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PLL PERSPECTIVES FALL 2005 1

STEPHANIE’S FIRST AALL By Stephanie Towery, Haynes and Boone LLP

Austin, TX

I forgot to get some good snapshots of my first steps into the AALL exhibit hall, but that was because I tried to enter before it was open. Two security ladies at the door pushed me back, telling me I’d have to wait the five minutes outside. I guess I didn’t blend in with the huge crowd pushing their way past me into the hall. Well, they were all wearing matching blue golf shirts. What club are they in? I thought. Monday My first session was called something like “Publishing Outside of the Law Library Community.” It was a 3-person panel with a moderator. I got to the room early, so I got to watch the guys check the mikes. It was very cool. I didn’t know what to expect, so I was glaring at the moderator and panelists, trying to suss them out ahead of time. They looked so relaxed. A lot of people showed up right before it started. I guess they were all mingling and trading war stories outside. A lot of people were taking notes already, so I looked in my new AALL bag to see if I was supposed to fill out any forms. I didn’t find anything pertinent, so I made a pile of leaflets I could throw away to lighten my load. That bag was heavy with my camera and mints in it, and I hadn’t purchased any souvenirs yet. When the moderator started talking, I lost all track of time. I got sucked in. The panelists took turns telling their stories, and then they did the impossible: they opened the floor up to ANYONE to ask them questions. This never happens to me. I don’t get to ask questions, especially using a microphone. I racked my brain trying to think of a good question. I found myself saddled with good, but inappropriate, questions. I was self-censoring again. Where do you find the time to write was the only question I could think of that wasn’t personal. Is it an appropriate question, I thought, while another woman was hogging the mike. Obviously they do find the time, because they are all successful writers, I reasoned. I finally honed my question down to something that sounded halfway acceptable: which project management software do you use? I tried whispering it to myself. Yeh, it was so good, it didn’t

make any sense. And, hey, everyone was getting up! I missed my chance. Volunteering at the registration desk This was not really like a real job. First of all, I show up by walking around the counter and announcing, “Hi, I’m Stephanie, I’m a volunteer.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. A couple of people introduced themselves and showed me the basic set up. It was so easy; it worked without you knowing how to use it. How can I steal this technology for myself? I thought, furtively rubbing my palms together. “Hey, is it okay if I put my stuff under here?” I shouted randomly. Nobody shushed me. I had purchased a toy gun for my husband at lunch, and it didn’t quite fit all the way into my AALL bag. A nice lady told me to hide it under the counter. Then she told me where they hid the lemonade for the volunteers. I had never volunteered at such a swank place before. Everything worked AND they had treats. By the time I was settled in with my lemonade, it was time to go. “You’re done,” said the computer guy who was obviously the one behind the magic that made the registration work. “Thanks!” I said, picking up my gun and gear and heading on. “Y’all have fun!” I breathed a small sigh of relief that I had made it through one of my personal and professional goals for the year: volunteering at AALL, without noticeably screwing anything up. I felt empowered. I immediately run into Mr. Mersky. He’s at the counter. Hi, Mr. Mersky, I say (when I was in library school I worked at Tarlton). He grins at me. “You know my wife,” he says, “If you see her, will you tell her I’ve gone back to the hotel.” I’m standing in the middle of a convention of 2000 people, with a toy gun slung across my shoulder, looking for a lady I haven’t seen in 4 years. I think, listen for the Australian accent. So I really do try for a while, but then I realize I probably am violating the PATRIOT ACT. So, of course, I curse myself for not knowing what’s in the PATRIOT ACT and sidle on off to the escalators for a couple fun rides up and down. I go up and down twice

Continued on page 4

THE QUARTERLY OF THE PRIVATE LAW LIBRARIES SIS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LAW LIBRARIES

PLL PERSPECTIVES

Volume 17 Issue 1

FALL 2005


PLL PERSPECTIVES

CO-EDITORs Jan Brown

Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP Philadelphia, PA (215) 772-7611

[email protected]

Sarah Mauldin Lionel Sawyer & Collins

Las Vegas, NV (702) 383-8988 [email protected]

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Ronda Fisch Reed Smith, LLP

Pittsburgh, PA (412) 288-3377 [email protected]

CHAIR, NEWSLETTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Randall J. Thompson Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA (225) 578-5770 [email protected]

CHAIR Terry Psarras Carlton Fields

Tampa, FL (813)229-4114

[email protected]

PLL/SIS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

VICE-CHAIR Christine L Graesser

Brown, Rudnick, Berlack, Israels LLP

Hartford, CT (860) 509-6549

[email protected]

PAST CHAIR Sue H. Johnson

Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP

Dallas, TX (214) 855-3530

[email protected]

TREASURER Patricia E. Barbone

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP New York, NY (212) 837-6594

[email protected]

SECRETARY Kaye Waelde

Faegre & Benson Denver, CO

(303) 607-3722 [email protected]

EXECUTIVE BOARD Lynn Fogle

Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC

Lexington, KY (859) 288-4616 [email protected]

Mary J. Koshollek Godfrey & Kahn Milwaukee, WI (414) 287-9496

[email protected]

PLL Perspectives (ISDN: 1068 9346) is published quarterly for distribution to members of the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section of AALL ©2005 PLL. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Non-members may obtain single issues for $10, or subscribe to the newsletter for $35 per year. The PLL/SIS and editor do not assume responsibility for, nor endorse, the statements advanced by the contributors or the advertisers in PLL Perspectives.

STEPHANIE’S FIRST AALL by Stephanie Towery, Haynes & Boone, LLP, Austin, TX RESOURCE REVIEW By Andrea Hamilton, Faegre & Benson, Boulder, CO SAN ANTONIO TO SAINT LOUIS: AALL REVIEW by Donna L. Fisher, Senniger Powers, ST. Louis, MO A NEWBIE’S VIEW OF THE AALL CONFERENCE IN SAN ANTONIO By Kelly Louis, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP, Columbus, OH SO THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE’S BEEN TALKING ABOUT ... By Andrea Hamilton, Faegre & Benson, Boulder, CO A FIRM LIBRARIAN LOOKS AT ACADEMIA by Randall J. Thompson, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA SOME RANDOM THOUGHT S ON THE AALL CONFERENCE by David Bader, Riva Laughlin, Jennifer Stephens,Haynes and Boone, LLP, Dallas, TX ANNUAL MEETING RECAP W-2 SYSTEMS THINKING: A NEW WAY TO STRATEGIZE by Jennifer Kessler, Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, MA CALIFORNIA CHAPTERED LAWS ONLINE, 1850 – CURRENT by Carolina Rose and Lisa Hampton, Legislative Research, Inc. (LRI), Sacramento, CA FROM THE CHAIR by Terry Psarras, Carlton Fields, Tampa, FL PLL/SIS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 2004 – 2005 by Kaye Waelde, Faegre & Benson, LLP, Denver, CO PLL/SIS ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING by Kaye Waelde, Faegre & Benson, LLP, Denver, CO PLL/SIS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 2005 – 2006 by Kaye Waelde, Faegre & Benson, LLP, Denver, CO TREASURER’S REPORT by Patricia E. Barbone, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, LLP, New York, NY

CONTENTS

FEATURES

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6

7

9

10

12

13

14

15

3

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20

PLL PERSPECTIVES DEADLINES Fall: August 15 Winter: October 15

Spring: January 15 Summer: April 15

PLL NEWS


FROM THE CHAIR by Terry Psarras, Carlton Fields, Tampa, FL

Welcome to the first electronic version of PLL Perspectives. What you see is just one of the many fruits of labor PLL volunteers have been working on and will continue to work on for this year. Here are some items to be on the lookout for this year. This is by no means a complete list. Projects will be added and dropped as the year progresses.

• The aforementioned PLL Perspectives format changes. They will allow us faster distribution of the newsletter, while at the same time help us reduce costs.

• We are instituting a PLL Professional Achievement Award. Guidelines are being developed and the first one will be awarded next summer.

• The PLL toolkit project is being revamped and is scheduled to be finished by St. Louis. A lot of hard labor has gone into it over the years and we hope fruition is in sight.

• We are revisiting the PLL Grants concept to simplify and streamline the process. This should help increase participation, which has been below what we would have expected.

• Our strategic plan will be simplified and streamlined. Following the new AALL strategic plan which stresses leadership, education, and advocacy; we will revisit our plan this year.

• We are working to bump up activities and membership in the Independents group

• We will participate in the Professional Legal Management Week http://www.plmw.org/

• The PLL-SIS will be represented by Chris Graesser at the September 23-24 AALL Education Summit on developing career development and continuing education opportunities beyond the Annual Meeting. Contact Chris if you have questions or comments.

• We are considering creating a relationship with major Legal Marketing Associations.

• There will be new discussion groups for more focused electronic discussions, such as the Computer Assisted Legal Research listserv instituted in mid August and the new Knowledge Management listserv.

• PLL is participating in the AALL centennial events. St. Louis will also be PLL’s 30th anniversary.

• The AALL Annual Meeting programming changes are being discussed. Time will be set aside for vendors and the AALL business meeting. Other than that, we can schedule our programs and meetings at any time. This will allow us more flexibility than before to organize our functions, and possibly present some programs not accepted by the Annual Meeting Program Committee, yet deemed

interesting enough by our members. • We are working toward closer ties with ALA, the

association of Legal Administrators. Our VIP this year was John Michalik, the executive director of the ALA. We will have an administrative themed PLL Perspectives issue later this year. We are also pursuing official representation at the ALA Conference. We will also work toward getting PLL articles in the online ALA Management Encyclopedia. Finally, we are also looking at programs with some ALA officials for St. Louis. …

• The “From Ideas to Print” initiative is ramping up and we hope for some excellent results this year.

• PLL's PR committee will work with a new AALL committee, once it is appointed, to reach out externally -- to administrators, the legal community, and the general public.

• The PR Committee also has in the cards consideration of publishing a PR/marketing newsletter to PLL members, representing PLL at the CONELL marketplace, and creating a PLL brochure on what we are and what we do.

• The Records/Conflicts Management Group is working to develop a PR piece for legal adminis trators that is equivalent to PLL's brochures entitled "Private Law Librarian Standards" and "The Competitive Edge." In addition, the group is considering developing the 2005 AALL program from San Antonio on outsourcing into an article, to be pitched to ALA's Legal Management magazine.

• We hope to re-activate the Technical Services Group.

• We will continue working on a relationship with SLA.

• We will look to create guidelines for developing partnerships with the library schools, in order to provide information on PLL related career paths after graduation.

• We plan to beef up participation in our Mentoring program

• We will look to create guidelines for developing partnerships with the law schools. The beneficiaries of such partnerships would be clerks that will be better prepared to join firms like yours and mine.

• We hope to re-activate the Corporate Group • We plan to increase development of PLL related

program proposals through the PLL Education Committee pipeline and the many members who decided to propose programs for St. Louis.

• There will be more regularly scheduled and formalized communications from me to you

The number and variety of projects listed above is, I believe, a tribute to the women and men of the association

PLL NEWS

Continued on page 5


each, and then it’s time for the next show, er, I mean educational session. GPO redux: Bruce James & Judy Russell I make my way to “the big room.” It’s already filled with people. Almost every other seat is completely taken! I panic momentarily. I know no one. These are government librarians. They immediately smell that I am not a government librarian. I feel like a penguin in the polar bear pool. I try to slide into a row up front (the front seats were more vacant than the back and middle seats). I put all my gear (which I’ve been clutching tightly to my chest) under my chair. I try to make the toy rifle/sub-machine gun look less like a weapon. I fiddle with this until I feel sweat beading up on my upper lip. Okay, that’s enough. I focus on the stage. There’s a large stage with a podium, a large table, and several chairs behind it. In two of these chairs sit Bruce James and Judy Russell in the flesh. They look like movie stars. In fact, I have a weird feeling I’ve seen them before late at night. CSPAN? I wonder. I am filled with awe, and the program has yet to begin. And what a program it was. Half way through I realize just how remarkable a moment this particular session is in AALL and government librarian history, and I just about stand up and shout. You really needed to be there though. Every time I try to summarize what happened, I sound like a conspiracy theorist. Let’s just say, I didn’t get a feeling that “permanent public access” (at least as a catch-phrase) was going to come out of this hour unscathed. All I’ve got to say is that there was some Oscar worthy speech giving and question asking in that session that should have been captured on film or high quality video. If it was, you should get you a copy, because that’s what they mean by “edutainment.” Tuesday By now I am jaded and want to skip all the sessions and hang out feeding the pigeons on the River Walk, but I run into my boss when I first walk in. Dang, and I hugged him. Why am I always hugging people? I think, I should have asked first. So I can’t slack off now. I’m wracked with guilt for even considering it. Basic IP research and reference IP stands for Intellectual Property. If you didn’t know that, this was the session for you. It was a very basic educational session. Pretty much the kind of session you go to if you think you might someday need to know something about what IP means. Every chair in the room is occupied, and people are standing up along the walls and the back of the room. There are not enough hand outs to go around, and there are two assistants who have come all the way from a city many states away just to hand out the hand outs. They are obviously bummed they did not bring enough. People are furiously taking notes on everything the panelist says. I am so distracted by this; I try to read the notes of the two people beside me. This, apparently, is

inappropriate, as they immediately start covering their work with their hands. Either there are rooms full of engineer/attorneys someplace in our national bunker cranking out new pieces of intellectual property 24/7 or this is a cover for something else, I think. I take a long, slow gaze out over the crowd, trying to assess their mettle. Maybe, just maybe, IP is coming to the rest of America (not just the big cities). This is a chilling thought, but eh whatever. By the next session, which was a few minutes later, I am even more cynical. I’ve been looking at my program, see. What are all these committees? I ask my fellow librarian. She says, without hesitation, “AALL is over a hundred years old after all.” Panel electronic government documents This appears to be the B-list version of the picture with Bruce James and Judy Russell. I recognize a few of these people from yesterday’s session, but where are the stars? I want to see the stars. I’m quickly assured by the moderator that the panelists for the present session are the real stars behind the search for permanence in the world of electronically born government documents, but I’m still disappointed. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why isn’t PowerPoint enough anymore? I secretly vow to reassess my career. Why am I drawn to educational sessions about government documents? Am I avoiding the real truth, the real librarian inside of me? I glance over and see a woman elaborately peeling the wrapper off a PayDay bar. She silently strips the bar of its plastic clothing and then quickly (impossibly quick) nips bits of it off into her chapped rosebud of a mouth. She’s also furiously taking notes. SHE’S NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE PROGRAM. She’s cribbing. After she finishes the bar, she slides off the aisle and out into the great beyond, her notes fully wedged under her arm. I did make it to the Exhibit Hall, but it wasn’t nearly as vastly deep as I was thinking it would be. I actually said to someone, “You shoulda seen the Exhibit Hall for the National Clogging Convention. It was like five times as big as this.” I guess I’m the only crossover clogger/librarian. Who knew? New Blue Book – 18h My final session was in the Marriott across the street from the Convention Center. My car was parked underneath the Marriott, so I felt like I was inching out. I walked up the stairs towards the session room and ran into two of my librarian friends from my very own city. I talked to them for about ten minutes before I realized I was in line for a Government Documents Librarian luncheon, which was by invitation only. I freak out and try to find the right room. It was just around the corner. It’s small, maybe 1/20th the size of the other rooms. And there is no electronic set up in here. Is this an ambush? Are they going to sell me a time -share? I take a seat and look around. There are already people in the room, but it’s still 30 minutes until lift off. I notice at least

First AALL, continued from page 1

FEATURES

Continued on page 5


two of the three people in the room are reading the latest Harry Potter book. The other guy might be reading it, but at least for now he’s packed it away in his bag. These two just can’t stop themselves. And why would they? What are they going to do otherwise? Talk to me? Yeh. Another lady comes in. She’s on her cell phone talking to her loved one about the conference. She is describing the intricate details of all the free giveaways in the Exhibit Hall. Free giveaways? I missed a free giveaway? Apparently, I missed all the free giveaways, being distracted by all those educational sessions and volunteering and listening for Nicole Kidman and all that. I’m shattered. At some point in my depression I realize that the person who’s going to be giving the session is already sitting at the front of the room. I didn’t see her come in or anything. I didn’t notice her at all. And then she started the session. It was like a bright light got turned on. Here was a performer. And her jokes are funny! Oh, my! I’m laughing out loud. I’m rolling on the floor – no, I’m not, someone’s

knees are in the way! And the Blue Book isn’t even changed enough for it to matter. The room is packed not for the content, but for the woman. She has obviously accumulated FANS in her short career (she’s very young). I secretly promise myself to write her a fan letter when I get back home. When I get back home and get settled back at work, I receive a package in interoffice mail. It’s a stuffed armadillo in the shape of a purse. It was one of the prizes you could win in the Exhibit Hall, and it’s beautiful beyond description. It was a gift to me from the librarian who won it, on the note she wrote: “My name is Antonio. I’ve come to live with you as a symbol of your first AALL Conference. Besides, I hear you will appreciate my rodent-like qualities. Can I stay with you please?” Tears in my eyes, I whisper into Antonio’s handy zip pocket, “Yes, yes. Oh, yes. Oh, my, yes.”

FEATURES First AALL, continued from page 4

who are dedicating their time and effort to our cause. The lifeblood of organizations such as PLL is volunteers. This year we have been fortunate enough to fill all the Committee and Group Chair positions and staff a few of them with more members, but that is never enough. We can always use more volunteers. You all know how to get in touch with me...-)

Want to know more? Our website http://www.aallnet.org/sis/pllsis/ is a great place to visit for more info. Of course you can always email or call me with any questions you may have While online, do not forget to update your profile at: http://www.aallnet.org/

From the Chair, continued from page 3


RESOURCE REVIEW By Andrea Hamilton, Faegre & Benson, Boulder, CO

“Resource Review” is a new, regular column featuring the print and electronic tools PLL librarians find essential to a reference job well done. Almanac of the Federal Judiciary, published by Aspen Law & Business This two-volume set—updated twice a year—is the fastest, easiest resource I’ve found to provide brief, biographical information about federal judges. It is available in both print and electronic formats. Volume 1 contains profiles and evaluations of all judges of the United States district courts, as well as bankruptcy and magistrate judges. Volume 2 contains profiles and evaluations of all judges of the United States Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Volume 2 also contains an introduction to the Supreme Court as well as “Lawyers’ Comments” about each circuit.

The biographical information provided for each federal judge contains some or all of the following: General information including address, education, previous positions and appointments, awards, and professional associations; Publications; Judicial Committees & Activities, Noteworthy Rulings, Media Coverage, and—unique to this resource—“Lawyers' Evaluation[s],” comprised of anonymous feedback provided by those with a professional relationship with the named judge. Do you have a resource you’d like to feature in this column? Please send your submission (including the name of the resource, the publisher” and a brief description of the resource) to Andrea Hamilton at [email protected]. Please use Resource Review in the Subject field of your email.

FEATURES


FEATURES

SAN ANTONIO TO SAINT LOUIS: AALL REVIEW

by Donna L. Fisher, Senniger Powers, Saint. Louis, MO

San Antonio in July is hot and humid, much like July weather in Saint Louis, where I live. The weather and the wonderful hospitality of Texans made me feel right at home as I attended my first AALL annual conference, thanks to grants from LexisNexis and the PLL-SIS. The city’s beautiful sights and sounds combined with unique and valuable conference events to create a memorable and professionally enriching week. I knew the conference would be worthwhile from the moment I entered the lobby of the convention center. Everything needed to make the most of the conference experience was right there, including registration and San Antonio hospitality and restaurant reservation booths. The ability to print handouts for educational sessions was especially helpful since I had opted not to bring these from home to reduce the amount of paper I carried. My first order of business after registration was to scout out the exhibit hall. I ended up spending several hours there. Most of my time was spent at the larger vendors learning about new features and products, but I tried at least to stop by every booth just to take a look at their services (and of course, take any of their promotional giveaways!). I was amazed at the variety and scope of vendor services, and I came away with several pieces of product literature worth reviewing for possible purchase. Each educational session I attended at the conference was valuable. Two sessions that were of particular help were “Publishing Outside the Law Library Box” and “AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers.” As someone who is interested in writing, I enjoyed hearing the presenters explain their personal experiences in writing and publishing articles and explain how they developed their ideas and where they received their inspiration. If there is one thing I learned from these two sessions, it is that even though there are certain guidelines that must be followed, the writing process is very individual and reflects the personality and interests of the writer. Since I work at a law firm that deals specifically in intellectual property, I naturally took advantage of the chance to attend the breakfast and business meeting of the IP librarian caucus and the session presented by several of the caucus members, “So, Now You’ve Got an IP Practice.” Most of the IP librarians are veterans with many years of experience, and

the group offered expert suggestions, comments, and advice that I would have had a hard time obtaining outside of the conference. The caucus also has an active listserv, and I am eager to part icipate in this group’s future activities. The conference provided countless opportunities for networking and social gathering, and to me those events were equally as, if not more, important that the training sessions and vendor exhibits. It’s so important to have the chance to learn from and just have fun with my professional colleagues. At the PLL Business Meeting and Breakfast I met several law firm and academic librarians from all over the country. At a West dessert gathering I visited with several West representatives with whom I was already acquainted and met several new ones. The BNA cafe was a good “rest stop” area to meet and greet other weary colleagues. At the Lexis Dessert Gala I sat with a very fun group of librarians from the University of A rizona, one of whom had the entire table in stitches with his story of being stuck in the hotel elevator with an assorted mix of characters. But for me the social climax of the conference was the LexisNexis Grants and Scholarship reception and dinner, held at the Institute of Texan Cultures. The elegant event was truly a gala, with an excellent classical guitarist providing entertainment and fabulous food that was presented like a work of art. The music, dinner, and the wonderful company at my table created a not-to-be-forgotten evening. At every session and event I gathered and gave out business cards by the handfuls. I met so many new and wonderful people at the conference, all of whom were, without exception, gracious, friendly, and enthusiastic. I always enjoy mingling with other librarians. It’s doubly enjoyable to be able to attend an entire conference of law librarians, whose concerns and interests mirror my own. I am very grateful to PLL and Lexis for their generosity in awarding me 2005 conference grants. Without their support I would not have been able to travel to San Antonio. Next year AALL will hold its 2006 Centennial conference in my hometown of Saint Louis. I look forward to being part of the conference committee, and I hope to meet as many of you as possible next year. If the Centennial Conference is even half as wonderful as the 2005 San Antonio conference, it will be fabulous!


FEATURES

A NEWBIE’S VIEW OF THE AALL CONFERENCE IN SAN ANTONIO by Kelly Louis, Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP, Columbus, OH

Being new to AALL and law librarianship altogether, I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first annual conference. I tend to be very practical and really enjoy classes from which I can return to my law firm with some real knowledge and skills that I can implement. I was lucky to find that many sessions gave me exactly that. Two classes ranked as my favorites: “Finding Government Documents Today” and “Marketing Schmarketing”. “Finding Government Documents Today” by Peggy Roebuck Jarrett and Cheryl Nyberg was not only full of useful links but also very entertaining. The handouts from this class are very helpful and sit on my desk now to help with Government Document questions that come up. I came away having many more resources and a better understanding of the daunting search for these items. “Marketing Schmarketing” by Cynthia Carlson and Abigail Ellsworth Ross gave me a lot to think about. I spend a fair amount of time at my law firm planning events. I prefer to use these events to educate my patrons about research techniques and services. This class gave me some insight into what other librarians are doing to market their services. I feel strongly about the need to market library services. Our patrons need to see that the library is not just a place where the books are housed but more of a one stop shop for information. I like to remind them that the most important resources in the library are the reference librarians! Carlson and Ross presented very unique and fun ways to involve the patrons in library activities. Another important part of AALL was the “Annual Legislative and Regulatory Update” presented by A. Hays Butler, Mary Alice Baish, Robert L. Oakley and Michael L. Walsh. I was interested to find out what AALL is doing on a national level. AALL is actively involved in ensuring continued access to all sorts of information. These activities certainly were not the first thing I thought about when I joined

AALL, but they will be now. During the update session an in-depth discussion took place about a “Broadcast Flag.” This is a little chip that would prevent everyone from videotaping certain television programs or movies for any reason. The AALL Legislative Committee successfully lobbied to prevent the Broadcast Flag from being implemented in the United States. This certainly was a big win, and I couldn’t believe that this was the first I was hearing about AALL’s involvement with it! For more information about it, you can see the brief that was filed on behalf of AALL at http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/aallwash/GroksterMar2005.pdf. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention two events that were sheer fun! First I’d like to mention the PLL Kinky Friedman luncheon. Kinky was funny, insightful and, frankly, very heartfelt. I enjoyed the portion of his book he read and found it surprisingly touching. Frankl, I think the United States government could do with a lot more Kinky Friedmans. Finally, I must mention the West Party on Monday night. I found it refreshing that tickets were available for families who accompanied librarians to the conference. I also thought the party was great fun. My five year old summed it up best by saying, “This is the best party ever and West Rocks!” So what did I learn from attending my first AALL? A lot more goes on with the AALL organization than first meets the eye. AALL is involved in lobbying the federal government to protect our access to information, works at charity events to better our country and also puts on a great conference from which attendees can return to their jobs with a marked improvement in their skills. So to add to my daughter’s thought….AALL rocks!


FEATURES

SO THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE’S BEEN TALKING ABOUT... by Andrea Hamilton, Faegre & Benson, Boulder, CO

I thought about calling this article something like “Ramblings from a Seasoned Conference Attendee.” After all, my recent attendance at the American Association of Law Libraries annual conference was my third trip to a major, professional library conference and my second visit to AALL. It was only after speaking with several of my fellow librarians whose attendance in San Antonio marked their 10th, 15th, or even 20th visit to AALL that I realized I hadn’t yet earned the title of “Seasoned.” In fact, I didn’t even come close. I did, however, feel like ‘third time’s a charm’ when it comes to navigating a professional conference of national scale. I recognized people this year. Whether they were my current coworkers from other offices, past coworkers, fellow attendees from past conferences, or colleagues with whom I work on a professional basis, I actually recognized people! It was so nice to walk into a session, or better yet, into one of the large luncheons or vendor-sponsored shindigs, and see a familiar face o r two. It was great to be able to catch up with those I hadn’t seen in a while and, even better, put a face I’d never seen with a name I recognized (“I’ve read your articles!” “I responded to your posting on the listserv!” “I voted for you!”) Sitting with someone you know inevitably leads to meeting someone new. And as anyone who attends these library conferences already knows, you can never befriend too many librarians. Networking is essential to this profession. Whether you need them for helping you with a super-hard Japanese patent question, or you like having someone with whom you can tour around one of the great conference cities (was I the only one pleasantly surprised by San Antonio?), it’s great to have colleagues from around the nation. It’s true what they say about the free meals. You can actually make it through most of AALL without having to pay for a meal. This was the first conference during which I felt I actually took full advantage of all of the culinary offerings. I did, however, walk away from each of these events with more than a full belly. I got to hear interesting speakers! Regardless of what you thought of him or what he said, I think anyone would be hard-pressed to disagree with labeling Kinky Friedman as “interesting.” I networked! Taking advantage of the SIS events puts you smack-dab in the middle of librarians with the same professional focus as yourself. I even left one of the SIS luncheons as a new member of one of their committees (the edible bribe worked.). And let’s face it, the meal events are fun! It’s a great way to break up the non-stop onslaught of great educational programs, and it’s

nice to round out the evening with a party and still feel like you are working (it was a Westlaw margarita, after all…) I better understand how to navigate the Exhibit Hall as well as the vast number of educational programs. I have learned that it takes great skill to balance all of the offerings at AALL. The “Meetings and Events Index (in alphabetical order)” listings in the Final Program covered nine pages all jam-packed into less than a week’s time! And so, taking the time before the conference to prioritize the programs I wanted to attend, the invitations I received, and the vendors I wanted to visit really helped maximize my time there. I was an efficient conference-attending machine! Although at times I felt a bit overwhelmed by all that was going on, sticking to the carefully-crafted itinerary I created in Outlook helped me cope and stay focused. But the fact that I couldn’t possibly attend all that I wanted to see served as the perfect conversation-starter when I was seated at one of those free-meal events next to someone I didn’t know. I usually asked about the classes they had attended; speaking with them was a great way to “attend” the educational sessions I wasn’t able to fit into my schedule. Quizzing someone I didn’t know was also a good way to prioritize the limited time I was able to spend in the Exhibit Hall. For example, I asked one of my fellow lunch-goers what the best exhibit she had visited was, and she pointed me to the British Library booth. I have to admit, I had already passed by this relatively nondescript booth once during a quick tour around the Exhibit Hall (no mock cockpits here!); but based on her recommendation, I stopped to take a look. Boy, was she right! What a nice group to speak with and what an impressive physical collection and document delivery service they had to offer. And so, even though I didn’t win an iPod, I was quite impressed with my time spent in the Exhibit Hall. So I guess it’s all these things that contributed to me returning from my trip to San Antonio with some sort of new-found confidence as an AALL annual conference attendee. I spent far less of my time in panic mode and much more of my time enjoying what I was learning and who I was meeting. I know, however, that I haven’t mastered all there is to know about being a law librarian and attending AALL and that only after attending year after year after year after year will I gradually earn my title of “Seasoned.”


FEATURES

A FIRM LIBRARIAN LOOKS AT ACADEMIA by Randall J. Thompson, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Harried and overworked firm librarians may dream of a job free of the pressures of the billable hour and the type-A senior partner. They may long for an existence in which they are viewed as respected colleagues by their patrons, collaborating with them to produce the finest research product possible. In their fantasies, they see themselves in a world in which information is valued in its own right and is to be protected and preserved and not discarded with the closing of each successive case file. In short, they see themselves retreating from the frantic and fast-paced world of the firm to the staid and honorable environment of academia. But what of the reality? Four years ago, I made the move from the firm life to that of the law school. I had worked in firms for eleven years but had also spent a couple of years teaching legal research as a faculty adjunct. While I enjoyed the firms, I found myself, like many firm librarians, distressed at the research skills of our new associates. I found in teaching a means to directly address the problem, at least in some small way. So when the opportunity arose to work in a law school library, I packed up my wife and dog and moved half way across the country to settle into a new life in which I would prepare students to become the associates firm librarians desired. Or so I hoped. What I found wasn’t exactly what I expected. Many myths and realities surround life in academia. Here are a few of what I found. Congeniality? Deep divisions can exist in law firms. Issues such as partner compensation, priorities among practice groups, and strategic decisions regarding expansion can split a firm. To those involved in these conflicts, academia can be seen as a quiet refuge from the battles. Alas, academia can be its own cauldron of discord. The one unifying factor of firms is that ultimately the firm must make a profit. The firm members know that and in the final analysis will usually work together to make the firm a success. Law schools lack the profit motive and the focus it brings. Each professor, concentrating on his or her own area of research, can become an island awash in the sea and separate from the work of colleagues. Pressure then falls to the Dean to convince and cajole the faculty they need to swim together. Deans generally don’t last very long. US News and World Report is the New Religion. Corollary to the lack of profit incentives in law schools is that schools now genuflect to the annual US News and World Report law school rankings. Profits show how well firms are doing and clients and new associates gravitate to those high on the food chain. However, without profits as a guide, law schools, and more importantly prospective law

students and faculty, have no way to compare the relative performance of one against another. Into the void enters US News. With its annual rankings of law schools, US News provides the yardstick with which future students and new faculty can evaluate schools and presumably pick the best one in which they can get admitted or hired. This is critical to schools since better students and faculty bring increased prestige and recognition which often translates to more grants and donations, the ultimate criteria of success for any Dean. Unfortunately, the focus on the rankings means that they may become the driving force for a school’s strategic planning. Tenure is a time honored academic tradition soundly rooted in the concept of academic freedom. The idea is that an academician, professor or librarian, with tenure can not be removed simply based upon the content of what he or she is teaching. In reality it means that, once granted, an academician basically has a job for life. As firm librarians are only too aware, job security in the firms depends solely upon how well you performed today. Tenure tends to remove the pressure to perform today. And tomorrow. And the day after that. Committees rule. Academic life means committees. Nearly every new project, no matter how small, requires a committee. If every professor is an island, then each desires a say in the ebb and flow of the surrounding sea. Tasks that would be handled administratively in a firm often in academia are referred to committees to consider. Many an issue may die of old age in discussion rather than meet its demise in action. Wexis wins. In our freshman orientation program this year, the only persistent question from the one day old law students was when they would get their Westlaw and Lexis passwords. How Wexis had managed to reach out and capture their research hearts and minds before the librarians even knew the battle was joined was beyond me; but one thing was clear, the war was already lost. Students expecting Wexis before classes even begin are unlikely to be enamored with the complexities of a looseleaf treatise. The best academic librarians can do is teach online research, but even here, the Wexis reps can gain student interest by offering cars and trips; all librarians can do is say you may need to know this someday. Students make it all worthwhile. However, for all the pitfalls of academia, the joy of the place is the students. Most firm librarians I know enjoy working with new associates. Working with students is even better. Students arrive receptive, energetic and ready to learn. It is a pleasure to guide them through their first steps down the path to becoming lawyers. Working with them makes the switch from the firm all worthwhile.


FEATURES

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE AALL CONFERENCE by David Bader, Riva Laughlin, Jennifer Stephens,

Haynes and Boone, LLP, Dallas, TX

• The weather during the conference was the perfect example of the old saying, “if you don’t like the weather [in Texas], just wait a few minutes and it will change.” I saw sun to clouds to pouring rain to sun in less than a half hour several days in a row.

• Because of the rain and humidity, it would have been nice to have been issued a set of gills with the welcome packet.

• It is a rather rude awakening to be greeted in the elevator at 6:00 a.m. by a Doberman pinscher (nice dog, but BIG!) [AALL shared the conference hall with a dog show!]

• It’s so good to be able to catch up with folks you haven’t seen in a while. It’s one of my favorite parts of conventions.

• I’m always amazed at the products displayed in the exhibit hall. How do people come up with these ideas, and why can’t I think of them?

• The convention center did a wonderful job. The signage was so great; I never got lost. And, I only froze in one meeting the entire time I was at the conference. I usually wear a light jacket in the convention center.

• Biggest change I noticed since the 2003 conference in Seattle: shorter lines at the free email stations due to free high speed Internet access in so many hotels.

• It was really nice that Internet access was provided in the back of the exhibit hall (for those who didn’t bring a laptop for access from their room. Judging from the long line of people (OK, I was among them) waiting to log in to check email, I wonder if it’s time for AALL to start a 12 Step IA program for the email addicted

• I’ve seen the Alamo many times, and it always looks smaller than the image you see in the movies. Alamo addendum: I know it’s a free market, but the shops opposite Alamo Plaza give the place a kind of crass tourist trap look.

• The Riverwalk is nice; but you walk two blocks away from it, and the downtown gets shabby looking…real fast. It also can be confusing, and it seems to be longer every time we visit San Antonio.

• Not being able to sleep well, not being on my waterbed, I got to see a lot of overnight TV programming. The wee hours of the morning are really WEIRD.

• Walking across downtown Dallas for meetings, lunch, etc. is a good way to prepare for the Hein Fun Walk/Run. After round trips of 1-2 miles in 90+ heat in work clothes, walking one mile in shorts early in the cool of the morning is a breeze.

C-2: Finding Government Documents Today Sunday, July 17, 2005 I attended this session because I’m being asked to retrieve many more government documents these days and they aren’t always easy to find. I loaded up on coffee, expecting to be fighting off nap attacks. Boy, was I wrong! Peggy Jarrett and Cheryl Nyberg started their presentation with a silent movie depicting the perils of finding government documents just a short time ago, before the Internet. Now, many of these documents are available on the Web if you just know where to look. Jarrett and Nyberg gave general strategies on finding government documents, then moved to discussing lesser known avenues for finding these. They even included a few hints on where to look if the document just ISN’T to be found in electronic format. Each section of their presentation was given a theme, and introduced with music. We were even asked to sing a time or two. This presentation was ext remely helpful and anything but boring. Both the printed materials and the PowerPoint presentations are available at: http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/docstoday.html. Unfortunately, the audio files are not duplicated there, but the PowerPoint presentation concludes with the song list used. I-3: Recover 100% of Online Research Costs Wednesday, July 20, 2005 This was a very lively panel discussion which was well attended and generated quite a lot of interest from the audience. The speakers, including Ann Walsh Long and LaJean Humphries, has obviously touched a bit of a raw nerve among the law librarian community as evidenced by the continued debate which has spawned a new forum in the PLL list-serv on this topic. The main point that struck me was the declaration that recovery is a management decision. As the administrators of the online services we do our best to recoup as much as we can, but ultimately, unless there is corporate will to enforce recovery, we are pretty much like the little Dutch boy sticking his finger in one hole of a leaking dike, while other leaks are continuously breaking out. Strategies were outlined for increased cost recovery such as using client validation software, monitoring bills for non-billable charges and calling users to see if they have billable numbers, consideration of the “Jiffy Lube” model where all accounts have a built in CALR surcharge. Client education and communication to show that online use in research is cost effective to them as well as the firm is necessary, and cost recovery classes for attorneys should be held to show them how to do cost effective searches. Overall, a very thought provoking session. I give it four gavels. Continued on page 14


FEATURES

Saturday, July 16, 2005, marked the occasion of an informative, half-day workshop designed to introduce annual meeting participants to the process of systems thinking and illustrate how its philosophies, tools and practice can benefit librarians and information professionals. Rebecca Corliss ([email protected]), Lorri Zipperer ([email protected]) and Sara Tompson ([email protected]) co-instructed this pre-conference workshop, which was sponsored by the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section. As librarians and information professionals, we daily confront the challenges of providing appropriate resources and services to meet the specific needs of our clients, be they students, professors, paralegals, attorneys, judges, the general public, etc. When affiliated with larger organizations, however, information centers must also carefully consider the business, work, culture and interaction among individuals, departments and various business units in order to “see the big picture” and position themselves as “proactive” rather than “reactive.” Understanding the core concepts of systems thinking, for example the principle of “interconnectedness” (i.e., “everything is connected to everything else” and “whatever we do has a rippling effect”) can provide new, different perspectives from which to view the organizations where we work, redefine our roles within them and when and where possible, use the tools of systems thinking to help affect change. Corliss, Zipperer and Tompson apply the models and principles introduced in The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization to demonstrate the relevance and importance of systems

thinking for library and information professionals1. Accordingly, they recognize and recommend the following five phases of a systems thinking approach:

1. Structure problems so they are “expressed in

terms that are understandable and usable.” 2. Utilize “causal loops” and “feedback modeling”

to determine how different issues affect the relationships within organizations.

3. Perform “dynamic modeling” by examining situations and creating maps to plan for future change.

4. Practice and review various scenarios providing the opportunity for people to see issues from different points of view.

5. Apply and share information learned throughout the process.

Moreover, they point out a few documented “behavioral barriers” that may interfere with the adoption of a systems thinking approach, namely knowledge, organizational leadership, cultural and value-based beliefs and assumptions and personal time constraints. To learn more about systems thinking and how it can further benefit librarians and information professionals, please contact the workshop instructors and visit The Systems Thinking Perspective Project at http://www.sla.org/division/dbio/Systems . 1 See Peter M. Senge, et al., The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization (New York: Doubleday, 1994).

ANNUAL MEETING RECAP W-2 SYSTEMS THINKING: A NEW WAY TO STRATEGIZE

by Jennifer Kessler, Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, MA

D-4: Copyrights, Copywrongs, and Gray Areas In-between Monday, July 18, 2005 The panel for this discussion consisted of Carrie Russell from the American Library Association, Paul Callister from the University of Missouri - Kansas City, and Samuel Troscow, from the University of Western Ontario. Russell led off the discussion, giving a brief overview of the current status of copyright law as it applies to libraries and librarians. Russell is the Copyright Specialist for the ALA in its Washington Office and has a hand in helping write policy on copyright issues. Her speech was peppered with real life examples of how business lobbying has led to the current convoluted status

of copyright law. Callister and Troscow each gave some examples of copyright issues from the university perspective. One of the biggest emerging issues is e-reserves, where libraries either point to URL's for electronic services or have scanned articles for class reserves. Is this fair use or not? Answer: It depends on the risk management factors in your institution policies AND the license you have with the publishers. Overall, a lively, informative discussion of copyright law and copyright policies. Two thumbs up.

Random Thoughts, continued from page 14


FEATURES

CALIFORNIA CHAPTERED LAWS ONLINE, 1850 – CURRENT by Carolina Rose and Lisa Hampton, Legislative Research, Inc. (LRI), Sacramento, CA

In the interpretation of statutes, the courts will resort to the use of extrinsic aids to shed light on the Legislature’s intent.1 One such extrinsic aid of little known value is the multi-volume California Statutes and Amendments to the Codes (hereafter Statutes). Every bill passed since 1850 has been assigned a chapter number within a designated legislative session and is published in the Statutes. However, the four 1872 Code Enactments were published separately (Civ il, Civil Procedure, Penal and Political). Analyzing the evolution of a California code section from its earliest inception can yield valuable information regarding legislative intent. Regarding Internet access to the Statutes, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that, with the exception of the 1872 Code Enactments, the California Legislature has provided Internet access to all of the chaptered laws. The bad news is that one of the databases has its “challenges,” and has been known to test one’s sanity. Tips On How To Use The Statutes Here is an example of how to use the Statutes based on an actual project that our office worked on: Opposing counsel is asserting that a statute imposes a mandatory duty on your client. You disagree because a plain reading of the statute — “may do X” — reveals a discretionary intent. However, there is no case law to support your common sense analysis of the statute, so you turn to the West’s and Deering’s legislative history code annotations for the necessary Statutes citations that allow you to assemble every incarnation of the statute from day one. (West and Deering’s occasionally miss one or more citations so it is in your best interest to check both publications. Between the two of them, you can catch most of the omissions.) After analyzing the evolution of the statute, you discover that it was originally written to say “shall do X” before it was amended to say “may do X” – supporting your conclusion that the Legislature did not intend to create a mandatory duty on your client. Why can’t you just rely on the descriptions of the amendments in the annotated codes? There are several reasons. For example, many times the annotated codes do not provide the actual descriptions of the amendments, and sometimes their descriptions do not do justice to the actual amendments. Also, rarely do the annotations describe the first incarnation of a statute. They mainly focus on subsequent amendments; and they never describe the derivations, which are the prior law versions of the statute (i.e., when it existed under one or more different code sections or in uncodified general law). Lastly, it is difficult to keep track of statutory changes when there have been many amendments or re-letterings of subdivisions. You can avoid these problems by having the actual language in front of you.

Internet Access Tips (1) 1850 -1993. This database contains Adobe PDF versions of all of the chaptered laws from 1850 through 1993, excluding the 1872 Code Enactments. This is the most challenging database, and can be found on the Assembly’s web page: http://192.234.213.35/clerkarchive/. The third drop down menu on the left says “Statutes.” Click on the drag-down menu and scroll to the year you need. After selecting the year, a table of contents will open. Find the bank of chaptered laws that has your chaptered law number in it and click on it. This will open up the appropriate volume from the Statutes. Finding the chapter you need. Once you open the appropriate file, look for bookmarks on the left side of the screen. The word “Statutes” will be in the bookmarks column with a “+” sign next to it. Click on the symbol to expand the bookmarks which will allow you to see increment of chapter numbers. Click on the chapter number that is numerically closest to the one you are interested in. After that, it is simply a matter of scrolling through until you reach the specific chapter that you are interested in. Using large Adobe files. The best tip we can give is this: remain patient. Most of the files contained in this database are gigantic, some even exceeding 100MB. Files this large take a painfully long time to upload completely. Even with a high speed connection the average wait time is thirty or forty minutes. Because of these large sizes, we recommend closing all other applications before beginning the uploading process because you won’t want to overwhelm your computer. Your computer may appear to “freeze” while the huge records are uploading, but try to resist the temptation to reboot. You may be able to scroll through the file a couple of times, or even print once. But, risk too much activity before the file is completely uploaded, and your computer will get angry with you. One way around this, besides waiting for the upload to complete, is to exit and reenter after each activity. It “cleans the slate.” (2) 1993 - Current, without a bill number. Go to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/statute.html and enter the chapter number and year number and, in return, you will receive a word searchable HTML version of the chaptered law. (3) 1993 – Current, with a bill number. Go to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html and select the appropriate year from the first drop-down menu. The second drop-down menu allows you to select the bill type, either Senate or Assembly. In the text box, type in the bill number and hit “search.” The first entry under “Bill Text” will say “Chaptered.” You can view the chaptered law in either the HTML or PDF, depending on personal preference. Please note that the 1993-94 session only has the HTML version.


PLL NEWS

PLL/SIS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 2004 – 2005 July 16, 2005, San Antonio, TX

by Kaye Waelde, Faegre & Benson, LLP, Denver, CO

The meeting was called to order at 7:20 PM. The following members were present: Sue Johnson, Laura Whitbeck, Terry Psarras, Mary Kashollek, Chris Grasser, Patricia Barbone, Caren Luckie, Kaye Waelde Chris and Patricia were introduced as the newly elected board members. Old Business: It was moved, seconded and approved by a majority to accept last year’s meeting minutes. Sue was contacted about the library visitation program by Carole Hinchcliff, chair of the academic SIS. After discussing with other private law librarians and the board the difficulties involved in having a temporary person working in a private law firm, Sue wrote a formal report to decline the project. Other suggestions for assisting the academic librarians in understanding the law firm environment were mentioned and discussed. The board discussed the proposed Professional Achievement Award. The board voted to go forward with developing the award process for the award to be given at the 2006 annual meeting. Lynn Fogel will be in charge of this project. It was decided that the award would not be named for any individual, but would carry the name “Professional Achievement Award”. Terry Psarras will discuss the status of the marketing

toolkit with Michael St Onge and will report to the board on Wednesday. Sue reminded the board that we now how electronic voting and that PLL will now use Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure for parliamentary procedure. Sue announced that PLL Perspectives will be delivered electronically. New Business: Treasurer Caren Luckie reported that at this point we have over $ 20,000 in our account. That amount does not reflect the expenses of our VIP attendee or of the expenses for the grant recipients. Sue Johnson announced that John Michalik, the executive director of the Association of Legal Administrators is the chapter VIP this year and will speak at the PLL breakfast business meeting on Sunday. Sue also announced that AALL centennial opportunities will be presented at the breakfast meeting by Centennial Committee chair Elizabeth LeDoux. The board discussed the annual meeting programming changes and how they might affect the scheduling of our executive board meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 AM. Respectfully submitted; Kaye Waelde, PLL Secretary

PLL ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING July 17, 2005, San Antonio, TX

by Kaye Waelde, PLL-SIS Secretary, Faegre & Benson LLP, Denver, CO

Chair Sue Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:36 A.M. Sue Johnson asked for approval of the 2004 business meeting minutes. Laura Whitbeck asked for a correction to insert Margarita Bull’s name as the chair of the 2003- 2004 Grants Committee. Sue asked that the minutes be approved as corrected. A motion was made, seconded and approved. Sue thanked LexisNexis for sponsoring the breakfast for the business meeting. She also thanked Thomson West for sponsoring the PLL Luncheon and the PLL Leadership Reception. The 2004 - 2005 PLL Officers were introduced: Terry Psarras, Vice Chair/Chair-Elect; Kaye Waelde, Secretary; Caren Luckie, Treasurer; Members-at- Large, Laura Whitbeck and Mary Koshollek. The newly elected officers were introduced: Christine Graesser, Vice Chair/Chair–Elect; Patricia Barbone, Treasurer; Lynn Fogel, Board Member-at-Large.

Sue introduced the PLL VIP, John Michalik, the executive director of the Association of Legal Administrators. Mr. Michalik spoke on two topics. He first discussed the Professional Legal Management Week, which will be held October 3-7, 2005. Professional Legal Management Week will provide a forum for recognizing those in legal management for what they do and the role they play in the success of their organization and in its service to its clients and those who work in the organization. Sponsoring organizations are the ABA Law Practice Management Section, the American Association of Law Libraries, the International Legal Technology Association, the International Paralegal Management Association, the Legal Marketing Association, and the Association for Legal Career Professionals.

Continued on page 18


Mr. Michalik also addressed the question of what law librarians can do to make sure that administration and others understand what we do and how we can contribute to the bottom line. He read responses that he received from various administrators after posting the question to the ALA listserv. Here are highlights of the responses:

• Operate the library like a business unit • Very important to have a true cost of various

services – not dollar cost but cost effectiveness • Work with marketing and practice groups • The more training the better • Communication • Get the information the lawyers need at the

lowest cost • Useful to have someone with solid business sense

Chair’s Report: Sue stated that the PLL-SIS Annual Report would be published in the fall issue of the Law Library Journal. She summarized that we had a productive year. Our unofficial theme was “reaching out,” and we implemented that in a number of ways. Secretary’s Report: Kaye Waelde reported that in the 2005 election, 1466 ballots were mailed, and 549 were returned. Christine Graesser was elected Vice Chair/Chair Elect. Rebecca Corliss withdrew after the ballots were printed, so Patricia Barbone is the incoming Treasurer. Lynn Fogel was elected Board Member-at-Large. The bylaws amendment passed by an overwhelming majority. A motion was made, seconded and approved to destroy the ballots.

Committee Reports

Bylaws: Sue reported for Chair Johanna Bizub that we voted to allow electronic voting and to use Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure for parliamentary procedure.

Centennial: Committee Chair, Elizabeth LeDoux, reported that they are kicking off the AALL Centennial Celebration in San Antonio with the theme: PLL, the STARS of AALL. She distributed several visors and invited the members to visit the PLL table in the activities area to pick up a visor. The committee will also have an entry in the AALL Variety Show and the members were encouraged to volunteer.

Education: Committee Co-Chair, Christine Graesser reported that we had a nice representation of PLL in the program offerings this year. She reminded everyone of the August 15th deadline for program submissions for 2006 and encouraged the members to get their programs submitted.

Mentoring: Committee Chair, Stephanie Fox reported that, as the solo member of the mentoring committee, she was the contact member with the AALL mentoring Committee. The focus was on marketing the mentoring program. 30 PLL members were matched as mentors or mentees this year, which is a 50% increase over last year.

Grants: Sue Johnson reported for committee chair Carolyn Weber that 3 applications for grants were received this year. Two people received $1,000 grants to attend the annual meeting in San Antonio, Kelly Louis and Donna Fisher. Sue thanked Global Securities Information for their funding of the program.

Newsletter: Ronda Fisch reported for Committee Chair, Judy Floyd Evans that the newsletter is moving to electronic format. They have secured additional advertisers. West was thanked for its continuing support in publishing the newsletter.

Toolkit: LeJean Humphreys announced the new plan for the toolkit and said that we would give it one more year to finish. She asked for volunteers.

Public Relations: Catherine Whitney, Co -Chair, reported that the committee had “stress stars” created for handouts to follow the theme of “PLL the STARS of AALL”.

Webmaster: Pin-Sheng Hsiao reported that the web site has been completely redesigned with a new look and a new logo. Other new additions are an online volunteer form and some officers’ photos. She requested that members send photographs either from their libraries or from the conference. Pin also reported that the new online newsletter will be available in either pdf or html format on the PLL website starting with the next issue.

Strategic Plan: Sue Johnson reported for the committee that we would work within the AALL framework for our strategic plan.

Group Reports

Records Management: Chair Lee Nemchek reported that this year marks the fifth time that the Records group has had a program accepted for the annual meeting. Lee had opportunities to speak at several ALA programs, which reinforced our relationship with ALA. The legal records management textbook entitled Legal Records Management: A Handbook of Practice and Procedure won the prestigious Christine Zanotte Award for Excellence in Non-Serial Publications. The records group will hold its annual business meeting at the AALL

PLL NEWS PLL Business Meeting, continued from page 16

Continued on page 19


PLL NEWS

PLL/SIS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 2005 – 2006 July 20, 2005, San Antonio, TX

by Kaye Waelde, Faegre & Benson, LLP, Denver, CO

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 A.M. The following members were present: Terry Psarras, Sue Johnson, Lynn Fogel, Janice Leichter, Pin-Sheng Hsiao, Stephanie Fox, Anthony Smith, Randy Thompson, Mary Koshollek, Kaye Waelde, Elizabeth LeDoux, Patricia Barbone Old Business: Terry Psarras stated that we will go forward with the Professional Achievement Award and that Lynn Fogel will review and develop the guidelines. Terry reported that the executive committee will have quarterly conference calls. He will also formalize his communications to the members. The toolkit project will be handled by LeJean Humphreys. She will use the previous work that has been done and update it. Terry stated that our strategic plan will be simplified. Following the AALL outline of leadership education advocacy, we may have a weekend retreat in Chicago. Elizabeth reported that Claire Germain has set up a committee to work with the strategic plan and suggested that we could work with the PLL members on that committee. Elizabeth discussed the centennial events. She said that we need PLL volunteers for the variety show. Lunch at the 2006 meeting will be our centennial event. It will also be PLL’s 30th anniversary. The AALL Annual Meeting programming changes

were discussed. Time will be set aside for vendors and the AALL business meeting. Other than that, we can schedule our programs and meetings at any time. Proposals must be in by August 9th. We have to be aware of the costs when scheduling programs. The ALA representation was discussed. Our VIP this year was the executive director of the ALA. We want to have an administrative themed PLL Perspectives issue later this year. Chris and Stephanie will be working on that. We want to work toward official representation at the ALA Conference. Kaye suggested that we also work toward getting PLL articles in the online ALA Management Encyclopedia. The “From Ideas to Print” initiative was discussed. Unless we have a requirement from our employer, most of us don’t publish enough. Terri Lawrence has prepared handouts to support and encourage members to write more. Terry Psarras suggested that we should create guidelines for developing partnerships with the library schools to present programs. New Business: Mary brought up the issue of whether we have made any overtures to any legal marketing associations. The meeting was adjourned at 7:53.

Conference on Tuesday, July 19th at 7 a.m. Anyone with an interest in or responsibility for records and /or conflicts management is encouraged to attend.

Independents: Sue Johnson reported for Chair Joni Cassidy that the group’s online directory is still available at http://www.thecatalog.org/ill, and it is due to be updated again this coming year. The listserv, hosted on a server at Cassidy Cataloguing Service, is scheduled to be continued for the 2005 – 2006 year. Tuesday, July 19th, beginning at 7 a.m., the PLL-SIS Independents will be presenting a program, “Controllable Change: Doing what we can to affect our work environment.”

One person Libraries: Sue Johnson reported for Co-Chair Janice Leichter that this group will be more active this year. The OPLL discussion list will be used to generate more interaction in the group.

Intellectual Property: Luci Curci Gonzales invited the members to attend the IP breakfast on Monday morning at 7 a.m.

Multi-location Libraries: Chair Donna Purvis announced the Multi-location Group meeting on Tuesday at 11:45 a.m.

Chair Sue Johnson called for old business and there was none.

Chair Sue Johnson called for any new business. Judy Harris asked for volunteers for the SLA/PLL committee. Sue announced the new PLL – KM listserv.

Sue turned the meeting over to the new Chair Terry Psarras. Terry asked for committee volunteers.

The meeting was adjourned.

PLL Business Meeting, continued from page 18


PLL PERSPECTIVES Jan Brown Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP 123 S. Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19109

PLL NEWS

2004-2005 Treasurer’s Report by Patricia E. Barbone, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, LLP, New York, NY

Beginning Balance (9/30/2004) $16,210.76 *

Revenues: Advertising Contributions

$1,800.00

$13,000.00

Total Revenues $14,800.00

Expenses: Awards Food & Beverage Election Expenses Newsletter Expenses Misc. Expenses

$699.20 $125.30 $577.04 **

$8,268.74 $908.06

Total Revenues $10,578.34

Excess Revenues over Expenses $4,221.66

Ending Balance (6/30/2005) $20,432.42 ***

* 2004 statement showed an ending balance of $16,210.06; 2005 statements show beginning balance of $16,210.76 ** Categorized by AALL as Supplies and Postage *** Based on SIS statements from AALL through May 2005, and expenses submitted in June 2005.