I was just getting started

I have always liked doing research.  From my early days in elementary school to post-graduate programs, if I had a choice of taking a test or writing a paper, I'd write the paper.  Always. 

The thing is, I knew that there was no one, catch-all book where I could find everything.  I would pull facts and figures from dozens of resources and then start writing.

Imagine my surprise, then, when years later I'm helping people do research in a law library and they are regularly put off when I tell them that there is no one tell-all book that lays all the law out for them in easy to read steps with pictures. 

There was nothing like that in undergrad, why would there be something like that in a post-graduate study like law?  Really?!

Anyway, I was thinking about this when a young lady came into my library the other day.  Seems she wanted information about foster children.   More to the point, she was looking for the rights of children in the foster program.

Motioning her to follow me, I started looking in Legal Rights of Children (TR; Vol. 1, Chp. 3 section 4).  That was a good start but she was looking for more.  

So, I stepped to my left and pulled Handling Child Custody, Abuse and Adoption Cases (TR; Chp. 10 section 8 and Chp. 12 Chp. 31).  Again, not what she was looking for.  

Looking down, I noticed Children and the Law in a Nutshell (TR; Foster Care pp. 161-193).  Finally, a good introduction and she was off and running.

But not for long.  Soon she was wanting for more and was getting anxious.  So, turning to my California collection, I pulled

• Summary of California Law (TR; Vol. 10 (Parent and Child, section 9)
• California Jurisprudence, 3d (TR; Vol. 32 (Family law, section 456-458)
• California Forms of Pleading and Practice (Lexis; Vol 28, Chp. 328 (Juvenile Courts: Dependency Proceedings)

at which point young lady blurted out, "Isn't there just one book that covers everything?"  

Yeah, no.  

As Einsten noted, "It's called research because we don't know."  We don't know the answer so we have to look at a variety of resources to find the/an answer.  Young lady was not impressed and stomped out the door.

Some people I can help, and some I can't.  Guess we chalk one up in the "can't" category and move on.  

Better luck next time, huh?