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Sara A. Sampson

Clinical Assistant Professor of Law and Deputy Director of the Law Library

Education

  • M.S., Library and Information Science, Kent State University (2004)
  • J.D. (With Honors), Ohio State University (1997)
  • B.S., Ohio State University (1993)

As Deputy Director of the Library, Sara manages the day-to-day operations of the library including budgeting, collections, facilities, personnel, and services.

Before arriving at UNC, Sara worked at Georgetown University as the Head of Reference and an adjunct professor. While at Georgetown, she taught Legal Research Skills for Practice, Advanced Legal Research, and Introduction to Scholarly Note Writing. She conducted a content analysis of Georgetown Law Library chat reference service transcripts with Library Resident Yasmin Morais, which was published in Legal Reference Services Quarterly.

She was also a reference librarian and adjunct legal writing professor at Ohio State University College of Law. She taught Legal Research, Appellate Advocacy, and Legal Writing and Analysis. At Ohio State, she was a member of the Election Law @ Moritz Team and developed an expertise in election law research. As a result, she published an election law research guide in Election Law Cases and Materials and a guide to Ohio initiative and referendum research in Legal Reference Services Quarterly.

Sara is actively involved in library professional organizations. She regularly speaks at library conferences. She currently chairs the Research and Publication committee of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) and serves on the Program Committee for the Academic Law Libraries section of AALL (ALL-SIS). She has previously served as the Vice President of the Law Librarians Society of Washington, DC and the Secretary/Treasurer of ALL-SIS. She has chaired several committees for ALL-SIS: the Archives and Website Committee, the Programs Committee, and Faculty Services Committee. She has also served as editor and assistant editor of LLSDC's Law Library Lights.

Sara has also taught courses in the library schools at both the University of Maryland and the Catholic University of America and in the paralegal program at Georgetown University.

Before becoming a librarian, Sara spent five years as a judicial law clerk at the Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals. She is a member of the Ohio bar and Beta Phi Mu, the International Library & Information Studies Honor Society.

Selected Publications

Show All Publications

  • Preemption Checking, CALI (2011). [Document Link]
  • A Content Analysis of Chat Transcripts in the Georgetown Law Library (with Y. Morais), 29 LEGAL REFERENCE SERVICES Q. 165 (2010). [Document Link]
  • STATE DOCUMENTS BIBLIOGRAPHY: VIRGINIA (with M. Krause), (Chicago American Association of Law Libraries 2d ed. rev., 2010). [KFV2401 .L53 2010]
  • Book Review, 101 LAW LIBR. J. 542 (2009), (reviewing INTERNATIONAL ELECTION PRINCIPLES: DEMOCRACY AND THE RULE OF LAW (John Hardin Young ed. 2009)). [Lexis/Nexis, Hein K3293 .I58 2009]
  • OHIO LEGAL RESEARCH (with K. Hall), (Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press, 2009). [KFO75 .H357 2009]
  • Researching Initiatives and Referenda: A Guide for Ohio, in EXPLORING INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM LAW:  SELECTED STATE RESEARCH GUIDES (B. Williams ed., London: Routledge, 2009).
  • Appendix:  Election Law Research Guide, in ELECTION LAW: CASES AND MATERIALS (D. Lowenstein, R. Hansen & D. Tokaji eds.) (4th ed., Carolina Academic Press, 2008). [KF4886.A4 L69 2008]
Sara A. Sampson

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Areas of Expertise

  • Legal Research

Current Courses

Contact Information

Office: 3028 Van Hecke-Wettach Hall
Phone: 919.962.6202
Fax: 919.962.1193
E-mail: sasampso@email.unc.edu


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