Robert Charles "Bob" Berring Jr. (born November 20, 1949) is a noted figure in
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
, as a professor, librarian, scholar and researcher.
Biography
Born in 1949 in
Canton, Ohio
Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...
, Berring received his undergraduate degree from
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
(1971), his
J.D. degree from
University of California, Berkeley School of Law (1974), and his library degree from U.C. Berkeley's
then-named library school.
[UC Berkeley Faculty Profile](_blank)
Since 1982, Berring (a
University of California, Berkeley School of Law graduate) has been a Professor of Law and Law Librarian there. He currently holds the Walter Perry Johnson Professor of Law Chair appointment.
From 1986 to 1989, he held a joint appointment as dean of the School of Library and Information Studies. He also served as interim dean of the law school from January 2003 to June 2004.
Berring has written numerous works. Recent publications include ''Finding the Law'' (with
Beth Edinger, 11th ed., 1999) and ''Legal Research Survival Manual'', (with Edinger, 2002). He also created the award-winning video series ''
Legal Research for the 21st Century''.
Personal life
Berring is married, has two children, and lives in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
.
Berring writes an advice column under the pseudonym "Uncle Zeb." Uncle Zeb claims to be an "ectoplasmic entity" and his comments are often irreverent and humorous in tone. Many of Uncle Zeb's writings have been compiled in ''The Green Bag.'' The law school's cafe, Cafe Zeb, was named after Uncle Zeb by popular vote.
Recognition
Berring has won significant recognition for teaching and law librarianship. He was awarded the University of California, Berkeley's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1987. Berring received the
Frederick Charles Hicks Award from the
American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) for contributions to law librarianship in 2003. The AALL also recognized him as the most influential author in law librarianship with the Centennial Award for having most significant contribution to law librarianship from 1957 to 2006.
References
Further reading
''How I Became a Law Librarian''12 Berkeley Technology Law Journal 189 (Spring 1997).
External links
Berring Research Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berring, Bob
1949 births
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
American legal scholars
American librarians
Law librarians
Lawyers from Berkeley, California
Harvard University alumni
UC Berkeley School of Law alumni
UC Berkeley School of Law faculty
University of California, Berkeley School of Information alumni