In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  Republic  Act  No.  7662,  entitled  the “Legal  Education  Reform  Act  of  1993,”  and  pursuant  to  LEB  Resolution  No. 2018-207,  adopted  during  the  80th   En  Banc  meeting  of  the  Legal  Education Board on February 13, 2018, the following policies, standards and guidelines for the academic law libraries of law schools are hereby adopted:

Section   1.   Policies   -  The   academic   law   library   is   an   integral   and indispensable   part  of  law  schools.   It  serves   the  vital  function   of  directly supporting the instruction, research, and extension components of the law program(s). To maintain its accreditation,  a law school shall be provisioned with an academic law library sufficient to meet the needs of students, law faculty members, and researchers.

Section 2. Location - As far as practicable, the academic law library of a law school  shall  be  maintained  separately  from  the  main  or  other  libraries  of the higher education institution, and situated within or adjacent to the school building used by the law school. When the academic law library is incorporated  into the main or other libraries of the higher education institution, an enclosed area shall be designated for the law collection with its own reading area for the principal use of law students and members of the law school faculty.

Section 3. Size and seating capacity - The academic law library shall be of such size and dimension as to adequately  contain the entire law collection and seat comfortably fifteen percent (15%) of the entire student population of the law school at any given time.

Section 4. Physical facilities - The academic law library shall be furnished with appropriate and functional furniture, such as carrels, chairs, desks, book shelves, and transaction counter.

Section 5. Law faculty section - A section of the academic law library shall be specially designated for the exclusive reading area of faculty members.

Section 6. Operating hours - The daily operating hours of the academic law library of a law school shall not be less than 6 hours during regular class days. If the law student population exceeds 200 students, the daily operating hours of the academic law library shall be at least 8 hours per day. It shall open at least two (2) hours before the start of the first class in the day, unless the library opens before 8 o’clock in the morning.

Section 7. Library staff and personnel - There shall be at least one (1) full time licensed librarian designated as law librarian to attend to the academic law library during its operating hours. If the law librarian is also the librarian for the main  or  other  libraries  of  the  higher  education  institution,  a  full-time  library support staff with appropriate  academic  training shall be employed  to attend to the academic law library during its operating hours.

Section 8. Staff training and development - Unless the law librarian possesses  a basic law degree, he/she shall be required  to possess  training in legal bibliography, legal research, and law library management conducted by a professional  association  of  law  librarians.  The  law  librarian  shall  also  keep abreast with the developments and trends in the management of law libraries by maintaining membership in at least one professional association of law librarians, and regularly attend relevant trainings.

Section 9. Library collection - All academic law libraries shall maintain the following titles of books and law materials as part of their basic collection:

a)   General law reference books - 1 title each of a -

a.1)     Law dictionary
a.2)     Law thesaurus
a.3)     Legal encyclopedia
a.4)     Legal forms
a.5)     Legal maxims
a.6)     Manual of legal citations

b)   Sources of statutes and administrative regulations

b.1)    Primary   sources   -  (i)  Statutes   and  administrative   regulations   as published   in   the   Official   Gazette   and/or   National   Administrative Register,  and  (ii)  publication  of  regulations  and/or  rulings  by government agencies (such as, but not limited to, the Supreme Court, Securities and Exchange Commission, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Commission on Elections, and the Civil Service Commission)

b.2)    Secondary sources - 2 titles/sets within 5 years from copyright dates of all  published  codal  books  and  compilation  of  related  laws,  like  the Family Code, Labor Code, National Internal Revenue Code, New Civil Code,  Revised  Penal  Code,  Rules  of Court,  Commercial  Laws,  and Land Laws.

c)     Court/case  reporter - 1 complete set of case/court  reporter for decisions of the Philippine Supreme Court from 1901 to the present.

d)   Textbooks  - 2 titles of books within 5 years from copyright  dates for every subject in the law curriculum.

e)   Review  books  - 2 titles of bar review  books/materials  within  5 years  from copyright dates for every subject area covered in the bar examinations.
 
f)     Law Journals - Current subscriptions  or exchange agreements  to at least 2 locally-published  law  journals  of  law  schools,  bar  and  professional organizations, and commercial publishers.

Section 10. Required copies - Except for the books and other law materials covered in Sub-sections 9.a, 9.c, and 9.f above for which one copy or set shall be required, academic law libraries shall maintain in its collection at least 2 copies for every title of the required printed books and law materials. The law materials listed in Sub-section 9.b.1 may be supplied in either printed or electronic format, or via online and digital resources.

Section 11. Additional titles and copies - Law schools with a student population exceeding 200 students shall be required to add:

a)   1 copy per required title of books and law materials covered by Sub-sections  9.a,  9.d,  and  9.e  for  every  ONE  HUNDRED  (100)  additional  students  or fraction thereof; and

b)   1 title within 5 years from the copyright date of law books and materials for every TWO HUNDRED (200) additional students or fraction thereof.

Section 12. Online and digital resources - The academic .law libraries of law  schools  with  student  population  exceeding  200  in  a  semester  shall  be furnished with the following online/digital resources:

11.1)  Subscription to an online or digital case reporter, and sources of statutes at the ratio of 1 for every 50 students; and

11.2)  Subscription  to online foreign-published  law journals at the ratio of 1 title for every 100 students. A printed copy of the international journal may be substituted for an online subscription.

Section   13.   Internet   access   -  The   academic   law   libraries   shall   be provisioned with reliable internet connection with a downloading speed of at least one (1) mbps and at least 2 internet workstations. Where wireless internet connection   is  not   available   to  students,   the   required   number   of  internet workstations  shall be increased  to such number equivalent  to the ratio of 1 for every 50 students.

Section 14. Cataloguing and Indexing - The books and resources in the academic law library shall be classified using an accepted standard in the classification of books, such as the Library of Congress, or the Dewey Decimal Classification  System,  or  the  Los  Angeles  Classification  System.  An  Online- Public-Access (OPAC) system shall be provided for use in research. Journals, periodicals, and other documents shall also be indexed for better access to law materials.

Section 15. Intellectual Property - Academic law libraries shall adopt and implement appropriate regulations and measures to effectively enforce the observance   of  intellectual   property  rights  of  authors,  publishers,   and  other individuals  in published  articles,  books and other legal materials.  Towards  this end,  the  law  librarian  shall  coordinate  with  the  dean  of  the  law  school  in formulating   the   disciplinary   regulations   against   infringement   of   intellectual property rights by students and faculty members alike.
 
Section  16.  Transitory  provision  -  Non-compliant  law  schools  shall  be given   three   (3)   months   within   which   to   meet   the   requirements   of   this memorandum order. Law Schools needing more time to comply may be given by the LEB extension  of up to six (6) months,  provided  the law school submits  a gradual compliance plan acceptable to the LEB before the expiration of the initial 3-months period. In highly meritorious cases only, an additional extension up to another 6 months may be allowed by the LEB.

Section 17. Non-compliance  - Failure to comply with any provision of this Memorandum   Order   shall   constitute   non-compliance    with   the   prescribed minimum   standards   for   the   law   program,   which   shall   be   subject   to   the appropriate administrative sanctions pursuant to LEBMO Nos. 1 and 2.

Section 18. Separability clause - If any portion of this Memorandum Order is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions shall remain valid and effective.

Section  19. Effectivity  - This Memorandum  Order  shall become  effective fifteen (15) days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation and deposit of a copy in the National Administrative  Register of the University of the Philippines Law Center.

Issued under the seal of the Legal Education Board this March 15, 2018 in Quezon City, Philippines.