by Tal Noznisky
In her recent AALL Spectrum article “Cheaper Online? Our library’s gradual move to all electronic,” LaJean Humphries describes what looks like the road ahead for many libraries. Her library at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in downtown Portland had to drastically downsize their print collection and go online as much as possible. Deselection and divestment was easy. Relocating the remaining print resources was almost as easy. The difficulty is in the intangible stuff of the Internet. I went to Portland last week, where LaJean was nice enough to fill me on the web-ward transition’s outlook and prospects.
In her article, she concludes that the migration is incomplete. As she explained it to me, three issues stand in the way. The first is access. The library crew made early leeway there by updating their web catalog by spotlighting their digital resources and recasting ebooks’ URLs with plain, descriptive English. Every publisher, however, requires a more or less convoluted way of accessing their ebooks. LaJean expects to seal a deal with Lexis in the next few months that will provide streamlined access to a fairly consummate digital collection. But it won’t simplify resource delivery through OverDrive, or support maintenance of historical materials. Continue reading 'Printless in Portland?'»
by Anna L. Endter
Did you know that the Member Resources section on the Blog includes a LLOPSCited Archive? I reviewed many of the old LLOPSCited newsletters recently and was struck by how much great content there is about this field we call law librarianship. You might consider reading through some of the interesting articles our members have written over the years.
Speaking of members, I also noticed that LLOPSCited often included member news/updates and profiles and I’ve decided to revive some of those features here. Stay tuned for fascinating interviews and news about our talented community of law librarians (and note that no membership information will be posted without your permission, this is entirely voluntary and optional).
If you’d like to volunteer to be interviewed by me for a member profile send me an email! Or if there is other information you’d like to share (news, job changes, etc.) let me know, I’m happy to incorporate that information into a post. Who wants to go first?
by Kristine Lloyd
I promise I’ll try not to veer too deeply into reality star levels of narcissism in this post, but I thought I’d share a little bit about a new position I’ve accepted at my law firm.
In December 2012, Bridget Dacres, a legendary and formidable presence in the Pacific Northwest, retired from the position of Associate Director. Finding out about her retirement gave me some time to contemplate my own future. Did I want to relocate to another office within the firm, or maybe even leave for an overseas adventure? I loved my job as the Firmwide Manager of Research Instruction & Training, and I was really getting good at it. Did I want to disrupt my life and take on this new challenge? Continue reading 'Moving On Up'»
by Amy Eaton
We enjoyed the opportunity to show off our new library space to everyone who attended the December LLOPS Holiday party. The highlight of the library is, of course, our custom built library reference desk (although I really do like the white leather chairs which swivel). I recently posted a short article about the desk on the AALL Spectrum Blog. Make sure you read through to the end and spend a few minutes watching the time lapse video of the construction process. It was quite a project and I feel fortunate to have been a part of it. Many thanks to the artist team of SuttonBeresCuller which made our idea take shape!
The work above the desk was painted by local artist Allison Collins.
by Amy Eaton
I am pleased to note that Robyn Hagle received a Presidential Certificate of Appreciation from AALL President Darcy Kirk for her work on the Futures Committee. The award was presented at the 2012 AALL Business Meeting on July 23, 2012 in Boston, MA. Each year the president identifies members who have made significant contributions to AALL and the profession and recognizes them with a Presidential Certificate of Appreciation. In addition to Robyn, five other AALL members received this honor: Marci Hoffman, Sally Holterhoff, David Mao, Diane Rodriguez and Susan Severo. Congratulations to LLOPS member Robyn Hagle and the other honorees!
Today’s Business Meeting swore in the new Executive Board for the 2012-2013 term (no oaths were actually taken). Exiting President, Crystal Sherman Norton, also thanked several members in the LLOPS community. Most notably, receiving the President’s Award, is Seattle University’s very own Barbara Swatt Engstrom. Crystal then began a new tradition by finding a worthy sigil for the LLOPS House, the lop rabbit. A mighty beast that will serve us as it is handed-down from President to President. Has the rabbit been named? This could be a bit much: Loppie the lop rabbit of LLOPS. Final Committee reports will be posted to the blog within the next few weeks. And lastly, the cake tasted amazing.
by Mort Brinchmann
As Darcy Kirk noted in her February e-letter, Mary Whisner‘s Fall 2009 Law Library Journal article, “The United States Code, Prima Facie Evidence, and Positive Law,“ was recently cited at length in Gonzalez v. Village of West Milwaukee, 2012 WL 313572 (7th Cir. Feb. 2, 2012). I really enjoyed Mary’s most recent offering in LLJ’s recent tribute to Morris L. Cohen: “That Most Congenial Lawyer/Bibliographer”. Mary “browses” Cohen’s Bibliography of Early American Law to produce a collection of asides and lively interaction between U.S. History and Legal Bibliography. I would not say that her article drove me to consult Cohen’s work (though I might dive into The Reporters to find out what Cranch & Wheaton are up to). I am sure that even those who have taken Legal Bib in the last 20 years will fully enjoy joining Mary on her “trip to Nerdvana.”
I am very excited to report that Tina Ching, Seattle University School of Law Library, and Rita Dermody, Public Law Library of King County, have agreed to co-chair the Local Arrangements Committee for the 2013 AALL Annual Meeting in Seattle. Their talent and enthusiasm are the perfect formula for a successful conference. Seattle will be a great location to host an annual meeting with new programming initiatives and exciting social, cultural, and local events. I encourage you to join the Local Arrangements Committee and share your talents and knowledge of your beautiful city with AALL members from across the United States and around the globe. See you in 2013!
- Jean M. Wenger, AALL Vice President/President-Elect
by Barbara Holt
I was enjoying an interview on KUOW’s Weekday program this morning when, much to my surprise, the interviewee started talking about how a Washington State Law Library librarian directed him to the story that inspired his latest book. Richard Kluger, a Pulitzer prize winning author, was looking for a good topic for a social history based in Washington, and he was fortunate to pose his question to Dawn Kendrick Gibb. In the interview, he really made a point of crediting Dawn for helping him to identify the story that inspired him to write his new book, The Bitter Waters of Medicine Creek.
I emailed Dawn, who told me, “I met Dick several times while he was researching other books. A couple years ago he was looking for the topic for a new book. I told him about the Leschi trial and what the Supreme Court was doing about it. I suggested he look more in depth at the case. He did, and the rest is history. He talks about our conversation in the forward of the book. And Dick spoke with then Chief Justice Gerry Alexander to get the skinny on the case. He and his wife are very nice and down to earth people. I enjoy talking with them when they come through.”
Once again, proof that Law Librarians Rock!
by Jill Allyn
In 2009, Jan Lawrence, Beth Morey and I resolved to try and reuse as much material as possible from the former Heller Ehrman Library. Since the space had been leased by Dorsey Whitney, Jan generously invited LLOPS members to visit and take whatever they wished. The leftovers were boxed up and taken to an empty floor in the building so Dorsey could remodel the offices and move in.
After moving to her new space, Jan wanted to give our state’s county librarians a chance to have any titles left. We asked the LLOPS board for assistance with shipping costs, and they gave us a budget. We began inventorying the collection. Many volunteers showed up during lunch hours to go through boxes, make lists of what was inside and then sort the boxes into broad subject areas. The “no one is going to want this” pile was distressingly large, reinforcing how quickly law libraries go out of date and how different a county collection is from a law firm’s collection. We finished the inventorying effort last October, sent the list out and four county librarians asked for titles. Whatcom County requested many titles, while the other three county librarians had very modest requests. As it happens, the Social Security Administration moved into a new space over the summer in the same building as the project. For the first time in many years they had offices with book cases and contacted Penny Hazelton regarding possible sources to fill their shelves. Penny emailed the LLOPS list serve. They were happy to give the federal reporters a new home.
Many thanks to all of our volunteers who gave up their lunch hours to help. We enjoyed spending time with all of you, although it was a little strange to be in such stark surroundings with a million dollar view. We consider this project a success.
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