Ruth Bird
Bodleian Law Librarian
Ruth Bird's career started in secondary school teaching before undertaking postgraduate studies in Librarianship, and working for several years as a teacher librarian.
In 1988 she moved into law libraries as the Manager of Information Services at Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks, a leading Australian law firm. In 1994 she became their Practice Development Manager, responsible for marketing services in the firm, which is now part of Allens Arthur Robinson.
In 1993, as the National Convener of the Australian Law Librarians Group, she worked with colleagues in all state divisions to improve professional development for Australian law librarians.
In 1996 she moved to academia, joining the University of Melbourne Library, and Law Faculty, as the Law Librarian. During this time she worked closely with the Faculty in the planning of the Legal Resource Centre in the new Law School Building.
In 2000 she became the Firm Legal Information Manager, responsible for precedents and libraries across all the offices of Australian law firm Phillips Fox.
In 2004 Ruth (with her husband, Ian), relocated to Oxford, where she became the Bodleian Law Librarian at the University of Oxford. Numerous projects have been undertaken in the law library, including a reclassification of the text collection, the creation of a new reading room for graduates, and an increased concentration on research courses for postgraduate students.
Ruth was a member of the Council of BIALL (British and Irish Association of Law Librarians) 2008 - 2011, and is a member of the Board of the International Association of Law Libraries. In 2008 she undertook an academic exchange at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and Private International Law in Hamburg, researching the role of print materials in libraries in a digital age. In 2010 she researched legal information literacy during an academic exchange at the University of Melbourne Law School.
In 2010, Ruth was made an Honorary Bencher at Middle Temple.
Publications
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Journal Articles
2012
N.Choolhun and R Bird, 'British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) Legal Information Literacy Statement. ' (2012) 6 Journal of Information Literacy 132 [...]
This report on the BIALL legal information literacy (IL) project provides the background on why the project came into being and how it was supported.
R Bird, 'From Oxford to Williamsburg: Part 1 - the University of Oxford, Faculty of Law and Bodleian Law Library' (2012) 12 Legal Information Management 284 [...]
The Bodleian Law Library has only existed as an entity in its own right for less than 50 years.This paper offers a brief history of the University of Oxford, and then looks at the history of law teaching, before moving on to the evolution of the law library itself, and some links with the US, and its oldest law school, the College of William and Mary.
ISBN: 1472-6696
2010
R Bird, 'Reclassification on a grand scale – Moys at the Bodleian Law Library' (2010) 10 Legal Information Management 213
2008
R Bird, '(Arthur C Clarke, we still need you.) Trying to predict our future at the Bodleian Law Library.' (2008) 8 Legal Information Management 91
R Bird, 'Finding foreign law collections in the UK: the 2007 FLAG update and questions it raises for future collection development policy in the UK' (2008) 8 Legal Information Management 135
2006
R Bird, 'A moveable feast – law librarianship in the noughties' (2006) 14 Australian Law Librarian 7
R Bird, 'Legislative resources for the United States ' (2006) 6 Legal Information Management 172
2002
R Bird, 'Information management step by step - a law firm case study ' (2002) 2 Professional review
2000
R Bird, 'Legal Research and the Legal System in Australia' (2000) 28 International Journal of Legal Information [...]
paper originally presented at American Association of Law Libraries Conference, Washington DC, July 1999
R Bird, 'Planning a Legal Resource Centre for the 21st century" ' (2000) 2 Australian Law Librarian
1998
R Bird, 'Conference Report - JSI, BIALL, IALL' (1998) 4 Australian Law Librarian
1997
R Bird, 'Report of the Law Library Moys Reclassification Project' (1997) 48 Ex Libris (University of Melbourne Library Magazine)
R Bird, 'The Law Library' (1997) 3 University of Melbourne Library Journal
1995
R Bird, 'Australian Law Libraries' (1995) The Law Librarian
1992
R Bird, 'Survey of Australian law libraries' computer use in 1992' (1992) ALLG Newsletter
R Bird, 'Working within a structure: library databases alongside general computer applications...' (1992) Australian Library Journal
1991
R Bird, 'Getting acquainted with the Indonesian legal system' (1991) ALLG Newsletter
R Bird, 'Should online go offline' (1991) ALLG Newsletter
0
N Choolhun, R Bird and R Bird, 'British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) Legal Information Literacy Statement.' 6 (2) Journal of Information Literacy 132 [...]
This report on the BIALL legal information literacy (IL) project provides the background on why the project came into being and how it was supported.
ISBN: 1750-5968
Chapters
2011
R Bird, 'Legal Information Literacy' in Richard Danner & Jules Winteron (eds), IALL International Handbook of Legal Information Management (Ashgate 2011)
1996
R Bird, 'Strategic Planning in Law Libraries' in Helen Hayes and Angela Bridgland (eds), Charting the Future ( 1996)
1993
R Bird, 'Creating and using databases' in Creating Our Future - Proceedings of the 5th Asian Pacific Specials and Law Librarians Conference ( 1993)
1991
R Bird, 'Beyond the computer catalogue: database applications in a law library' in Achieving Excellence - Proceedings of the 4th Asian Pacific Special and Law Librarians Conference ( 1991)
R Bird, 'Evaluation, selection and implementation of computer systems' in Achieving Excellence - Proceedings of the 4th Asian Pacific Special and Law Librarians Conference ( 1991)
Presentation/Conference contributions
2011
R Bird, 'History of the Bodleian Law Library' , paper presented at [...]
Presentation at BIALL Conference, together with James Heller, Professor and Director, Law Library, William and Mary , entitled From Oxford to Williamsburg: the evolution of legal education and law libraries across the pond.
R Bird, 'Open Access to Legal Information' , paper presented at [...]
An overview of free sources of online information in law, for Open Access week, 2011
2003
R Bird, 'A measured approach. Knowledge Management and Return on Investment paper presented at Knowledge Management in Law Firms Symposium, Sydney, 8 Sept, 2003', paper presented at Knowledge Management in Law Firms Symposium, Sydney, 8 Sept, 2003
R Bird, 'Knowledge management in theory and practice', paper presented at Australian Legal Aid Managers Annual Conference, Melbourne June 2003
1999
R Bird, 'Asian Legal Research on the Internet', paper presented at International Association of Law Libraries Annual Course, Melbourne, September 16, 1999
1996
R Bird, 'Breadth and Depth of Librarianship - Returning to the Fold', paper presented at Inaugural Law Librarians Symposium, Melbourne, October 4, 1996 [...]
in Australian Law Librarian, December 1996
1995
R Bird, 'Targeting the Promotional Strategy', paper presented at 6th Asian Pacific Specials and Law Librarians Conference
Interests
Research: Legal Information Literacy; Legal Research; Knowledge Management; Academic Libraries
Other details
Correspondence address:
Bodleian Law Library
St. Cross Building,
Manor Road,
Oxford. OXI 3UR
