NEWS

FINAL PROGRAM

By now you should have received your preliminary program for the AALL 101st annual meeting being held July 11-15, 2008 in Portland, OR. We wanted to let you know that the Private Law Librarians SIS has a program to fit every need and all levels of experience. We tried hard to have programs that would benefit all of our members, at all levels of experience and technical know-how, from the Technical Services librarian to the Solo librarian - and we think we've succeeded! Here are the workshop and programs that PLL-SIS is offering at the meeting.

In the general Need to Know area: Evolving Fair Use Policies in the Private Law Firm (B-3), (a joint session PLL-SIS/Copyright Committee) - Participants will be able to understand the spectrum of copyright policy that exists among firms and learn where on this spectrum their firm's copyright policy falls. They will also discover advantages and shortcomings of enterprise photocopy licenses, the characteristics and percentage of law firms that have such licenses, and how legal-related licenses compare to Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) licenses for other professions. This seminar will help you to draft, change, tweak or affirm your organization's copyright compliance policy.

Many of us are taking on new responsibilities and expanding the responsibilities of the library. For those there are a number of sessions.

One is the 1/2 day workshop Now You're Conflicts/ So Now You're Docket: The Evolving Law Library Manager, , W-4. Participants will discuss and analyze the requirements and challenges of library department management versus docket/calendar and conflicts department management in a private law firm setting and by the end of the workshop will be qualified to develop a plan for managing docket/calendar and conflicts departments from initial set-up to operational efficiency. This workshop will provide a unique opportunity to learn from two experts in their respective fields about what it really means to evolve into the role of docket/calendar and conflicts of interest manager.

For librarians in a management position, Educating the C People: Engage Your Decision Makers and Help them to Evolve and Strategic Plans that Work: Creating a Strategic Plan for a Law Library (C-2) should give you tools that will be useful to you and your library.

The "Educating the C People" seminar is will have participants gain proven best practices from other firm librarians that will build upon leadership skills such as critical thinking and creative risk taking and will leave with two action items that they can implement with management in their organizations in order to achieve common goals and affect the bottom line. Participants will learn best practices that help explore ways to get what is needed and how to seek out opportunities to prove the library's worth in their organization.

"Stategic Plans that Work" will enable participants to learn to formulate a strategic plan using the elements of a traditional plan, including a mission statement, vision statement, goals and objectives and be able to apply the notion of a traditional strategic plan specifically to the law library setting, including balancing institutional and departmental interests, protecting confidential information, and reaching out effectively to institutional (academic, law firm, corporate or government agency) leadership.

Many of our members are tasked with educating and teaching our attorneys efficient methods of research and how to use the new databases introduced into their arsenal of research tools. Others are busy on the lecture circuit educating their peers. For these librarians D-4, Exploring Direct Results: Energizing Teaching and Using Response Tools (a joint session PLL-SIS/RIPS-SIS) and a PLL-SIS sponsored program, Energize Your Presentations should prove to be useful.

"Exploring Direct Results" enables participants to gain first-hand knowledge of currently developed audience response system (ARS) technologies and to evaluate the practical application of ARS technologies to their teaching experiences. This program will highlight how the combination of ARS technology and PowerPoint presentations empower lecturers to connect with their audiences more effectively.

"Energize Your Presentations" will present participants with a short, humorous presentation that demonstrates many common pitfalls. In an interactive discussion on each of these pitfalls, participants will learn their opposites-the best practices for all presenters that can help their presentations evolve from so-so to spectacular!

Solo Librarians have a number of sessions to choose from:

The Evolving Role of the Solo Librarian: How to Do It All Without Losing Your Mind or When to Suggest or Welcome New Responsibilities (E-3). Participants will be able to compare the experiences of colleagues and how their roles have changed and will be able to use this knowledge to effectively work with changes and develop opportunities in their own workplace.

Explore: Best Practices in the Small Law Library - Facilitator/moderator Mary K. Dzurinko, will lead small breakout "buzz groups" in discussing solutions, approaches and best practices to several aspects of current law library management practice for solo or very small libraries in the legal setting. "Buzz groups" will then present summaries to the entire group on what they believe are the "best practices." Suggested topics to be covered: A. The annual report-what to say, or not; B. Collection development t- between resources and e-sources; C. Professional development-reading writing and participating; and D. Library database(s)-purpose of the database and the software needed.

Many librarians are now branching out into a new sub-field, that of Competitive Intelligence.

The Nuts and Bolts of Competitive Intelligence-Information Gathering (G-6) - Participants will be able to begin gathering information to be used for competitive intelligence analysis using print and electronic resources, as well as basic interview techniques and will be able to represent data visually in their competitive intelligence work product. This introductory level session will cover the unique aspects of competitive intelligence information gathering, including processes and techniques, tools and resources, and visualizing data.

The Nuts and Bolts of Competitive Intelligence-Deliverables (I-3) - Participants will become familiar with analysis models used to synthesize and analyze information into actionable intelligence and will acquire best practices with which to present their competitive intelligence analysis to attorneys and law firm administration.

Patent and IP specialization has grown over the past number of years.
To answer the need for information on that front we have the following
two sessions:

Patent Searching Demystified (H-5) - Participants will be able to develop and execute key patent search strategies necessary to support their Intellectual Property (IP) practice, thus increasing the awareness of additional patent research-related products and services, and consultation with their legal and support staff and be able to implement methods to identify their organizations' patent research needs and the necessary informational resources to provide research librarians and/or attorney end-users access to crucial patent information. This program will identify the most common types of patent searches, focusing on methods, strategies and tools that will serve to educate law firm librarians as they build IP research services.

Patent Information Vendors Panel Discussion (co-sponsored by PLL-SIS and the IP Committee) A patent information vendor panel designed to provide attendees with the latest information on search tools and products in the marketplace. Top industry vendors such as Thomson Scientific, STN/CAS and others will show how their products might enhance the services provided to our attorneys.

Independent Librarians are sponsoring a program during their Business Meeting, "Using Consultants and Contractors (aka Outtaskers) to Tame your Budget." The panel includes Joan Axelroth, Joni Cassidy, Mary Dzurinko and one more solo consultant/contractor who focus on research.

The Technical Services Librarians Group is sponsoring another session, Who Moved My Pencils? Managing Change in the Technical Services Department - The Seattle-based Crisis Counselor Renee Arcement will be the guest speaker for an interactive session on "Managing Change in the Technical Services Department." They simplified the K-Tables so now new books won't file properly with old books? Get over it! Yesterday, you were one of The Big Heads, and there was a chain of command. Today, you're reading a broadcast memo about the new "Flat Organizational Chart" for your organization. Never mind. You'll get over it. Just don't move the pencils!

And last. but far from least, is another session sponsored by PLL-SIS for those running the Litigation Support for their firm, Litigation Support and the Role of the Law Librarian. Presenters will explore how private law librarians can increase their value to the firm by involvement in litigation support.

Don't forget the PLL-SIS Business Meeting (Breakfast) and Luncheon, the
standing committees and groups meetings.

The Meeting promises to be an exciting one with something for everyone. Looking forward to seeing you in Portland!

Rochelle C. Cheifetz, AALL PLL-SIS Education Committee Co-Chair
Director of Libraries
Dechert LLP

PROGRAMS AT AALL 2008

We are pleased to list the programs PLL will sponsor at this year's AALL annual meeting in Portland. A sortable list of programs is located here, and you can download a PDF version of the preliminary program at this link.

WORKSHOPS

W-4 So Now You're Conflicts / So Now You're Docket: The Evolving Law Library Manager (PLL-SIS) 1/2 day workshop

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

A-3 Educating the C People: Engage Your Decision Makers and Help Them to Evolve

B-3 Evolving Fair Use Policies in the Private Law Firm (PLL-SIS/Copyright Committee)

C-2 Strategic Plans that Work: Creating a Strategic Plan for a Law Library (PLL-SIS)

D-4 Exploring Direct Results: Energizing Teaching and Using Audience Response Tools (PLL-SIS/RIPS-SIS)

E-3 Evolving Role of the Solo Librarian; When to Suggest or Welcome New Responsibilities & When to Politely Decline (PLL-SLS)

G-6 Nuts and Bolts of Competitive Intelligence-Information Gathering (PLL-SIS)

H-5 Patent Searching Demystified (PLL-SIS)

I-3 Nuts & Bolts of Competitive Intelligence Deliverables (PLL-SIS)

PLL-SIS Program "Best Practices for Litigation Support"

PLL-SIS Program "Energize Your Presentations!"

JOINT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

OBS & PLL-SIS joint meeting: eleven local systems Law Users Roundtables are tentatively scheduled

PLL BUSINESS MEETINGS

PLL-SIS Business Meeting and Breakfast

PLL-SIS Luncheon (speaker T/B/A)

PLL-SIS Board Meeting

PLL COMMITEE MEETINGS AND PROGRAMS

Competitive Intelligence Business Meeting

Corporate Librarians Group Business Meeting & Program

Education Committee Meeting

Education - Regional Committee Meeting

Independent Librarians Group Business Meeting & Program "Using Consultants and Contractors (aka Outtaskers) to Tame your Budget. "

Intellectual Property Law Librarians Business Meeting

Intellectual Property Librarians Group Program "IP Search Tools and Products"

Intellectual Property Librarians Group Program Reception

Newsletter Committee Business Meeting

One-Person (Solo) Library Group Program "Best Practices in the Small Law Library"

Public Relations Committee Business Meeting

Records/Conflicts Management Group Business Meeting

Technical Services Law Librarians' Group Program "Managing the Stress of Technical Services Change"