Meeting the Information Needs of Constitutionalist Patrons: A Guide for Reference Librarians

This paper attempts to illustrate the challenges that a reference law librarian might face when facing the information needs of Constitutionalist patrons. Constitutionalist patrons here are defined as members of a diverse community of groups that challenge the validity of the mainstream legal system in a variety of ways. The paper provides background on the different types of patrons who fit the generic category of Constitutionalist, explains the theories that these patrons use to view the legal system, and discusses sources and materials that are of interest to them. The intention of the paper is to provide the reference librarian with the necessary background information to understand the perspective from which the patrons approach the law library.