FCIL - SIS Foreign and International Law Librarians

09/09/2026

From the Reference Desk: The Intrinsic Value of Research

By Jonathan Pratter FCIL librarians and others who work in the field know that research lies at the core of everything we do. We also impart the idea of research as a core practice to our students in our FCIL research courses. This semester I took the approach a step further. In my view, it is entirely legitimate in a research course to inculcate the notion that a cosmopolitan law student, the kind of law student I want to cultivate, should pursue interests beyond just the law, this in the interest of being a whole person, a whole human being....

By Jonathan Pratter FCIL librarians and others who work in the field know that research lies at the core of everything we do. We also impart the idea of research as a core practice to our s…

09/01/2026

Introducing…Maria Cudowska as the September 2026 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

1. Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Białystok, Poland, in the eastern part of the country near Belarus and the Kaliningrad Oblast. If you’ve ever watched The Sopranos and wondered what Tony was eating when he mentioned a bialy, there you go: the bialy traces back to Białystok. Bialys were part of the culinary tradition of a largely Jewish Białystok, though today they are more popular in New York City than in their hometown....

1. Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Białystok, Poland, in the eastern part of the country near Belarus and the Kaliningrad Oblast. If you’ve ever watched The Sopranos and wondered wh…

08/18/2026

AALL 2026 Recap: Schaffer Grant Presentation

By Kristin Wolek At this past AALL annual meeting, we had the privilege of hearing from Theresa Buller, a law librarian at the University of Canterbury as well as the co-recipient of this year’s Schaffer Grant, chosen by the Schaffer Grant Selection Committee. She discussed the legal system of Aotearoa New Zealand as well as her experiences as a law librarian....

08/06/2026

From the Reference Desk: Researching International Human Rights Jurisprudence

By Jonathan Pratter First, a question of terminology – jurisprudence? In English this is usually a synonym for philosophy of law. But FCIL librarians and others who work in international human rights law know that it refers to case law, that is, the decisions of human rights courts and analogous organs that decide contested cases, such as treaty bodies. The etymology is of interest....

By Jonathan Pratter           First, a question of terminology – jurisprudence? In English this is usually a synonym for philosophy of law. But FCIL lib…

08/03/2026

Introducing…Matt Cooper as the August 2026 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

1. Where did you grow up? I was born in Newport, Rhode Island but spent most of my childhood in the small university town of Granville, Ohio. 2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? After practicing as an attorney and not seeing that as something I wanted to do for the long term, I started thinking about other paths....

1. Where did you grow up? I was born in Newport, Rhode Island but spent most of my childhood in the small university town of Granville, Ohio. 2. Why did you select law librarianship as a caree…

07/27/2026

AALL 2026 Recap: AI Law and Policy Across Borders

By Meredith Capps On Monday, July 20th, librarians with experience in academia, law firms, intergovernmental organizations and vendors spoke, in a program sponsored by the FCIL-SIS, on the current state of artificial intelligence regulation in three jurisdictions – the United States, China, and the European Union. Paul Callister of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law discussed the United States, focusing on U.S....

By Meredith Capps On Monday, July 20th, librarians with experience in academia, law firms, intergovernmental organizations and vendors spoke, in a program sponsored by the FCIL-SIS, on the current …

07/08/2026

From the Reference Desk: Researching the Wine Law of France

By Jonathan Pratter I have just returned from two weeks of driving through la France profonde (deep France): the Loire Valley, the Berry region, Burgundy and the Vaucluse in Provence. One of the signal accomplishments of the voyage, in addition to learning how to negotiate the roundabouts and work with the five-nozzle gas pumps, has been to dispel and debunk pernicious myths and stereotypes: the French are rude; they don’t like Americans; they aren’t helpful to tourists; they don’t want to hear you speak your imperfect French, and there is more, all bogus....

07/01/2026

Introducing…Ben Doherty as the July 2026 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

1. Where did you grow up? Syracuse, NY. The snow capital of the country! 2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? I kind of backed into it. I went to graduate school for African-American Studies and then to law school. We moved to Charlottesville, VA when my wife, Lisa Woolfork, got a job as a professor at the University of Virginia....

1. Where did you grow up? Syracuse, NY. The snow capital of the country! 2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career?  I kind of backed into it. I went to graduate school for African-A…

06/24/2026

Webinar tomorrow: Succession Law in Ghana

Please join us for a webinar this week, organized by the FCIL-SIS African Law Interest Group! SUCCESSION LAW IN GHANA The traditional concept of the nuclear family is gradually being replaced by the modern family. While the succession law of many countries clearly defines the rights of members of the traditional family, there are none for the members of the modern family....

Please join us for a webinar this week, organized by the FCIL-SIS African Law Interest Group! SUCCESSION LAW IN GHANA The traditional concept of the nuclear family is gradually being replaced by th…

06/17/2026

From the Reference Desk: What Is Comparative International Law, and How Is It Researched?

By Jonathan Pratter When I first encountered the phrase “comparative international law” (it was not that long ago – I was not al tanto in this case), it had a distinctly unsettling effect on me. What have I been missing, I thought. Is there more than one entity known as public international law; could there even be several? If not, then the use of the word “comparative” in this context is utterly devoid of meaning....

By Jonathan Pratter           When I first encountered the phrase “comparative international law” (it was not that long ago – I was not al tanto in this…