by Philippe Cloutier
An oft-asked job interview question is: “where do you see yourself in five years?” Interviewees prepare accordingly and hopefully ace the question without a problem. However, it’s an inquiry that should ultimately be turned towards the library and is perhaps harder to answer, “where does the library see itself in five years?” Librarians are busy, dealing with the day to day and the week to week. Planning 6 months out, let alone 5 years, can be a difficult process. Often an 8-hour day doesn’t seem to be enough.
Continue reading 'Catching the Future'»
by Karen Helde
In this classic bit of Sesame Street comedy, Cookie Monster struggles to
accept the fact that his library has just books. No cookies. Just books. So when watching it, do you identify more with the librarian or with Cookie Monster?
I confess that I found myself siding with the C. Monster and his cheerful obtuseness. His goal in life is to get cookies. A book to go along with the cookies is great, but it’s really all about the cookies. Is he that different from most people (or monsters, on a bad day) who walk into our libraries? They’re not really there for the book, the password, the article, or the URL. They’re there to get whatever is playing the role of “cookies” in their life at the moment: a partner’s recognition, a good grade, a client’s satisfaction, a resolution to a neighborhood dispute. Continue reading 'This post brought to you by the letter “C”'»
by Robyn Hagle
When I accepted the nomination to serve as your President, I had no idea what was in store for the rest of my year. I didn’t know that our former fair leader and my predecessor, Rita Kaiser, would leave us for the East Coast. I wasn’t prepared for committee memberships to be in constant flux. I most definitely didn’t expect the transition of LLOPSCited from print to blog to be so smooth and successful. And I certainly wasn’t expecting 2010 to be the year that I became a mom.
Continue reading 'President's Message'»
by Erin Hoffrance
When you read thisI will have already participated in the iSchool’s Convocation ceremony. I will have walked across that stage with a huge smile on my face and hopefully I will not have fallen in the process. I now have my MLIS! And I want to tell everyone on the street that I’m a Librarian! Don’t believe me? Want to see my degree?! Here it is! And I’ll pull out a wallet size photo of my degree, like a parent showing off their new baby. Continue reading 'And on to the next . . .'»
by Erin Hoffrance
During my time working in the law firm library arena, I have also been enrolled in the University of Washington Information School’s online MLIS program. Working full-time and going to school can be quite an overwhelming experience, so in order to make sense of it all, I would try to find overlap in both areas as often as possible . I experimented with tools I learned about in school to see how they would translate into the work world. There is one tool that kept coming up in my mind as a great way to bridge this gap – and that tool is Jing!
Continue reading 'A Tool You Can Use'»
by Kristine Lloyd
Thankfully, at most larger firms, the days when you’d see the managing partner in a Brooks Brothers navy suit (down South it’s seersucker) in a scholarly stance by some Fed 3ds, or a group of culturally diverse associates (also dressed compliments of Brooks Brothers) poring over a brief at a conference room table, are long gone. In fact, these days it’s just downright passé at the larger firms.
Continue reading 'Brooks Brothers Ad or Law Firm Website'»
Peggy, as many of you know is a Documents and Reference Librarian at Gallaher Law Library at the University of Washington. She has recently been named to the Depository Library Council by Public Printer Bob Tapella! The Council is made up of 15 members who serve for a term of 3 years, during which time, they meet at least twice a year. Part of the Council’s duties are to advise the Public Printer on issues regarding the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Peggy begins her service this October 1, 2010 and serves through September 30, 2013.
Hat tip to Peggy!
Surely by now you’ve seen the iSchool’s renditon of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” But the coverage of this creative video goes way past local news. Mainstream blogs like The Huffington Post (which reserves judgment) and Perez Hilton (which in classic catty fashion declares the video awkward–scroll down the page to see the reference) have picked up the story. Regardless of what you think about the video, it’s turning into a great marketing tool for the program.
by Dianne George and Kristine Lloyd
Our May LLOPS meeting featured Rita Dermody, King County Law Library Interim Director, and Judge Mary Yu, President of the KCLL Board of Trustees, holding court at Davis Wright Tremaine on the future of KCLL.
Judge Yu’s remarks focused on the development of a Strategic Plan, a major effort to re-define and re-brand the library. The library remains passionate in its mission to support the pro se community, and KCLL aims to fashion itself as a hub of activity where patrons can find help using a myriad of resources. In order to succeed in this mission, the support of the law firm community is critical, and the library is reaching out to find ways to support us as well.
Continue reading 'Holding Court at LLOPS'»
by Brenna Louzin
Jeopardy holds a special place in my heart because it simultaneously reminds me of daily rounds at the reference desk and of my childhood. I can remember visiting with my Aunt Bessie while she did her housework: picture an “older woman”, a cigarette hanging from her lips, pink curlers, stockings rolled at the ankle and Jeopardy on the TV. Bessie frequently interrupted our conversations to call out her answers to the Jeopardy MC and game contestants, perhaps thinking that her answers would be included, that she would be the winner of the round.
Continue reading 'Competitive Reference'»