Summer 2009 Volume 20 Issue 4

Download the entire issue in Adobe Acrobat format 

FEATURES

R U IMING?
by Donna Fisher, Senniger Powers, St. Louis, MO


WHY JOHNNY CAN'T RESEARCH
by Randall J. Thompson, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR


NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK CELEBRATIONS IN LAW FIRMS
by Sue Saunders Mecklem, Davis Wright Tremaine, Portland, OR

 

AT LEAST 22 INNOVATIVE REASONS ALL PLLERS NEED TO GO TO AALL IN DC THIS JULY
by Jennifer Berman, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Los Angeles, CA

 

BOOK REVIEWS

AALL WEBINAR: C-ING IS BELIEVING: NEXT STEPS FOR LIBRARY SUCCESS
reviewed by Holly M. Riccio, O’Melveny & Myers LLP, San Francisco, CA


AALL WEBINAR: TWENTY ESSENTIALS FOR THE EFFECTIVE SPEAKER
reviewed by Liz Peoples, LexisNexis, Boston, MA


THE STUDENT LOAN SCAM
reviewed by James J. Simonelli, McGuire Woods, New York, NY


SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR
reviewed by Sarah Dowson, D'Amato & Lynch, LLP, New York, NY


THINK AGAIN
reviewed by Galeen L. Roe, Winston & Strawn LLP, Los Angeles, CA


DEWEY
reviewed by Julie D. Melvin, Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal, LLP, Chicago IL


PRESENTATION ZEN
reviewed by Charlotte Graesser Henderson, Quarles & Brady LLP, Phoenix, AZ

PLL NEWS

FROM THE CHAIR
by Tina Dumas, Nixon Peabody LLP, San Francisco, CA


2009 AALL ANNUAL MEETING PLANNER – PLL PROGRAMS


PLL ELECTION RESULTS


PLL ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

 

Tina Dumas,, Nixon Peabody LLP, San Francisco, CA

Elections

Thank you to everyone who ran this year! I think we can all agree that this is a challenging year in many areas, and we especially appreciate all of those PLL members who were willing to run for an office this year! Our Nominations Committee also had a unique challenge this year, and they handled it with great aplomb. Due to the fact that our current Vice Chair/Chair-Elect needed to step down, we needed to fill the position immediately. We asked the two candidates for Vice Chair/Chair-Elect to run for subsequent years, instead of against each other, with one taking the position immediately. Both graciously accepted.

Kate Martin is now serving in the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect position, and will become Chair in July at the Annual Meeting. Jane Baugh will begin the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect position in July. Margarita Bull will serve as our incoming Treasurer, and Joan Jarosek will join the PLL Executive Board as a Board Member at large.

I wish to extend my sincere thanks to the entire Nominations Committee, which included Greg Lambert and Cheryl Niemeier and was chaired by Joan Axelroth. I also wish to thank everyone who helped make our election run smoothly, especially our Secretary, Karen Silber.

Annual Meeting

As I write this, there are 71 days until the Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. We have a lot of great PLL programs, so I hope you will be able to attend. If you are local to the DC area, this is a great way to develop your professional skills and build contacts, while not incurring large travel expenses.

Speaking of travel expenses, PLL was not able to find a sponsor to cover all of our travel grants this year, but the Executive Board decided to fund the grants directly from the PLL general fund. Congratulations to our five winners: Lisa Williams of Parker Poe in Raleigh, NC, Christine Sellers, unemployed and working on a blog for unemployed librarians ( www.lawlibrariansofleisure.com ) in Columbia, SC, Ruth Balkin of Balkin Information Services in Rochester, NY, Kimberly Martin of Goodwin Procter in Boston, MA, and Janice Collins of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in Chicago, IL. Be sure to congratulate them when you see them at PLL events in Washington.

We have a great speaker lined up for the PLL lunch this year. Ross Guberman, President of Legal Writing Pro ( http://www.legalwritingpro.com/bio/ ), will talk about how the private law librarian can work to teach and reinforce good writing habits for younger attorneys, why writing is an essential skill that needs to be reinforced at different stages in your career, how private law librarians can write better and communicate complex business issues to management and produce better written materials in general, and how to justify the time needed for training in these hard economic times.

Unfortunately, due to costs in DC, we will need to limit attendance at the lunch this year to 200. If you have not registered for this event, please do so as soon as possible. If you do not have a ticket, we will have to turn you away, and if you do not purchase your ticket soon, there may not be any available. It is unfortunate that our funds are so tight this year, but the cost of food in DC is 35%-50% more expensive than in Portland last year. We do have a generous sponsorship from Lexis, which allows us to provide camaraderie, a great speaker, and a meal for a ticket price of only $15.00.

R U IMING?
by Donna Fisher, Senniger Powers, St. Louis, MO

About three months ago, our law firm implemented Instant Messaging as an option for intraoffice communication. I was very resistant to using IM in the office, my only familiarity with it being through my teenaged son. Don't voice mail, email, or taking a short walk down the hall offer sufficient ways for coworkers to contact each other? I also dislike the "instant" reply that instant messaging demands. At least with email I can take some time to compose a thoughtful reply.

I thought I would have become more comfortable with IM by now, but my avoidance of it has only become stronger. I have only used it three times, with middling satisfaction. I also find it hard enough juggling research requests and project assignments without having to deal with the distraction of the dreaded IM pings. Fortunately for me, I receive few IM messages, suggesting that I'm not alone in my IM avoidance.

Of course, IM has its advocates. Jill Brooks, Director of Library Services at Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A. in Charlotte NC, says her law firm has used it for over seven years. She says, "The advantage has been to contact someone instantly to see if they are available instead of calling or walking to their office only to find out they are not free to meet you." She adds that it's nice for short quick messages, like "Are you free?" or "Do you have this book checked out?" Email is still used for official dialogue, research requests, and in-depth messages. Jill finds no disadvantages to IM and says it "helps make life a little easier by knowing if someone is free to chat or has certain materials. It's no extra task to manage."

A librarian at a Midwest firm converted her boss to an IM user when her firm obtained IM capability: "I was delighted to have it internally, but my boss couldn't understand why we would use it instead of email. I explained to her how it was much faster and more immediate, and doesn't clog up her inbox or get stored on our system. Now she's pinging me all the time to ask me questions or let me know she's working on the latest reference request. It is handy for us because our offices are separated by the bulk of the library so it cuts down on having to walk over to ask a question, or send an email that might not be noticed right away."

A law librarian in Los Angeles whose firm has IM says he "was always intrigued by the application of IM to the law firm but it never really caught on. From my point of view, IM is an age function." I think that librarian has a valid point. I didn't grow up using IM and I think to a significant extent my personal distaste for it is due to being a member of a certain (but allow me to say unspecified) age group.

That conclusion is at least partially reflected in the results of a recent study on generational differences in the use of technology.

The Technology Gap Survey was commissioned by LexisNexis. As stated in the press release, the survey "compared technology and software usage among generations of working professionals, including Boomers (ages 44-60), Generation X (ages 29-43), and Generation Y (ages 28 and younger). Seven hundred persons were surveyed between July 22 and August 8, 2008--250 legal professionals and 450 white collar professionals in the education, healthcare, and other professional sectors.

The results were fascinating but probably not unexpected. The study shows that "significant gaps exist among generations" regarding workplace use of technology. Among the findings:

* Legal professionals in Gen X and Gen Y use a wider range of software and online programs in the workplace than Boomers.

*Gen Y legal professionals multitask at a higher level than other generations, spending a total of almost twenty-three hours at work a day using email, internet browsers, instant messaging, and Microsoft Office applications. (Twenty-three hours is the combined total of all applications, some of which could be open simultaneously.)

*Boomers are much more concerned about information overload from email and instant messaging than Gen X.

*Among all professionals surveyed, both legal and nonlegal, Gen Y members received significantly fewer emails (40) in an average day than did either Gen X (63) or Boomers (69). Although the reasons for the lower numbers were not investigated, this could indicate a higher use of text messaging and instant messaging.

This survey suggests that IM and other technologies tend to find the strongest acceptance among younger professionals. Correspondingly, younger workers also have a broader view than Boomers of what is appropriate technology etiquette, sometimes to their disadvantage, as a Boomer colleague reports: "I was interviewing last fall for an end-user computer support person. Our candidate pool was all in their mid to late 20s. It appalled me that during one interview, the candidate took out his phone and started texting. It apparently was so natural to him that he didn't even give it a second thought. Needless to say, he wasn't hired." Yet this colleague's Boomer wife has the same employer as he does, and the 30 or so members in her department communicate almost exclusively among themselves by IM.

Like many other new communication methods, IM clearly has its proponents and detractors. And like any new technology, it may take some time for its use in the workplace to become widespread. For me personally, IM gives me an unexplainable but inescapable feeling of intrusion. For some users, it gives them more freedom by offering yet another option for communicating with coworkers. It will be interesting to see whether Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y workers will increase their use of IM, whether it will lose popularity, or whether another yet unknown technology will take its place.

Author Note: I would like to apologize to the Gen Y coworker who tried unsuccessfully for two hours to contact me by IM as I was working on this article. I assure you my obliviousness to your pinging was unintentional but nevertheless satisfying.

(For the complete Technology Gap Survey, see http://www.lexisnexis.com/media/pdfs/LexisNexis-Technology-Gap-Survey-4-09.pdf )

WHY JOHNNY CAN’T RESEARCH: THE CARNEGIE REPORT AND BEST PRACTICES
reviewed by Randall J. Thompson, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

Twenty-six years removed from law school and I still remember the first question asked in my first class. It was civil procedure and the professor was Carter Phillips, now managing partner at Sidley Austin's Washington office. The question, fortunately not directed at me, was “Mr. Student, what is 2 Cranch?” The silence in the room was deafening and with the legal research aspect of the question completely escaping me (2 Cranch is the parallel citation for 6 U.S. Reports), I took some solace in the fact that I knew everyone there was thinking the same thing as I: “I spent hours reading this page and a half case, and I don't have even a clue as to how to answer the very first question.” The terror that was law school began on that day and continued for three long, grueling years.

I bring this up only to say that had I been a law student precisely 100 years earlier, sitting in a classroom at Harvard University and studying under the tutelage of Christopher Columbus Langdell, I would have experienced the same befuddlement and angst trying to decipher the hidden meanings in Langdell's questions as I did with those of Professor Phillips. The reason is that Langdell's pioneering method of teaching law—using Socratic dialogue to analyze appellate case decisions, a concept he developed in the 1880s—continued to hold total dominance over law school pedagogy in the 1980s, and still today is all but unchallenged. Langdell's work stands as a monument to those wishing to hold back the tide of history. After all, what other American institution has remained virtually unchanged for more than 100 years?

But is law school teaching effective? Private law librarians would answer with a resounding "No." Two recent surveys illustrate the point. Jon Cavicchi, professor at Franklin Pierce Law Center , recently asked firm librarians on the Lawlib listserv for their thoughts on the research skills that new and summer associates should gain in law school. Patrick Meyer, associate library director and professor at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, in a forthcoming article for Law Library Journal , gathered similar information and broke out the answers by firm size. In both cases, firm librarians lamented the abilities of their new charges. Whether the librarians' comments focused on knowledge of print resources, skill with online research, ability to conduct cost-effective research, or simply how to begin a research problem, the respondents were uniform in their assessment that the new associates lacked the fundamental skills necessary to do their jobs. And many firm librarians pointed the finger of blame for this sorry state of affairs directly at law school.

But what if you asked the same question regarding law school effectiveness of law faculty? I daresay the answer would be, “Of course it is; why do you even ask?” Because to faculty, unlike with librarians, the signature question is not whether Johnny can practice law, but whether Johnny can “think like a lawyer.” And the faculty are convinced that Langdell's Socratic dialogue is the ideal means to accomplish this goal and they are the perfect practitioners of the art. Since the goal of the faculty is to teach a way of thinking, they see the verbal jousting of the Socratic method, with its endless variations of facts posited to the student by the professor, as the ideal means to sharpen the skills of the students' young minds and train them to hone in solely on the points of legal significance within the cases and disregard the rest. And of course, since grading is on the curve, the simple fact of student graduation validates success to the faculty. To the faculty, the competition for grades weeded out the unfit—those who failed to think like a lawyer. Whether those remaining know enough to practice law is, to them, superfluous.

So how did we get to this state of affairs where the producer's definition of success is so diametrically opposed to that of the consumer's? More importantly, what do we do about it? These questions are addressed in two recent reports which have generated some amount of interest in the legal academic community: Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law , Sullivan, William M., Colby, Anne, Wegner, Judith Welch, et.al., Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA, c2007 (referred to as the Carnegie Report because of its sponsoring foundation) and Best Practices for Legal Education: A Vision and A Road Map , Stuckey, Roy and others, Clinical Legal Education Association: South Carolina, c2007. Together these works serve, perhaps to a degree that was unintended, as an indictment of the current state of legal education, but they also offer a path to a more productive future.

As these works note, not only are law faculty generally uninterested in teaching law students how to practice law, they aren't really interested in teaching students how to think like a lawyer. Instead, their real objective is teaching them how to think like judges. Langdell considered appellate decisions the raw material for the study of law. From these decisions, he thought the essence of the science of law could be derived and students could be taught the analytical reasoning necessary to comprehend the law through their study. From this thinking was born the casebook, collections of appellate decisions redacted to eliminate all facts and issues except for those of importance to the immediate course of study. Because casebooks contained cases, these became the focus of law faculty interest to the exclusion of all other avenues of teaching law.

Because of the fascination of law faculty with case decisions, an essentially self-perpetuating system developed. Law faculty teach cases and those first year students most drawn to the peculiar style of study necessary to analyze the decisions become the stars of each law school class. Those stars are then further nurtured by faculty and likeminded upperclassmen by becoming law review editors for the remaining two years of law school. They then receive more hands-on training as law clerks, writing appellate decisions for appellate judges, before completing the circle by becoming new faculty and judges themselves and either writing more appellate decisions or commenting upon them.

The problem with this system is that, on average, much less than ten percent of each graduating class ever become judges or faculty. The needs of the remaining ninety percent are pretty much ignored.

Thus, conceding that faculty want to spend the majority of their time with those students who are most like themselves, the question still arises as to why they don't show at least some greater interest in the needs of the vast student majority. Both reports hint at the cause; law schools are intensely protective of their legitimacy within the eyes of the greater academic community. Once Langdell conceived of the study of law as a science rather than an apprenticeship for a job, the legal academic community took the necessary steps to separate itself from teaching the vocation of law in order to obtain the status of a serious academic pursuit and overcome, in the words of the Carnegie Report, the “stigma of the trade school.” While this was good for the faculty—job autonomy, summers off, professional respect—it was not necessarily as good for the students or those who hire them.

But the reports do hold out some hope for the future. There is a stirring among some faculty members that perhaps we are not doing the job of educating law students as well as we should. Both reports, and particularly Best Practices , have motivated some reassessment of law school practices and they offer a road map to a more balanced educational experience. And indeed some schools are implementing changes designed to address the shortcomings the reports identified. William and Mary , Indiana University, and even Harvard, the progenitor of the current system, are among some of the schools that have adopted new curriculums designed to produce more well rounded graduates.

Best Practices offers a strategic plan for any school that would like to improve the quality of its education. It proposes an integrative approach to legal education in which Socratic dialogue becomes only one means of educating law students rather than the primary. Instead, Best Practices encourages a classroom experience that would encompass lecture, group discussion, role playing, and collaborative learning as additional educational techniques. Moreover, the report emphasizes the need for experiential courses as a vital component of the law school experience. These classes include legal clinics, externships, and simulation-based exercises which would give students real world experience and client contact that the current law school program ignores.

However, one glaring error is present in both reports. In neither are librarians even mentioned. Librarians are in many ways on the front line in the conflict between academic legal education and real world practical legal skills. It is the librarians who see the weakness in the abilities of new associates and who work diligently behind the scenes, one-on-one with them, to get them to an acceptable level of job proficiency. Yet, the lack of acknowledgement of the role played by librarians foreshadows that we will continue to be overlooked as a resource to improve the quality and skills of new associates and will lead firm librarians to continue to lament; why can't Johnny research?

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK CELEBRATIONS IN LAW FIRMS
by Sue Saunders Mecklem, Davis Wright Tremaine, Portland, OR

National Library Week (NLW) is celebrated in public and academic libraries to educate patrons and to market their libraries, but as a new law librarian, I was curious what other law firms did to celebrate. I wanted to know what benefits a firm library would reap from holding NLW activities, and I wondered if busy attorneys and staff would participate. I posted my questions to the Law-lib Listserv requesting feedback about what librarians did to celebrate this year, what worked and what didn't, and what the benefits were. Many kind colleagues responded, and I'm happy to report their replies and share some of their ideas for celebrating.

Why Observe National Library Week?

The comments I received suggested that the biggest benefit of having NLW activities at law firm libraries is the opportunity to market the library. We all know it can be a battle to make sure attorneys and staff know what we can do for them, and what resources are available. NLW is a good opportunity to teach people about the library and why it's important. One librarian calls NLW activities her “best internal PR opportunity.” If we can get people into the library or make them feel more comfortable talking to us, they are more likely to come back when an information need arises.

My favorite response to the question of why we should observe NLW was from the librarian who said because “It's fun!” Some firms have been celebrating for years and employees look forward to their annual events. This year in particular, some librarians used NLW celebrations to boost morale because of budgetary constraints and staff reductions. In our office, we wanted to introduce or remind people of our services, and to boost morale because it's been a leaner than usual year.

Some Roadblocks Along the Way

The negative issue mentioned most often was limited budgets this year. One librarian cancelled activities this year because there was no money in the budget. Others cut back on activities because of budgetary constraints but there were some creative ideas for inexpensive or free events. Librarians and staff baked cookies and brownies, provided treats, scrounged prizes from marketing departments, and had vendors donate prizes and food.

Another issue mentioned was lack of interest in some activities, usually training sessions. It was not always clear if timing, busyness, or lack of interest contributed to low attendance. One eternally optimistic librarian shows a movie every year but people rarely show up. Another librarian created quizzes and games a few years ago, but her staff ended up spending too much time judging answers.

Creative Ideas from our Colleagues

And now to the fun part! I was amazed at the wonderful, creative ideas our colleagues came up with for celebrating NLW. Food is always a big hit at law firms. A popular activity was to have a “guess the number of candies in the jar” contest (Jolly Rogers, Gummy Worms, M&Ms). One librarian hosted a wine and cheese event, and another, a beer and pizza party. At one firm, the librarian provided Klondike bars, as she does every year. Breakfast treats on silver platters were served by the library staff to employees in one firm; at another, an ice cream social had 100 attendees. At our office the library staff baked dozens of cookies and brownies, and provided a milk bar for our milk and cookies reception in the library. Attendance was good and we got a lot of “I didn't know we had that!” comments, so our marketing ploy worked.

Some NLW events are geared at helping communities in need. A chocolate themed bake sale at one firm raised funds for a library-related charity. One librarian invites a vendor, Books Are Fun, every year; the firm receives 10% of the proceeds of all sales, which is donated to a local literacy center.

Activities just for fun are popular at a number of firms. One librarian has a putting contest in which the library staff gathers a few golf balls, a putting goal, and putters. She uses a flip chart to keep score and gets a lot of laughs from this very popular activity. A haiku contest was one librarian's most successful game.

Some educational events were well attended. One librarian offered a quick Web 2.0 tips and tricks event that was successful, and another librarian said her “Social Networking For Grownups” session was a huge hit. Book related activities were popular. A few librarians here in Portland have been creating lists of favorite books for years, which have always been well-received. We borrowed the idea and got a lot of participation from attorneys and staff. This activity was a great way for employees to get to know each other, and we all have a list of interesting books to refer to if we're looking for something to read.

Celebrate!

There are good reasons to celebrate National Library Week activities at your firm. It's a marketing tool to remind people who we are, what we do, and what resources we offer. It's an easy way to get to know our patrons, and it's a way to foster goodwill within the firm. We might be able to educate people and we can certainly have fun. Most importantly, it's a great opportunity to help people within a firm connect with each other, and in these trying times, we can use all the help we can get.

AT LEAST 22 INNOVATIVE REASONS ALL PLLERS NEED TO GO TO AALL IN DC THIS JULY
by Jennifer Berman, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Rochelle Cheifitz, Dechert, LLP, New York, NY, and Lucy Curci-Gonzalez, Kenyon & Kenyon, New York, NY

In these challenging times, justifying your attendance at the AALL conference to the "power's that be" is even harder than usual. We know that library meetings and travel are a tiny percentage of the budget and that ROI for the work we do at AALL and what we learn there is tremendous. Here is some evidence to prove the point - at least 22 programs of value to PLL members (and I am sure you can find more!).

Take a look at Donna Fisher's great article Will You Be in New Orleans? How to Obtain Funding for the AALL Conference in 18 #3 PLL Perspectives (Spring 2007, http://www.aallnet.org/sis/pllsis/newslett/spring07.asp ) for a great meeting request memo template. You can also get some helpful tips from Lucy Curci-Gonzalez and Christine Graesser, both recent PLL Chairs, who wrote an article in the February 2005 issue of AALL Spectrum about how to write a memo justifying attendance at the annual meeting. They also have a sample memo. Their article Why I Need to Go to the AALL Annual Meeting This Year is at http://www.aallnet.org/products/pub_sp0502/pub_sp0502_Why.pdf .

Some program highlights from the upcoming 2009 conference:

If you are interested in Intellectual Property, there is so much to do…

On Sunday, there is A4: The Changing World of Information Access at the USPTO. Join your colleagues and take advantage of being in our nation's capital for an update from Kay H. Melvin of the USPTO. Later that same day, the PLL Intellectual Property Group is having its second Patent Information Vendors Panel Discussion, followed by a reception. On Monday you can attend G5: What's in a Name? Trademark Searching, Services and Domain Names.

For those interested in Competitive Intelligence…

PLL is sponsoring our own program on Sunday from 3:00-4:00 entitled Nuts & Bolts of Competitive Intelligence: CI in the Small Firm Environment, and even if you are not in a small firm, there is knowledge to be gained. On Monday morning, join your fellow CI enthusiasts at D2: Nuts and Bolts of Competitive Intelligence: Librarians and Marketing Side by Side.

For those techies among us, on Monday check out F5: Taming Information Overload: Addressing Law Firm Current Awareness Needs. Tuesday morning, H2: Web 2.0: Driving Innovation in the Law Firm Library will be followed by I3: Next-Gen Integrated Library System Features Relevant to the Private Law Firm Library, and K5: Law Librarian: the New Private Investigator.

There are two more programs sponsored by PLL you might want to attend. E3: Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Mo… County, Court, Academic, Private—Should I Stay or Should I Go? and, C6: Running a Business: Practical MBA Solutions for your Library.

Our colleagues from other SISs are presenting some interesting programs as well. You can see the entire AALL schedule at: http://www.aallnet.org/database/meeting_annual_events.asp

Also, just as important is the networking time you have to meet with old friends and make new ones. There are lots of opportunities to do just that. The PLL-SIS Business Meeting and Breakfast and the PLL Luncheon are on Sunday. Each of our groups is having a business meeting at various times throughout the conference, so check the schedule. If you would like to become more involved or to find out what each of these groups does, then please join us at the PLL Committee Fair on Monday from 5:30-6:30 pm.

[ BOOK REVIEWS ]

AALL WEBINAR: C-ING IS BELIEVING: NEXT STEPS FOR LIBRARY SUCCESS
reviewed by Holly M. Riccio, O’Melveny & Myers LLP, San Francisco, CA

The Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section Continuing Education Committee sponsored a webinar entitled “C-ing is Believing: Next Steps for Library Success” on February 17, 2009. The program covered opening the lines of communication with management, how to craft messages to the C people (CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, etc.), and using personality types to start conversations and strengthen relationships.

Deborah S. Panella, Director of Library & Knowledge Services at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York , NY , set the stage with the basics of why it is more important than ever to communicate well with the C levels. These top level leaders on the administration side have a wide scope of responsibility spread across multiple departments or areas. They can't spend time on the microcosms of individual departments and they rely on strong leaders in each area to provide them information that is relevant, focused, intelligent, advisory, and action oriented. In bad times, they are also often forced to make difficult decisions and we can help them do that. We need to remember that nothing the library does is sacred because it is a cost center, not a profit center. In down times, we must focus on lowering expenses, taking a fresh look at our collections and services, and stepping back to see our own department from the C suite view. In doing all of these things, we can work towards the ultimate goal, which is to be perceived as part of the C suite's trusted advisory team.

Monice M. Kaczorowski, Director of Library Services at Neal Gerber & Eisenberg LLP in Chicago , IL , focused on some best practices for communicating with C level management. She reiterated that C level time is at a premium and added that it is imperative that we increase our visibility with the C people. She said we have the tools to keep the C suite informed and we need to use them to impress the C suite and get on their radar. In challenging economic times, initiatives that the library could take on that would also accomplish this goal could include retraining associates to lower online research costs or focusing on competitive intelligence initiatives to bring in new business. In terms of meeting with C level management, she stressed that preparation is essential because their time is at a premium. In terms of scheduling and preparing for meetings, she provided numerous suggestions for how to succeed. These included:

•  Scheduling meetings in advance in a neutral space and Blackberry-free zone

•  Anticipate the questions that may be asked and prepare your answers ahead of time

•  Always appear flexible - if you scheduled the meeting for 60 minutes but it ends up getting cut to 30, be ready to handle this

•  Admit what you don't know and always follow up afterwards on any outstanding issues

•  Pretend you're going to a job interview because, in a way, you are.

In addition to scheduled meetings, she also reiterated that it is important not to pass up the shorter, more casual meetings and to have three to five prepared “elevator conversations” in your repertoire at all times.

Cheryl Niemeier, Director of Library Services at Bose McKinney & Evans LLP in Indianapolis , IN , spoke about the when and what of speaking with the C suite. She suggested approaching the C suite sooner rather than later to bring them on board for future support. She said to remember the WIIFT test and always think about “What's in it for them?” She stressed the fact that we need to have conversations with the C suite before they are necessary. We need to be proactive and not assume they know what the library does.

Holly Pinto, Director of Library Services at Holland & Hart LLP in Denver , CO , talked about personality types, focusing on recognizing who you are dealing with and how to use that to your advantage. She reviewed the basics of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and discussed the different letter codes used in the test and what they mean. She shared that research has shown that there are some basic personality types that are prevalent for attorneys, C level management, and librarians. Attorneys and C level management tend to be judger/thinkers with a no-nonsense, logical bottom line approach. Librarians are also judgers/thinkers, but are generally introverted. Personality type information can be used to help us focus on what the C suite might need from us, such as figuring out what information they want to see or how to better prepare ourselves to speak their language.

The webinar was well organized, timely, and informative. The online format worked well for the topic. A recording of the webinar is available in the Members Only Section of AALLNET at http://www.aallnet.org/members/media_show.asp?mnum=71 . There is a $45 registration fee for the archived presentation.

AALL WEBINAR: TWENTY ESSENTIALS FOR THE EFFECTIVE SPEAKER
reviewed by Liz Peoples, LexisNexis, Boston, MA

The speaker for this event was Tracy Everett, southwest regional client relations manager for Littler Mendelson. She has over 20 years of experience in business development and marketing for professional service firms. She is a certified trainer in effective presentation skills, and has presented to attorneys and other professionals in a wide variety of industries

This webinar provided a good introduction on how to be an effective public speaker and deliver a presentation. Tracy adequately quantified the fear of public speaking and making presentations in stating that “most people would like to suffer death by fire” rather than make a presentation. The webinar highlighted the basics of a good public speaker; indicating that they are relaxed and delivering a presentation as though they are having a conversation, with good energy, and strong visual contact with their audience. Tracy mentioned that 85% of what an audience responds to is the look and sound of a presentation and 15% of what is actually said. A tip that she offered regarding good eye contact is to focus on a person for each complete thought that you are presenting. Practice standing still with your hands at your sides – don't fidget as this will distract your audience from the content you are delivering. Stay way from non-words such as ummm, er, uh, you know, like, etc., as they are distracting.

In preparing the content, remember to give the audience what they are seeking from the presentation, either the knowledge or “how to” about a product or service or topic. To prepare, write down as a stream of consciousness all that you know about your topic, then highlight the main points and prioritize these points for the audience. Ask yourself throughout your preparation “so what” and “who cares” – this will help you highlight the most relevant points and information for your audience. Keep in mind what the audience wants to take away from this presentation and deliver! Most important is to practice, practice, and practice - this is a key to delivering a good presentation.

Tracy offered a solid webinar on the basic foundations for being an effective public speaker and delivering strong presentations.

THE STUDENT LOAN SCAM
Alan Michael Collinge, Beacon Press, 2009, ISBN 9780807042298
reviewed by James J. Simonelli, McGuire Woods, New York, NY

Those who are under the impression that indentured servitude no longer exists may be shocked by reading The Student Loan Scam by Alan Michael Collinge. This rather thin volume carries more punch than its 160-some-odd pages might suggest.

Collinge is a three-degree engineering graduate of the University of Southern California who lives in the Tacoma , Washington area. His real-life experiences dealing with student loan lenders led him to take up the cause of others who, like him, have become ensnared in a never-ending cycle of debt.

The book begins with a brief history of this country's legislative efforts to allow Americans who wished to be able to afford a college education. The Roosevelt Administration took the first steps with the G.I. Bill in 1944. This granted tuition payments of up to $500 per year to returning servicemen and servicewomen, along with a monthly living allowance. During Lyndon Johnson's administration, Congress passed a landmark piece of federal legislation called the Higher Education Act of 1965. This provided a vast array of funding for those whose dreams included obtaining a college education.

As the years passed this Act was amended several times and with each amendment, according to the author, it was “becoming progressively more lucrative for the lenders and less beneficial for the students.” This has resulted in a confusing and often overwhelming process where the needs and requirements of the students have taken a backseat to the motives of profit and a concern for the corporate bottom line.

The author considers the evolution of the Student Loan Marketing Association, aka Sallie Mae, from a government-sponsored entity to the dominant for-profit business in the student loan industry as the single most important factor in this troubling development. Sallie Mae's metamorphosis has led it to gain control over the three main aspects of this industry: loans, guaranties, and collections. And with this growth has come the kind of political influence in Congress that led to the stripping away of nearly all the consumer protections from student loans. Specifically, changes in federal law prevent the wiping away of this type of debt through bankruptcy. As a consequence, delinquent debt has become a terrible burden for a growing number of Americans.

Defaulting on a student loan can be particularly harmful to attorneys: they might have their license to practice law suspended unless they can work out a repayment schedule with the lender.

Another disturbing development has been the increasingly cozy relationship between the lenders and school officials, a number of which accepted all sorts of gifts and gratuities to steer students towards certain preferential lenders. This became such a widespread problem that the Attorneys General of several states launched investigations into these questionable relationships. The results have been codes of conduct that many universities had to adopt regarding their relationships with student loan lenders.

Mr. Collinge readily admits that it was his own error in voluntarily leaving a job without having another lined up that led him into a spiral from which he has not yet recovered: unemployment, default on his loans, followed by repeated calls from collection agencies. He cites a number of horror stories: for example, one individual took out loans to study photography, but stopped short of getting a bachelor's degree because he thought the final year of the program was “fluff.” This left him with no job, no degree, and over $100,000 in loans.

The chapter I would find most helpful if I were either a prospective student or a parent who might be struggling to come up with funding for my child's education is the book's final one, “Practical Advice for Borrowers.” Collinge points out the importance of educating oneself on all available options, and that the student and/or parent must take an active role as consumers. It's also important for students to understand that what awaits them after graduation is a debt that must be repaid, and that they might want to stop and think before getting in over their heads. Not many will be as lucky as a lawyer named Richard Marinaccio, who recently won the 2009 Monopoly U.S. National Championship, and who intends on using his winnings to pay down his student loans.

The author has founded a website and political action committee called StudentLoanJustice.org in an attempt to bring together those who are in similar straits. He has appeared on CBS's “60 Minutes,” ABC's “20/20” and National Public Radio. With The Student Loan Scam , Michael Collinge has produced a relevant book that opens one's eyes to an issue many may very well find themselves facing in the future.

SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR: HOW THE FIRST WOMAN ON THE SUPREME COURT BECAME ITS MOST INFLUENTIAL JUSTICE
Joan Biskupic, ECCO, 2005, ISBN 9780060590185
reviewed by Sarah Dowson, D'Amato & Lynch, LLP, New York, NY

Ever the politician, Sandra Day O'Connor had avoided making polarizing statements about two minefield issues of the 1970s: abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment. When President Ronald Reagan sought a woman for a Supreme Court vacancy in 1981, this quietly effective Republican party loyalist, former state legislator, and current Arizona Court of Appeals judge was recommended. But mindful of a past injustice, O'Connor quipped when Reagan's screener summoned her to Washington , “It's not a secretarial position, is it?” As a graduate of Stanford Law School in 1952, she had applied to that interviewer's law firm and been offered a legal secretarial position.

Raised on her family's Lazy B ranch in Arizona , she learned early in her life to move tactfully among tough characters. In school, sports, and many other areas of accomplishment, she was a savvy and relentless competitor. Her nature (and nurture) was not to thrash through emotions, but to just get the job done and move forward.

Thus, after passing the Arizona Bar exam and being unable to secure a position with a law firm due to sex discrimination in the 1950s, O'Connor teamed up with a fellow bar exam student and opened a storefront law office, handling leases, wills, burglary charges – whatever came their way. She also campaigned on behalf of local Republican candidates and earned appointments to county boards and panels. She and her husband, John, were involved in community organizations and raised three sons. In 1969, O'Connor applied for a vacant state senate seat, was appointed, and later won re-election.

Author Joan Biskupic has covered the Supreme Court since 1989 and earned a law degree herself. Much of the book reveals how the justices collaborated or sparred in crafting their opinions and, in essence, how they made the law. O'Connor was the most influential justice because, in part, she mastered the “art of getting five” – a majority of justices – on her side.

In the 1980s, she was a conservative on a liberal-dominated court, usually siding with state's rights. In the 1990s and until her retirement in 2005, she was in the conservative majority. Yet O'Connor was a centrist, never straying far from the political currents of the time. In the early 1980s, her dissenting opinion supported an Akron , Ohio ordinance restricting abortion. But in 1992, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey , and in 2000, in Stenberg v. Carhart , O'Connor was instrumental in upholding abortion rights. In the controversial Bush v. Gore , O'Connor was part of the majority of five Republicans who stopped the vote count in Florida , believing the state court could not ensure an orderly outcome of vote counting.

One caveat about this wonderful book: make sure you give it adequate time! It's loaded with fascinating cases on affirmative action, capital punishment, and state vs. individual rights. And O'Connor's example is a welcome guide for anyone's path to success

THINK AGAIN: WHY GOOD LEADERS MAKE BAD DECISIONS AND HOW TO KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING TO YOU
Sydney Finkelstein et al., Harvard Business Press, 2005, ISBN 9781422126127
reviewed by Galeen L. Roe, Winston & Strawn LLP, Los Angeles, CA

“Decisions are the lifeblood of action, in organizations and for individuals.  Without them, little gets done.  Yet decisions can be complex, and we are never going to get everything right.”  (p.199)

Leaders in business hold positions that allow them to make decisions.  Imbued with power, leaders' decisions affect organizations and the individuals who are impacted by the organizations that they lead.  In addition to having power, to make decisions one must act.  Actions taken by leaders are based on experience, even expertise.  Despite expertise, however, without thoughtful decision making processes, leaders are at risk for making bad decisions. 

The authors of Think Again:  Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How to Keep it From Happening to You illustrate the power an individual leader wields, particularly when left unchecked.  Not in spite of their experience, but occasionally exactly because of it, it is possible for leaders to make bad decisions with catastrophic effects.

To understand and address these truths, the authors first look at how the brain works during decision making. The brain is designed for decision making simply as a means of primal survival.  Using pattern recognition, emotional tagging, and the modus operandi of "one plan at a time," what worked for the brain thousands of years ago still guides the bulk of decision making processes. Yet, even after all of these years successfully surviving and serving, the brain can be tricked into flawed thinking.

Peeling apart bad business and organizational decisions in their research, the authors isolated four conditions under which flawed thinking is most likely to happen.  These conditions are misleading prejudgments, misleading experiences, inappropriate attachments, and inappropriate self-interest.  Interestingly, they list the most dubious of these to be inappropriate attachments. This is precisely because attachments are frequently considered innocuous. Exploring attachments that range from "lovers to logos," the authors illustrate that the little things do matter in decision making scenarios. Considering these four conditions "red flags" and using them as diagnoses to address and remedy partial or misguided thought processes will ensure better decisions.

As the examples of bad decisions discussed in the book are complex, however, the information that led to them is not merely incorrect nor were the decisions necessarily reached rashly.  Instead, gut reactions and emotional leanings seep into the processes.  The authors do, in fact, state that according to their research, all decisions are actually made at these levels, even by those who pride themselves on being the most cool and rational thinkers.  The problem with bad decisions then is not that people use their guts or emotions or experience to decide. The problem is that people rely on this internal feedback which leads them to react similarly to one situation that actually differs from previous situations they assume it mirrors. Of course, that almost all of this occurs unconsciously does not make it any easier to master.

Because capable people make errors in judgment, the bigger problem is that the decision process fails to correct the error.  Therefore, the next step to good decisions consists of implementing safeguards that will counterbalance the recipe for flawed thinking.  The four safeguards are experience and data, governance, group debate and challenge, and monitoring. Paradoxical to the book's central notion of one leader as omnipotent decision maker, safeguards remove the power to assess the decision from the decision maker.  Drawing on the experiences and expertise of others in the organization will further reduce the risk of making bad decisions. Being open to addressing the possibility of flawed thinking in oneself will ensure that the conditions in which it occurs are addressed directly and automatically. Recognizing and removing undue influence and distortion of thinking from the decision making process ensure thoughtful decisions.

Even though there are no guarantees for risk free decisions, making lower risk decisions is possible. Two final pieces of information are offered based on the bad decisions studied.  The first is that a leader does not realize that the bad decision is a bad decision while it is being made.  The second is that the leader must do whatever it takes to make sure bad decisions are not made again.  Being aware of the four red flag conditions creates a greater likelihood of spotting them when they occur.  It is also necessary to bring these issues up for discussion in organizations. Creating a climate where this is not only allowed but cultivated will instill the practice of safeguarding, thereby increasing the likelihood of good decisions. 

Although the material in the book is presented as being applicable to the professional world, it also applies to larger decision making processes.  The focus on individual experiences, beliefs, and responsibilities combined with personal drives and interests makes for excellent training at expanding one's approach to reaching decisions.  Being willing to investigate personal assumptions, motives, biases, and loyalties, while examining the contexts in which they occur, enhances self-knowledge. Engaging with others in an effort to open oneself to others' opinions, experiences, and challenges, even if they are subsequently dismissed, augments this self-knowledge.

These actions require stretching the mind and stepping outside oneself.  Although uncomfortable, this is necessary.  Thinking again, and more importantly, thinking again about how one thinks, will only prepare librarians better to gather, evaluate, parse, and disseminate information. 

DEWEY: THE SMALL TOWN LIBRARY CAT WHO TOUCHED THE WORLD
Vicki Myron with Bret Witter, Grand Central Pub., 2008, ISBN 9780446407410
reviewed by Julie D. Melvin, Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal, LLP, Chicago IL

“A swishing good tail!”

“Purrfectly adorable!”

“ Dewey beats other cat books by a whisker!”

“Four paws up!”

“This story is a real catillac!”

Okay, now that I have that out of my system, I can get on with reviewing the book, Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. The book opens with the discovery of a small furry creature nearly frozen to death in the Spencer Public Library book drop early one frigid Iowa morning. As the book progresses, Vicki Myron, the Library Director and ostensible “owner” of Dewey, shares the evolution of decisions and compromises that lead to Dewey Readmore Books becoming the library's cat, a source of comfort for her small ailing family, the mascot for the whole community of Spencer, Iowa, and eventually an international kitty superstar.

The plot is actually somewhat challenging to relate on a certain level because, while the book is superficially about a small town public library and its feline mascot, it is also about the huge changes in American rural life over the past several decades, and about small and large incidents of personal courage and perseverance. In addition, the story touches on important issues of family, friendship, community, librarianship, commitment, and even on alcoholism, single-parenting, and spousal abuse. Dewey starts on the “aw gosh, how cuuuute” level and evolves into a much more complex story that reveals the undervalued aspects of rural life and, at the same time, adds dimension to the town residents that counter many of the stereotypes “urban dwellers” use to pigeonhole the multifaceted people who make up any community of humans whether large or small.

One of the more interesting occurrences of this type of perception correction happens when the authors are describing the possibility of a new meat-packing business coming to town to use an old Spencer Meats/Land O'Lakes facility and potentially help revitalize the ailing farm community's economy. When Spencer Meats was in business, there were good jobs paying around $15 an hour, but the new company - Montfort - proposed strictly slaughterhouse jobs at around $5.00 an hour about 20 years after the closing of the $15 an hour company. A town meeting is held to discuss the concerns about the meagerness of the potential jobs and the lack of community commitment with Montfort company representatives and no meaningful assurances are given. The town votes the company down and ends up with a Wal-Mart instead. But, in an effort to protect the vitality of the downtown businesses from destruction by Wal-Mart, several consultants are hired and the Spencer downtown remains a vital business community. After refusing the Montfort Company plant, the town was vilified as racist because slaughterhouse jobs tend to be filled, to a large extent, by Hispanics. Ms. Myron explains that the town was really very concerned with how the slaughterhouse itself would erode the quality of life in Spencer, not out of concern for increased minority presence in the town. She makes a convincing case for not simply relying on first conclusions drawn about any small town. After all, look at the State that was first to recognize the electability of our first African American President - the mostly white state of Iowa !

For librarians there is some extra interest to this story because Vicki Myron describes how she came to librarianship. She discusses what makes a good library and how good libraries can be major contributors to the well-being of a community. In this passage discussing how much she loved library school classes, she explains the importance of community analysis: “A good librarian, though, digs deeper. What does your community value? Where has it been? How and why has it changed? And most important, where is it going? A good librarian develops a filter in the back of her brain to catch and process information.” The Community of Spencer certainly was lucky to have such a dedicated Library Director. Vicki Myron may not have always agreed with the City Council and she may have had some challenges with the Library Board or with keeping Dewey over the years, but the community at large could not have found a more dedicated librarian or a more devoted community advocate and supporter.

There is some mention in the Acknowledgements about the contribution of Bret Witter, but as with any ghost writer or co-author, the reader wonders whose voice we are actually reading. In this book, that feeling was particularly frustrating because there were many personal aspects to the story and the writing was not especially "writerly." The charm of this book is not in the linguistic flourishes, but rather the insights into a particular life touching many other lives in unexpected ways. The presence of Witter in the background sometimes led to questioning of the sincerity of some of the more charming aspects of the story: was this a real lifelong Iowan expressing her true feelings about something or was this a writer's touch to enhance the emotional impact of the storyline?

Finally, the cat . . . Dewey is certainly an impressive cat, but, as a dog person I found some of his antics somewhat unbelievable. He is presented as having a level of calm and emotional sensitivity that required some suspension of disbelief: he is always gentle around babies, he forms a strong bond with a physically disabled child and the daughter of a staff member who has Down's Syndrome, he befriends a homeless man, teaches a scared child to love cats, and on a number of occasions, he spends extra time with sick, lonely, or grieving library staff or patrons including the periodically ill author. Even if these accounts are exaggerated through love, or only half true, there is still enough to them to convince the most skeptical of readers that Dewey was a very special cat. There are certainly many stories of those once in a lifetime pets to support the existence of such a cat. Whether he had all the attributes generously attributed to him or not, however, is hardly the point. The real question is whether he impacted the residents of Spencer Iowa the way the authors suggest. A ten minute Google search pretty much gives you the answer. All in all this book was not elegantly written but it was a gentle, touching, and compelling quick read, well worth the time for any socially conscious librarian – even if you prefer dogs!

PRESENTATION ZEN: SIMPLE IDEAS ON PRESENTATION DESIGN AND DELIVERY
Garr Reynolds, New Riders, 2008, ISBN 9780321525659
reviewed by Charlotte Graesser Henderson, Quarles & Brady LLP, Phoenix, AZ

In my never-ending quest for self-improvement filed under "been there, done that," I had to check out Presentation Zen by leading authority on presentation design and delivery, Garr Reynolds. I have attended several PowerPoint presentations that seemed to take me back thousands of years, though not in a Zen way. I may have even presented one or two of them. But I do know enough to know that there is more to Zen than meets the eye.

Presentation Zen (PZen) is a deceptively short book (229 pages) that is more about you, the presenter, than about how to create the atypical PowerPoint presentation. PZen goes beyond the psychology of adult learning styles to include simplifying the message to its core, incorporating the element of surprise to maintain interest, and creating presentation relationships. Does that sound like a Super Bowl commercial? In fact, Super Bowl commercials follow the PZen format of "simplicity, clarity, brevity" so well that these annual commercials have become a key event, even for those who aren't interested in watching the football game.

In addition to drawing attention to the Zen within, this book addresses the issue of handouts. The traditional accoutrements to any presentation may include handouts of the PowerPoint slides reproduced in a variety of 2-slide, 3-slide, or 6-slide printouts. The visuals and miniscule font displayed in these typical handouts can be a challenge to actually use after the fact. Reynolds promotes constructive alternatives to avoid redundancies between presenter and presentation. Key note: if it's all on the PowerPoint, why have a presenter at all?

I was also interested to see the author include experts in the field of advertising to discuss styles of communication. Achieving a balance in your presentation through contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity are four principles of graphic design, that when applied to slide designs, can create a more effective delivery. Presentation design elements are defined by principles of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), applied here to help avoid any irrelevant elements or "nonessential bombardment by … visuals" of information in the presentation. Reynolds also discusses the smooth delivery style of Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs. Smooth delivery, simple slides. I am challenged to find a recent photo of Jobs where he is not sporting a casual pair of jeans with black crew neck. No extraneous noise there. Just smooth!

There's much more to PZen that you will want to check out after reading the book, including a website ( http://www.presentationzen.com ). Even if you are not artistic, you will come away with the confidence that you can do this. I find that I now avoid the software template trap. I have also discovered that even if I am not able to take advantage of using the high quality graphics that cost money, Microsoft Office Online Clipart ( http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx ) does provide some excellent alternatives. I won't say PZen is a quick read, primarily because you will want to revisit it as you apply the principles. However the time will be well spent. To that end, I close with "Zen there, done that"…and still working on it!"

2009 AALL ANNUAL MEETING PLANNER – PLL PROGRAMS

Need help organizing your Annual Meeting schedule? There are two free online applications available to help you.

The official AALL planner is called My Conference Planner and is available at http://aall09.sched.org/ .

Tom Boone, a librarian at Loyala Law School in Los Angeles , has created ScheduAALL, an unofficial planner, available at http://scheduaall.tomboone.com/ .

Either application allows you to schedule all of your Annual Meeting events and share them with your colleagues.

EVENT

DATE/TIME

PLL-SIS Business Meeting and Breakfast (sponsored by Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)

Sunday, July 26, 2009 7:00 AM - 8:45 AM

PLL-SIS Luncheon (sponsored by LexisNexis)
Speaker: Ross Guberman "How to Help Lawyers Who Don't Even Know They Need You"

Sunday, July 26, 2009 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

A4: The Changing World of Information Access at the USPTO

Sunday, July 26, 2009 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM

PLL-SIS Program: Nuts & Bolts of Competitive Intelligence: CI in the Small Firm Environment

Sunday, July 26, 2009 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

C6: Running a Business: Practical MBA Solutions for Your Library

Sunday, July 26, 2009 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM

PLL-SIS Executive Board Meeting

Sunday, July 26, 2009 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

PLL-SIS Intellectual Property Group Program: Patent Information Vendors Panel Discussion

Sunday, July 26, 2009 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

PLL-SIS Intellectual Property Group Program: Patent Information Vendors Panel Discussion

Sunday, July 26, 2009 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

PLL-SIS Intellectual Property Group Reception

Sunday, July 26, 2009 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

PLL-SIS Education Committee Annual Business Meeting

Monday, July 27, 2009 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM

PLL-SIS One Person Library (Solo) Group Business Meeting

Monday, July 27, 2009 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM

D2: Charting a New Course Mid-Career

Monday, July 27, 2009 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM

E3: "Eenie, Meenie, Minie , Mo . . . County, Court, Academic, Private--Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

Monday, July 27, 2009 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

E5: Working Smart: Innovative Ways to Do More with Your Day

Monday, July 27, 2009 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

ALL-SIS Program: Beyond the Ivory Tower: Reaching Out to Practicing Attorneys and Law Firm Librarians to Improve Legal Research Instruction

Monday, July 27, 2009 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM

F5: Taming Information Overload: Addressing Law Firm Current Awareness Needs

Monday, July 27, 2009 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM

PLL-SIS Independent Group Business Meeting

Monday, July 27, 2009 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM

PLL-SIS Intellectual Property Group Business Meeting and Lunch (by Invitation)

Monday, July 27, 2009 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM

G5: What's in a Name? Trademark Searching, Services, and Domain Names

Monday, July 27, 2009 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM

PLL-SIS Committee Fair

Monday, July 27, 2009 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

PLL-SIS Records/Conflicts Management Group Business Meeting

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 7:00 AM - 8:45 AM

PLL-SIS Technical Services Group Program Meeting

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 7:00 AM - 8:45 AM

H2: Web 2.0: Driving Innovation in the Law Firm Library

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

I3: Next-Gen Integrated Library System Features Relevant to the Private Law Firm Library

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM

PLL-SIS Competitive Intelligence Business Meeting

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM

K5: Law Librarian: The New Private Investigator

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM

PLL ELECTION RESULTS

The votes have been cast and the results are in for the recent PLL election.

Due to the need for the current Vice Chair/Chair-Elect to step down, the election was done differently than in the past. Both candidates for Vice Chair/Chair-Elect were asked to run for successive terms, with one taking the office immediately.

Kate Martin, Director of Library Services at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP in Washington , DC , is now Vice Chair/Chair-Elect and will become Chair at the Annual Meeting in Washington , DC .

Jane Baugh, Information Services Director at Woods Rogers PLC in Roanoke , VA , has been elected Vice Chair/Chair-Elect and will assume that position at the Annual Meeting.

Margarita Bull, Librarian at Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP in San Diego , CA is the incoming Treasurer.

Joan Jarosek, Firm Director of Library Services at Jones Day in Dallas , TX joins the Board as Member-at-Large.

Congratulations to the new PLL officers and thanks to all who stood for election.

AALL DUES HELP FOR UNEMPLOYED MEMBERS

To help in these tough times, AALL is offering a discounted membership rate for AALL members who are recently unemployed. The discounted membership appears online and in all public records simply as an “Active” membership, but is billed at the student/retired rate ($55 instead of $218) . The discounted rate is good through May 31, 2010.

Unemployed AALL members should fill out the online form at http://www.aallnet.org/about/unemployed-member-form.pdf or contact AALL Membership Services Coordinator Hannah Phelps (hphelps@aall.org or 312-205-8022) to sign up.

NEW JOB SEEKING TOOLS ADDED TO AALL WIKI

Many law librarians have been hit hard by the economic crisis. AALL is here to offer resources to help you get through it, especially the Tools for Success in Today's Economy wiki at http://aallnet.pbwiki.com . We encourage you to both use the resources and add more that would help our colleagues in law librarianship. Thanks to the members who have added resources so far. Here are a few examples of recent additions:

ARCHIVED WEBINARS AVAILABLE ON AALLNET

AALL members now have the chance to view six popular Webinars presented October 2008-February 2009 in the Members Only Section of AALLNET:

The links above are available for AALL members only. Nonmembers can access the 2008 Webinars and 2009 Webinars for a higher fee.

NEW ADVOCACY TOOLKIT FOR THE 111TH CONGRESS

The AALL Government Relations Office is pleased to announce an exciting new resource to help AALL members and chapters become effective advocates for law libraries. The Advocacy Toolkit for the 111th Congress: 2009-2010 is designed to help you learn more about AALL's ambitious legislative agenda. You can find it at http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/toolkit/contents.asp .

The purposes of the Advocacy Toolkit are to:

The Advocacy Toolkit is available as a live document and as a PDF on the AALL Government Relations Office Web site at www.aallnet.org/aallwash . Be sure to sign up for the RSS feed at www.aallnet.org/aallwash/toolkitrss.asp to receive valuable updates, learn about AALL's latest action alerts, and monitor our legislative priorities.

TAKE THE LEAD: APPLY FOR THE 2009 AALL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

You have the potential to become a leader in law librarianship. Learn how to maximize your unique skills and talents to get ahead in the profession by attending the 2009 AALL Leadership Academy , October 16-17, at the Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook , Illinois .

Train for leadership roles by acquiring both the self-awareness and strategies you need to emerge as a leader within your organization and the profession. Academy participants will use self assessment tools, group exercises, case studies, and skill practice to develop key signatures of leadership. Selected fellows will participate in pre-engagement exercises, be matched with a mentor, and receive ongoing leadership development opportunities.

Applications are due by June 30. For more information, visit www.aallnet.org/prodev/event_leadershipacademy.asp .

Find out more at http://www.aallnet.org/prodev/docs/AALL-Leader-Academy-2009.pdf .

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