The Friday after Thanksgiving is National Native American Heritage Day, although it is perhaps more commonly thought of as Black Friday, a coincidence that some have rebuked, as it links a reverent celebration of Native peoples and culture with the start of the holiday shopping season and the busiest most consumer-driven day of the year. Some have suggested alternatives to the rampant consumerism of the day: acknowledge native land, explore the many digital exhibits available online at the National Museum of the American Indian, or lift up indigenous voices by learning more about the continuing struggle to give Native Americans equal access at the ballot box. Review the links provided within.
Read moreBeing thankful for access to legal information
Even though we can’t be together to celebrate this season of thanksgiving, we share a great appreciation for all that we have, especially our good health and each other. Not everyone has been so fortunate during this unprecedented time, when people across the globe are losing their jobs, their homes, and, in some cases, their loved ones. While we’re keeping all of those less fortunate in mind this holiday season, we are also wishing everyone — our colleagues, friends, library patrons and all their families — abundant happiness for a safe, healthy, socially-distanced holiday. From our family at the Harris County Law Library to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.
As we reflect on the last year and all the unexpected change that 2020 has visited upon us, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the many things for which we are grateful. As law librarians, we see the positive impact access to legal information can have on individuals' lives each day, so we are always grateful for the partnerships that allow us to make information available to our patrons. We are thankful for the partnership between the Harris County Attorney's Office and the Houston Bar Association, whose ongoing support we value tremendously. We are grateful for the Houston Volunteer Lawyers and Lone Star Legal Aid to whom we refer many self-represented litigants seeking to connect with a licensed Texas attorney for free and accurate legal information and services. We are also grateful to work with TexasLawHelp.org to be a point of access for Houstonians who are in need of the legal information posted there. And we are thankful for the great many community resources, from Houston Lawyer Referral Service to TexasLegalAnswers.org to AVDA, who play such a vital role in the community. When the best information we can provide our patrons is a specialized service that connects them with a licensed attorney, these organizations are indispensable.
Finally, we are grateful for the publishers, including Westlaw, Lexis, O'Connor's, the State Bar of Texas, HeinOnline, and many more, who work with us to make their wealth of legal information open and available to all within steps of the courthouse and, this year, by remote access. We are thankful, as well, to the State Law Library of Texas, whose partnership in providing access to even more terrific databases is invaluable.
Overall, we are fortunate to work with so many dedicated, accommodating partners who share our mission of ensuring that open and equal access to legal information isn’t just a privilege but a right.
