    3B     3A  2B
Labour Law              S        G     P      UK     P       NA          UE       G      4    3A     3A  3A
Natural Resources Law   P        P     P      UK     UK      UK          UE       UK      -    -      -   -
Procedures              NA       S     P      S      NA      NA          UE       G      3B   1B     2A  2A
Property Law            S        UK    S      G      S       NA          E        G      4    3B     3A  3A
Taxation Law            S        S     G      G      NA      NA          NA       NA      -    -     3A  3B
Torts, insurance & 
accident compensation   S        G     P      UK     NA      P           UE       G      3B    -     3A  3A
Trade Practices Law     P        G     G      G      NA      UK          UE       S      3A    -      -   -
Trade Marks Law         S        UK    S      G      NA      NA          UE       G      4    3B      -   -
TOTALS 
no.s of poor            3         2     8     2       4       4           -       0      -     -      -   -
no.s of satisfactory    14       13    10     7       2       2           -       5      -     -      -   -
no.s of good            5         4     4     6       0       1           -      13      -     -      -   -
no.s of unknown, not
applicable              1         4     1     8      17      16            4      5      -     -      -   -
no.s of uneven          -         -     -     -       -       -           15      -      -     -      -   -
no.s of even            -         -     -     -       -       -            4      -      -     -      -   -

Table 5.

The interests of the Law Faculty compared against Conspectus data

Subjects                            Coll. Level (CL)   Acq. Com. (AC)   Goal
(GL)
Aboriginal law and society                 3a              3a             3a
Asian law                                  3a              3a             3b
Commercial law                             3a              3a             4
Conflict of laws                           3b              2b             4
Constitutional law                         3b              3b             4
Contracts                                  3b              3b             3b
Criminal law                               3a              3a             4
Equity and trusts                          3b              3b             4
European Community law                     2b              3a             2b
Family law                                 2b              3a             3b
Finance law                                3a              3a             4
Health and medical law                     3a              3a             3a
Information technology law                 3a              3a             3b
Intellectual property law                  3a              3a             4
International law and human rights         3b              3b             4
Judicial administration                    3a              2a             3b
Labour law                                 3a              3a             4
Law and social justice                     3a              2b             3b
Legal education                            3a              2a             3a
Legal history                              3a              2a             3a
Legal theory                               3a              2b             3b
Maritime law                               3a              3a             3b
Media and communications law               3a              3a             3b
Migration law                              3a              3a             3a
Natural resources law                      3a              3a             4
Public law                                 3a              3a             4
Roman law                                  3a              2a             3a
Succession                                 3b              2b             3a
Taxation                                   3a              3b             3b
Torts                                      3a              3a             4
Trade practices                            3b              3b             3b

Table 6

Law holdings throughout the University of Melbourne Library

Library                  No. Of   % of total law    Comments                
         Shelves   holdings
Law Library - General     989       24.7%            For descriptions of these collections see full report.
                                                     Please note that for the reports & legislation figures, 
                                                     this includes multiple copies of titles.
Natural resources          91        2.3%
Reference                 193        4.8%
Reports & legislation    2340       58.5%
Baillieu                  160        4%              A large collection of legal material covering the whole
                                                     range of 340's. Whilst the majority of titles cover 
                                                     topics which impinge on Arts Faculty subjects, some 
                                                     material is specifically for law and at times replicates 
                                                     Law Library holdings.
Education Resource
Centre                     84         2%             A surprisingly well rounded collection.  Holds much 
                                                     material from the 1980's and 1990's including multiple 
                                                     copies of core legal texts. Alongside this, research 
                                                     material such as serials and conference sets exist. As 
                                                     well as the expected material such as holdings on 
                                                     education and the law, there are holdings in virtually 
                                                     all areas of the law. A particular area of strength is 
                                                     in all aspects of private law.
Media Collection            2.5        -             A mixture of tapes and videos, with an emphasis on
                                                     Australian video material. Covers all DDC range by
                                                     strongest in private law.
B collection              113         2.8%           A large collection covering all areas of law but
                                                     exceedingly strong in international law. The dates of 
                                                     material range from 1880 to the present, with the bulk 
                                                     of work published post WWII. This collection represents 
                                                     the bulk of non English holdings in law.
AB collection               8          -             A relatively small collection with strengths in 
                                                     government reports and annual reports from departments. 
                                                     Whilst some older material, most published in the past 
                                                     20 years.
BX collection               3.5        -             A range of subjects, languages and dates (1700-1900) 
                                                     Includes some early report material.
AX collection               1          -             By definition, Australian material prior to 1900. Half 
                                                     concerns constitutional & administrative law.
Architecture Library        9          -             A reseasonably sized holding of legal material, 
                                                     concentrating on particular areas such as construction, 
                                                     planning property and environmental law.
Brownless Medical Library   2.5Ü       -             Although holdings cover many areas of law, particular 
                                                     strengths in medical negligence and public health.
Engineering                 1          -             A dated collection, mostly covering general legal topics 
                                                     in the 340 and 341 range

List 1

Comparison of CL (collection level) to GL (goal level)

Requiring improved collection level

1 Conspectus Level Difference

DDC        Subject 
340.1      Philosophy & theory of law
340.3      Law reform
340.9      Conflict of laws
341        International law
341.4      Jurisdiction & jurisdictional relations
341.7      International cooperation
342.2      Constitutional law and history
342.4      Structure, powers, functions of government
342.5      Legislative branch of government
343.4      Tax law (general)
343.5      Kinds of taxes by base
343.6      Kinds of taxes by incidence
343.9      Control of public utilities
344.3      Welfare
344.5      Public safety
344.6      Public works
344.7      Education and schools
344.8      Educational and cultural exchanges
345.3      Offenders
345.5      General criminal procedure
346.04     Equity
346.8      Banking and insurance
347.5      General considerations of procedures
347.6      Evidence
347.7      Trials
348.5      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Asia, Orient, Far East
348.994    Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Australia
348.9945   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Victoria
349.9941   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Western Australia
349.9942   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - South Australia
349.99429  Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Northern Territory
349.9943   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Queensland
349.99436  Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Tasmania
349.9947   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Australian Capital Territory
349.9948   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Outlying Islands

2 Conspectus Levels DifferenceDDC        Subject 
341.1      Sources of International law
341.2      The world community
341.3      Relationships between states
341.5      Disputes & conflicts between states
342        Constitutional & administrative law
342.9      Local government
344.1      Labor law
344.4      Public health
345        Criminal law
345.1      Criminal courts
345.6      Evidence
345.7      Trials
346.1      Persons and domestic relations (family law)
346.3      Torts
346.4      Property
346.6      Business associations and companies
346.7      Commercial law
346.9      Securities and negotiable instruments
347.1      Courts
347.8      Appellate procedure
347.9      Arbitration, mediation, conciliation
349.994    Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Australia
349.9944   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - New South Wales
349.9945   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Victoria

Conspectus Levels DifferenceDDC        Subject 
342.3      Constitutional reform
343.8      Regulation of trade
348.9      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of other parts of the world
349.5      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Asia, Orient, Far East

Collected at an appropriate level 
DDC        Subject 
340        Law
340.2      Comparative law
340.5      Legal systems
342.6      Administrative law and procedure
342.7      Election law
342.8      Jurisdiction of government over persons
343        Military, tax, trade, industrial law
343.1      Military, defence, veterans law
343.2      Law of public property
343.3      Law of public finance
343.7      Regulation of economic activity
344        Social, labor, welfare, health, safety, education and cultural law
344.2      Social insurance
344.9      Culture and religion
345.2      Offences
345.4      Liability, responsibility and guilt
345.8      Juvenile procedure
346.2      Contracts and agency
347.2      Courts with general original jurisdiction
347.3      Courts with appellate jurisdiction
347.4      Courts with specialised jurisdiction
348.3      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of ancient world
348.9941   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Western Australia
348.9942   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of South Australia
348.99429  Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Northern Territory
348.9943   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Queensland
348.9944   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of New South Wales
348.9945   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Tasmania
348.9947   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Australian Capital Territory
348.9948   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of outlying islands
349.4      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Europe, Western Europe
349.6      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Africa
349.8      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - South America

Requiring less collecting 
DDC        Subject 
341.6      Law of war
346.5      Inheritance, succession, trusts, trustees
348.4      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Western Europe
348.6      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Africa
348.7      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of North America
349.7      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - North America
349.9      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Other parts of the world

List 2.

Acquisition vs goal levels
* indicates collection level and goal currently match
# indicates larger differential between acquisition level and goal level than collection level and goal level
@ indicates smaller differential between acquisition level and goal level than collection level and goal level

Requiring improved collection

1 Conspectus Level Difference
DDC        Subject 
340.3      Law reform
341        International law
341.4      Jurisdiction & jurisdictional relations
341.6      Law of war #
341.7      International cooperation
342.2      Constitutional law and history
342.4      Structure, powers, functions of government
342.5      Legislative branch of government
343.9      Control of public utilities
344.3      Welfare
344.5      Public safety
344.6      Public works
344.7      Education and schools
344.8      Educational and cultural exchanges
345.3      Offenders
346.04     Equity
346.1      Persons and domestic relations (family law) @
346.5      Inheritance, succession, trusts, trustees #
347.6      Evidence
347.9      Arbitration, mediation, conciliation@
348.5      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Asia, Orient, Far East
349.9      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Other parts of the world #
348.994    Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Australia
348.9945   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Victoria
349.6      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Africa # *
349.8      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - South America # *
349.994    Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Australia
349.9944   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - New South Wales
349.9945   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Victoria
2 Conspectus Levels Difference
DDC        Subject 
340.1      Philosophy & theory of law #
340.2      Comparative law * #
340.5      Legal systems * #
341.1      Sources of International law
342        Constitutional & administrative law
342.7      Election law * #
342.9      Local government
344.1      Labor law
345        Criminal law
345.1      Criminal courts
346.3      Torts
346.4      Property
346.7      Commercial law
346.8      Banking and insurance #
346.9      Securities and negotiable instruments
347.7      Trials #
347.8      Appellate procedure
349.5      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Asia, Orient, Far East
3 Conspectus Levels Difference
DDC        Subject 
340.9      Conflict of laws #
341.2      The world community #
342.3      Constitutional reform
343.8      Regulation of trade
345.5      General criminal procedure #
345.6      Evidence #
345.7      Trials #
347.1      Courts #
347.5      General considerations of procedures #
348.9      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of other parts of the world
348.9948   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of outlying islands * #
4 Conspectus Levels Differences
341.3      Relationships between states #
341.5      Disputes & conflicts between states#
349.9948   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Outlying islands
Acquisition level appropriate for goal level 
DDC        Subject 
342.6      Administrative law and procedure
342.8      Jurisdiction of government over persons *
343        Military, tax, trade, industrial law *
343.1      Military, defence, veterans law *
343.4      Tax law (general)
343.5      Kinds of taxes by base @
343.6      Kinds of taxes by incidence
343.7      Regulation of economic activity *
348.3      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of ancient world *
344        Social, labor, welfare, health, safety, education and cultural law *
344.2      Social insurance *
344.4      Public health *
344.9      Culture and religion *
345.2      Offences *
345.4      Liability, responsibility and guilt *
345.8      Juvenile procedure *
346.2      Contracts and agency *
346.6      Business associations and companies @
347.2      Courts with general original jurisdiction *
347.3      Courts with appellate jurisdiction *
347.4      Courts with specialised jurisdiction *
348.9941   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Western Australia *
348.9942   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of South Australia *
348.99429  Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Northern Territory *
348.9943   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Queensland *
348.9944   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of New South Wales *
348.9945   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Tasmania *
348.9947   Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Australian Capital Territory *
349.7      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - North America
18
349.9941   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Western Australia
349.9942   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - South Australia
349.99429  Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Northern Territory
349.9943   Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Queensland
349.99436  Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Tasmania
349.99437  Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Australian Capital Territory
Requiring reduced acquisition level to fulfil goal 
DDC        Subject 
343.2      Law of public property *
343.3      Law of public finance *
348.4      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Western Europe
348.6      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of Africa
348.7      Laws (Statutes), Regulations, cases of North America
349.4      Law of specific jurisdictions and areas - Europe, Western Europe

Appendix D

Table 1

Conspectus data converted to Moys classification sequence

Moys no.     Subject                          Collection              Acquisition
                                                level                    level
K            Journals and reference books
K1           Journals                            3A                        3B
K28          Journal indexes                     4                         4
K29-79       Bibliography                        3B                        3B
K80          Law libraries, librarianship        3B                        3B
K120-126     Dictionaries                        4                         4
K150-180     Directories                         3b                        3b
KA           Jurisprudence                       3A                        3B
KB           General and comparative law
KB 10-22     Biography, memoirs etc              2                         2
KB 30-35     Legal miscellany                    2                         1b
KB 40-66     Popular accounts                    1                         1
KB 100-120   Comparative law                     2A                        2B
KB 290-299   Forensic medicine                   0                         0
KB 300-399   Criminology                         1                         1
KC           International law
KC 10-65     Primary materials                   3A                        3A
KC 71        Reference works                     3a                        3a
KC 80-86     General works                       3b                        3b
KC 100-136   Public international law
             - general, history, theory etc.     3b                        3b
KC 140-199   - the state                         3b                        3b
KC 200-208   - civil rights                      3a                        3b
KC 210-219   - international criminal law        2b                        2b
KC 220-239   - international economic law        3b                        3b
KC 240-242   - social laws                       3a                        3a
KC 245       - atomic energy                     3a                        3a
KC 250-259   - transport, communications         3B                        3B
KC 260-277   - maritime law                      3b                        3b
KC 280-284   - outer space                       3a                        3a
KC 300-339   - international relations, 
                diplomacy, treaties              3B                        3B
KC 340-1199  - international organisations       3B                        3B
KC 1200-1319 - international disputes, courts    3B                        3B
KC 1350-1425 - war                               3A                        3A
KD           Religious legal systems
KD 10-39     General                             0                         0
KD 60-89     Jewish law                          2                         2
KD 100-590   Christian churches                  1                         1
KD 600-650   Islamic law                         2                         2
KD 700-780   Hindu law                           0                         0
KD 800-980   Others                              0                         0
KE           Ancient and medieval law
KE 5-20      General                             0                         0
KE 21-29     Ancient Near East                   0                         0
KE 30-95     Hellenistic Law                     0                         0
KE 100-25    Roman Law                           4                         3B
KE 251-300   Byzantine Law                       0                         0
KE 310-340   Other Ancient European Systems      0                         0
KE 350-380   Medieval and pre-Napoleonic Europe  2B                        0
KE 400-480   Roman-Dutch law                     1A                        0
KE 500-520   Oriental law                        0                         0
KE 530-540   Others                              0                         0
KF-KN        Common law - primary materials
KF           British Isles                       3b                        3b
KG 1-280     Canada                              3a                        3a
KG 301-1420  United States                       3b                        3b
KG 1501-1800 West Indies                         0                         0
KH 1-60      Australia                           4                         4
KH 61-80     New South Wales                     3b                        3a
KH 81-100    Queensland                          3b                        3b
KH 101-120   South Australia                     3b                        3b
KH 121-140   Tasmania                            3b                        3b
KH 141-160   Victoria                            4                         4
KH 161-180   Western Australia                   3b                        3b
KH 181-200   Northern Territory                  3a                        3a
KH 201-220   Australian Capital Territory        3a                        3a
KH 301-360   New Zealand                         2b                        3a
KL           Treatises - general
KL 1-36      Legal system                        2B                        2B
KL 40-44     Legal dictionaries and 
              encyclopedias                      3A                        3A
KL 50-119    Legal profession                    3A                        2B
KL 130-149   Legal education                     3A                        3A
KL 155-179   Legal research, law reform          3B                        3B
KL 200-319   Administration of justice           3B                        3B
KL 400-480   Legal history                       3B                        3B
KM           Public law
KM 1-29      General                             3A                        3A
KM 31-141    Constitutional and Administrative 
               law - general                     3A                        3A
KM 171-259   - Citizens, Government              3A                        3A
KM 300-307   - Administrative law                3A                        3A
KM 331-359   - public finance (Including 
               Taxation law)                     3A                        3B
KM 361-391   - local government                  3A                        3A
KM 400-416   - military law                      1A                        1A
KM 500-565   Criminal law and procedure 
             - general, crimes                   3A                        3A
KM 570-690   - criminal procedure, law 
               enforcement                       3A                        3A
KN           Private law
KN 1-4       Conflict of law                     3b                        3a
KN 10-25     Contract, Agency                    3b                        3b
KN 30-39     Tort                                3a                        3a
KN 50-83     Property                            3b                        3b
KN 84-90     Natural resources and energy        3a                        3b
KN 94-100    Environmental law                   3a                        3b
KN 111-120   Intellectual property               3a                        3a
KN 150-180   Persons and Social laws             2b                        2b
KN 170-180   Family law                          2b                        3a
KN 180-184   Social law                          3a                        2b
KN 185-186   Public health, medical law          3a                        3b
KN 190-198   Industrial law (Including 
              labour law)                        3a                        3a
KN 200-235   Equity and Trusts                   3b                        3b
KN 250-256   Commercial law - general            3a                        3a
KN 260-268   Business associations 
               (Including corporations)          3a                        3b
KN 270-275   Industries, public utilities        2b                        3a
KN 280-287   Sale of goods                       3A                        3A
KN 290-295   Insurance                           3A                        3A
KN 300-308   Banks and Banking                   3A                        3A
KN 310-313   Bankruptcy and Insolvency           3A                        3A
KN 330-339   Maritime law                        3A                        3B
KN 340-346   Media and Communications law        3A                        3B
KN 347-348   Computer law, information 
               technology                        3A                        3B
KN 350-399   Practice and Procedure 
               (include. Evidence)               2B                        3A
KR           Africa                              2A                        1B
KS           Latin America                       0                         0
KT           Asia and Pacific
KT 51-1380   Middle East                         0                         0
KT 1381-2640 Central Asia                        0                         0
KT 2681      South East Asia                     2B                        2B
KT 4080      Far East                            2B                        2B
KT 4701-5801 Pacific                             2B                        1B
KV           Europe                              3A                        3B 

Last modified: August 18 2004.