president’s letter from stephanie hess the changing of the...

PRESIDENT’S LETTER from Stephanie HessThe Changing of the Guard

SFALL Newsletter, Volume 32, Issue 3, Summer 2009

As a relative newcomer to the South Florida Law Li-brary scene, I’ve been delighted to meet so many activeSFALL members, people who care deeply about the criticalroles they fulfill in the educating and supporting the local le-gal community. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to ourimmediate past-president Katie Brown for her ongoing tute-lage as I follow in her steps, to our Treasurer John Beatty forhis very capable handling of the chapter’s finances, and toour Secretary Deborah McGovern for keeping track of all thedetails. We’ve got a wonderful team and I expect us to ac-complish a great deal this year.

When I accepted my current position as Assistant Headof Technical Services for Acquisitions & Serials at NSU, it feltthat by returning to the law librarian fold, I was really goinghome. In 1998, I was introduced to law librarianship atGolden Gate University in San Francisco. Those were heady,exciting years for me as I found myself immersed in a fasci-nating new world. Working full-time while earning my MLISat San Jose State University kept me occupied and happy.During my tenure at GGU, I was promoted four times, ulti-mately becoming the Technical Services Librarian until mybittersweet departure in 2003.

After becoming an associate director at a mid-Atlanticcommunity college, I found myself at a loss difficult to ex-plain. I was busier than ever, training my new staff, review-ing workflows, and implementing initiatives but I missed thethrill of legal research. When engaged in collection develop-ment with colleagues, I sought out and suggested legal re-sources and tools to assess and acquire for the college’sparalegal and criminal justice programs. I waxed nostalgicover the law enforcement students’ desperate pleas for helpat the reference desk. I even missed cataloging governmentdocuments and found myself surreptitiously batch-loadingOCLC records for GPO publications in their electronic format.What can I say? Love makes us do crazy things sometimesand thus I was inextricably drawn back to law librarianship.

Continued on page 5….

Inside this

issue:

President’s

address

1

Pictures and infofrom the 2009AALL meeting

6-

10

President:Stephanie Hess

Vice-President/President-Elect : Michael Whiteman

Treasurer:John Beatty

Secretary :Deborah McGovern

Immediate Past President :Kathleen Brown

Committee Members

Archives CommitteeRobert Hudson

Bylaws CommitteeWanda Gozdz

Government CommitteeBarbara Brandon

Membership CommitteeIris Garcia

Newsletter CommitteeAlexandra OlsonMary Paige-Smith

Nominations CommitteeRobert HudsonSonia Luna-LamasMark Plotkin

Placement CommitteeSheryll Rappaport

Program CommitteeJanet Reinke

Public Relations CommitteeKerri-Ann Philp

Scholarship CommitteeCharles CratitTheo Karantsalis

Web Page CommitteeRobin Schard

SFALL Officers & Committee Chairs


FROM THE EDITORPlease think aboutsubmitting articles andnews to the newsletter.Share interesting newsand stories from yourlibrary with the SFALLmembership. Make thisyour newsletter!!

Send your submission orcomments to Alex.

CALENDAR

Stay tuned to your email; The next SFALL meetingwill be announced via the Listserv

Volume 32, #3

outh Florida

Association of Law

Libraries (SFALL)

membership is composed

of librarians employed in

academic, government,

and private law libraries

primarily in the South

Florida Area and is open

to all other interested

individuals.

In case you missed it, from AALL:

Tools for Success in Today’s EconomyIn response to the U.S. recession and its impact on law libraries, AALL has created a wiki ofTools for Success in Today’s Economy. On the wiki you will find:

Tips for operating your law library with a tight budgetAdvice on negotiating contracts with vendorsHow to interview effectively for your next

jobResources for professional developmentAnd much more

Any AALL member can add material to the wiki, sowe encourage you to use the tools and sharemore resources that will help our friends andcolleagues in AALL.

(Wiki link: http://aallnet.pbwiki.com; attachedlogo for wiki)

Volume 32, #3

PRESIDENT’S LETTER from Stephanie Hess (continued)The Changing of the Guard

Of course when Meg Kribble, our former secretary, cornered me in my office lastyear and asked me to stand for election as Vice-President/ President-Elect, I couldn’tsay no. It wasn’t just Meg’s effective use of the “sad puppy dog eyes” that promptedme to readily agree. It was the golden opportunity to serve, and learn from, my be-loved colleagues while working to maintain the vibrancy of South Florida’s law librarycommunity.

As incoming President, my primary goals for this year echo the tenets of AALL’sFive Year Strategic Plan: advocacy, education, and leadership. Ideally I would like tosee our chapter advocate for libraries of all stripes at the state and national levels ofgovernment as well as broaden public access to government information.

The central principle of open access has long been trumpeted as the cornerstoneof our republic, the means by which democratic principles are set forth and upheld.Perhaps Thomas Jefferson phrased this ideal best when he declared, “Whenever thepeople are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government." As a pri-vate citizen, I believe it is imperative for individuals to participate in molding their gov-ernment and hold their representatives accountable for their deeds. As a law librarian,I wish to maintain open avenues to government news and activities and help promotesound measures that will ensure unfettered access to government information here inFlorida as well as at the federal level.

Despite the economic downturn, I also think it crucial to increase membership byreaching out to students to offer educational support and guidance for those who ex-press an interest in law librarianship. Discounted memberships, grants, mentoring,and other educational opportunities could go a long way in sparking that interest butthe key ingredient is really SFALL’s best resource: our members.Which brings me to sound the clarion Call for Volunteers…SFALL is looking for a fewgood people to help with various committees. Government Relations, Membership,Scholarships…so many to choose from but which committee appeals? Where to bestshowcase your skills? I urge you to take a look at the SFALL web page and consider thefull array of options.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Talents differ, all is well and wisely put. If I can-not carry forests on my back, neither can you crack a nut.” Together, our chapter en-compasses the power of both the mountain and the squirrel. By combining every mem-ber’s expertise, I am confident that we’ll achieve wonderful things. I look forward toworking with everyone and welcome ideas from all parties. Whatever you care to con-tribute is very much appreciated so please feel free to jump in with ideas!

Best regards,Stephanie Hess


AALL 2009: SFALL Takes D.C. By Storm

Photos and Captions by Stephanie Hess

SFALL was well-represented at this year’s AALL Annual Meeting in Washing-ton, D.C. and we have the pictures to prove it. Behold!

I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those awesome members whogallantly volunteered their time and efforts towards making the SFALL Exhibit Halltable a success. Take a bow John Beatty, Erika Beck, Katie Brown, Linda Datko, andAlison Rosenberg – you’ve earned it!And special thanks to Alison’s spouse Michael Rosenberg for his help. What a

sport! How many spouses would be willing to sacrifice sight-seeing time in the na-

tion’s capitol to hand out flip flop bookmarks and erasers? And of course a super

special thanks goes to Katie for selecting such fun keepsakes and arranging for

their transportation. They went like hotcakes as the proverbial saying goes. Well

done everyone!

A True Work of Art: SFALL member

Jeannette Neuschaefer of Broward poses at

the D.C. Convention Center

Volume 32, #3

SFALL President Stephanie Hess: “Did you get my good side? Wait…do I have a good side?”

Former SFALL President and immediate-past Director of St. Thomas University Law Library Karl Gruben and

Sonia Luna-Lumas: A Reunion. Karl is doing well and enjoying his new position at UCSD. We miss you, Karl,

and wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Volume 32, #3

Linda Datko takes five after a grueling day of

sessions and meetings.

Linda Datko & Amy Hale-Janeke: Federal

law library dynamos and good pals in D.C.

Alison and Michael Rosenberg cover the SFALL table. Hey, it never hurts to

have eye candy and lollipops.


In the next issue… More online goodies, tips and much, much more. Please considersubmitting your articles, opinions and rants! And stay tuned...

James E. Starrs, author, scholar, law librarian, and gentleman signs a copy of his new

book for incoming SFALL President Stephanie Hess.

Special Announcements

Congratulations to Alison Rosenberg! Alison was re-

cently awarded a scholarship from FSU’s Law Librarians’

Fund. The scholarship will cover her fall tuition in FSU’s

Library and Information Studies program. Way to go, Al-

ison!

Volume 32, #3

Quick Hits: Notable Books I Scored at AALL 2009By Stephanie Hess

Internet cyberlaw scholar and author John Zittrain delivered a stirring key-note this year, a thoroughly entertaining, if at times chilling, overview of the pro-gressive lockdown of the Internet by means of ‘tethered’ devices’ as well as regu-latory measures that threaten the Net’s spontaneous user-centric ‘generativity’,the very core of network development and Web 2.0 services. In fact, Zittrain’saddress prompted me to dash over to the Exhibit Hall Bookstore to bag a copy ofhis latest work, The Future of the Internet and How To Stop It. (ISBN 978-0-300-15124-4). Also available via Kindle for all you “Cool Kids” out there! An excel-lent, brisk read, with solid research and vivid writing, Zittrain describes the de-clining innovation of the Net with empirical evidence and oodles of endnotes. Healso cites examples of individual and group ‘generativity’ that can save the Inter-net from its current path while addressing privacy and security concerns. In-cludes foreword by Lawrence Lessig. Highly recommended.

Naturally I couldn’t leave the Exhibit Hall with only one book! Turning, Igleefully pounced upon Citizens in Action: A Guide to Influencing Governmentpenned by advocacy guru Stephanie Vance. During this year’s Day on the Hillheld by the Government Relations Office, we attendees had the great experienceof learning invaluable advocacy tips from Vance’s presentation before stormingthe Capitol to meet with our own House representatives and Senators. This slimvolume is truly the Advocate’s Bible, packing a powerful punch for its size. Notonly does Vance include a comprehensive breakdown of how to craft your mes-sage verbally and in writing, but she demonstrates how to execute the researchthat will help you identify the appropriate parties to contact at both federal andstate levels of government. Employing personable, snappy prose, Vance de-scribes how to deliver your first ‘ask’ and follow up after meetings…for years ifnecessary. Emphasizing the importance of developing long-term relationshipswith legislators, she provides a practical blueprint that is very doable for noviceand experienced advocates. Bonus snaps for providing handy checklists! Highlyrecommended.

But wait! There’s more! I couldn’t return home without bearing gifts, es-pecially after leaving my partner alone to wrangle our two rambunctious dogs forfive days. Then I spotted The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historical CrimeScene Investigation, the latest work by James E. Starrs and Kira Gale. Perfect forany Meriwether and Clarke buff! While checking out, the nice ladies at the boothinformed me that James Starrs would be on site for a signing event at 1:00 PM. Iimmediately thanked them, vowing to return at the appointed hour. And I’mglad I did because Mr. Starrs is a charming, knowledgeable individual. He gra-ciously signed the book and we had a lovely conversation during which he sug-gested A Voice for the Dead: A Forensic Investigator’s Pursuit of Truth in theGrave (ISBN 0-399-15225-3), an earlier creation he’d authored with KatherineRamsland. Forensics is a fascinating field and Starrs does an excellent job usingmodern technology to reexamine the evidence of six high profile cold cases, in-cluding those of Afred G. Packer, Jesse James, and the Boston Strangler. Uponreading this book, I found its clinical descriptions lyrical and deductive reasoningirreproachable. Riveting and unforgettable, Starrs conveys his professional ex-periences with verve and intensity. Highly recommended.

president’s letter from stephanie hess the changing of the...

Documents