Given that some of our favorite Justia supporters and friends are law librarians and to help get us all into the holiday spirit of the season, we thought it might be fun to put together a list of library and legal-themed gifts for those folks who keep us on track and organized when it comes to legal research and information. (And for those of our readers who practice law, fear not. We have a separate list coming out for you this week as well!)
Free Law! – Share the law of the land and “adopt” a volume of the first series of the Federal Reporter of the United States in the name of your favorite law librarian or library – your donation of $1,200 pays to double key 1,000 pages of Federal Appellate opinions, copies of which will be given to the National Archives and the Government Printing Office. If that price is a little too steep, consider paying a librarian forward by downloading RECAP, a free Firefox plug-in that allows you to donate and distribute your purchased PACER documents for all to access via a public repository hosted by the Internet Archive.
Librarian Action Figure – Okay, I’ll admit it, this one has been out there for a while, so if you’re a librarian (like me), you’ve probably already received more than a few of these from friends. But, did you know Archie McPhee now makes a deluxe version of the Librarian Action Figure, complete with a reference desk, book cart and computer? Now, if we could just convince them to add a teeny weeny Blue Book. . .
The Library of Congress Gift Shop – Head to the Mother Ship and check out the LOC online store to find lots of good gift ideas for your favorite information professional. Examples include:
Library of Congress Dome Mouse Pad – Allows you to gaze at the dome of the Jefferson Building every time you’re online!
George Washington’s Rules of Civility – Dealing with cranky patrons? Take a deep breath and show them the Rules.
National Archives Gift Shop – Not to be left out, NARA also has an online store where you can purchase the Pocket Constitution – always good to have around for ready reference and heated Thanksgiving family dinners.
Cafe Press Librarian Gifts – For those of you interested in taking more of a walk on the wild side of things, Cafe Press offers up a variety of librarian-inspired totes, mugs, t-shirts and more – some of my favorites include:
“I Like Big Books and I Can Not Lie” – Baby’s got book with this tote bag.
Subversive Librarian Magnet – You know who they are. . . and to quote Michael Moore, “I wouldn’t mess with them.”
Librarian – The Original Search Engine – Say it loud and proud with this wall clock.
The Library Hotel – On your next visit to New York, consider hosting a law librarian friend, partner or spouse to a night on the “Social Sciences” floor of this hotel or let them pick other floors inspired by major Dewey categories. Each room comes with a collection of books.
Got any more ideas? Send us your thoughts and suggestions and we’ll make sure to post them.
Happy Holidays!
