LLMC launches the RIGHTS! portal sponsored by the Vincent C. Immel Law Library at Saint Louis University School of Law

Grave threats to civil rights and rule of law inspired LLMC, a nonprofit consortium of law libraries, to develop its RIGHTS! web portal, which is available on the www.llmcdigital.org  website.  The goal is to provide a centralized hub where someone can start their research in order to protect their rights or the rights of others.  The RIGHTS! portal is an open access service, so anyone anywhere in the world will have access at no charge. 

Other principal characteristics of the RIGHTS! portal include:

 • Primary materials on national, state and local government websites such as current constitutions, Human or Civil Rights acts, Attorney General Offices, Human or Civil Rights Commissions, and planned expansion for more local coverage; NGO websites including advocacy organizations; bibliographies and lists on other sites which provide access to more collocated materials.

• Geographic coverage is focused mainly on U.S. materials, however the portal will also include sites and documents from foreign states and international entities.

•  Time span is forward looking with on-going additions. Historic documents (e.g., The Civil Rights Act of 1964) are included as foundational materials to inform later, more recent entries.

• Permanency  LLMC, established in 1976, intends to maintain, improve, and increase the holdings on the site.  PDF documents collected will be permanently preserved using the organization’s subscription to Perma Links, so as to retain a copy even if the website originally hosting the document decides to move it or take it down.  As of August 2020, there are already 600 links on the portal, including 100 permanent links.

• Vetting  by an expert Advisory Council that will evaluate materials in question, to consider requests for the inclusion of materials not already present on the site, or to respond to users who challenge entities or entries that have been included. 

The RIGHTS! portal is a response to the injustices facing people of color and other marginalized parties and will be a valuable resource.  In recognition of that value, and with the support of Dean William P. Johnson, the Vincent C. Immel Law Library at Saint Louis University School of Law has committed financial assistance to sponsor the portal and its continued development. Erika Cohn, Professor and Director at Vincent C. Immel Law Library said, “Dean Johnson and I are pleased to be a part of the RIGHTS! portal and to leverage our collective strengths and resources.  We sincerely hope that making these materials easily available to anyone anywhere will make a positive difference.”

The RIGHTS! portal will continue to evolve.  Experts will be enlisted to serve on an Advisory Council to ensure that expansion.  Dr. Richard C. Amelung, Professor Emeritus of Legal Research at Vincent C. Immel Law Library, developed the original arrangement and contents and, prospectively, he will be joined by two legal professionals from Vincent C. Immel Law Library, Saint Louis University School of Law, as well as an expert affiliated with the Center for Research Libraries (CRL).   

LLMC acquired extensive experience in hosting such portals, especially because of its assumption of responsibility for the Law Library of Congress’ Indigenous Law Portal.  LLMC’s version, with re-written software and expanded content, went live in 2019 and continues to grow, with the recent addition of the US Supreme Court’s McGirt decision and [coming soon] inclusion of indigenous people of Circumpolar regions. 

LLMC is a non-profit cooperative of libraries dedicated to the twin goals of, preserving legal titles and government documents, while making copies available digitally through its online service LLMC Digital.  Saint Louis University School of Law is a Charter Member of this Consortium and contributes bibliographic services, cataloging all LLMC Digital titles.  More information about the organization and the RIGHTS! portal can be found on www.llmcdigital.org. Inquiries regarding involvement and sponsorship opportunities can be sent to llmc@llmc-digital.org.