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By Newsletter-Blog, December 3, 2013 11:27 am

by Anna Endter

I think it’s the time of year that has me considering, as I often do, how I can rearrange things in the new year, how I can do a better job at the tasks that require effort above and beyond my normal work duties.  Right now, I’m thinking about how best to stay informed professionally and how to make time for current awareness in an already crowded workday.  I could be wrong, but I think that many of us are in the midst of a season where simply keeping up with life’s demands and not letting too many things slip through the cracks is the goal, whether that be at work, home, or in some other capacity.  Does this ring true for you?

Recently, in a flurry of I-must-keep-up like thoughts, I subscribed to a number of different legal newsletters and blogs.  I’m making an effort to skim them, in addition to the usual AALL messages and such, because I don’t want to focus my current awareness efforts solely on law librarianship.  It’s important to know about what’s afoot in the broader legal profession, as well.  (And I suppose that, two paragraphs in, I should also note that here I’m focusing on my own current awareness efforts but there’s also the topic of current awareness on behalf of our patrons.  Do you participate in finding current awareness resources for your attorneys or faculty?  A topic for another time, perhaps.)

Now obviously, as librarians, we are not short on information.  Sifting through that information, for our own professional development purposes, can be tricky.  How do you, Librarian, decide what to keep up with and what to let fall away?  I would love to see a discussion about this topic but I know that isn’t likely to happen.  And that’s okay, we are all keeping up in one way or another, whether it’s with the Kardashians (do you see what I did there?), a busy workload or, especially at this time of year, our friends and family.  If I do receive responses, I’d be glad to include them within a longer summary in the newly revived LLOPSCited.  Send me an email, stop me at the LLOPS holiday party, or get in touch with me via the comments.

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By Newsletter-Blog, November 19, 2013 5:35 pm

The deadline for submissions to LLOPSCited is fast approaching, please contact Grace Feldman with any LLOPS related content (announcements/events/member updates and news) you’d like to include by December 1.  Both the LLOPS blog and LLOPSCited are always looking for new content by LLOPS members.  If you’d like to volunteer or if you have any questions, feel free to contact Grace Feldman!

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By Newsletter-Blog, November 4, 2013 9:03 am

by Grace Feldman 

If you missed the LLOPS meeting last week, this blog post (and its embedded cuteness) may serve as consolation.

Molly B (a Courthouse Dog) with LLOPS member, Mary Whisner

Foster Pepper hosted the meeting and invited Celeste Walsen, DVM and Ellen O’Neill-Stephens, JD of the Courthouse Dogs Foundation to speak to LLOPS members with their courthouse dog, Molly B.  Their presentation covered how Ellen O’Neill-Stephens came up with the Courthouse Dogs Foundation and its touching impact across the country and beyond!  The Courthouse Dogs Foundation was recently nominated for a HiiL ( Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law) Innovating Justice Award - winners will be announced next month!  If you’d like to learn more about the Courthouse Dogs Foundation, visit their Facebook page and check out their website for more information!

Molly B with Courthouse Dogs Foundation founder, Ellen O’Neill-Stephens

If you’re still dying for more Courthouse Dogs (and who wouldn’t be?), consider attending the 2013 International Courthouse Dogs Conference in Seattle on November 8!

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By Newsletter-Blog, October 28, 2013 8:40 am

by Grace Feldman 
This post has been reposted on the Gallagher Law Library blog

What has your state bar association done for you lately? Quite a bit, actually! (Unless you’re in California, Delaware or Montana).  For attorneys in the other lucky 47 states, state bar associations provide access to Casemaker or Fastcase or InCite! If you’re curious to see which service different state bar associations provide, check out this fantastic map created by J. Michael Goodson Law Library at Duke University School of Law!

A screenshot of the State Bar Association – Provided Legal Research Services map. Thank you Goodson Law Library!

Here in Washington, the WSBA provides access to Casemaker. Casemaker provides access to case law, statutes, and other materials from all 50 states as well as a large federal data set that includes Supreme Court Opinions, Circuit and District Court Opinions. More information can be found on the WSBA Casemaker page!

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By Newsletter-Blog, October 21, 2013 8:19 am

Are you bursting with library-focused ideas?  Do you love to share news about the law library profession?  Do you find yourself spotting legal trends?  Would you like to connect with the rest of the LLOPS community?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above and you are a LLOPS member, then you should let Grace Feldman (the LLOPS Newsletter/Blog Chair) know that you’d like to contribute to the LLOPS blog or to LLOPSCited!  Both the LLOPS blog and LLOPSCited are always looking for new content by LLOPS members.  If you’d like to volunteer or if you have any questions, please contact Grace Feldman!

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By Newsletter-Blog, October 14, 2013 9:29 am

Please join us on Wednesday, October 30^th from Noon – 1:00 pm

• Foster Pepper – 1111 Third Avenue – 30^th Floor Conference Room

Continue reading 'October 30 LLOPS Meeting'»

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By Newsletter-Blog, October 4, 2013 8:22 am

by Grace Feldman 

I am excited to announce that the Newsletter/Blog Committee plans to supplement the LLOPS blog with quarterly issues of LLOPSCited. LLOPSCited will be emailed as a PDF attachment to the LLOPS listserv beginning today so keep an eye on your inbox!  More details can be found in the newest issue of LLOPSCited.  I encourage all LLOPS members to feel free to send submissions, photos and suggestions for either the LLOPS blog or LLOPSCited to contact me!

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By Newsletter-Blog, October 3, 2013 8:30 am

by Jennifer Hill 

The 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath left record numbers of U.S. homeowners facing foreclosure. While the current real estate market seems robust, with reports of bidding wars and rising home prices in the Seattle area, the reality is that as of March 2013, Washington State had experienced a 154 percent increase in foreclosure starts over the previous year. Foreclosures are still happening, and they are accompanied by complicated legal issues that can challenge even experienced legal researchers.

Foreclosure Manual for Judges

Washington Appleseed, a non-profit legal advocacy organization working to solve social and economic problems in Washington, recently published the Foreclosure Manual for Judges: A Reference Guide to Foreclosure Law in Washington State. The manual was written to help guide attorneys and judges through the maze of mortgage servicing, modification and foreclosure law. Although the target users are attorneys and judges, this guidebook is a great resource for anyone researching mortgage and foreclosure law in Washington.

Continue reading 'Book Review of the Foreclosure Manual for Judges'»

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By Newsletter-Blog, September 24, 2013 3:44 pm

Jessica King has been elected Chair-Elect-Elect of the Special Libraries Association Legal Division. Jessica will begin her term January 1, 2014.  Jessica is a reference librarian at Perkins Coie LLP in Seattle.

Congratulations Jessica!

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By Newsletter-Blog, September 23, 2013 9:00 am

The Law of E-books: AALL October Webinar

Is your library providing your users with access to e-books? Does the library have perpetual rights to the files, or will the files become inaccessible to users after a period of time? What clauses should the library pay special attention to when negotiating licenses? Are the e-books the library provides accessible to users with print disabilities? What privacy laws govern the readers’ use of e-books? This webinar will address all of these questions, and give participants an opportunity to share experiences and ask questions of their own.

Register by October 21.

AALL2go Pick of the Month

AALL’s Continuing Professional Education Committee presents the AALL2go pick of the month: Recharge: The Look of Leadership Today: What It Is – and What It Isn’t.

Effective leadership can have a profound impact on libraries of every kind. This presentation encourages librarians to think about leaders in a new way and to challenge common myths of leadership. The presenters use an entertaining and energetic approach to engage the audience and demonstrate why everyone in an organization should be viewed as a potential leader.

Find this and more than 100 other free continuing education programs and webinars for AALL members on AALL2go!