Saying Goodbye to a Classic a Look Back at 40 Years of Change and How We Arrived at This New Future

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AALLI Spectrum Volume 19 No. 3 December 2014 AALL: Maximizing the Power of the Law Library Community Since 1906

In This Issue

06 Cost recovery of online services

09 Technical services going mobile

17 Acquiring metadata for your library resources

Saying Goodbye to a Classic A look back at 40 years of change and how we arrived at this new future

www.aallnet.org AALLCovDec2014:Layout 1 11/30/14 11:14 AM Page 2

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Vol. 19, No. 3 December 2014

® AALL Spectrum fromBy Catherine the A. Lemmer editor Editorial Staff Marketing and Communications Manager Ashley St. John [email protected] The Story of Us Editorial Director Catherine A. Lemmer [email protected] shelf-browsing stroll in my library led to a serendipitous find: Introducing the Copy Editor Robert B. Barnett Jr. Graphic Designer Kathy Wozbut American Association of Law Libraries. Published in 1983, this slim volume A includes a brief chronology of the events that shaped AALL and law librarianship from the Association’s founding in 1907 through 1983. A quick browse of the 2014–2015 Law Library Journal and AALL Spectrum Committee chronology reveals that our profession owes a great debt to A.J. Small, curator of the Chair Deborah S. Dennison Law Department of the Iowa State Law Library, who suggested a gathering at the 1906 Vice Chair Grace Feldman meeting of the American Library Association “to consider the advisability of a separate Members organization of law librarians.” Ashley Ames Ahlbrand Morgan Stoddard The 12-page chronology notes important markers throughout three-quarters of a Andrew Christensen Alyssa Thurston Shaun Esposito James E. Duggan (Ex-Officio) century of AALL history. Here are just a few: Elizabeth A. Greenfield Catherine A. Lemmer (Ex-Officio) • 1930: Rosamund Parma, the first librarian at the University of California Law Andrew W. Lang Donna Nixon (Board Liaison) Library (Berkeley), is elected the first female president of AALL; she serves two terms (1930-1932). 2014–2015 AALL Executive Board • 1937: Southeastern Association of Law Librarians is approved as AALL’s President Holly M. Riccio first chapter. Vice President/President-Elect Keith Ann Stiverson Secretary Katherine K. Coolidge, Esq. • 1961: Elizabeth Finley is the first private law librarian elected as AALL Treasurer Gail Warren president. Immediate Past President Steven P.Anderson Executive Director Kate Hagan • 1970: More than 100 registrants attend the first Conference of Newer Law Librarians. Members • 1973: Student memberships are established. John W. Adkins Kenneth J. Hirsh Femi Cadmus Donna Nixon • 1981: William E. Jepson assumes his position as AALL’s first executive director. Amy J. Eaton Suzanne Thorpe

AALL Spectrum (ISSN: 1089–8689) is published monthly except What is readily apparent is that despite economic depressions, wars, and significant January and August with a combined September/October issue by the changes in the legal environment, the organization stood strong and flourished. And American Association of Law Libraries, 105 W. Adams Street, Suite though it is interesting to see these historical markers, even more interesting is the 3300, Chicago, IL 60603. Telephone: 312/939-4764, fax: 312/431- 1097, email: [email protected]. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, documentation of our profession’s unique identity. It is one of inclusion and constant Illinois, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address evolution! changes to AALL Spectrum, 105 W. Adams Street, Suite 3300, So how do we preserve our unique identity and ensure that our visionary outlook Chicago, IL 60603. continues? Common sense indicates that achieving this goal will require that we, as a Writers wanted — contribute to your Association’s magazine. profession, evaluate our succession planning strategies. David Clutterbuck’s 2012 work, For guidelines, visit www.aallnet.org/main-menu/publications/ spectrum/policy-spectrum.html or contact Editorial Director Catherine The Talent Wave: Why Succession Planning Fails and What to Do About It, suggests that A. Lemmer at [email protected]. we have been going about it all wrong. Clutterbuck advocates that we stop viewing succession planning as a simple, linear AALL Spectrum Submissions Article ideas for the following issues must be approved by the program controlled by human resource processes, forms, and documents and move editorial director by the following dates: instead to a “dynamic process of aligning employee aspirations and talents with the 2014-2015 Issue Approval Deadline Vol. 19 No. 8 June February 12 constantly evolving needs of the organization and of providing employees with the No. 9 July March 12 resources and support they need to grow into new roles.” In short, stop thinking Vol. 20 No. 1 Sept/Oct June 11 pipeline—planning to move identified individuals into identified positions—and focus AALLNET: www.aallnet.org on developing, preparing, and mentoring individuals who the organization will need to fill future roles (even if we don’t know what those roles are yet). As any good iconoclast does, Clutterbuck gives us an alternative to the human Advertising Representative Innovative Media Solutions resources pipeline strategy. His work details a new strategy based on good questions and 320 W. Chestnut Street a series of conversations: P.O. Box 399 Oneida, IL 61467 • Conversation 1: Employee’s internal dialogue Telephone: 309/483-6467 • Conversation 2: Employee and stakeholders Fax: 309/483-2371 • Conversation 3: Employee and organization Email: [email protected] • Conversation 4: Among and between social networks. AALL Spectrum is a benefit of membership in the American Association of Law Libraries. Of each year’s dues, $42 is for one year of AALL Spectrum. Nonmembers may subscribe to AALL Spectrum for $75 per What is most interesting about Clutterbuck’s proposal is that it frees the process year. For membership and/or subscription information, please contact from human resources control and position descriptions. His strategy puts career the American Association of Law Libraries at the address above. planning into the hands of the employee and focuses the organization on developing and preparing an individual in a way that aligns the individual’s interests with the AALL Publications Disclaimer organization’s needs. This publication is provided for informational and educational His strategies are likely to become even more relevant as more members of purposes only. The American Association of Law Libraries does not assume, and expressly disclaims, any responsibility for the Generation F (the “Facebook Generation”) join our ranks. Generation F, schooled in statements advanced by the contributors to, and the advertisers in, and shaped by the world of the web, will have even less patience for archaic hierarchies the Association’s publication. Editorial views do not necessarily represent the official position of the Association or of its officers, and pipelines. A successful succession strategy will need to encompass the expectations directors, staff, or representatives. All advertising copy is subject to of a generation accustomed to valuing contribution over title, crowd funding, crowd editorial approval. The Association does not endorse or make any sourcing, intrinsic motivation, and fluid teams. guarantee with respect to any products or services mentioned or advertised in the publication. As 2014 draws to a close, I plan to schedule Clutterbuck’s first conversation with myself. I hope you will as well. We are part of a vibrant profession that has weathered All content copyright 2014 by the American Association of Law Libraries, except where otherwise expressly indicated. Except as more than a century of world events and evolution. We need to make sure we are otherwise expressly provided, the author of each item in this issue has prepared to take on the challenges of the next century. Taking the time to seriously granted permission for copies of that item to be made for classroom evaluate, modify, and implement our succession planning strategies will ensure that use or for any other educational purpose, provided that (1) copies I are distributed at or below cost, (2) author and AALL Spectrum are we leave a strong platform for the next generation. identified, and (3) proper notice of copyright is affixed to each copy. For items in which it holds copyright, the American Association of Law Libraries grants permission for copies to be made for classroom use or for any other educational purpose under the same conditions. Catherine A. Lemmer [email protected] www.aallnet.org/Blogs/spectrum-blog AALL Spectrum I December 2014 1 AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:28 PM Page 2

contents

FEATURES

06 Opposing the Trend Cost recovery of LexisNexis and Westlaw By John Hoffman

08 Public Relations: Connecting with Patrons through the Power of Images A Day in the Life 2015 By Frances M. Brillantine

09 Technical Services Going Mobile How technical services librarians can benefit from integrating mobile technologies and devices into their daily workflow 13 By Ning Han

13 Outreach to Public Libraries 22 The Effectiveness of Social Media Efforts to propel service and access to Does it measure up? information in New England By Karen Skinner By Catherine M. Biondo, Nicole P. Dyszlewski, Joshua LaPorte, and Rebecca Martin 25 Be Boulder! The Boulder Conference and its significance 17 Acquiring Metadata for Your Library By Dennis C. Kim-Prieto and Paul D. Callister Resources What to look (and look out) for By Eric Parker and Jacqueline Magagnosc 27 Saying Farewell to a Classic Goodbye to Westlaw.com By Deborah E. Shrager

Cover photo courtesy of Thomson Reuters.

Connect with Spectrum Through My Communities Interested in writing for Spectrum or the Spectrum Blog? Join the Spectrum Volunteer Pool, where you will receive announcements seeking authors for possible article topics, as well as book titles that are available for review on the blog.

2 AALL Spectrum I December 2014 AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:28 PM Page 3

COLUMNS

From the Editor 01 Washington Brief 04 The Reference Desk 34 27 DEPARTMENTS

Member to Member 32 ANNOUNCEMENTS Views from You 36 Calling for 2015 AALL Emerging Leader Award Nominations 35

Excellence in Marketing Awards: AD INDEX Enter Your Submission Today 35 Memorials 35 Bloomberg Law/ Bloomberg BNA back cover Spectrum Seeks Proposals Cambridge University inside back cover for 2015 Architecture Issue 35 LexisNexis 05 Oxford University Press 21, 24 Thomson Reuters inside front cover CENTER INSERT Want Publishing Co. 07 Members’ Briefing West Academic 33

AALL Spectrum I December 2014 3 AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:28 PM Page 4

By Emily Feltren washington brief To get the deepest insights, you need more content—in one place. W Moving the Needle Forward: 2014 Advocacy in Review ac ASHINGTON, D.C., Congress has not passed individual Challenges m October 3, 2014—It’s been appropriations bills this year and again This year was not without challenges, ag W another successful year of approved a Continuing Resolution that as the departure of the least productive, can develop winning strategies with unprecedented conﬁ advocacy for AALL! The Government provides FY 2014 levels of funding, the most divided Congress in history has us Relations Office (GRO) staff has had the language in the committee reports for ready to say “good riddance!” At times, Le pleasure of working with many AALL the legislative branch appropriations it often seemed as though lawmakers le members on a host of policy issues bills indicates a growing recognition moved one step backward for every two and are immensely grateful for the of the role GPO and the Library of steps forward. #B volunteerism and expertise of our law Congress play in providing no-fee, Such was the difficulty in enacting librarian advocates. While political and permanent public access to information surveillance reforms, where progress economic factors created new advocacy and preserving government information. has been arduous. AALL has worked in challenges in 2014, AALL and chapter The Senate also recognized the essential coalition with a large and diverse group members rose to the occasion; with our work of GPO in the 21st century by of advocates to push for comprehensive Public Policy Priorities for the 113th including language in its version of the reforms to those laws governing the Congress guiding our work, the GRO legislative branch appropriations bill National Security Agency’s (NSA’s) and AALL members made strategic that would update the name of the domestic surveillance practices. After a progress that will help to pave the Government Printing Office to the substantially weakened USA FREEDOM path for future successes. Government Publishing Office, a change Act (H.R. 3361)—the coalition’s favored proposal—passed the House Read on for our lessons learned that AALL supports. in May, Senate Judiciary Committee in 2014 and plans for law librarian AALL also worked to bring the advocacy in the new year. Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) perspective of law librarians to the introduced a compromise version of forefront of several important policy Accomplishments the legislation (S. 2685) with the debates. AALL submitted comments on backing of privacy and intelligence Despite significant budget constraints the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and stalemate in Congress and in many advocates alike and the Administration. on open internet rules to the Federal Despite broad support, politicking state legislatures, law librarian advocates Communications Commission (FCC) advanced several of AALL’s policy has stalled the USA FREEDOM Act in on behalf of AALL, the Association of the Senate, and it seems unlikely that priorities this year. In particular, our Academic Health Sciences Libraries, the members’ efforts to educate lawmakers the bill will advance in this Congress. Medical Library Association, and the However, our efforts on surveillance about the importance of permanent Special Libraries Association. As we public access to official, authentic legal reform were not for naught. The made clear in our comments, libraries pendulum swung in the favor of privacy information proved to be especially play an important role as the source of advocates when an amendment to the rewarding. We also participated in internet access for many Americans, Fiscal Year 2015 Defense appropriations important debates about network and we oppose any rules that would bill that would have prohibited the neutrality rules and copyright reform. allow for a tiered system of internet NSA’s ability to perform “backdoor” Even in this tough environment, law access. The FCC will release new net searches passed the House in June. librarian advocates made their mark. neutrality rules before the end of the The successful vote represents the first Armed with stories that AALL year after considering the comments time either chamber of Congress has members and chapter members they received. voted to curtail the controversial submitted through our Legislative On the topic of copyright reform, practices of the NSA. AALL and our Action Center and Print Resource AALL also submitted comments to the fellow advocates are already focused Usage Log, AALL worked to educate on opportunities for reform next year, members of Congress about the Copyright Office on orphan works and mass digitization and participated in including the reauthorization of the continuing need for print legal materials. USA PATRIOT Act in June 2015, and While we will remain vigilant and March 2014 roundtables on the same topic hosted by the Copyright Office. thanks to our hard work this year, we’re oppose efforts like the Federal Register in a better position to do so. Modernization Act (H.R. 4195) and the At the state level, law librarians helped gain significant ground in PRINT Act (H.R. 5627), which would New Goals unnecessarily eliminate print resources, the campaign to ensure digital With the start of the new Congress in law librarian stories helped us authentication and preservation of online January and the beginning of many new demonstrate to members of Congress legal resources; the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act (UELMA) was enacted state legislative sessions on the horizon, and their staff that legal materials like AALL looks to new opportunities to the Federal Register and Code of Federal in four more states in 2014. Since the Uniform Law Commission approved move the mark in 2015. The GRO will Regulations and their accompanying again work closely with the Copyright indexes continue to be invaluable to law UELMA in July 2011, law librarians have led the charge in the campaign to Committee, Digital Access to Legal faculty, students, librarians, researchers, Information Committee, Government and members of the public. enact UELMA, writing dozens of letters in support, dedicating their time to Relations Committee, and Government In another sign of our advocacy’s Policy Advisory Group to create a impact, the House and Senate educating lawmakers, and serving as expert witnesses in legislative hearings. roadmap for the 114th Congress. Appropriations Committees recognized AALL’s policy committees help to The groundswell for UELMA has been the important work of the Government monitor AALL’s public policy priorities growing steadily. To date, 12 states Printing Office (GPO) and Library of and develop action campaigns and Congress this year when they approved have enacted UELMA and more than comments in areas like copyright, higher levels of funding for these a dozen may include UELMA on their open government, privacy, and access agencies for Fiscal Year 2015. While enactment plans for 2015. to government information.

4 AALL Spectrum I December 2014 LexisNexis, Lexis Advance and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under license. (continued on page 12) © 2014 LexisNexis. All rights reserved. AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:28 PM Page 5

To get the deepest insights, you need more content—in one place. With Federal Agency Content on Lexis Advance®, you get access to over 2.5 million federal agency documents from more than 75 agencies—all at your ﬁ ngertips. And unlike federal agency websites, we keep a permanent historical archive. So you can develop winning strategies with unprecedented conﬁ dence. Learn more at lexisnexis.com/FederalAgencyContent #BeUnprecedented

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Retail price with fixed discount. Review your usage trends over a longer period (maybe a year or two): look at what you paid, predict usage, derive a discount, and use this percentage for everything. The fixed discount model provides consistent charges, but Opposing predicting future usage is a problem. Frequent review and recalculation of the discount helps, but remember ABA the Trend opinion 93-179 and “the lawyer’s actual cost.” The discount percentage prudently tends to be set too low because of the danger of over-recovery. Potential recoveries are lost.

No recovery model. Shouldn’t we roll online services into the billable hour just like other office costs? What’s not to like—you can save administrative time and remove a major source of billing Cost Recovery of LexisNexis and Westlaw friction. But not all research is equal. Some issues require specific and By John Hoffman expensive research tools. Some might not require using Lexis or Westlaw at all. Rolling-in may discourage the purchase of specialized research tools—tools that or private law firm librarians, on client bills. Integral to most models clients expect. there are three great unsolved is the idea of actual cost plus reasonable philosophical problems: (1) overhead. Overhead in this case is any Lexis Advance and WestlawNext retail F models. One model highlights billing consciousness, (2) certainty, and (3) cost associated with the administration cost recovery of online services. Online of the contract. American Bar per search and one by the document. service recovery is the process of Association (ABA) Formal Ethics In each case, anything free to the end administrating and billing clients for Opinion 93-179 phrases it: “The lawyer user means lost recoveries. My instinct is the electronic services used on their may recoup expenses reasonably incurred that billing should be balanced between behalf. Management of this process in connection with the client’s matter for searching and document fees, a balance can be a frustrating, high-stakes services performed . . . so long as the not available in the Advance or Next task that involves librarians, senior charge reasonably reflects the lawyer’s retail models. You’ll have to develop your firm management, billing partners, actual cost.” Are the hours involved in own model, make your own recovery and clients. administrating the contract overhead? predictions, fuss, and worry. Is training? These—and most recovery What Librarians Are Up Against model issues—aren’t for you to decide. Improving Recoveries through Efficiency Trends in the legal industry are not Go to the designated attorney for firm Recoveries can be improved through helping recoveries: matters in your office. While waiting more efficient administration. OK, it’s • More clients are refusing to pay for an appointment, please consider time for a collective “arrgh.” Arrgh. for expensive online services. these models: • Billing partners, therefore, write- Client validation. If you haven’t off more unbillable online charges. Retail price-based recovery models. implemented one of the web monitoring • “Big Two” costs remain high. Pass along the retail price from your services (OneLog, Research Monitor, or LexisNexis and Westlaw invoice to clients. It’s simple, easy to others), remember that the Big Two offer discourage firms from cherry- explain, and it works—if you pay retail. proprietary validation of your client list. picking resources to lower costs. If not, you will over-recover, and this Validation saves time when you have to Recoveries are unable to offset you cannot do. fix the mistakes and omissions at month’s contract commitments. end. These products are generally stable, Retail price with sliding discount. but if the validator crashes, you may not The industry has been nibbling on This is a good model with a big be able to use the service. these issues for years. In the meantime, problem. Take your monthly (or we have a budget to meet with recovery quarterly) usage—that’s a retail Monitoring. Look at problem goals for the Big Two. We can’t change number—and what you paid for the users, new folks, summer and these trends, so what are our options service during that period, and derive a fall associates—anyone with usage for response? discount. Apply that discount percentage potentially out of line with the research to all client billing. But as your usage value added by the expenditure. Improving Recoveries by Changing goes up or down from period to period, PowerInvoice (Lexis) and QuickView the Recovery Model the client will pay a different amount (West) will generate weekly usage A recovery model is a calculation to for the same search because of the reports. These are required reading. designate how online charges end up changing discount. The clients (and Most attorneys want to know when they your attorneys) will not understand. have made a mistake—a mistake that will

get them in hot water with the billing can increase total usage. This sounds contracts every week, but what about attorney. When it’s time for them—and wacky, and I don’t have any numbers you? If your firm doesn’t have the you—to justify the expense, be ready to to support my claim. The Big Two have resources to help you negotiate, provide prompt search history backup 40 zillion databases, and most searchers remember that there are a number of and explanation. The Big Two get kudos use about 20 of them. If you increase good consultants out there who can help. for expanding their search history in user confidence on the billing side and Advance and Next to better coincide combine this with better knowledge of Elimination of one contract. Most with the typical billing cycle. available sources, this should bring more of the contracted materials overlap, usage and recoveries. Besides training so can you justify having both? Is user Policies and guidance. An extra-large sessions, don’t forget to emphasize preference the primary motivation “ARRGH” here. What is your online organizing research tasks on your in keeping both, or are there deeper recovery policy? Do you give attorneys intranet and highlighting high-quality, research needs? Should you keep one the policy when they start and have them recoverable resources. Take advantage of contract but not bill it back? If you go acknowledge it? Who do they call for any potential alignment between better with a sole provider and it doesn’t work, help or online backup? What about research and better recoveries. where is your leverage when negotiating out-of-contract costs? No matter how with the other vendor? Big decisions. beautifully crafted, don’t write a policy Improving Recoveries on the Cost Side The crown is heavy! that you can’t enforce! Now it gets tough. Take a break, have a coffee, and, if you’re a careful reader, Elimination of both and substitution Data. As you work through your policies add a shot or two of espresso. While our with other vendors. If your firm has and guidance, you’ll find you need mission as librarians to provide the best a niche practice, maybe you can get by certain data points: usage, write-offs, research to the firm’s clients is with neither of the Big Two. For a varied recoveries, in-contract costs, out-of- unchanged, the research world is in flux. practice, it may be impossible not to contract costs, user data, practice group Over the past five years, has your usage have one. Free sources are very useful data. You’ll need ratios: invoice price to of the Big Two increased or decreased? for background or overview, but when recoveries, budget to recoveries. The Big Are attorneys going to other you want to be sure, log on to something Two may be able to compile some of subscriptions or even free sources to you can trust. these for you. avoid write-offs? Lexis and Westlaw are Recoveries management is a critical, amazing products, and both companies big-dollar task. For many years, private Non-billable use and discipline. are dedicated to making themselves the law firms have been flirting with treating Sometimes new or timid attorneys are best. But recoveries in the industry are online service costs as overhead. This reluctant to put in a client number. declining, and the cost pressure on change will happen, but don’t hold Sometimes the correct number is a library managers is unremitting. your breath! Online recoveries, though mystery, and the attorney has to get dwindling, are still a solid chunk of going with the research. Don’t let them Contract negotiation. The Big Two live revenue, impossible to resist. Recoveries bill the office! Get the correct client in a difficult market. Each is investing budgets will be set optimistically, and the number! Even if you receive excuses hugely—Advance and Next weren’t management challenge continues. I and evasions, the idea that someone is cheap—and their acquisitions and watching often enforces the discipline John Hoffman content additions continue. They ([email protected]) co-directs the Research needed for efficient research. want to increase revenue, firm research spend generally is flat, and the resulting Department at McDermott, Will & Emery LLP in Training and resource organization. negotiations are sometimes tense. Washington, D.C. A training program in cost-effective use The Big Two negotiate million dollar

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AALL Spectrum I December 2014 7 AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:28 PM Page 8

Public Relations Connecting with Patrons through the Power of Images A Day in the Life 2015

By Frances M. Brillantine

“Every picture tells a story, don’t it?” —Rod Stewart

he theme of next year’s Annual Not sure you can express Meeting and Conference, your library’s story using still TThe Power of Connection, photographs? The Best Video encourages members to foster and use category, introduced last year, their connections to promote the role is back again. This category of the law librarian in the greater legal provides members with the community. The Day in the Life of the opportunity to capture the Law Library Contest offers an excellent spirit of law librarianship in opportunity not only to connect with three minutes or less. your library, patrons, and colleagues, The full list of categories is: but also to promote the value of law • Librarians as librarians to your parent organization. Information Evaluators How do you want your firm, school, and Managers or agency to view your library? Images • Librarians as Teachers are a powerful way to communicate, and Trainers particularly in our increasingly visual • The Artistry of society. Enter the Day in the Life contest Librarianship (e.g., most and use the power of images to promote aesthetically pleasing) your library and its services. • Most Humorous “Rare Book Room Demonstration.” 2014 Day in the • Best Altered Image/Use Life contest entry courtesy of Sarita Kenedy East Law of Special Effects What Should I Submit? Library, St. Mary’s University School of Law. The great documentary photographer • Best Video. Dorothea Lange once said, “Pick a theme and work it to exhaustion . . . the How Do I Enter? subject must be something you truly love The contest runs January 1-February 28, or truly hate.” What do you love about 2015. Rules and guidelines for How Are Entries Judged? libraries, your job, your patrons, or your submission are available at www.aall Members of the Public Relations colleagues? What story do you want to net.org/hc/NewsCallout/2015DIL Committee will select the best five tell? The answers to these questions will Contest.html. Although entries must entries for each category. Entries are help you choose your subject. Once be submitted between January 1 and judged based on composition, quality, you’ve done so, decide how you want to February 28, your photos and videos subject, lighting, creativity, and the portray it. Consider how the angle, light, can be from any time between March 1, ability to capture the spirit of law time of day, and framing will help your 2014, and February 28, 2015. librarianship. Emphasis is placed on images convey the story you want to tell. quality and creativity. Current AALL members will then be invited to vote for their favorites in each category, as well as for Best Overall Photo. Need more incentive to enter? Winners will be featured on AALLNET, in the July issue of AALL Spectrum, and during the 2015 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. It’s time to tell your library’s story! I Frances M. Brillantine ([email protected]), Head of Access Services, Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, Washington, D.C.

“Serving up Style!” 2014 contest entry courtesy of Florida Coastal School of Law.

Technical Services Going Mobile How technical services librarians can benefit from integrating mobile technologies and devices into their daily workflow

By Ning Han

Technical Services Librarian Ning Han uses mobile devices to transmit scans of book title pages to the remote cataloging librarian.

obile technologies and devices have changed people’s lives dramatically since being introduced. There are many players in this mobile technology sphere. MThe iPad is one of the dominant players and is considered a “must-have” technology. The iPad is not just for entertainment; lawyers are finding innovative ways to use iPads in their practices to improve productivity and efficiency. According to the 2013 Clio “Apple in Law Offices” survey, three-quarters of respondents said that they own an iPad and two thirds of them said that they currently use iPads in their law offices. iPad has penetrated the legal market.

There is a similar trend in legal Take cataloging maintenance workflow, and wireless equipment would be ideal education. Mobile technologies and for example. I found it to be quite a for this purpose. It would be even more devices have been a favorite topic of waste of my time to run between stacks, ideal if the selected equipment allows discussion at conferences in recent years. my office, and the processing room in us to make changes right after an error Law librarians are among the early order to gather all the information or inaccuracy is spotted during any adopters in this changing landscape. I need to make necessary changes in inventory control projects. Besides, There are many great articles discussing our Integrated Library System (ILS). mobilizing this workflow with how mobile technologies and devices Oftentimes, I realize I need to refer to lightweight tablets has add-on benefits. can be used to facilitate reference services records other than the one I have printed If student workers were assigned to and research instruction at individual out. This is especially true when working this kind of project, they could bring institutions or firms. However, what we with legal serial titles. It usually takes the tablet screen to their supervisor’s haven’t seen or heard much about is how me more than two trips to gather all the attention if a problem was discovered. technical services librarians can benefit information I need. I believe that most Or they also could do a screenshot if no from integrating mobile technologies and of you, especially cataloging librarians, supervisor was available at that moment. devices into their daily workflow. understand this pain. Not only is time In addition, having a mobile device This article will address the needs, wasted, but unnecessary printing costs around will help ensure that the OPAC values, and practices of using mobile are incurred. Mobilizing this workflow and websites are mobile compatible. devices for technical services librarians. would be beneficial. I am responsible for customizing our Specifically, it will discuss areas where Maybe saying that I am a one-person OPAC landing page as well as our library using a mobile device can tremendously department is not totally fair. We do search page. Since many of our students simplify workflow and dramatically have a cataloging librarian who works are using their mobile devices for improve productivity and efficiency. remotely for us on a part-time basis. research, I want to be as proactive as She is based at our main campus in I can to make sure whatever the library Everyone’s Gone Mobile, So Why Not Portland, Oregon. We share her time offers is mobile-compatible. Technical Services? with the main campus library. It is great Cloud-Based ILS to have extra help, but the fact that she Our Library is 400 miles away from us poses new Alma, a cloud-based ILS that we recently Like many other law libraries, George R. challenges. She cannot catalog any books migrated to, makes it possible for us White Law Library is an early adopter without seeing them. We need a solution to mobilize technical services workflows of mobile technologies and devices, to bridge the distance gap between our at our library. This cloud-based structure especially in the areas of reference remote cataloging librarian and all the allows us to access Alma via a web services and legal research instruction. new books. In the past, the solution was browser from any device that is In addition, our students have a the scanner/copier in our printer room. connected to the internet, including tendency to use tablets along with their It is not a bad solution, but there are tablets. Basically, this cloud-based system laptops for studying. The library has problems. Often, I need to play with further opens the door for our technical always been very responsive to students’ different paper size options to make a services department to go mobile. mobile-technology needs since it opened scan work. Some books or binders are its doors in fall 2012. Under this too bulky, so I can’t get a good scan. Our Device Choices institutional environment, I started to And we share this scanner/copier with All of the aforementioned needs lead to wonder how I could be more proactive students. I often find myself in students’ one obvious conclusion: going mobile with students’ needs as a technical way as they impatiently wait to print would benefit our technical services services librarian. out assignments for their classes. Most department and the library as a whole. Our Technical Services Department important, it is not feasible for me to After getting approval from the library director, the next question is what device In addition to the law school add book titles or ISBNs to the subject we should choose. environment, our Technical Services line of a scanner email at the same time Department presents its own unique as I am doing the scanning. All the Windows 8 Tablets vs. iPads needs for employing mobile technologies scanner-generated emails have a random Budget and compatibility are two of and devices. We have a one-person subject line. I need to modify the subject the biggest concerns when it comes to technical services department. I am line as a separate step so that we can choosing a device. If we hadn’t migrated charged with performing a wide search for all the scans when needed. Not to Alma, Windows 8 tablets would range of tasks, from acquisitions, to mention how many times the books be the only choice available to us. system management, and cataloging to need to be hauled around the library for A Windows 8 tablet can act as a laptop collection development, budgeting, such a simple task. This is another area since it supports a full windows system. policy setting, and student worker where mobilizing and streamlining the Traditional library systems that require training. It would seem to be an workflow saves tons of time. installation can only be mobilized by overwhelming job, but the strong There is also the need to perform using a Windows 8 tablet. Since Alma infrastructure support that we receive inventory control, especially for our is cloud-based and no installation is from our main campus library has made study aids and other popular or high- needed, we have more options in terms it a manageable one. That being said, demand titles. This is one of the tasks of choosing a device. on a daily basis, I still must manage that has traditionally been performed If budget was unlimited, Windows 8 to get things done in a timely and with laptops but not necessarily through tablets would still be my first choice, organized manner. Being efficient is key. mobile devices like tablets. Lightweight even though they don’t seem to be

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necessary in our case. However, I do either the A or the B in the reading at Most wireless scanners nowadays are need to operate within a budget. A all. All we need is the barcode itself. compatible with iPad through Bluetooth Windows 8 tablet can easily cost from The other problem with this scanner connection. I didn’t run into any issues $800-$1,400, which is way beyond the is that it doesn’t break each reading in this regard. budget I have. That leaves me to choose with a space. If you read two or more between Android tablets and iPads. CODABAR barcodes in a row you will iPad and Socket Mobile Scanner in Between these two, it comes down to get: A13702000021564BA137020000 Action more of a personal preference. To me, 21564B. It is really hard to read or work It only took a minimum amount of the iPad seems to stand out more with. I contacted Inateck tech support, initial configuration before I was able to compared with other tablets available and they confirmed that there is no fix put both the iPad and the Socket Mobile on the market. for either issue. But the tech support scanner into action. Before I committed to iPad, representative did indicate that we I performed some compatibility tests. I needed to find out whether Alma, our ILS, and OCLC Connexion were iPad-compatible or not. I was hoping to find apps for both Alma and OCLC Connexion in the app store. Unfortunately, no such apps have been developed. The option of running both programs on Safari is still available. As I expected, both Alma and OCLC Connexion run smoothly on the iPad web browser, Safari. The interfaces came up exactly the same as on any PC. I performed a few tasks, such as adding item records, changing location code, etc., and nothing indicated that Alma and OCLC Connexion are not iPad- compatible. So iPad passed both the budget and compatibility tests. The Quest for the Perfect Wireless Barcode Scanner Finding a perfect wireless barcode scanner was the next agenda item. The internal library barcode we use here is in CODABAR format, and the regular ISBN A close look at the iPad and the Socket Mobile scanner. On the screen is Alma, the barcode is in CODE 39 format. Those cloud-based integrated library system that the library migrated to in December 2013. two formats are the most commonly used barcode formats. Presumably any barcode reader should be able to read these formats with no trouble—at least, that is the case should go with barcode scanners in a Bye-Bye Painful Scanning Process for all of our wired desktop barcode higher price range. He pointed out that As I described earlier, I need to scan new scanners. However, I learned that this is those scanners have gone through books and send images of the title page not always the case. It is true that any programming to eliminate such issues. and t.p.verso to our remote cataloger. barcode scanner is capable of picking After learning all that, I started The remote cataloger and I share an up the raw data string embedded in a another round of searching for a perfect Outlook inbox just for those scans. barcode, but not every barcode scanner wireless barcode scanner. I contacted a We use the inbox as a repository for all can convert the raw data string to the few vendor friends for recommendations. the titles to be cataloged as well as an format that we need. Socket Mobile barcode scanner seemed organizing tool for the already-cataloged In the interest of being budget- to be the best choice for us. It is small titles. I added this Outlook inbox to the friendly, I initially purchased a relatively and super lightweight with a retractable iPad so that I can send and receive scans cheap Inateck barcode scanner off lanyard attached. Socket Mobile’s from the device. After the iPad and the Amazon.com. It worked fine except for customer service is also very responsive wireless barcode scanner were introduced CODABAR reading. It picked up both and easy to work with. When I first to the workflow, I no longer needed to the start and stop characters every time received the Socket Mobile barcode haul new books to the printer room and when it read a CODABAR barcode, but scanner, I ran into all the issues that I to the processing room. Scanning can the start and stop characters need to be had with the Inateck scanner, but Socket now be done wherever the new books are stripped in an ideal reading situation. Mobile found solutions to every issue. located. I also no longer need to occupy To give you a better idea of I reconfigured the scanner by following or take the scanner/copier away from our what I am talking about, here is the instructions they gave me. Now the students. Most importantly, I no longer sample reading of the Inateck scanner: scanner is doing exactly what I want it need to revise subject line or supply A13702000021564B. We don’t need to do, especially with CODABAR. location and material-type notes in a

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separate step. The iPad serves both as we eliminated the need to print out is assigned to perform the inventory an image scanner and a PC in this case. records for reference and to bring pen control can bring the screen to my When I first switched to the iPad for and scratch paper for notes. Locating attention if an atypical problem is scanning, I proposed snapping photos the problem records in the local ILS and discovered. If I am unavailable at the and sending those photos as attachments cross-referencing to the correct records moment, they can take a screenshot to to our remote cataloger. But the feedback in OCLC Connexion while in the stacks show me when I become available. I received is that multiple photo has also become much easier with a attachments are harder to work with mobile device like the iPad. Most errors For the Future than a single PDF file. Based on this can be fixed right after they are spotted. Going forward, I see many other areas feedback, I installed an app called For the ones that cannot be fixed on-site, within the library workflow that could CamScanner, which helps with I always have the option to either take benefit from going mobile—and these converting image files into PDF files screenshots of the problem records or areas are not limited to technical services. and is even capable of OCRing your take photos of the physical items in In the near future, I would like to see at files if needed. But the simple capability question so that I can do more research least two more things happen: mobilizing of converting image files to PDFs is after returning to my office. the check-in and check-out workflow sufficient for us. No doubt, mobilizing the cataloging as well as the fines-collection workflow. To be more specific, I use the maintenance workflow can tremendously It is very much like bringing the retail CamScanner app to create a “New Doc.” improve efficiency and productivity. store check-out style to the library Then I take photos of the book’s cover This would especially be true for large setting. With an external credit card page, title page, t.p.verso, and the back law libraries with stacks spread among reader attached to an iPad, fines cover page. If it is a multi-volume set, different floors. In my case, since there collection can be handled in a similar I may take more photos. But generally, is no need to go back and forth between manner, as long as the system four photos per book is good enough. stacks and my office, I no longer get infrastructure supports it. CamScanner then converts the photos interrupted by other peripheral matters Overall, from what I have tested, into one PDF file so that I can email and can stay on task longer. More work going mobile does a lot of good for me it to the shared Outlook inbox. When gets done, and it takes less time to do it. and our technical services department. composing the email, I am able to type It also potentially improves data accuracy There is an obvious improvement in the book title in the subject line and use because there is no need to rely solely on efficiency and productivity, as expected. the wireless scanner to scan the ISBN memory or notes. Moving forward, we would like to into the subject line. Plugging in titles develop other creative ways to integrate and ISBNs enables us to search for a A Better Tool for Inventory Control I have also discovered that the iPad and mobile technologies into our daily specific title when needed. I am also able workflow. If you are a technical services to supply information like location code, wireless barcode scanner are powerful tools when it comes to inventory control. librarian who is interested in improving bookcirc, or booknoncirc in the body of your workflow, I would strongly suggest the email so that the cataloger knows It is definitely much more lightweight and less cumbersome compared with the you consider employing mobile devices. how to code each title properly in our Please feel free to contact me if you have ILS. The cumbersome two-step workflow laptop option. The iPad workflow is quite similar to the workflow of using a any questions about employing mobile gets simplified with an iPad and a technologies in your own technical wireless barcode scanner. laptop. As I mentioned earlier, mobility I is one of the important benefits of using services department. Cataloging Maintenance Gone Efficient an iPad and wireless barcode scanner in Ning Han Cataloging maintenance has become this scenario. I have to employ student ([email protected]), so much more efficient after we started workers to work on projects like this, Assistant Professor and using the iPad and wireless scanner and they often don’t feel comfortable Technical Services Librarian, combination. We now only need to making changes to our ILS unless they make one trip to the stacks. In addition, are well-trained. With the iPad, whoever Concordia University School of Law, Boise, Idaho.

washington brief continued from page 4 As the new Congress progresses, Survey (www.aallnet.org/mm/ to continuing to work together to move AALL will keep you updated on the Advocacy/aallwash/advocacyteam) the needle even farther next year. I relevant policy issues being debated by and reviewing our recorded trainings, Congress and send you action alerts PowerPoint presentations, and Lobby Emily Feltren, when we need your help. At the state Day materials on the GRO Presentations Director, AALL Government level, we’ll continue to provide you with page on AALLNET (www.aallnet.org/ Relations Office, 25 the resources you need to advocate for Documents/Government-Relations/ Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., UELMA and to protect funding for your Presentations). Suite 500, Washington, D.C. public law libraries. Thank you to all the AALL members 20001 • 202/942-4233 • Will you be ready to take action who dedicated their time, talents, and fax: 202/737-0480 • email: when the time comes? Join our efforts knowledge to make a difference for law [email protected] • www.aallnet.org/gro today by taking our Advocacy Team libraries in 2014! We’re looking forward

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Outreach to Public Libraries Efforts to propel service and access to information in New England

By Catherine M. Biondo, Nicole P. Dyszlewski, Joshua LaPorte, and Rebecca Martin

ne year ago, the Service (chair), Nicole P. Dyszlewski, Joshua with legal information and legal research Committee of the Law LaPorte, and Rebecca Martin—a diverse materials to support people who could OLibrarians of New England group representing three states (with ties benefit from that information but who (LLNE) launched our “Outreach to to even more), two library types, and don’t have access to it. Dyszlewski is also Public Libraries” project in the interest four distinct libraries. a member of AALL’s Legal Information of promoting access to legal information. Over the years, the Service Service to the Public Special Interest What began with a small book drive to Committee’s projects have included such Section and knew of AALL’s Public support one local library ultimately grew varied initiatives as a canned food drive Library Toolkit collection guidelines, into a bigger venture reaching across for local food banks; a fund drive to available at www.aallnet.org/sections/ New England. Here is our story of what support public libraries impacted by lisp/Public-Library-Toolkit. From worked, what could have worked better, Hurricane Sandy; a book drive for the there, our theme of “Outreach to Public and what happens next, with the hope Prison Book Program; and a Dress for Libraries” was born. that other chapters will learn from our Success clothing drive. Additionally, Our initial plan was to develop a experiences and be inspired to undertake the Service Committee has organized mini-collection of legal materials that similar projects. group activities for the LLNE we could donate to one public library LLNE is an AALL chapter with more membership, such as participating in in Massachusetts as a project to coincide than 200 members spread across the six the Walk for Hunger, serving meals with the fall 2013 LLNE member New England states who work in law to those in need, and reading to meeting that was being held in Boston. schools, private law firms, court libraries, children. However, until this past year, Using the Public Library Toolkit as a corporate libraries, and public law the committee had never assigned a guide, we selected various titles for a libraries. The Service Committee, one broader “theme” to a project year. “wish list” that we thought would be of several standing committees in the useful to a wide audience. We chose organization, works to “identify, Project Overview books covering topics on family law, publicize, and promote volunteer and After several conversations about landlord-tenant law, and other subjects community service activities for the our interests and goals for the Service of common interest, plus reference members of LLNE.” Current members Committee for 2013-2014, we landed materials like dictionaries and citation of the Service Committee include the on simple, yet common, ground: we guides. We avoided legislative codes, authors of this article: Catherine Biondo want to use our daily work and expertise reporters, and continuing resources that

would be expensive to purchase and continued distributing flyers, making Meeting, where the Massachusetts cumbersome to maintain. Over the announcements, and eventually tabling collection was the focus of the drive, we course of the year, the project swelled to at the LLNE Spring Educational focused on publicizing the wish list and a mini-collection of books for each of Meeting and at AALL’s Annual Meeting collecting donations for a Connecticut the New England states, which can be in San Antonio. collection at the Spring Meeting. Due viewed at llne.org/committees/service. Once we decided to expand our to the partnership with SNELLA, the book drive to all of New England, Connecticut wish list was compiled Publicity and Outreach we began to discuss partnering with primarily by Kauffman, who selected Early in our work on the project, we other AALL chapters. Though LLNE titles tailored to the needs of recognized the need to collaborate with covers a fairly limited geographic area, Connecticut researchers and patrons. a larger group of partners to ensure a it shares boundaries with two New In addition to the more formal successful book drive. Our outreach and York AALL chapters: the Association outreach, the Service Committee also marketing plan centered first on reaching of Law Libraries of Upstate New York engaged in person-to-person outreach, the LLNE membership at its October (ALLUNY) and the Law Library discussing the book drive project with 2013 Fall Meeting hosted at the Social Association of Greater New York colleagues and friends at other libraries. Law Library in Boston. (LLAGNY). LLNE also shares “turf” The committee continues to explore Prior to the meeting, we solicited with the Southern New England Law developing partnerships with other donations on the LLNE listserv asking Librarians Association (SNELLA) and AALL chapters, libraries, and individuals members to come to the Fall Meeting the Association of Boston Law Librarians in the legal librarianship community— with books or monetary donations in (ABLL). Each of these seemed like particularly in its efforts to choose hand to help kick off the drive. We potential project partners. recipient public libraries. created flyers of our wish list, arranged The first partnership we formed to make an announcement about our was with SNELLA since it was co- Negotiating with Vendors efforts during the meeting itself, and hosting the April 2014 LLNE Spring When the project evolved from being reserved a table in the vendor hall to Educational Meeting at the University a Massachusetts-specific book drive to receive donations and provide further of Connecticut School of Law. At the a New England-wide project, it became information to interested donors. time, LaPorte was a member of the clear that the Service Committee needed Following the meeting, we had several Spring Meeting Planning Committee. additional assistance to make the commitments for donations and were Through his involvement in the project a success. While we had strong well on our way to completing our Planning Committee, the book drive support from LLNE members and the Massachusetts collection. was adopted as the membership service organization in the form of donations, Throughout our project, we worked project of the Spring Meeting. Pam we learned that we might still need to with the LLNE Communications Kauffman, law librarian at the Stamford purchase about a dozen books for each and Technology Committee to get Law Library of the Connecticut Judicial of the six states—a costly endeavor. Book information and updates about our Branch Libraries and a member of prices ranged from less than $10 to more book drive on the LLNE blog. We also SNELLA, volunteered to plan the than $150. As a group, we decided we updated our committee webpage to membership service project with LaPorte. would approach publishers to see if any reflect the status of our work and Following the model of the Fall were willing to donate to our project. To facilitate this communication, we chose one member to develop a draft template for requesting materials, and we all gave feedback until we reached consensus on the language. The email we sent to publishers described LLNE generally, using language about our history and our membership; the Service Committee, by outlining its charge; the project and its scope; the criteria we used to select the books on the list; and, finally, how each publisher could help by donating specific materials from our wish lists. We were uncertain what the response from publishers would be. However, within two hours of sending our first request for a donation, we received an enthusiastic reply. Our first request was made to a publisher in New England, and a representative from the company was interesting in helping our project. Unfortunately, the representative stated that contractual obligations to authors precluded him from giving away copies of books. Fortunately, he thought it would be possible to provide steep discounts. He also suggested purchasing Part of the legal collection at Worcester Public Library, recipient of the “Outreach to other books at discounts that were not Public Libraries” book drive in Massachusetts on our original list of titles. Uncertain of

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how to proceed, we asked the publisher generous. In the end, we decided to recommended libraries was ultimately for additional time to consider his include titles beyond our original list. unsuccessful due to space constraint suggestions within the context of the Some publishers provided discounts concerns. After revising our message to larger project. and deals that were too good to pass up. emphasize the value and benefit of the In order to decide whether to expand Others provided books at no cost that collection to a local public library, we the drive by purchasing books—albeit, they thought fit the mission of our found ourselves with four interested steeply discounted books—beyond our project—and they were right! On the libraries, each meeting our criteria and original list, we needed to consider how other hand, we also decided to eliminate each enthusiastic about our collection. flexible we were willing to be and how titles that were proving too expensive or We eventually selected the Worcester much we were willing to spend. Around were readily and freely accessible online. Public Library. In September 2014, this time in early 2014, we requested Receiving positive news from publishers Biondo, our committee chair, delivered the funding from the LLNE Executive Board was gratifying and boosted the spirits mini-collection to the Worcester Public to cover expenses related to the drive of all involved in the book drive. Our Library, where she had the opportunity (e.g., shipping, bookplates, etc.) and for enthusiasm must have been contagious to meet Pingsheng Chen, e-resources the purchase of titles to complete a state’s because the LLNE Executive Board also librarian and reference supervisor, and collection on the off chance that we were voted to approve our request for funds. discuss the purpose of the books, how the able to get donations for some, but not books might be used, and where they all, titles in a collection. While we were Choosing Libraries would be placed in the library’s collection. waiting for the Executive Board to With so many deserving public libraries make a decision about our request, in each state, it has proven challenging Committee Diversity we continued to contact vendors. to choose recipient libraries for our One of the keys to our success as a Soliciting publishers for donations mini-collection of legal books. As a committee, and a suggestion for those was a hit-or-miss process. Some committee, we agreed a recipient library who wish to form their own chapter publishers never responded to our should be willing to take the collection service committees or develop chapter requests. Some immediately responded as a whole, put at least some of the service initiatives, was valuing diversity— to our requests by saying no. Some had books into circulation, and participate in of background, geography, and to go through formal processes by which a library consortium that would permit experience. they considered our written donation patrons from other libraries to access the One of the struggles with building requests. The most effective strategy books through interlibrary loan or shared diverse committees in LLNE is that we employed to elicit donations from borrowing. on any given project, a majority of publishers was calling them on the Massachusetts presented an volunteers will be from Boston law telephone. While representatives from interesting first test case. The state has a libraries. Being aware that LLNE publishers may have declined via email, public law library system—Massachusetts members exist beyond the boundaries following a denial with a phone call Trial Court Law Libraries—with of that city, the Service Committee made asking for a discount was very successful. multiple branches located throughout a conscious effort to brainstorm service Once we were able to get someone on the state. We wanted our efforts to ideas that could include LLNE members the phone, the response was generally complement, not interfere with, the both in and outside the Boston area. positive. Finally, approaching vendors system’s existing efforts. When selecting While half of our committee in person was also a success, even when the recipient library in Massachusetts, members are indeed from Boston law the same publisher was unwilling to we looked first to personal contacts that libraries, the other half of our committee participate in the drive in response to we had at public libraries. One library members are not. Besides geographic email and telephone requests. The was interested but did not want the diversity, two committee members are representatives we talked to wanted to whole collection. Next, we thought from private academic law libraries, help us. After all, we are their primary of identifying candidate libraries by and two are not. Two of our members customers, and we all have a common geographic location—particularly ones in are reference librarians, one works in interest in the distribution of legal more remote locations, away from a city technical services, another in access materials to the public. center and a Trial Court library branch, services. Two of our members have law Contacting vendors was a lot of and with more modest resources. After degrees, and two do not. Because of a work. Some publishers have very strict consulting with then-LLNE President diversity of backgrounds, a diversity of rules about what they can donate and Barbara Schneider, head law librarian geography, and a diversity of experience, to whom. Some publishers distribute at the Berkshire Law Library of the our committee brought tremendous their books through subscription agents Massachusetts Trial Court, we identified depth to our work, which contributed or other publishers, which makes it a candidate library in Western to the success of the project. particularly difficult to find someone Massachusetts. The library, unfortunately, While the first iteration of the who has the power to donate materials. declined based on space considerations book drive project was clearly aimed Some publishers are so small and and a concern that its patrons would not at providing a small collection of books difficult to contact that emailing an use the materials. to a Massachusetts public library, author or editor directly was the most We then turned to the Massachusetts the committee always considered the effective way to solicit assistance. Library System (MLS) for its advice. importance of engaging LLNE members Some publishers have regional sales Anna Popp, advisor and liaison to special from other states. The success of our representatives who may have to give libraries with the MLS, kindly agreed Massachusetts-only drive provided us the go-ahead before a donation can be to provide us with recommendations the opportunity to expand the donation worked out. No two communications based on her work with libraries across beyond one Massachusetts public library, with publishers were alike. the state, particularly noting those but the original concept was structured The most success we had came from libraries that had participated in legal so librarians from all of New England employing an arsenal of persistence, skills workshops through the MLS could be involved in donating materials. flexibility, and patience. Overall, most and Trial Court libraries in the past. It was critical for the committee to create vendors we spoke to were extraordinarily Our outreach to the first of those a service project not just for those LLNE

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members in Boston, but in all of New • Communication. Given our varied We also wanted to explore how to England. geographic locations, in-person reach those outside of the Boston area committee meetings were not feasible. who cannot easily travel to attend LRIP, Lessons Learned On our first conference call, we which is traditionally held in Boston. This project has been a learning developed a workflow and timeline We started by looking at existing projects experience for us all. Some approaches for the book drive. However, as the already underway. In Massachusetts, the worked well, and others we found that project moved forward, we found MLS and the Trial Court Law Libraries we could have done differently. The our workflow to be limiting. We have organized “Skill Builder: Legal LLNE Service Committee’s hope is recognized a need to regroup, analyze Reference” workshops for public that our bumps in the road can serve as how to move forward, and make librarians throughout the state. Likewise, useful lessons for other groups interested changes as needed. We had quarterly the LLNE Executive Board has plans to in future projects. conference calls to report on project post instructional legal research videos on • Collaboration. LLNE members developments and relied on email for the LLNE website. We reached out to responded favorably to our requests interim periods, keeping in contact the candidate recipient public libraries for donations of books or monetary on a near-daily basis during busy that did not receive mini-collections to contributions. Although beyond periods. To collaborate on documents, gauge interest in future training and asking LLNE members for we’ve used Google Drive. collaboration. And we are currently donations, we could have considered conferring with other LLNE committees encouraging members to participate • Flexibility. Although committee and the LLNE Executive Board to and volunteer with the service project diversity is one of our strengths, it can develop collaborative approaches and under our guidance. As a start, we also be a challenge. The schedules, complementary strategies. could have had volunteers help job responsibilities, institutional busy choose recipient libraries or use our periods, and even communication Onward and Upward templates and contact vendors or styles of our committee members We are now concentrating on compiling sales representatives for donations. differ. Patience, flexibility, and a the remaining five New England state willingness to be honest about time collections and identifying recipient • Outreach. We could have made constraints have been important. libraries. We are grateful to all those better use of social media and more Certain tasks also proved to be who helped get this project off the frequent use of LLNE’s existing more or less involved than we had ground: the LLNE members, publishers, channels of communication (e.g., anticipated. If something happened and vendors who donated; the libraries listservs, blog, website) to help that was particularly stressful, and library organizations who showed publicize, clarify, and update LLNE frustrating, or burdensome, we found interest and provided support; and the members and other interested parties it helped to reach out to the other LLNE Executive Board members who on our project. Now that the committee members. They may have offered input, experience, and guidance. Massachusetts collection has been different perspectives, helpful advice, We hope this overview will inspire other donated, we hope to better use or, at least, a few minutes to spare to AALL chapters or special interest sections online communication with LLNE allow you to vent. to pursue similar projects focused on members to help build momentum facilitating access to legal information for the other state collections. Related Initiatives and resources for the wider public and In addition to the book drive, we also harnessing natural relationships and allies • Incentives. One publisher asked considered how we could develop public within and outside of our professional for the LLNE membership lists in librarians’ familiarity with basic legal community. I exchange for donated materials. research materials and techniques Catherine M. Biondo We conferred with the LLNE through programs such as on-site ([email protected]), Senior Law Librarian, Membership Committee and were training, webinars, and research guides. told that was not possible. Instead, Our first initiative was a partnership Northeastern University School of Law Library, we offered that publisher the with LLNE’s own Legal Research Boston. She currently serves as the LLNE Service opportunity to distribute materials to Instruction Program (LRIP), an annual Committee chair. all attendees at the biannual LLNE five-week course team-taught by Nicole P. Dyszlewski meetings and publicly mention the experienced member librarians on topics ([email protected]), donations. The publisher was pleased ranging from secondary sources to with this arrangement and provided administrative law. With the support of Senior Law Librarian, Maine State Law and us with insight into what would then-Education Director Lisa Junghahn Legislative Reference Library, Augusta. She make donating books a “win” for and the approval of the LLNE Executive currently serves as a member of the LLNE publishers. For future donation Board, we offered scholarships, in the Service Committee and as secretary of the LLNE requests, we added language to our form of free program registrations, to Executive Board. pitch providing publishers with the two public librarians for the 2014 course. opportunity to directly market to We spread the word through MLS’ Popp, Joshua LaPorte law librarians at LLNE meetings in LLNE Past President Schneider, and ([email protected]), Circulation Desk registration packets. Some publishers our connections at public libraries. Supervisor, University of Connecticut School of who took us up on the offer sent We awarded the scholarships to two Law Library, Hartford. He currently serves as a materials directly to the event host Massachusetts public librarians: Jean member of the LLNE Service Committee. site, while others sent materials Slavkovsky, information librarian at directly to the Service Committee the Malden Public Library, and Philip Rebecca Martin chair. By donating to our initiative, Peck, reference/business librarian and ([email protected]), Digital and Bibliographic publishers were publicly recognized webmaster of the Somerville Public Resources Librarian, Boston University Fineman and were able to market to a captive, Library. Our desire is to continue this and Pappas Law Libraries, Boston. She currently interested audience. LRIP scholarship program in future years. services as a member of the LLNE Service Committee.

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Metadata

Acquiring Metadata for Your Library Resources What to look (and look out) for

By Eric Parker and Jacqueline Magagnosc

ith law libraries’ increasing law librarian who may not have a high overhead and development, since it purchases of, and reliance level of expertise in cataloging and is in their long-term interest to provide Won, electronic information metadata but who wishes to provide records to increase use of products. resources, there is a growing need to his or her users with the optimum As of this writing, it remains to be seen provide users with as much high-quality level of resource discoverability. For the whether this approach will become metadata as possible to enable resource purposes of this article, we are limiting a best practice among legal and other discovery. Gone are the days when we our discussion to MARC records, information providers. could just point users to a particular though we use the terms “metadata” In other instances, vendors provide set of shelves and let them browse for and “cataloging” interchangeably. MARC records for individual titles information pertinent to their needs. contained in their products, but at an These days, our holy grail is to make Sources of Metadata additional charge beyond the price of all of the resources we provide easily Currently, the marketplace for MARC the resource content itself. Examples discoverable through one, hopefully records for legal and law-related of this practice include MARC records simple, search interface. resources is a rather complicated one, for titles in the various components of As fewer staff resources are available with records being made available Gale Cengage Learning’s Making of to keep up with the growing need for through a number of different Modern Law. metadata, libraries must rely more and approaches. In some cases, cataloging is provided more on metadata supplied by outside Sets of MARC records are sometimes by third parties and must be purchased sources. This article aims to provide included in the purchase price of an separately from the resource itself. the reader with: (1) an overview of the electronic resource. Some recent Examples of this approach include different sources for such metadata; examples of this practice include Oxford Cassidy Cataloguing’s MARC record (2) the unique issues to be aware of University Press resources, such as sets for individual titles contained within when reviewing a contract for metadata Oxford Legal Research Library and Oxford the various libraries in HeinOnline, services; (3) specific points to consider Scholarly Authorities on International for the titles in Wolters Kluwer’s when determining data quality; and (4) Law. The March 2014 Report of the Intelliconnect service, and for individual issues related to the mechanics of making AALL Technical Services Special Interest titles contained within WestlawNext and the metadata available in a catalog or Section’s (TS-SIS’s) Task Force on Lexis Advance. other discovery platform. While some of Vendor-Supplied Bibliographic Records Finally, there is the OCLC the details, particularly those related to Creation and Distribution Models WorldShare Metadata Collection data quality, can quickly become quite (tinyurl.com/pa9g5be) recommends that Manager service (formerly WorldCat complex, especially for non-catalogers, vendors build the expense of MARC Collection Sets). Through the WorldCat the target audience for this article is the record creation into their costs for knowledge base, the service provides metadata for more than 11,000 content

collections from nearly 6,000 providers. Once a library has set up its profile, the service will allow the library to keep its data current via regular updates. Although it is not particularly heavy on law titles, there are a few law-specific collections, including records for titles in CALI, LLMC Digital, and some military legal resources. It is possible to download a spreadsheet, updated monthly, of the collections contained in the WorldCat knowledge base, www.oclc.org/support/ services/collection-manager/release- notes.en.html. OCLC plans to add user-defined collections to this service in the relatively near future. Issues to Be Aware of in Contracts Depending on the source for your Figure 1: Detail from a provider-neutral catalog record as displayed in an OPAC. records, you may or may not have a separate contract to negotiate for your metadata. But no matter the situation, it is helpful to clarify as many issues with your cataloging/metadata provider as in the descriptive portions of the • How much customization, if any, you can. Many issues will be familiar record. Using a provider-neutral will the vendor provide? One useful to you if you have experience negotiating record, the same resource that may piece of customization to specify or reviewing license agreements for be available via multiple providers is having the vendor customize electronic resources. For example, can have one record in your catalog, URLs to include your proxy server contracts for catalog records or metadata with links to the different versions, prefix (if you have one) or use of need to spell out such issues as who the rather than having multiple separate customized text to appear as linked contracting parties are, what is to be records, each for a different version text in your catalog or discovery provided, the term length of the of the same thing. Issues associated layer. If the vendor cannot provide contract, terms of payment, termination with management of provider- customizations for you, you will of contract, and severability. neutral records will be discussed likely have to do some processing There are some aspects to cataloging/ further under manipulation and on your end prior to loading the metadata contracts that are unique: loading of records. See Figure 1 records (see below for additional • The contract may specify how for an example. details). records are to be provided (e.g., • Will the records use controlled • Contracts for catalog records or via FTP, web-based download access points and authorized forms, metadata can be for a one-time interface, or email). Be sure that e.g., from the Library of Congress purchase, but they can also include you can easily retrieve the records Name Authority File, for all names? updates to records for a specified using whatever approach the vendor • Will the records use, and use period of time. The updates can uses to provide them. correctly, standard subject schemes include records for new titles added • The contract should contain such as Library of Congress Subject to a database or revisions to existing language specifying the level of Headings? records. They can also include quality and the standards that are notifications about records to to be applied to the records. If you Because of its importance, we discuss remove from your database. If you already have a catalog or discovery data quality in greater detail below: are contracting for updates, it will interface consisting of high-quality • What can the library do with the be important to have the language records, you will want your new records it is purchasing? It may seem specify the length of the term (often records to integrate well with those obvious to you that you are going to one year) and how frequently you already have for seamless use the records in your catalog to updates will be provided. Some discovery of resources. You will allow people to find and access databases that experience significant want to address these issues before resources, but it is helpful to have and frequent turnover of their the contract is signed, while you spelled out whether they can be content benefit from monthly are in the driver’s seat! used in a discovery layer or uploaded MARC record updates. • Will the records conform to to a utility such as OCLC, and, MARC21, RDA, and/or other if not, what happens if they are, As with many electronic resource nationally or internationally even accidentally. On a related purchases, it is advisable to ask your recognized standard(s)? note, unlike license agreements for provider for a small sample set of records • Will records be provider-neutral? e-resources, contracts for records do that exemplify those they will provide For those unfamiliar with provider- not tend to define authorized users you. You can analyze the sample records neutral records, the basic idea is that since the records will go into an to see whether they will be easy to load, a record will describe the resource OPAC or other discovery layer will meet your quality standards, and will without referring to a specific where they may be retrieved and comply with contractual specifications. provider or platform for an e-version viewed by just about anyone. You can also determine what changes

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may be needed before they can be added Publishers are not catalogers and they in collection maintenance, especially to your library’s catalog. may not understand the significance for nonstatic collections where content of correct application of MARC21 changes over time, necessitating addition, Data Quality or the importance of using controlled deletion, or updating of records. Quality of vendor records is a long-term NACO/SACO-compliant headings, e.g., Conversely, incorrect use of identifiers, issue of concern, and the problematic why the form used for an author’s name such as using the print ISBN for an issues have remained consistent over or a subject heading should be the e-book, can make management of a time. Much of the library literature one given in the Name Authority File record set more difficult. concerning quality of vendor-supplied (NAF) or LCSH subject authority file, Recently, one of us dealt with a cataloging focuses on issues associated respectively. Some vendor record sets group of record samples that provided with specific collections. contain brief, generalized subject examples of many of these problems. What defines quality cataloging? metadata which will also hamper patron One record option consisted of free Quality cataloging consists of adequate, discovery. If records come from OCLC, records based on publisher metadata. accurate, and consistent metadata. they are more likely to be within The sample title was a state code, and Additionally, records should adhere to expected cataloging norms, but if they each volume of the code had a separate the specifications of the purchasing are derived from a publisher’s internal record. The access points (forms and library as outlined in the purchase metadata, they may differ from those choices of personal and corporate names) contract. As mentioned earlier, in order norms significantly. in the records were completely different to prevent problems in the catalog Vendor records may contain many from those present in the record for the and discovery layer, it is important different kinds of errors; those that print version of the publication, and that vendor records be consistent with impede patron access to materials are there was no link to the record for the standard cataloging protocols such as show stoppers. An example of this kind print; subject metadata was brief and AACR2/RDA, MARC21, NACO of error would be a malformed URL incorrectly coded. These records would (Name Authority Cooperative Program, that does not connect to the resource provide patron access to a known title, to establish and maintain standardized described. A record for an online so they are better than nothing, but it’s forms of personal, corporate, and resource may be derived from the record unlikely that they would be included conference names) and SACO (Subject for the print version without thorough among subject-based search results. Authority Cooperative Program, to adjustment of format-specific metadata. Two price points were presented for establish and maintain standardized The fixed fields (see Figure 2) in the fuller MARC records. Both options subject headings for the Library of bibliographic record may not be coded provided records derived from records Congress Subject Headings). If a vendor’s correctly, leading to other potential describing a print publication, but records are out of sync with cataloging problems since many integrated library each option had errors in either the standards, they will not behave in the systems and discovery layers draw from fixed fields or variable fields of the same way as standards-compliant records this data to differentiate between print bibliographic data. The less expensive when they are loaded into a local system. and online materials or monographic and option sample record had fixed field These kinds of issues can lead to a “split serial works. coding suitable for serials in a record file” with works not correctly collocated Are accurate and consistent describing a monograph; the more by author or subject, making research numerical identifiers included in the expensive option provided linking fields more difficult and time-consuming. records? Identifiers, such as OCLC to records for the print publications— The types of errors commonly found numbers, ISBNs, or ISSNs, are useful a desirable feature—but contained other in vendor records fall into a number of categories: lack of completeness, noncompliance with standards, and inaccuracy of the records themselves. Errors in these areas affect resource discoverability and access; incomplete or inaccurate representation of collections undermines patron confidence in library services and generates frustration. The first potential problem area is completeness of the record set. The number of records provided may not equal the number of titles in the collection. Titles may be missing, or titles not associated with the purchased collection may be included. Sometimes a record will be included for each volume of a multivolume set: for example, individual records for state code volumes instead of one record for the entire state code as is typically the case for the print. If you do not want your library’s catalog and discovery layer to present results like this, it is best to pursue correction of this kind of problem before any more time is devoted to the record set. Record metadata may not be compliant with national standards. Figure 2: Correctly coded fixed fields within a MARC record as displayed via OPAC; these often control displays of information to the public.

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errors and omissions. Both record set the print and electronic versions of a can use batch update capabilities, either options would require some correction work since they are different expressions within MarcEdit or in your local system, and manipulation before they would be of that work. From the user side, one to make corrections. Remember to get suitable for addition to a library catalog. record presenting all access options the provider of your cataloging to make The Task Force on Vendor-Supplied seems best because it is less confusing. corrections in the records that are out Bibliographic Records Creation The Program for Cooperative of compliance with your contract. and Distribution Models has Cataloging’s Provider-Neutral E-Resource been reconstituted as the TS-SIS MARC Record Guide and Provider- Conclusion Vendor–Supplied Records Advisory Neutral E-Monograph MARC Record We have attempted to lay out some Working Group (VRAG). This new Guide document for publishers and of the specific issues that libraries and group’s mission is to work with vendors catalogers the requirements of provider- librarians may face when purchasing, and libraries to improve the quality of neutral records. On the other hand, in and then loading and using, catalog record sets. Members of the group have the absence of consistent and reliable records or metadata that come from evaluated and analyzed many law-centric identifiers, separate records for each outside sources. While the issues can record sets so that we do not have to. electronic version of a work are easier get complex, we believe that they can be A full description of the work of this to manage for collections that change addressed successfully by the information group and a spreadsheet presenting their over time and so require addition and professional. Ultimately, our fellow analysis of different record sets can be removal of records. librarians and our patrons benefit from found at www.aallnet.org/sections/ Management of records in batch is improved accessibility of the resources ts/committees/Cataloging/Working- very different from the piece-by-piece we provide to them. I Groups/Vendor-Supplied-Records. cataloging normally used for print materials. Consistent record keeping and Manipulation and Loading of Records workflows are essential. Each record set Eric Parker (ecp278@law. Analyzing a record set to determine will have its quirks, and these quirks may the types of problems that may be not be consistent between collections northwestern.edu), Associate present may seem daunting but can be from the same vendor. You will want to Director for Collection and managed using MarcEdit and Excel keep a record of any problems and the Bibliographic Services, spreadsheets. MarcEdit, freely available metadata manipulations used to correct Pritzker Legal Research Center at marcedit.reeset.net, is a program them. Some collections, such as Making at Northwestern University designed to facilitate editing and of Modern Law: Legal Treatises, 1600- School of Law, Chicago manipulation of MARC record 1926, are static, but many reference metadata. The program parses MARC collections have titles cycling in and Jacqueline Magagnosc into a human-friendly format. Using this out of them as they are kept up to date. ([email protected]), program and Excel, you can sort, count, It is essential to document identifiers Continuations Management and globally update fields. For example, and procedures used to keep records for Librarian, Cornell University using the MarcEdit “Count Fields” these types of collections up to date. Law Library, Ithaca, New York function, you can easily determine For each record collection it is whether the number of records provided helpful to keep a record of: in a set equals the number of titles • Data used to identify records for contained in the collection. For an the set in your system, which can overview of batch record analysis, include both publisher-provided see Yael Mandelstam’s Demystifying data and locally defined fields Further Reading Batchload Analysis PowerPoint • Location/source of records presentation slides at tsvbr.pbworks. • Updated schedule if the collection is not static Selected recent writings on vendor- com/f/batchload_analysis.ppt. provided cataloging data: You can also determine whether • Contractual limitations (OCLC, all required fields are present in the use in discovery layers) Roman S. Panchyshyn, “Asking the records by comparing field counts. For • Data manipulations needed before Right Questions: An E-Resource example, if the total number of subject loading records into your local Checklist for Documenting Cataloging heading fields is less than the number of system. Decisions for Batch Cataloging records, some records must lack subject Projects,” Technical Services Quarterly headings. One can check consistency of It is important to keep in mind that 30 (2013): 15-37. access points, such as author names, by all vendor record sets are likely to require Stacy Traill, “Quality Issues in Vendor- exporting data to Excel, sorting, and some editing before they are loaded into Provided E-Monograph Records,” Library then “eyeballing” the data. One can also a local catalog. In an ideal world, with Resources & Technical Services 57 add proxy server prefixes to URLs in unlimited time, we could make all the (2013): 213-26. record sets en masse if a vendor cannot checks above. In practice, depending on provide this customization. Additionally, your particular situation, you may wish Li Zhang and Miao Jin, “Cataloging E- MarcEdit has tools for validating MARC to focus on particular issues, such as Books: Dealing with Vendors and Various records and verifying URLs. identifying and correcting errors that Other Problems,” The Serials Librarian: most impede patron access. This From the Printed Page to the Digital Age Another cataloging choice to be 57 (2014): 76-80. considered is whether to present different category would include incorrect or versions of a work on one or multiple inconsistent forms of personal and records. The RDA WEMI (Work, corporate names, typos in title fields, Expression, Manifestation, Item) and URLs that do not work. If the construct requires separate records for problem fits a consistent pattern, you

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tthhee Facebook also provides data on individual posts. The eeffffeeccttiivveenneessss data includes information on how many people see your posts and whether they like or share posts. This can help you understand the types of posts that users are most ooff interested in and what engages them to respond. Those are the types of posts you’ll want more of in the future. You can also examine what areas of Facebook, or tabs, get the most visits. Is it your photo page or your timeline? Take a look at your reviews as well. If you’re getting low reviews, that can be an indication of something that needs to be examined more in-depth. You can also get basic information on the locations where your likes come from and users’ primary Does it measure up? language. For example, most of my library’s likes come from the United States. But we also have had By Karen Skinner likes from Nigeria, Thailand, and Turkey, to name a few. The Facebook People page also compares your Facebook account to Facebook in its entirety. You can get this information for people reached, people engaged, any law libraries use social media to and check-ins. Do you need to see how your library’s communicate with patrons. More and more Facebook page is doing compared with the facebook Mlaw libraries are registering for Facebook pages of your peer organizations? Compare performance and Twitter accounts every day. With the increasing using Pages to Watch. You can select which amount of resources that libraries are committing to organizations are used for comparison purposes. social media (time, manpower), how do we know the Twitter suggests a number of metrics for analyzing commitment is worth it? Just how effective is the use your impact (https://business.twitter.com/measure- of social media? your-impact). Follower growth and quality and Lucky for us, there are many metrics that law engagement measure the number of new followers libraries can use to figure out the effectiveness of and their interactions with your Twitter account. their Facebook and Twitter efforts. Reach measures follower retweets and favorites. You can Most social media metrics fall into two categories: determine how much traffic Twitter drives to your own reach and engagement. Reach involves how many library website. You can also examine conversion. How people see your posts and the many followers signed up for your service number of page likes or followers or bought your product? For law libraries you have. Engagement is what that could mean, for example, how many makes Facebook and Twitter so students attended a research workshop, interesting: engagement metrics signed up for a library newsletter, look at how your customers interact or viewed a research guide that was with your organization online. advertised on Twitter. Engagement measures how many Twitter Analytics became available to times a post is marked as a favorite, shared, all Twitter users in August. This analytics dashboard or commented on. monitors tweets and followers. The Tweets dashboard measures impressions, engagement, and engagement Facebook and Twitter Metrics rate. Impressions are the number of times someone Both Facebook and Twitter provide a lot of information saw your tweet. Engagement tells you how many on measuring effectiveness, otherwise known as impact. times a user interacted with your tweet. This includes Facebook advises how to track your results on its clicking anywhere on the tweet, retweets, replies, Measurements and Insights webpage (https://www. follows, and favorites. Engagement rate is the number of facebook.com/business/products/measurement). Your engagements divided by impressions. You can see these Facebook account will have its own Insights page. This statistics for every tweet. page contains a wealth of information. Get data on The Followers dashboard provides basic your page likes: for instance, from where do your page demographic information, like gender and location, likes usually come? Is it your library website, LibGuides and increases in followers. It also tracks follower interest page, or did people seek out your Facebook page on by indicating the broad topics to which your followers their own, say, from Google? This can help you figure respond. And it tells you the top 10 accounts that your out what is driving traffic to your Facebook page and followers also follow. This can help you identify the help you understand where to amplify marketing. topics that grab your followers’ attention.

More Information on Social Media Metrics influence, and action. How does your social media As you can well imagine, there is much advice published exposure and customer engagement influence customers in journals and online about how to measure social media to take action? impact. Even Wikipedia has a brief entry on social media Marketingthink.com takes social media metrics a measurements (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_ step further (marketingthink.com/9-key-social-media- measurement). These publications and websites measurements-to-answer-9-key-strategic-questions). generally advise looking at reach (who saw your post) It examines what it calls “back-of-the-envelope social and engagement (who clicked on your post or otherwise media measures” (in other words, calculations to shared it). determine success). How many people have unsubscribed Helen Blowers, in her from your social media pages? How many people are September 2012 article seeing your content? For example, to calculate whether “Measuring Social people value your content, use this formula: Total Tweets/ Media and the Greater Total Retweets = Retweets by Tweet. To figure out what Digital Landscape,” type of content you should be posting, take Total published in Computers Facebook Post of One Type (e.g., video)/Total in Libraries magazine, Engagement (e.g., views/shares) = Engagements by states that impressions Post. These calculations help you to go beyond a basic and exposure are useful understanding of how your social media page is metrics for social media. performing. They also can help you determine a They show your library’s influence. Retweets and likes social media strategy. show how involved your customers are. These engagement statistics are important because you want to be looking at Benefitting from Social Media Metrics actual interactions with customers. Vitality, meaning the These days, more and more decisions are data-driven. percentage of people who saw the post and found it To use social media terminology, big data is trending. Law interesting enough to comment on it, is an important libraries have been tracking a number of library statistics metric. for decades. In an era of budget cuts and staff reductions, Chris Murdough, in his 2009 “Social Media law librarians are continually striving to come up with Measurement: It’s Not Impossible,” provides an “analysis new ways to prove their worth and to justify their construct used for many social media programs.” He existence. With ready-made data provided by Facebook discusses three “pillars of social media measurement”: and Twitter, libraries can include social media metrics reach, discussions, and outcomes. For reach, look at both in a variety of stakeholder reports. Consider quantity and quality, specifically “quantity of mentions including your total number of followers and and quality of authors.” For discussions, look at topics and likes. Share data on your reach and sentiments. And for outcomes, examine site traffic engagement. Consider supplying the most and purchase intent. The author characterizes these as liked or retweeted posts. These numbers “behavioral engagement indicators.” can help to complete the overall picture Enrique Bonsón and Melinda Ratkai suggest of library outreach and impact. measuring popularity, commitment, and virality Measuring the impact of your library’s in their 2012 article, “A Set of Metrics to Assess social media efforts is necessary to ensure Stakeholder Engagement and Social Legitimacy on you’re reaching your patrons in the way that a Corporate Facebook Page.” The number of likes works best for them and that they find engaging. This helps demonstrates popularity. For example, total likes you target your messages and increase your interactivity divided by total number of posts provides you with one with your patrons, thereby increasing their use of your measurement of popularity. If you divide the number of services. The metrics of social media effectiveness discussed posts that have been commented on by the total number here are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many of posts, you get the percentage of posts that have been more examples of the statistics that can be gleaned from commented on, which measures commitment. Use the your social media. Keep in mind that there are third-party total shares divided by total posts to get the average tools that, in addition to making your social media life number of shares per post, a virality metric. easier, will also track social media data for you. Using social A number of authors characterize social media impact media successfully to promote your library includes as return on investment, or ROI. Brian Solis, in his book measuring how effective the library is in its outreach efforts, Engage: The Complete Guide Brands and Businesses to Build, and sites like Facebook and Twitter make it easy to monitor Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web, says that metrics. Check out your metrics today! I in the new media world, ROI actually stands for several things: return on participation, engagement, involvement, Karen Skinner and influence. Solis goes on to discuss the “social ([email protected]), Research Services Librarian, University barometer,” which measures exposure, engagement, of Southern California Gould School of Law, Los Angeles

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Be Boulder! m The Boulder Conference and its significance By Dennis C. Kim-Prieto and Paul D. Callister

erhaps you were at the most research within legal pedagogy. Bintliff to the realm of the practical, and at recent AALL Annual Meeting in organized the conference and arranged the exclusion of the cognitive and the PSan Antonio and you saw folks for it to be held for the first two years ethical, that is most noteworthy. The wearing ribbons that proudly proclaimed at the University of Colorado School 2009 statement can be found with “Be Boulder!” Perhaps you’ve just heard of Law. Despite the Boulder name, the other statements and materials on the about the Boulder Conference and conference has varied its location to University of Colorado’s Wise Law wondered what, exactly, it is. Or maybe track AALL’s Annual Meeting and has Library website, lawlibrary.colorado. you’re looking for a way to improve your continued to meet each year, having just edu/boulder-conferences-legal- own scholarly writing and wondering if completed its sixth annual meeting in research-education. there is an outlet that will let you do so. San Antonio. In 2010, Boulder participants again But let’s start off with a simpler question: turned to the language and philosophy what exactly is The Boulder Conference? Legal Research Pedagogy of the Carnegie Report by describing The Boulder Conference on Legal legal research education’s signature Conference Beginnings Information: Scholarship and Teaching pedagogy in terms of its “surface” The Boulder Conference began in July is a critical addition to law librarianship; (the observable behaviors), “deep” 2009 as The Conference on Legal not only does it provide a safe haven (the underlying rationale that the Information: Scholarship and Teaching. for budding scholars to present their behavior models), “tacit” (the values that Barbara Bintliff, currently Joseph C. work, it has also produced a series of are modeled), and “shadow pedagogy” Hutcheson Professor in Law and director statements and aides to pedagogy. (what is absent or only weekly engaged). of research at University of Texas Jamail Boulder’s initial statements, from 2009 These terms constituted the same Center for Legal Research in Austin and and 2010, are heavily ensconced in the heuristic that Carnegie had used to then-director at the University of language of the Carnegie Report. In describe legal education’s pedagogy, and Colorado Law Library, conceived the 2009, rather than identify legal research by replicating that heuristic, Boulder conference as a response to the need for with a single “apprenticeship”—the places the pedagogy of legal research on a forum for newer librarians to develop Carnegie Report articulates cognitive, solid footing. See the Boulder Statement on Legal Research Education: Signature y their scholarship, as well as an organ practical, and professional (ethical) to address what was missing from the apprenticeships—Boulder participants Pedagogy Statement for more details. 2007 Carnegie Foundation’s Educating took the position that legal research has In short, Boulder allows law librarians Lawyers—namely, any significant a place in all three apprenticeships. It is to speak the language of the Carnegie mention of law librarianship or legal Boulder’s refusal to relegate legal research Report in order to legitimize legal

research instruction with a valid top minds in law librarianship today.” “Until the Boulder Conference started pedagogy. Sarah Lamdan, legal reference in 2009, I wrote in a vacuum. I had no The result of the 2010 conference librarian at CUNY School of Law one to review my work or to give me was a book published in 2014 by Hein, Library in Long Island City, New York, advice. I thought that was normal. The The Boulder Statements on Legal Research noted that “The Boulder Conference first Boulder Conference and every one Education: The Intersection of Intellectual not only helped me develop my own since have been the intellectual highlight and Practical Skills. Not only does the scholarship, but through listening to of my year. Finally—a place of our title succinctly capture the essence of others present their scholarship and own. It is so important to have a venue that provides thoughtful and intelligent feedback and a deadline. Most of us squeeze writing into an already full work week. It has been very important to me to know that I need to get an Finally—a place of our own. It is so important article ready by a certain date.” to have a venue that provides thoughtful and What’s in Store The Boulder Conference has not only “ intelligent feedback and a deadline. promoted scholarship, it has promoted collegiality. The conference has not only helped writers win awards and notoriety within law librarianship, it has directly promoted best practices in legal research ” instruction, as well as articulated a the Boulder project, the book itself hearing the discussion and critiques pedagogy of legal research. As Lamdan distills the first four conferences into of various legal research and law says, “The Boulder Conference provides a unique blend of theory and practice- librarianship ideas and concepts, law librarianship with a foundation ready teaching exercises, exemplars, I learned a lot about the profession. for scholarship and legal research skills and templates. The book covers such After attending the Boulder Conference, education pedagogy. We all build from topics as integrating legal research into I returned to my law library with new that foundation in our own libraries law school curricula, metacognition, information to share about practices and institutions throughout the year. assessment, research by human and programs in other law libraries. The Boulder Conference gives us a classification versus computer I was able to see the future of law source from which to set off on our algorithms, critical information theory, librarianship, or at least facets of it, at curricular and scholarly development. social networking and research ethics. the conference, and I came back with It is important, as law librarians, that It also includes four different types of new ideas to investigate and implement we have the opportunity to critically examples for implementing Boulder’s in my own legal skills teaching and examine our profession and the way COACh (Content, Objectives, Activity, librarian practices. I also made new law we do things and to then develop best and Checklist) template for legal librarian friends, which is always a practices and ideas and blueprints for research instruction. treat!” professional growth and innovation.” Admission to the workshop requires Boulder has just begun to make Lessons and Recognition an invitation after a submission, and the an impact, and we are sure that the Participants in the Boulder workshops process itself provides for the most conference will affect our profession for have gone on to win recognition for practical feedback possible. During many years to come. I their work from AALL and through the workshop, the writer may say a the LexisNexis Call for Papers, and they few words about the piece before an Dennis C. Kim-Prieto have received other awards for articles exhaustive conversation opens up, led by (dprieto@kinoy. published in Law Library Journal. one of the Boulder Conference faculty, rutgers.edu), Reference Contemporary luminaries such as and the entire table turns toward a Librarian, Rutgers University Sarah Valentine, Judith Lihosit, Anne detailed discussion of the merits and Law School Library, Newark, Klinefelter, Stephanie Davidson, Meg issues within a given draft. It is a little New Jersey Butler, David Armond, Shawn Nevers, bit intimidating as well as tremendously Amanda Runyon, Leslie Street, Carol rewarding, as the writer gets an “inside Paul D. Callister Parker, Yasmin Sokkar Harker, and Julie look” into how others have read his ([email protected]), Graves Krishnaswami have all published or her work. There are too few Library Director and material first workshopped at Boulder. similar opportunities available in Professor of Law, University Perhaps those who’ve participated in law librarianship, and the Boulder of Missouri - Kansas City the Boulder Conferences offer the Conference faculty has developed a fair Leon E. Bloch Law Library clearest perspective: Taryn Rucinski, amount of expertise in delivering honest environmental law librarian and adjunct and useful criticism while minimizing professor at Pace University School the impact on the writer’s own sense of Law in White Plains, New York, of his or her ability to communicate describes it as “a humbling experience difficult ideas. In the words of Susan where newer members have the Nevelow Mart, associate professor unparalleled opportunity to meet, and director of the law library at the network, and work with some of the University of Colorado Law School,

26 AALL Spectrum I December 2014 AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:31 PM Page 27

Saying Farewell to a Classic

Goodbye to Westlaw.com

By Deborah E. Shrager

“I want my Westlaw Classic.” “Bugger!”

t is no surprise that some law professors were unhappy about the removal of Westlaw Classic from academic subscriptions this past summer. Some partners will no doubt Iexpress frustration on August 31, 2015, when the platform will retire for all accounts. But many of those same attorneys balked when they were first asked to conduct legal research on a computer, especially those who could not imagine trying to type! Then they grumbled about the switch to web-based products, bemoaning the “World Wide Wait.” It’s safe to assume that if asked today, none of them would prefer to return to dial-up or have their computers removed from their offices.

“#SaveWestlawClassic.”

We like to complain about change— But West dragged its heels entering the Creating and updating a full-text especially when it involves technology. online market. Mead Data Central’s database was, of course, expensive. West Even when change arguably brings Lexis product had a two-year head start Publishing President Dwight Opperman improvements, we grumble about the and was quickly ensconced in law firms, pushed hard for the company’s online inconvenience of learning new tools: law schools, and government agencies. presence against opposition from his “What do you mean they are changing board of directors. According to an Facebook’s privacy settings?!” or “I don’t employee, in 1975 Opperman came have time to learn a new system!” out of his office one day and Depending on your point of view, the proclaimed: “There will be Westlaw.” evolution of computerized legal research Some internal dissension came from has either happened at a reasonably those who did not think computers were steady pace or incredibly quickly. No an effective research tool. Others argued doubt the transitions seem breakneck that computer-assisted legal research when measured against the decades (CALR) threatened the company’s book in which legal research was defined revenue. After only one year, the exclusively by the use of print resources. executive put in charge of Westlaw Even in this era of perpetual recommended that West stick to its core tweaking of digital tools, some changes One of the first Westlaw terminals. print business. Fortunately for West, seem relatively more significant. Opperman persisted. The company For legal researchers, especially veteran invested in expanding Westlaw to a full- librarians, the sunsetting of Westlaw West ultimately purchased the text product with editorial indexing. Classic and its replacement by QUIC/LAW system developed at WestlawNext represents one of those Queens University in Canada, which Westlaw Has Them. Lexis Doesn’t. events. It is a paradigm shift in how in modified form became the basis for West engaged in fierce head-to-head researchers will think about legal its first computerized legal research combat with Mead on many fronts. Even resources and how we will need to system: Westlaw. The database was with the addition of “Full-Text Plus,” guide our patrons. housed in an IBM-370 central computer Westlaw continued to struggle against Whether you feel sentimental or at the company’s St. Paul, Minnesota, Lexis’ market dominance. As a 1978 annoyed, when change happens it can headquarters. Access (available on Law Library Journal article put it, Lexis be interesting and instructive to take weekdays only) was by telephone link nearly drove “Westlaw out of the market a look back at how we arrived at this and viewed on a CRT monitor. The first and into oblivion.” Researchers who were new future. So let’s take a trip down product logo mimicked the computer’s familiar with Lexis were reluctant to take memory lane with a product that has bitmap font. the time to learn a new system. West had been central to the practice of law for West marketed its new online little choice but to offer law firms free almost 40 years: Westlaw. product as an extension of “The product trials. The company also began System,” comprised of national reporters investing in improvements to upgrade and key number classification. Unlike Westlaw’s speed and reliability. Content Lexis, which searched the full text of was expanded to include statutory and cases, Westlaw was launched as a “Case secondary materials. Summary Data Base.” It contained only editorial headnotes for eight years of state cases and 15 years of federal cases. Users were required to type a symbol for the desired database (e.g., SCT for U.S. Supreme Court) and then could enter a query using Boolean logic. West gambled on the popularity of its key number indexing system. It was a bad bet. The company advertised its database as “the most complete and most useful case law database available in the legal field today.” While this approach made browsing easy, it quickly proved unsatisfactory. Full-text searching is one of the unique benefits of computer Product upgrades launched by It’s the System that Counts research. Not surprisingly, Lexis one service were often mirrored on continued to lead the market. West the other. Westlaw licensed McGraw The Westlaw story officially began Hill’s Shepard’s Citations and in 1980 in 1975 with its first subscriber. West had failed to follow its own recipe for success, which had resulted not just introduced “Westlaw/System II.” The Publishing, with its near century-long following year, Lexis announced it was history, was the undisputed leader in from providing editorial content, but publishing resources that offered adding “more Shepard’s than is offered publishing print legal information in by any other computer-assisted research the United States. The company’s complete access to the nation’s case law. Lawyers wanted the entire body of service.” Since Shepard’s was only as market domination stemmed from its current as the print books, Lexis offered comprehensive publication of state and available case law in print, so why wouldn’t they want more than an the Auto-Cite updating service, and in federal cases in the National Reporter 1983, Westlaw announced it was adding System and its proprietary editorial editorialized version of these cases electronically? Insta-Cite with “case history updates . . . content in the American Digest System. on-line four to six weeks sooner than any

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other computerized case history service.” West held a contest in the law The intensive rivalry also led to battles library community to name this in the courtroom, beginning when West new Westlaw computer. Berkley law sued Mead for unauthorized use of its librarians won the prize (and used the case pagination system. They ultimately prize money to host a staff dinner at reached a private settlement permitting a Chinese restaurant!). According to Lexis to provide West’s page numbers. Bob Berring, they suggested the name “WALT” because the acronym fit (West Automated Legal Terminal). It also “projected the avuncular image of a friendly fellow”—like the venerated news anchor Walter Cronkite.

WALT I, introduced in 1983

Meetings open to all members. Veteran meeting attendees may recall fondly a big shift away from West’s formerly buttoned-up style at the 1984 Annual Meeting in San Diego. Librarians were treated to a presentation titled “Return of the Edi” in which West Sales From the ABA Journal, 1979 Representative Craig Runde dressed as OBI-Wan Kanobi. Runde wielded a WALT II, introduced in 1987 neon light sabre to demonstrate the The intense competition between powerful force of West’s editorial the companies resulted in some extreme enhancements—which he declared marketing: “At one time LEXIS was a In 1983 West introduced WALT had the “Wisdom of the Edi”—against as “the compact, friendly terminal that good system to use. You may have used the “evil empire.” (Guess who?) it in law school, and many firms use it simplifies legal research.” While the today. But compared to WESTLAW, old WALT looks quaint now, legions LEXIS is using technology from the One-Touch Ease! of novice users welcomed the Dark Ages.” According to former West West and Mead also competed in the straightforward design. It featured a representative Bill Lindberg, West even hardware market. Computer-assisted large, colorful keyboard with keys battled Lexis with promotional items; legal research emerged when few assigned for common Boolean if Lexis offered a beverage container, Americans had experience using a connectors and Shepardizing. It was West gave away a container sleeve! computer. Boolean searching was a a “dumb terminal,” having no internal In this new digital arena, West also strange new world. To help make users processing power, but it did offer an retooled its marketing outreach to the more comfortable with this unfamiliar automatic sign-in feature that eliminated law library community. It began hosting tool—and to answer Lexis’ offering of the need for phone dialing. An special events at the AALL Annual the “Deluxe” computer—Westlaw Information Today article complimented developed a custom terminal. WALT’s “12-inch screen and large green lettering” for its “easy viewing” (monochrome screens were state of the art at the time). And WALT could be used to access more than just the Westlaw database, including DIALOG and even LEXIS. Westlaw/West Books . . . They Work Together West’s entry into the electronic research market did not change its traditional identity. The West Publishing brand remained synonymous with books. Westlaw was designed to be used primarily by researchers familiar with National Reporters and case digests. New technology was not ready (will it ever be?) to replace the aesthetics, flexibility, and thoroughness of traditional print resources. To find a case in print, a researcher needed to know the name of the reporter where the case was From the ABA Journal, 1984 published. Similarly, on Westlaw, users

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were required to specify the comparable in the early days, CALR was not Under the helm of new owner database before entering a search query. even considered part of her library’s Thomson Corporation, the renamed So, even as West content expanded collection. For many years there were no “West Group” launched the KeyCite and the popularity of computer-assisted flat-rate academic contracts. The cost of citation service. According to The CRIV legal research grew, the company sold its Westlaw was the cost of each password. Sheet, West unveiled KeyCite with a online database as a companion to book Academic libraries would only purchase “media blitz” throughout the 1997 research. Advertisements frequently a limited number of passwords because AALL Annual Meeting in Baltimore. included glamour shots of a WALT of both expense and limited computer The service combined what was then beside West print publications and capacity. As a result, it was rarely West’s trio of updating services— emphasized the “Westlaw/West Books available to students or professors. Insta-Cite, Shepard’s PreView and System.” A January 1985 ad was typical: According to Runde, “From the QuickCite—while adding some unique “Westlaw is more than a computer company’s perspective, getting their features, including star ranking, assisted research system. It is an integral product used in conjunction with integration of West headnotes, and flag part of the entire West research network. doctrinal classes further cemented treatment signals. Cases were added to WESTLAW was designed to work with their law school presence.” With the the Keycite System as soon as they were West books . . . WESTLAW is not a tool encouragement of law professors, the on Westlaw. It was a surprise to some by itself; WESTLAW is part of a modern company developed The West Education that the former West Publishing research system . . .” Network (TWEN). Wake Forest Law Company would create a significant Professor Steve Nickles’ fall 1994 product with no print equivalent. contracts class was the first to test this However, the new system was critical new “virtual classroom.” Fast forward for West since it soon lost its contract 20 years: TWEN is available at all U.S. for Shepard’s Citations. law schools and is used widely as a course-management and student organization tool. More Ways to Win In its first 15 years, Westlaw grew to more than 9,000 databases containing primary and secondary materials, multiple updating services, and business information, including Dow Jones News. But Westlaw sales continued to lag behind Lexis. The once reluctant digital “WALT the Computer” and “Betty the Book” information provider continued to fight for market share by investing in new At the 1985 AALL Annual Meeting, technology. The two biggest success West representatives Runde and Julie stories: Westlaw is Natural and Keycite. Kistler humorously dramatized the In 1992, the company launched intimate relationship between West a natural language search tool, Westlaw WIN, launched in 1992 books and Westlaw in an “Epic Love is Natural, with its effective acronym Story” between “WALT the computer” “WIN”—and it did! While expert and “Betty the Book.” Narrated by Bill searchers were certainly not prepared Lindberg, as host of “A Law Librarian’s to abandon the control offered by Westlaw on the World Wide Web Companion,” the story focused on poor Boolean searching, the new system Westlaw.com went live in March 1999. Rita the Researcher singing the “Legal was easy to learn and widely praised. West Group introduced the web-based Research Blues.” She soon discovered Information Today hailed the product version of Westlaw as “a computer- that the most effective legal research was as a “revolutionary new way to perform assisted research service [that] shares the a marriage between Betty and WALT. research,” giving novice searchers access same editorial strengths of West books” to Westlaw. An ABA Journal article and is a “powerful complement to West Westlaw for Law Schools declared that WIN “lets lawyers do what books.” Customers could still access The core customer for Westlaw was and they do best—frame legal issues precisely Westlaw using traditional Westmate remains large law firms. No librarian is in standard English.” The following year, (a custom software package introduced surprised that Westlaw was offered to WIN received the ONLINE Magazine in 1990 to use with Westlaw), and many law firms first (or that “Classic” has been Product of the Year award for best online preferred to do so, given the often slow cut first from academic subscriptions). searching product or feature. internet connection speeds, using one But getting aspiring lawyers hooked on of two compatible browsers: Internet Westlaw was certainly part of capturing Explorer or Netscape. the primary business, so West needed to The following year the company get its CALR system into law schools to introduced “New Westlaw.” What was survive. Once again, West found it hard new? In addition to being faster, it was to squeeze in beside Lexis. West had designed to be more book-like. After to smooth its entrée by providing big three years of studies, West’s product discounts and free hardware. In the early development team concluded that 1980s, the company launched what lawyers preferred conducting research Lindberg called the “Great WALT with multiple sources spread on the desk giveaway,” when new subscribing law in front of them. The product interface schools got a free terminal and printer. was tweaked to mimic some aspects of Lexis was not the only obstacle. the user’s experience using print: search Professor Penny Hazelton recalls that terms highlighted in yellow rather than TWEN, May 23, 1997 (captured by the Wayback Machine) 30 AALL Spectrum I December 2014 AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:31 PM Page 31

Company board member Roger Martin Legal databases are fundamentally described the product as the “next not books. Whatever the limitations of generation of Google-—without the online search, once digital content garbage—for professionals.” gained parity with print materials, For a company that made its “CALR” became just plain legal research. reputation on a print reporter and It logically followed that the amount digest system, WestlawNext is truly of time spent training students on print revolutionary. This is not merely a counterparts has steadily dwindled. The cosmetic change. Most significantly, speed and convenience are addictive. researchers are no longer required to A law student quoted in the Village Voice understand “The System” to retrieve called these tools “lawyer crack.” No relevant information. More sophisticated doubt lazy students place undue reliance on technology to do their work. Having Westlaw.com, December 12, 1998 technology allows a federated search spent most of their lives using search (captured by the Wayback Machine) across databases. There is no need to select the correct information silo; just engines, students can be over-confident enter words into a large search box, about their ability to conduct effective and the “WestSearch” algorithm research on specialized platforms and run boldface, cases viewable simultaneously automatically generates results, including up big bills once in practice. They need with a KeyCite report, and a line viewer cases, statutes, and secondary materials, regular reminders about advanced and allowing cited cases to be viewed while all at once. editorial features, the multitude of keeping the primary case open. resources, and the importance of using The 2003 introduction of ResultPlus a variety of strategies to uncover the was precursory to the arrival of West’s most useful information. next-generation platform. Promoted as the “smart search Riding Off Into the Sunset engine,” the product used an underlying We should not get too accustomed to the technology called CaRE (Categorization products we use. As technology changes, and Routing Engine) that relied on so will our resources. Digital tools can machine learning and natural language only be as good as the available processing. When the user searched technology at the time. Berring described for case materials (the product later the situation perfectly: “The joke is that expanded to include statutes and first we taught law students how to use regulations), the system produced an the standalone computers (a challenge at additional list of suggested secondary the start), then how to use PCs, then we materials. These links were generated taught them how to search databases, based on historical user and document then how to conduct effective Boolean usage data in addition to keywords and searching, then how to use the natural document metadata. A new era of legal language-based systems. Like stages of a research using advanced artificial rocket, each old system falls away.” intelligence algorithms had begun. There are a couple of constants here: change and librarians. We are the anchor Project Cobalt in this tumultuous sea of legal resources. If you began law school or worked as There is no longer a bilateral database a law librarian before the 1990s, legal competition; there are now numerous information retrieval was likely your new, lower-cost, and free legal primary or only experience with From the ABA Journal, 1999 information providers in the mix. As this computer research. The World Wide multitude of vendors tweak, redesign, Web has now turned 25, and a new stumble, succeed—we remain on the generation of aspiring lawyers arrives The new interface has caused some front lines of these transitions to serve our at law school with expectations of increased concern about the future patrons. We are the human interface for “research” developed from surfing the quality of legal research. Knowledge of all our resources. And that’s a great place web, preferably Google. To these “born- databases and their print counterparts to be. We alert them, we teach them, we digitals,” traditional Westlaw (renamed helped students learn “where the law is.” empathize with their frustration, we reach Westlaw Classic in 2011) looks cluttered A recent Research Instruction and out to the vendors for them, we save and outdated. Patron Services Law Librarian Blog them time. We have infinite opportunities In 2005, Thomson’s legal product post reporting that a 2L journal member to step up and demonstrate our value. We development team began working on had asked “What is a Reporter?” was may also feel a little bit nostalgic as our “Project Cobalt” (a name the project definitely alarming! But novice searchers traditional resources slowly disappear. I team thought sounded “cool”)— often construct poor searches, select the the platform that would become wrong basket of information, or have no Deborah E. Shrager WestlawNext. Andy Martens, senior idea where to begin. Those of us who ([email protected]), vice president for new product were rigorously trained using print and Reference and Outreach development, initially found himself in on how to craft precise Boolean searches Services Librarian, George the same place that Dwight Opperman may bristle at this broad-sweep, Mason University School of had been decades earlier—selling a big Googlesque (there, I said it!) approach Law Library, Arlington, investment in change. But after five years to legal research. But it appears that our Virginia. Special thanks to of development and testing, on February students feel differently. The mysterious Thomson Reuters, ABA Journal, Bill Lindberg, 1, 2010, WestlawNext debuted. The algorithm may sometimes yield peculiar Craig Runde, Bob Berring, Penny Hazelton, influence of the Google search engine results, but it can also help searchers was immediately apparent: more white avoid missing relevant documents. Jodie Kistler, James Donavan, and my space and a single big search box. extraordinary colleagues.

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all appreciate each other’s strengths, and As a Pittsburgh girl, I have to start with we all have in common a strong work Andrew Carnegie. I can think of lots of ethic and a genuine desire to serve our library and law library “heroes,” but few community. I think that makes us better rise to library “superhero” status in my than any lone superhero. Together, I think mind. It’s just impossible to measure of us collectively as the Avengers or the Carnegie’s impact on the development Justice League (depending on your comic member to of American life, education, and culture book universe). As a new member of in the 19th and 20th centuries. Through the team, I’m honored to be a part of member his philanthropic efforts, 2,509 libraries the leadership and look forward to were created, mostly in the U.S. Carnegie working with my colleagues, who are all wanted to make knowledge freely available superheroes in their own right, to improve to all who would seek it out, not just the our little corner of the world. Who is your library monied elite. As I prepared this response, superhero? I was doing a bit of research on Carnegie, —Margaret Jane Ambrose, Access and and I came across a more contemporary, Research Services Librarian, Cornell Law but previously unknown-to-me, library Library, Ithaca, New York superhero: John Wood. Wood left a career at Microsoft to found Room to Read Our law school faculty, librarians, and (www.roomtoread.org), an organization I nominate Eric Taylor support staff celebrate Halloween every aimed at bringing access to reading and for library superhero. year by picking a theme for costumes and education to children in developing As our evening and then dressing up for the holiday. This year’s nations. Room to Read has established weekend reference theme was Superheroes and Supervillains, more than 16,000 libraries, with a librarian, Eric has a and the law library staff joined in the fun commitment to literacy and gender equality strong connection by wearing Super Librarian T-shirts. Our law as the cornerstones to ending poverty with students and worldwide. Is Wood a modern-day library director, Darla Jackson, was no Genevieve Zook the community. The exception and donned the costume for the Carnegie? I don’t know, but you can reference desk is at special occasion. In the staff’s eyes, follow him on twitter @johnwoodRTR its busiest during the however, Darla is a library superhero 365 and find out! afternoon and evening hours, and that’s days a year. Darla works tirelessly as an when you’re most likely to find Eric at the advocate for the law library, balancing —Tracy L. Thompson, Executive Director, desk. In the Madison community, when teaching, administrative duties, and New England Law Library Consortium, people connect the value of reference mentoring the library staff, while also Albany Law School, Schaffer Law Library, services to the University of Wisconsin Law keeping very active in AALL. She also Albany, New York Library, it’s Eric’s name that I hear. It was manages her many responsibilities while no surprise to me when the members of keeping a positive attitude and sense of Wisconsin Law Review honored Eric as humor, which is no small feat. Our law Some librarians’ Most Valuable Faculty/Staff Member. What library staff may be small, but we are Twitter handles just most of the community doesn’t know mighty, and Darla is our fearless leader! scream superhero. about Eric is that he splits his workload I can imagine a between reference and technical services, —Staff of the University of South Dakota comic book featuring balancing diverse responsibilities with School of Law’s McKusick Law Library, adventures of invaluable experience and technical skill. Vermillion: Sarah Kammer, Head of Public, @bibliobess, This ability is what raises him from mere Faculty, and Student Services; Gordana Eve Ross @iBraryGuy, library hero to superhero status. Filipovic, Acquisitions and Systems @librarianninja, Librarian; and Karyl Knodel, Serials @LibrarySherpa, —Genevieve Zook, Reference and Librarian @loather, and @ScrewyDecimal. Instructional Services Librarian, University of Wisconsin Law Library, Madison —Eve Ross, Assistant Librarian/Research Specialist, McNair Law Firm, P.A., Columbia, South Carolina There are so many. If I had to name just one, I would say My library superhero is my team. The Regina Smith at the Access Services Department at Cornell Jenkins Law Library Law is made up of a group of wonderful for making it the individuals who each have their own very very model of what unique qualities. Among us we have strong a public law library John Cannan leaders, organizers, and innovative creators should be. and thinkers. When we come together, we not only get things done, we have fun —John Cannan, Research and Instructional Sarah Kammer (left) and Darla doing it—all while providing excellent Services Librarian, Drexel University Jackson service to our patrons. Although we are Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Philadelphia all unique, like any great team I think we

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know who you are!), I choose to write directly under the tutelage of Balfour My library superhero about my Gloria, the library superhero who Halevy at the Osgoode Hall Law School in is not a librarian. 15 years ago gave one of the best gifts Ontario. Immediately, it became obvious She is an analyst I’ve ever received: that little nudge to risk that he was the Canadian equivalent of in competitive failure, to go outside my comfort zone, another giant in legal research and law intelligence for a to embrace the unexpected. That nudge librarianship, Morris Cohen. Together, major tech company. fundamentally changed the course of my as close working colleagues, friends, and She was once a law career. Thank you, Gloria, from the bottom totally devoted professionals, they forged Jennifer L. Laws librarian who (like of my (overworked but happy) heart. prodigious enterprises that represent the many do) found her very finest achievements in our field; Morris path in a less traditional information field. —Jennifer L. Laws, Electronic Resources Cohen worked to compile his magnum We attended library school together, and Coordinator - Lecturer III, University of New opus, the Bibliography of Early American Law we are almost exactly the same age. We Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque (BEAL) with Balfour Halevy replicating this come from dramatically different family and bibliographic project from a Canadian cultural backgrounds and have had very vantage point. Both set patterns for law different life experiences—yet we have so In order to identify librarianship scholarship and teaching that much in common it’s a little scary. My my “library effectively combined personal, professional, library superhero is named Gloria. But for superhero,” it would and organizational qualities that retain their Gloria, I would never have become a law be necessary to lustre in the face of all of the changes and librarian. But for Gloria, I would never have effect some kind vicissitudes that have confronted our craft taken the risk. But for Gloria, I would never of experimental over the last several decades. have found myself where I am now: doing hybridization that the job I always wanted to do. Some Paul F. McKenna would result in an —Paul F. McKenna, President, Public people have such a strong vision of their “uber-mensch” Safety Innovation, Inc., and Adjunct, Faculty professional goals that they don’t need a known as Morris of Graduate Studies, School of Information Gloria. Not me. Despite the many other Cohen/Balfour Halevy. When I joined the Management, Dalhousie University, library superheroes in my life (I hope you law library community in the 1980s, I came Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

AALL Spectrum I December 2014 33 AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:32 PM Page 34

the reference desk By Susan Catterall that is not possible, there are some great You may wish to encourage your staff to be My question has to do with resources available on the internet that open to learning a couple of useful signs, accommodating disabled students. provide guidance on the ADA and especially if they will be seeing the student Q:I’m head of public services at a on a regular basis. The internet provides resources for those who work with law school library, and I’ve learned that hearing-impaired students. For example, the American Sign Language dictionaries, there is a hearing-impaired student in our National Center on Deafness published many with video demonstrations, such as “Signing Savvy” (www.signingsavvy.com). first-year class. It isn’t as though we Guide to Working with Deaf and Hard of However, keep in mind that not all hearing- haven’t had students with disabilities Hearing Students. before now, but this student will be impaired students rely solely upon American Sign Language. In fact, many have accompanied by an interpreter, and that’s a You’ve mentioned that this is not the first developed an intricate communication style first for us. I know that during the faculty time that your school has had a student with a disability. It’s likely that it’s not based on a combination of body language, orientation, our human resources lip-reading, finger-spelling and speech. department presented information on Title even the first time that there have been hearing-impaired students at your school. As you and your staff become familiar with IX and on the Americans with Disabilities Loss of hearing/deafness is also known as this student, don’t hesitate to ask how you Act (ADA). My director asked that I share the “invisible disability.” Seemingly, this may best communicate. It seems that many that information with my staff, which particular student is being accommodated of us carry mobile devices such as smart includes student workers. In addition to by a qualified interpreter, and this is phones or tablets. These enable convenient and effective methods of communicating abiding by the relevant laws, I want to an opportunity for you to present your and help to eliminate misunderstandings. make sure that my staff is trained to work staff with some tips for effectively effectively and respectfully with this communicating with your student. Above Bear in mind that any disability is not the student. I’m planning a training session and all, it’s essential to treat your student single, defining factor of an individual. To putting together some handouts. I’ve also respectfully and professionally. The paraphrase, suggest to your staff that they asked our human resources department for interactions between your student and try walking a mile in someone else’s shoes the materials that were shared with the staff will be somewhat different than and think about how they would like to faculty. What am I missing? those between this same student and be treated. You’ve been given a wonderful classmates/professors. For the most part, opportunity to demonstrate that your library your interactions will be one-on-one, and is an open, welcoming environment. I wish First of all, you’re to be this should permit the student and your you the best. I commended for being proactive. staff to develop a trusting, courteous Susan Catterall A:There are overlapping concerns relationship. I would guess that most of (scatterall@charlottelaw. here, including legal issues that should be us are unaccustomed to working with a edu), Reference Librarian, addressed. Your student is entitled to qualified interpreter. It’s important to keep Charlotte School of Law, privacy and confidentiality. Would it be in mind that the focus should remain on North Carolina possible for you to enlist the help of your the student. Discuss with your staff that it’s HR director or perhaps of a professor with important to communicate directly with the expertise in health or disability law? Even if student and not with the interpreter.

Are you in a sticky situation with a colleague? Looking for ways to discuss advancement with your supervisor? Send your questions to columnist Susan Catterall at [email protected].

34 AALL Spectrum I December 2014 AALLDec2014:1 12/1/14 6:32 PM Page 35

announcements

Calling for 2015 AALL Emerging Leader Award Nominations

The AALL Leadership Development Committee calls for nominations for the 2015 Emerging Leader Award. The award recognizes newer members in their first 10 years of law library experience who have already made significant contributions to the Association and/or to the profession and who have demonstrated the potential for leadership and continuing service. The Emerging Leader Award is presented to the selected recipient at the AALL Annual Meeting. It is given in the name of the Association and carries with it a $500 cash prize. Full descriptions of the award, the selection criteria, application information and past recipients are 2013-2014 AALL President Steve available at www.aallnet.org/mm/Member-Resources/AALLawards/award-ela.html. Nominations must Anderson with 2014 Emerging be received by February 1, 2015, and the selection process will be completed by March 21, 2015. If you Leader Award winner Janine Liebert have any questions, please contact Michele Finerty, chair of the Leadership Development Committee, at [email protected].

Excellence in Marketing Awards: Enter Your Submission Today

The Public Relations Committee wants to • Best Brochure remind you that it is not too soon to start • Best Newsletter thinking about submissions for the AALL • Best Campaign Excellence in Marketing Awards. An individual, • Best PR Tool Kit group of individuals, library, chapter, special • Best Use of Technology interest section, consortium, caucus, or any other group affiliated with the Association is The committee hopes these awards inspire, eligible to submit their materials for these educate, and encourage promotional awards that honor outstanding achievement activities. The more submissions we receive, in public relations efforts. The submission the better examples we can share with the deadline is February 1, 2015. rest of the AALL community. The complete The staff of Emory University's Hugh rules and application can be found on F. MacMillan Law Library accept a If you are in the process of creating or AALLNET at www.aallnet.org/mm/Member- 2014 Excellence in Marketing Award updating marketing materials about your Resources/AALLawards/award-eim.html. for Best Campaign. activities, we hope you will consider Questions may be directed to Joy Shoemaker, submitting them in one of the eligible chair of the Public Relations Committee, at categories: [email protected].

Memorials

AALL Spectrum has been advised of the death of Joan Cochet. Ms. Cochet was library manager at the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Virginia. She was an active member of AALL and its State, Court & County Law Libraries Special Interest Section. AALL Spectrum carries brief announcements of members’ deaths in the “Memorials” column. Traditional memorials should be submitted to James Duggan at Law Library Journal, Tulane University Law Library, 6329 Freret St., New Orleans, LA 70118-6231 or emailed to [email protected].

AALLI Spectrum Volume 18 No. 7 May 2014 AALL: Maximizing the Power of the Law Library Community Since 1906 Spectrum Seeks Proposals for 2015 Architecture Issue

In This Issue

27 A law firm’s experience with its new legal intelligence platform

32 Law library depositories: the next 200 years Each year, AALL Spectrum’s May issue features articles about law libraries that have been recently 35 Day trips to make while visiting San Antonio for the 2014 AnnualMeeting remodeled, renovated, or that have moved into a new space. Spectrum is currently seeking article proposals for the 15th Annual Architecture Series. Has your library undergone a recent renovation project that you would like to highlight in the May 2015 issue? If so, please contact Catherine A. Lemmer, Spectrum’s editorial director, at [email protected].

Spectrum’s 14th Annual Architecture Series

www.aallnet.org

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views from you

The 16th Annual Children’s Book Drive, organized by the Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section (SR-SIS), was held during the AALL Annual Meeting in San Antonio. The theme was “Remember the Books!” in honor of our host city. The 2014 recipient was the Transitions Program of the San Antonio Independent School District, which serves homeless students, students in foster care, and at-risk youth. Donations came for every age group, from pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. AALL members donated $425 in checks, brought approximately 100 books to the conference, and bought 378 books through the Amazon wish list, valued at more than $3,300 total! Additionally, the SR-SIS voted to donate an additional $500 to the Transitions Program, and $100 was given to Aletheia Jones from Harvard Law Library, who provided the outstanding art work for the book drive. The Transitions Program was extremely grateful for the donations. As the senior coordinator wrote in an email when the book drive was in full swing, “The books are still coming, and they are terrific! We have already handed out some books to families and children prior to the end of the school year.” This was an excellent opportunity for our members to give back and to help children through the magic of reading. We encourage everyone to be just as generous in 2015 at our conference in Philadelphia! In the photos, Stacy Fowler (left), technical services librarian at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, delivers books collected during the conference to M. Estella Garza, senior coordinator at the Transitions Program. Do you have a “View” that you would like to share with AALL Spectrum? Submit your photo to AALL Marketing and Communications Manager Ashley St. John at [email protected].

36 AALL Spectrum I December 2014 AALLCovDec2014:Layout 1 12/1/14 9:29 AM Page 3 AALLCovDec2014:Layout 1 11/30/14 11:15 AM Page 4 AALLMBDec2014:AALLMembbrief_Dec 12/1/14 6:55 PM Page 1 Members’ Briefing

American Association of Law Libraries AALL Spectrum December 2014

The Power of Connection Access to Justice he theme for the 2015 AALL Annual Meeting is “The Steven P. Anderson, Director, Maryland • Promote development of centralized Power of Connection,” and State Law Library, Annapolis websites for the self-represented this concept of connection will also litigant: Some law libraries already Tserve to guide my year as AALL Margaret (Meg) Butler, Associate Director president. As such, this year’s series support centralized websites with for Public Services, Georgia State University of Members’ Briefings will all, in their self-help legal resources. Law College of Law Library, Atlanta own way, speak to the myriad ways librarians can help develop content in which we connect—with each Sara Galligan, Director, Ramsey County and provide tips on usability and other, with our colleagues in the Law Library, St. Paul, Minnesota navigation. Law librarians can legal community, and with all other promote and market these resources. individuals seeking or having a Sarah K. C. Mauldin, Director of Library They can also develop partnerships vested interest in legal information. Services, Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, with other non-library entities Atlanta The focus of this Members’ Briefing that have mutual interest in these is the timely and important topic of Collaboration among all three types of centralized websites. access to justice (ATJ). In 2013, then librarians can provide effective results as president Steve Anderson appointed • Enhance access to supportive well as a better understanding of their the Access to Justice Special technologies: Technology and unique, professional contributions to Committee, and this year, their ATJ have already produced online access to justice (ATJ). With ATJ as the work has culminated in the white resources for assisting a diverse user overall goal, Access to Justice Special paper “Law Libraries and Access to clientele. Law libraries are places Justice: A Report of the American Committee members quickly identified where users may access helpful Association of Law Libraries Special several overarching objectives for online resources. Law librarians Committee on Access to Justice.” The achieving the goal collaboratively: are also information system experts white paper explores how all types of law libraries—private; state, court, • Overcome geographic disparities: and can help create user-friendly resources. Law librarians have the and county; and academic—make This multifaceted problem includes unique contributions to the ATJ potential to create more user-friendly prevailing contrasts between urban movement and are key players in and rural libraries. Free online legal systems for people accessing the the administration of an effective resources can help, but staffing and courts. ATJ system. resource management are also • Increase involvement with ATJ The four authors of this briefing needed. Referrals to law school commissions or their equivalents: represent the three library types librarians, circuit-riding librarian More states are organizing ATJ and are complemented by an programs, and partnerships with commissions (or comparable groups). outside view provided by Katherine public libraries can help. Remote- While law librarian involvement is Alteneder with the Self Represented access programs to online and still limited, law librarians should Litigation Network, who attended telephone services can also work initiate contact with commissions the 2014 AALL Annual Meeting in San Antonio as the VIP guest of the if staff is available. and solicit invitations to serve in State, Court, and County Law • Assist with core collection some capacity. These relationships Libraries Special Interest Section. development: Core collections are help promote law librarian services needed for public libraries. The and allow librarians to gain visibility Access to justice is something that is important to all of us, and Legal Interest Services to the Public and networking and partnership we all have a role to play. Building opportunities. Law librarian Special Interest Section (LIPS-SIS) on Richard Zorra’s report, The involvement also develops insight has public library toolkits; pro se Sustainable 21st Century Law collections should be defined for into ATJ projects, and librarians Library: Vision, Deployment, and each state and included in the become more aware of legal aid Assessment for Access to Justice, the toolkits. Also, academic law libraries services for referral of library work of this special committee and may wish to define pro se collections patrons. the resulting white paper illuminate the power that comes as a result for law school libraries and even • Increase partnerships, especially for non-law academic libraries. of law librarians working together, with public librarians; provide sharing our unique perspectives ongoing training regarding the and experiences, and connecting to The ATJ White Paper is available “unauthorized practice of law”: achieve a common goal. on AALLNET at www.aallnet.org/ Partnerships with others in the main-menu/Publications/products/ legal aid community are essential. atjwhitepaper.pdf. Partnerships with public librarians AALLMBDec2014:AALLMembbrief_Dec 12/1/14 6:55 PM Page 2

American Association of Law Libraries AALL Spectrum Members’ Briefing December 2014 2

Academic foster opportunities for training, library staff sizes shrink and librarian gatekeeping and referrals, collection responsibilities grow and a lack of Academic law librarians are in a unique building, and access during interest on the part of the firm in having position to promote ATJ. Opportunities “non-courthouse hours.” In some library staff take time away from their exist in the general provision of library rural locations, the public library job responsibilities to do work that services, as well as in specialized may offer legal resources that are brings in “warm fuzzies” but no cash. collection development, legal research unavailable at the court house. There are also potential issues related instruction and curriculum support, and Ongoing training with public to the use of databases that may violate research and professional service, which librarians regarding the a firm’s license agreement, conflicts may be encouraged or required of unauthorized practice of law of interest, unlicensed practice of librarians with faculty status. addresses concerns about legal law, the need to open matter numbers information boundaries. However, for librarian work, and a general By allowing, supporting, and law librarians should encourage unwillingness to try something new encouraging public patrons to conduct confidence and permissiveness (by firm and/or librarian). their own legal research, academic law rather than fear and restrictiveness libraries support ATJ for those in their So, how does a librarian who is looking when training public librarians. communities. To the degree that to do good actually do it? One way is to institutional missions allow, librarians What Can AALL Do? suggest that the local law library chapter should consider that self-represented devote a meeting to the various legal aid litigants or pro se patrons may need to A program on the special committee’s organizations in the area. After hearing use copy machines, computers, and other findings took place during the San what the various groups do, it can be far resources, just as students, faculty, and Antonio Annual Meeting. Participants easier to brainstorm how the larger law staff may. Thinking inclusively about were asked to comment on ways library community can participate and users’ needs, where possible, promotes that AALL might support ATJ in law ways that law firm librarians can be ATJ for all. libraries. Responses included creating particularly helpful. Another option is an ATJ website, a page on AALLNET, to contact groups in need of assistance, Academic law librarians can foster ATJ or a summit, caucus, or SIS (including being prepared to work on these through the traditional librarian task of changing the LISP-SIS to the ATJ-SIS); important tasks after hours and without collection development. Options include collecting guides and resources from firm resources or support. Creating the development and maintenance other groups; supporting the SRLN; partnerships is also an excellent tactic, of self-help resources within the promoting best practices with helpful and one way to do so is to contact local law library’s collection as well as resources; raising awareness regarding public library systems or the state participating in the development existing activities and facilitating SISs library association to offer to teach a of standards for non-law libraries. working together; advocating for better continuing education course for public Academic law librarians have expertise in pricing for pro se materials, including librarians on the basics of legal research. what law materials should be purchased contracts with NOLO; and using This could include the difference and may advise non-law libraries on educational grants to promote and between state and federal courts and how to support their patrons’ needs. memorialize ATJ developments for their various levels, what is available Additionally, academic law librarians later learning. free online, how to spot a reputable often create online research guides listing Perspectives by Library Type legal site, and when to refer patrons to free legal research resources for the Private Law Firms other providers because the problems benefit of their students. Some law or questions are beyond the librarian’s schools, such as the Sturm College of When most people think about ATJ knowledge and resources. This training Law at the University of Denver, have issues and assistance to self-represented can also be provided through the local worked cooperatively with other entities litigants, very few of them think about law library chapter. to provide information and resources the role that librarians at law firms can for those in need of Colorado legal Now, why should a private firm play in these vital issues. Perhaps the last assistance. Finally, academic law libraries librarian care? For one, doing this work people to consider themselves qualified can promote ATJ by digitizing and does provide a lot of warm fuzzy that or able to participate in these initiatives maintaining archival primary source isn’t always available from helping are law firm librarians. In order to work materials. Some of these services may attorneys help clients make money. toward solutions to the looming issues constitute professional service, valued by It can also be considered a duty that is facing courts and the traditional public academic law librarians’ institutions. owed to the profession and to the public law library service providers, more based on our training and experience. One core responsibility for academic law professionals from the private sector will Pro bono work is also a chance to work librarians is legal research instruction, need to step up and provide expertise on interesting projects that don’t often whether one on one at the reference and leadership. come across the desk in a firm. It is also desk or in a classroom. Academic law Although law librarians may aspire the right thing to do, even if it doesn’t librarians may instruct law students in to do more pro bono work, it can be always feel that way when you are legal research that helps the students difficult to accomplish in a world of trudging home from the office long gain confidence for their participation in corporate law. Among the numerous after others have called it a day. Get out experiential, clinical, pro bono, or other hurdles are a genuine lack of time as there and do some good! self-help programs. Academic law AALLMBDec2014:AALLMembbrief_Dec 12/1/14 6:55 PM Page 3

American Association of Law Libraries AALL Spectrum Members’ Briefing December 2014 3

librarians can extend their training such as judges, court clerks, and packets for particular types of cases. efforts to public law librarians by community-minded attorneys. Court and county law librarians are sharing their legal research expertise and also frequent speakers at professional Both inside the walls of the “traditional” providing training on research strategies conferences and meetings of public court or county law library and and resources, as well as tips for librarians, spreading the word about beyond, librarians are striving to create avoiding the unauthorized practice of the accessibility of legal resources. innovative new services in addition law. The South Carolina Circuit Riders One noteworthy example of this is the to more traditional ones. These new Outreach Program of the Coleman New Hampshire State Law Library’s services, geared toward self-represented Karesh Law Library is an example of NHPubLaw website (www.nhpublaw. litigants, typically form key links on a longstanding training project for org), a legal research tool for public the long chain of civil legal services South Carolina non-law librarians. librarians. The more skilled public that a state or local community may librarians become in identifying legal As experiential learning provides offer to self-represented litigants and information needs, the more they will opportunities for the integration of range from in-person representation by be able to assist customers themselves or ATJ issues across law school curriculum, an attorney funded by the Legal Services make accurate referrals. Other libraries academic law librarians are well- Corporation to automated forms, with also contribute information to legal self- positioned to support changing everything in-between. help websites. The Maryland State Law curricular needs. Further, they are in Noting the gap that many medium- Library operates The People’s Law a position to assist law faculty members income people have between being Library of Maryland (www.peoples- with research and scholarship regarding income-eligible for legal aid programs law.org), the state’s main law-related ATJ—and pursue their own. and the high cost of attorneys, some law self-help website. State, Court, and County libraries are now hosting civil self-help Court and county law libraries in many centers. According to the recent AALL locations still face significant challenges Court and county law libraries open Access to Justice Special Committee that must be considered by the ATJ to the public are positioned to provide White Paper, “The future is a self-help community. Stable sources of funding some of the best assistance to self- center as part of the library’s mission are often too elusive, putting the represented litigants, for several reasons. and operations, with an attorney on continuity of programs in jeopardy. First, most law librarians working in a the library staff directing the operation Then there is the continuing dichotomy public setting already have many years of a self-help center as exemplified by between relatively satisfactory legal of experience assisting self-represented Travis County Law Library (Texas) information access in larger, urban areas litigants and are quite familiar with and Sacramento County Law Library compared with very limited access in many of the resources they need. (California).” Even when an attorney most rural areas. Finally, there is the Second, there is the practical fact that cannot be on staff, court and county law ongoing dilemma about how libraries of these libraries are located inside of librarians have worked hard to arrange all kinds are going to serve those with or near where the self-represented for volunteer attorneys from the local little English reading ability. Working litigants are in need of assistance—the community to staff self-help centers. courthouse itself. Third, based on their together, though, law librarians and location and employment position, Other court and county law libraries ATJ stakeholders will embrace court librarians in these libraries likely have have undertaken other types of projects and county law libraries’ innovative personal relationships with other key that also assist self-represented litigants. new services and find ways to solve stakeholders working on ATJ issues, Many, for example, provide forms these larger problems.

2013-2014 Access to Justice Special Committee Members: Ex-Officio Members: Sara Galligan, Chair, Ramsey County Terrye Conroy, University of South Law Library, St. Paul, Minnesota Carolina Coleman Karesh Law Library, Columbia Larry Meyer, Chair, State, Court Rita Dermody, Public Law Library of & County Law Libraries Special King County, Seattle Margaret (Meg) Butler, Georgia State Interest Section, Law Library for San University College of Law Library, Joan Hoolihan, Appellate Division Bernardino County, San Bernardino, Atlanta Law Library, Rochester, New York California Committee Liaisons: Trudi Busch, Oppenheimer Wolff & Janine Liebert, Chair, Legal Donnelly LLP, Minneapolis Information Services to the Steven P. Anderson, Executive Board Public Special Interest Section, Sarah Mauldin, Smith, Gambrell & L.A. Law Library, Los Angeles Russell, LLP, Atlanta Emily Feltren, AALL Director of Government Relations AALLMBDec2014:AALLMembbrief_Dec 12/1/14 6:55 PM Page 4

American Association of Law Libraries AALL Spectrum Members’ Briefing December 2014 4

An “Outsider’s” View

Katherine Alteneder, SRLN Coordinator Services” (www.selfhelpsupport. we must advocate for inclusion of org/surveys), found the following law librarians on commissions. The last decade has seen truly information, which suggests astounding strides in ATJ with the • I love the distinction between basic opportunities for growth among development of forms and instruction services and emerging services— court and county law libraries serving delineating basic services from packets, document assembly, and SRLs. webpages providing detailed legal emerging service is very helpful. information. Technological innovation • While 99 percent of libraries provide • Partnerships are always critical, has enabled visionaries such as services to SRLs, only 35 percent and it appears from the data that Glenn Rawdon of the Legal Services have a formal affiliation with a the development of innovative Corporation, speaking at the April 2014 SHC. The opportunity to close the relationships with pro bono White House Forum on Increasing gap is an opportunity to forge new programs and bar associations partnerships and alliances that will Access to Justice, to inspire us to is still in its nascency. Also, the sustain libraries well into the future. imagine ATJ for everyone, anytime and SRLN Librarian’s Survey suggests, vimeo.com/92517868 anywhere ( ). But • Ninety-seven percent of libraries “If the concept of a SHC is being these tools and innovations will fail if provide internet access to SRLs, considered in your community, they are chaotic or overwhelming. For but of those that partner with SHCs, you may want to be a pioneer and me, as a non-librarian, it is at this nexus, only 29 percent of the SHCs provide consider partnering and/or locating between the patron and the resource, access to internet. I believe that in it in a university or public library.” where the library sets itself apart. addition to the traditional digital • Finally, the report hints at a really divide of access to computers and ATJ is, at its core, access to knowledge terrific partnership between law broadband, we are beginning to and information, but a passive display libraries and courts, and that is to see a new dimension in the digital of materials is not access. Imagine serve as the hub for consumer divide of people who use the knowing that one is standing before the evaluations—as a profession, you internet for movies, banking, and answer, that all of the knowledge and are the most well-suited people in music but have no idea how to find information one is seeking is right there, the court orbit to collect, organize, information. This gap represents a maybe literally in the palm of one’s and engage analysis of data. hand, but it is rendered meaningless huge opportunity for libraries to because it can only be “accessed” by position themselves vis-à-vis SHCs The world is quickly sorting itself the expert user. I often marvel at how as necessary partners to facilitate between the people who can manage the law library transforms extremely the consumer’s meaningful use of data and the people who cannot. agitated and distressed court customers the internet. As information managers, librarians have a critical role in sorting, organizing, into curious and polite library patrons. • The library can serve a significant and managing the mounds of self-help Law librarians have mastered nuanced role as a triage agent to match a materials, services, and programs techniques to help patrons assess their patron to the best resource (whether that are being created on a daily basis information, as well as to direct patrons form, class, lawyer referral, etc.) for while also offering friendly and neutral to self-help resources and programs. his or her concerns. This is slightly guidance to the patron of any age Many law libraries support court self- different than the triage we talk or ability. As the ATJ community reaches help centers (SHCs); some even provide about in a SHC that is looking at toward 100 percent access, we need the a library-located self-help center for self- what is the best resolution method collective wisdom of librarians who represented litigants (SRLs). and how much legal assistance the understand the nature of effective patron customer needs. An April 2014 survey and report by the relations to help us build integrated Self-Represented Litigation Network’s • Only 25 percent of libraries reported systems that will offer accessible and Law Librarians Working Group, involvement with their ATJ appropriate help, at the right time, in the “Library Self-Help Programs and commission. As a community, right place, and in the right way.