Eric Guzman

BRYAN M. FERGUSON

Your honor, something is amiss here!

As you are probably aware, library materials are labeled with barcodes as well as a number to determine their location on the shelf, as per the Dewey Decimal System. The books just to the left of the manga are labeled, as are the DVDs just in view on the lower shelf. Look even further behind these shelves and you’ll see that even those books are labeled! 

Ladies and gentlemen of the courtroom, I invite you to take a closer look at the volumes that are, allegedly, part of this law library! Something is missing from the spines, isn’t there?

Where are the bar codes?!

Your honor, if you bring your attention to the books just left of the manga, you’ll notice there’s a book (the second to the left) that also does not have a bar code.

If you examine the picture even closer—particularly the DVDs below—you’ll see that they bear bar codes, but not on the spines. No, they have them on the back and/or front of the DVDs. Of course, this method of labeling and organizing isn’t limited to products of the film industry alone.

Wh-WHAAAAT?! You’re kidding!! 

(Shoot, he’s got me there… Better think of something fast! Something about the books that sets them apart from—

…! I’ve got it!)

While that may be true, you’ve also overlooked one critical error: the titles of the books! Whether or not your hypothesis regarding the labeling system is correct, these titles aren’t alphabetized correctly! What kind of self-respecting librarian would misplace such vital books? 

Clearly, one look at the titles of the books next to the manga is a tell-all of this certain library’s less-than-stellar organization skills. None of the books are in alphabetical order, I’m afraid.

They could very well be alphabetized by author and not title, but it’s a little difficult to be able to decipher that from this single picture, wouldn’t you say?

Furthermore, the manga books themselves are in numerical order, suggesting some kind of system is in place, albeit not a very good one, if the alphabetizing is off.

Due to the uncertain nature of this case, we’ll have to postpone this decision until more decisive evidence can be obtained. The court will now take a 15-minute recess.

(W-wait, but I’m not—)

I’ve got some decisive evidence for you, pal!

We investigated further into the photo. Zooming in, you can see a label on the DVD case to the bottom left.

Photo Close-up added to the court record!

As you can see, pal, you can vaguely see the words “Of Toledo Law Library” on the label!

And, considering possibilities of the rest of that label, “University of Toledo" was the first to come to my mind!

A quick search on the University of Toledo’s Online Law Library Database revealed that there ARE the comics pictured in it!

Miles Edgeworth Ace Attorney Investigations volumes 1-4 and Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney volumes 1-5!

And there’s more! 

The section these comics are filed under is the “Law in Popular Culture" Section, which matches up with the titles on the rest of the books on that shelf: "Lowering the Bar: Lawyer Jokes & Legal Culture”, “Prime Time Law”, “Lawyers in Your Living Room!" and "Lex Populi”!

Not only is it in the right section, it’s also a documented part of the Law Library’s database!

How’s that for decisive evidence?