I. Purpose of Award:
The purpose of the Award of Accomplishment in Legal Research Skills program is to provide supplemental training in legal research skills. The training is intended to supplement the current research training provided as part of the Legal Research and Writing courses. The Law Library staff anticipates that most of the award participants will be in their second and third years of law school and may be in need of refresher training on some basic research skills. Additionally, after having completed some work as summer associates, students may recognize the need for additional instruction in a number of areas, including use of print resources, use of specific practice area resources, and low cost alternatives to the subscription databases.
II. Eligibility for participation:
All currently enrolled Oklahoma City University Law students are eligible to participate in this program.
III. Requirements for award:
Students must accumulate a minimum of 20 points to be awarded the Award of Accomplishment in Legal Research Skills. The required 20 points may be earned anytime before graduation. Points will be awarded for the following:
 Four (4) points for attendance of the 1.5 hour Legal Information Literacy Workshop. Attendance of this workshop and completion of the assignment with a score of eighty percent (80%) is a requirement for the award.
Four (4) points for attendance of each specialized research workshop (1.5 hours)  and successful completion of a brief assignment. The workshops qualifying for this credit are outlined in section VI below. Assignments will be used to assess participant learning. Assignments may be in the form of quizzes or written assignments. Successful completion will be recognized for those participants scoring eighty percent (80%) or above on quizzes or assignments.
One (1) point for attendance at library skills training sessions conducted by the program instructors. (Potential topics include, tax research, Texas legal practice research, health care law research, introduction to research of international legal issues). Credit for these training sessions will be granted without regard to completion of research assignments or quizzes.
One (1) point for team (such as Jessup or Moot Court team), student organization, or center requested (Alternative Dispute or Constitutional Law) research training conducted by the program instructors. Â Credit for these training sessions will be granted without regard to completion of research assignments or quizzes.
One (1) point for presentations conducted by the  instructors in substantive and experiential law classes requested by that course’s instructor. Credit for these training sessions will be granted without regard to completion of research assignments or quizzes. Points will not be rewarded for attending required LRW trainings or for the taking the credited Advanced Legal Research classes offered in the fall and spring.
Students must attend and complete the assignment for the Legal Information Literacy Workshop. Students may select any other combination of specialized research workshops, library skills training sessions, team/student organization/center research training sessions, and class presentations offered by the program instructors to accumulate the points required to earn the award. Points will not be awarded for attendance of vendor (Westlaw/Lexis) training sessions, enrollment in Advanced Legal Research courses, or participation in research presentations offered as part of Legal Research and Writing.
IV. Issuance of the Award:
Students who successfully complete the requirements  will receive  an award of completion signed by Law Library personnel. Students who complete the program will not receive any academic credit and completion will not be documented on the student’s official or unofficial transcript. However, completion of the program and award may be noted on student resumes.   A letter outlining the workshops and training sessions completed and skills developed as part of the program will accompany the award.
V. Instructors for the Award program:
Lee Peoples - Education: B.A, M.L.I.S, and J.D. University of Oklahoma (semesters at Ã…arhus University, Denmark and Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands).
Professor Peoples was appointed as Law Library Director in 2010. Prior to his appointment, he served as Associate Director, Associate Director for Faculty and Research Services, and Head of Reference Services. Before joining the faculty Professor Peoples practiced law in Oklahoma City. He is admitted to practice in the State of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, and Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Kathleen Brown – Education: B.F. A. Â DePaul University; J.D. Seattle University Law School; M.S.(LIS) Drexel University.
Katie Brown is the Associate Director. She joined Oklahoma City University Law Library staff in 2010. Prior to coming to Oklahoma City University, she worked at the St. Thomas University Law School Library where she began her career as the Faculty and Student Services Librarian and completed her tenure as the Head of Reference Services. While in law school, Katie was an intern at the Seattle University law library and a volunteer with Washington Lawyers for the Arts. Prior to attending law school Katie, was an acting teacher in the suburbs of Chicago.
Jennifer Prilliman – Education: B.A. University of Central Oklahoma; J.D. University of Oklahoma; M.L.I.S. University of Oklahoma.
Jennifer Prilliman is the Head of Reference. Prior to entering the M.L.I.S. program she taught advanced placement and college preparatory courses at a college preparatory charter school in Oklahoma City. While in law school she was a member of the Jessup moot court team, topic editor for the Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology, member of the Board of Advocates, and received the Dean’s Award for Advocacy. She is an active member in the Oklahoma Bar Association serving on the Law Day committee and the Bar Technology committee.
Timothy Gatton-Education: B.A. Cornell College; J.D. Oklahoma City University; M.L.I.S. University of Pittsburgh
Tim is the Reference Librarian for Public, Clinical, and Student Services and is a 2010 graduate of Oklahoma City University School of Law. While a student at Oklahoma City University, Tim was actively involved in many student organizations, wrote a cooking column for the student newspaper, and worked as a reference assistant at the law library during his last three semesters of law school. Tim worked as a reference intern at the University of Pittsburgh Barco Law Library while completing his studies at Pitt.
VI. Specialized Research Workshop Offerings:
Legal Information Literacy – This workshop will focus on familiarizing students with the tools and skills necessary to efficiently, effectively, and ethically accomplish legal research. Basic information on the use of print resources as well as the evaluation of print and online sources will be discussed. (Completion of this workshop is required for completion of the program.)
Developing a Legal Research Strategy – One of the single most important aspects of successful legal research is developing a research strategy or plan. This workshop will discuss common components of successful research strategies, including consideration of level of knowledge of the legal subject, development of background information, identification of available resources, and verification of current authority.
Oklahoma Legal Research - When researching a state law question, attorneys rely heavily on the state practice materials. Learn to find state practice series, court rules, state administrative materials, and other tools using Oklahoma as an example.
Free and Low Cost Legal Research on the Internet - Some research tasks can be accomplished using free internet resources. Learn how to use free tools, including Oklahoma State Court Network (OSCN) and Fastcase (available without cost to Oklahoma Attorneys via the Oklahoma Bar Association). This workshop will also include discussions regarding when using the web is a responsible decision for a practicing attorney and how the web based tools can be used to stay current in a practice area.
Case Law Research in Print – Besides being an invaluable skill if LexisNexis or Westlaw access is not available, proficiency in print case law research can help a researcher understand and use headnotes and key numbers better when researching in print or online.
Statutory Research in Print and via Online Sources - Many attorneys prefer statutory research, particularly state statutory research, in print. The focus of the print section of this workshop is designed to assist legal researchers become comfortable with using print statutes, pocket parts, updating pamphlets, indexes and tables. The online section of the workshop will focus on identifying and using online resources for statutory research.Â
Administrative Law Research – Finding a regulation, updating CFR research, and learning about proposed regulations, these are all necessary tasks in regulatory research. Learn about the resources to use in performing these tasks.
Summer Associate Training – This workshop is designed to help prepare students who will be working as summer associates. It will focus on identifying and accessing primary and secondary authority in print and online for federal , Oklahoma, and Texas jurisdictions. The workshop will also address resources for subject specific practice areas including, bankruptcy, business organizations, family law, tax, and others.
Special Topics-Additional research courses worth four points will be offered each semester. Topics may include but are not limited to Intellectual Property Research, Research in Pro Bono Environments, Immigration Law Research, Native American Law Research, Legislative History Research, Fact Finding on the Internet, and Health Law Research.
VII. Workshop and Skills Training Sessions Scheduling:
For Fall 2012, beginning in October, workshops will be scheduled at 12:00 p.m-1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 1:00p.m.-2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m-8:30 p.m. on Sundays.  The schedule for skills training sessions will be announced. Schedules for workshops and skills training sessions will be posted to The Gavel, the blog of the Oklahoma City University Law Library, and to the Award of Accomplishment in Legal Research Skills course on The West Educational Network (TWEN).
Sign up for workshops and skills training sessions will be on a first come, first serve basis. Student may, after signing into TWEN, schedule attendance via the Award of Accomplishment in Legal Research Skills TWEN course.  Workshops and training sessions will be held in the Homsey Lab in the Law Library. Due to limited space in the lab, attendance will initially be limited to 16 persons for each offering. However, students may contact Tim Gatton at tgatton@okcu.edu to request special arrangements if all sessions are full.