Word of the Month for July 2015: Expert

You ever noticed that some people just know more than others?  Of course there are those who think they know more (i.e. politicians) but there are people who have put in the hours to learn a whole lot about their trade of choice such as doctors, lawyers, and LIBARIANS.  

Of course, all of this brings us to our word for this month: EXPERT.  According to Black's Law Dictionary, an EXPERT is someone who through education or experience, has developed skill or knowledge in a particular subject, so that he or she may form an opinion that will assist the fact-finder.

How might this be played out in a legal setting?  Say you have a Cary Award-winning  Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) growing in your backyard.  Your neighbor (a beetle enthusiast) introduces the polyphagous shot hole borers into your backyard.  Subsequently, your Chionanthus virginicus starts looking sickly and in less time that it took to write this blog post, one of the upper branches breaks off and crashes onto your neighbor's new picket fence causing extensive damage.  Neighbor is screaming mad and demands restitution for his fence. 

You're thinking something is rotten in Denmark and you wonder why your prized tree would just start shedding branches.  Knowing you know little about trees and why they suddenly shed branches, you call your local Arborist.  An Arborist (like my friends at The Swedish Arborist) is an EXPERT about all things trees.  In no time at all (because of his skill and knowledge in the field of trees the bugs that kill trees), your EXPERT Arborist tells you that your tree is suffering from an attack by the polyphagous shot hole borer.

Handed that information, you get your Perry Mason on and start asking around the neighborhood to see if anyone else happens to have had similar problems.  You figure that since neighbor is a beetle enthusiast, you suspect he has something to do with the damage to your Chionanthus virginicus.  A few hours of grueling interrogation by EXPERT investigator Paul Drake, neighbor breaks down admitting his part in the death to your tree and gives up his claims of restitution.  You, on the other hand go after neighbor for damage to your tree and you live happily ever after.

Another mystery solved thanks (in no small part) to your friendly neighborhood EXPERT. Thing is that your local county law Librarian is an EXPERT in finding all things legal and law and can help you find EXPERTS in any number of situations.  

So, when next you find yourself in a bind, know that your local county law Librarian is here to help you find what you need to find lickety split (and we won't even bore you with tales of how awesome we really are).