University of New Hampshire School of Law Information Literacy Plan: 2013
UNH Law’s mission is to graduate highly capable, confident professionals who will serve clients, employers and the public with integrity and excellence. Although the legal profession has identified legal research as one of ten fundamental lawyering skills (Legal Education and Professional Development: An Educational Continuum) and emphasizes the need for future lawyers of be “client ready,” (Best Practices for Legal Education) recent studies indicate law school graduates lack fundamental research skills. With the explosion of online information output and resources, legal professionals in the 21st century must learn how to acquire, manage and analyze large quantities of information from multiple formats. The expansion of information is moving so rapidly that the ability to locate relevant information from disparate sources and quickly form a coherent whole has become a critical skill in a knowledge-based society. A comprehensive information literacy plan ensuring students possess the skills needed to be successful creators and consumers of information is important to UNH Law’s mission.
