FCIL - SIS Foreign and International Law Librarians

10/26/2026

From the Reference Desk: On the Death of the Alien Tort Statute

By Jonathan Pratter Is there a federal statute that explicitly brings the law of nations – today, customary international law – into the internal legal order of the U.S., and makes it the foundation of an action in federal court? Surely, that is a rare scenario, but there is a candidate – the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), enacted in 1789 by the First Congress....

By Jonathan Pratter Is there a federal statute that explicitly brings the law of nations – today, customary international law – into the internal legal order of the U.S., and makes it the foundatio…

10/19/2026

Harvard Law School librarian explores medieval manuscripts at Oxford University’s Bodleian Libraries

By Sarah Wharton Originally posted to Amicus Libris on September 1, 2026. In July, during one of England’s many heatwaves this summer, I attended “Researching Medieval Manuscripts: From Cataloging to Cultural History” at Rare Book School at Oxford University. Founded in 1983, Rare Book School (RBS) has been based at the University of Virginia since 1992 and offers dozens of classes, held at various universities, which are geared toward librarians, archivists, curators, collectors, booksellers, conservators, students, professors and bibliophiles....

By Sarah Wharton Originally posted to Amicus Libris on September 1, 2026. In July, during one of England’s many heatwaves this summer, I attended “Researching Medieval Manuscripts: From Cataloging …

10/01/2026

Introducing…Galina Abdel Aziz as the October 2026 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

1. Where did you grow up? I primarily grew up in Florida, but I also grew up in Baltimore. 2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? I chose law librarianship because I love to learn and to facilitate learning. As a law student, legal research class helped everything “click” between the learning I was doing in doctrinal classes and the practice I was engaging in through clinics....

1. Where did you grow up? I primarily grew up in Florida, but I also grew up in Baltimore. 2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career?  I chose law librarianship because I love to lea…

09/23/2026

From the Reference Desk: Report on IALL 2026 Cambridge

By Jonathan Pratter Pictured: Trinity College Chapel To an aficionado of university campuses, Cambridge University in Cambridge, England is utopia. The combination of beautiful, old architecture and extensive green spaces cannot be matched. Cambridge was the perfect venue for this year’s Annual Course of the International Association of Law Libraries (IALL), which was held from September 13-17, 2026. IALL is an excellent organization....

By Jonathan Pratter Pictured: Trinity College Chapel         To an aficionado of university campuses, Cambridge University in Cambridge, England is utopia. The co…

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 …