Legal Information vs. Legal Advice: A Quick Guide

As librarians and library staff, we are able to provide legal information to our patrons - not legal advice. This distinction can be a little tricky and sometimes it's not easy to communicate.

Whenever I do training sessions, I always like to reserve a little space to discuss the differences between legal information and legal advice. 

Providing legal information is a wonderful thing - it can help our patrons better understand their legal issues (or if they have a legal issue in the first place!) and empower them to make informed decisions about their next steps. However, there are some things we can't help with: We are not legally trained and cannot offer legal advice.

So what is the difference? 

I've put together a 2 page PDF that describes some of the things we can and can't do and also some tips and ways you can communicate your boundaries.

Click the image below to open the PDF or download it here: "A Quick Guide to Legal Information & Legal Advice for BC Librarians & Library Staff"