The Quiet Force Behind Carolina Law’s Boldest Ideas

Behind every groundbreaking legal argument and policy paper at UNC School of Law, there’s an often-unseen force: the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library team. These librarians are more than just book managers; they’re the driving force behind the school’s legal discoveries. 

“We take research questions from faculty members, big or small,” says Ellie Campbell, a UNC School of Law reference librarian. “Recently, we’ve completed 50-state surveys on a variety of issues for Professors Lau, Chin, and Fedders.” 

These carefully assembled surveys form the bedrock of comparative legal analyses, allowing faculty to identify trends and anomalies across jurisdictions. When Professor Eric Muller needed to navigate the complexities of constitutional interpretation, the library team stepped up, crafting an extensive annotated bibliography that laid the groundwork for his exploration, which ultimately led to his article in The Atlantic dissecting the intricacies of originalism. 

As legal scholarship increasingly intersects with data-driven research, the library team has evolved to meet new challenges. They’ve become skilled guides to the university’s vast resources, connecting faculty with specialized support like UNC Libraries Data Services. This bridge-building ensures legal theories don’t just live in textbooks but can withstand the scrutiny of real-world data. 

The library team’s commitment to open access shines through the Carolina Law Scholarship Repository, a digital archive they curate. “We make faculty and student research and other scholarly output available for free,” Campbell explains. 

To stay ahead in the advancing world of legal research, UNC School of Law’s librarians are always learning. They attend national conferences, master new database features, and contribute to major journals in their field. This perpetual upskilling ensures faculty have access to the latest research tools and methodologies. 

“We offer a very high level of research support for our faculty,” Campbell shares. “When I worked for other law libraries, I often helped faculty find articles or track down factual information, but those libraries didn’t have the capacity to offer more.” 

She adds, “I think our commitment to research speaks to both the high level of expertise among our law librarians and the value that Carolina Law places on contributing to a wide variety of legal fields.” 

As Research Week unfolds at UNC, the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library‘s efforts shine a light on the collaborative nature of academic discovery. From the first spark of a research question to the final published work, the library team remains a steadfast ally in the pursuit of legal knowledge, transforming the library from a mere book repository into a hub of discovery that propels UNC School of Law’s impact on legal scholarship.