Four Bolts

Do you know what you know?  When you are at work, are you always scrambling around trying to figure out what it is you are supposed to do OR do you know what to do and where to go when someone asks you to help them find whatever it is you're supposed to know?  That's how it is with experts - we go to them because they know what they know.

This reminds me of an incident I had a while back after my wife had an accident.  Took out the front left bumper, she did. The other party was "at fault" and she asked that we use her body repair guy.  Body repair guy comes over to my house to give me a quote on the repairs and in the course of our discussion, he sees that the camshaft sensor and shaft is about to fail and he tells me how to fix it.  

First you remove the four bolts that hold the power steering reservoir and slide that back. Then you remove this other 10mm bolt that holds the cam shaft sensor, pull the shaft straight out and insert a new cam shaft sensor and shaft and you're all set. 

FOR ONE WHOLE HOUR I was futzing around my car trying to find those #$@#&%!@$ four bolts.  I think finally found two bolts but don't know if they were two of the related bolts and didn't want to remove those and not be able to find the other two.  So very frustrating.

This experience got me to thinking about how I help people find law and legal stuff.  I mean, not to toot my own horn, but I am Mr. Awesome when it comes to finding legal resources. In fact, I've been doing this finding of legal research stuff for so long that I don't think about where to go - I just go and start opening books.

Like the other day when an attorney came into my law library. Seems her client had been charged with civil contempt and she needed information on how to proceed. Without a thought, I walked over California Forms of Pleading and Practice and handed her a whole chapter full of information. Then I turned, walked around the corner, and opened up Witkin's California Procedure and handed her several volumes of stuff.  Then I walked over to California Civil Practice: Family Law Litigation and handed her a ton more stuff.  

Most people, when they come through the doors of their local county law library, have that deer-in-headlights-look. Scared out of their minds, they are.  They see a sea of books and

think, "I have to look through all that?!?"  It is with compassion that I guide them to where they need to go and hand them the ONE chapter in the one book they need to help get them started. 

Thing is, I may not know (or ever know) where those four bolts are located but I know someone who is a wizard with auto repair.  Because he's an expert auto mechanic, I trust that he knows what he's doing and can get the job done right (the first time).  Your local county law Librarian is just like that, too.  When you come through the doors of your local county law library, your local county law Librarian can help you find most anything you need to get you going because that's just how professional/expert Librarians swing.