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In This Issue Blogs in Law Libraries Easing the Path for Newer Colleagues The CRIV Sheet The Trials and Tribulations of Building or Remodeling a Law Library Spectrum Volume 8 No. 7 May 2004 AALL AALL: Maximizing the Power of the Law Library Community Since 1906 www.aallnet.org th Annual Architecture Series 4

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Page 1: AALL Spectrum - archives.library.illinois.edu · The CRIV Sheet The Trials and Tribulations of Building or Remodeling a Law Library Spectrum Volume 8 No. 7 May 2004 AALL AALL: Maximizing

In This Issue

Blogs in Law Libraries

Easing the Path for Newer Colleagues

The CRIV Sheet

The Trials and Tribulationsof Building or Remodelinga Law Library

SpectrumVolume 8 No. 7 May 2004

AALLAALL: Maximizing the Power of the Law Library Community Since 1906

www.aallnet.org

th AnnualArchitectureSeries

4

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So it’s May already. Spring is in full force and soon rounding into summer, theweather is good, and new things are everywhere. I’ve never really thought about itbefore, but it is especially appropriate for the May issue of Spectrum to be our annualarchitectural issue. In covering architectural achievements in law library facilities, wecelebrate both the new and the renewal of the old. How fitting for a spring issue ofthe magazine.

The annual architectural issue always brings an interesting variety of projects toshow off, with plenty of valuable information about planning, building, remodeling,and moving a law library. As in the past, when planning the architectural issue we putout a call for authors on the law-lib online list discussion and got many more offersthan we could possibly use.

We are sincerely grateful to everyone who offered to write for this year’s issue andregret that we didn’t have room for more articles. The articles that you will find in thisissue represent much effort by the people who wrote them, but they also reflect realpride. We hope you find them useful and enjoyable.

Of course we offer more than just architectural articles this month. By now you’veprobably heard of Web logs—or blogs—but you may have wondered whether they area useful tool for law libraries; I know I have. Roy Balleste has written an interestingand highly informative article on blogs in law libraries that explains why they areuseful and provides a number of resources for investigating and getting started withblogs. I found it to be an excellent introduction to the topic, and it has me thinkingabout some creative ways to use this new Web-based tool.

As we continue to prepare for the AALL Annual Meeting in Boston this July, wefeature the return of John Pedini and another article about the sights and attractionsthat might interest you before, after, or during your time in Boston. Following lastmonth’s article on the attractions of Boston that are within walking distance of theAnnual Meeting site, this month John covers all of New England. He points out avariety of interesting places to visit in Massachusetts and surrounding states. If Johnever decides to leave librarianship, he could easily make a career of travel writing. We hope that you will find the information in his article enticing and will plan awonderful trip to the Annual Meeting.

Last month AALL Spectrum devoted its feature articles to the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The actual anniversary of the decision isthis month—May 17 to be exact—and we are pleased to note a number of importantevents marking the anniversary. Take special note of the Spring 2004 issue of LawLibrary Journal (96:2), to be published this month, which contains a special feature onthe 50th anniversary of Brown. The journal will contain an article entitled “FromBrown to Topeka to the Future” by Peter C. Alexander; a book review of Brown v.Board of Education: Case, Culture, and the Constitution by Brannon P. Denning; and“Brown v. Board of Education: A SelectedAnnotated Bibliography” by William H. Manz.Under Frank Houdek’s excellent editorial hand,these articles promise to add important voices tothe Brown commemoration.

New Architectural Beginnings for Law Librariesby Paul D. Healey, [email protected]

letter from the editor

Volume 8 No. 7 May 2004

AALL Spectrum

AALL Spectrum Magazine May 2004 1

On the cover:The University of Washington’s new law library is located in William H. Gates Hall. Skylightsallow natural light to stream into the libraryspace below.

Photo courtesy the University of Washington.

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table of contents the details

Professional Development Series: Blogs in Law LibrariesWeb Logs Offer an Electronic Alternative to Journals and Newsletters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8by Roy Balleste

Public Relations: Image and the LibrarianFrom Marian the Librarian to the Librarian ActionFigure, the Profession through the Public’s Eye . . . . . . . 10by Holly M. Riccio

The Trials and Tribulations of Building or Remodeling a Law Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12by Paul D. Healey

Less is More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14by Mark E. Estes

The Intellectual Hub of a New Law School . . . . . . . . . . . 16by Ed Edmonds

Designing a Library for the Computer Age . . . . . . . . . . . 18by Mary Kay Jung

Accessible to All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20by Gary Gott

Moving a Law Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22by Penny Hazelton and Jonathan Franklin

Easing the Path for Newer ColleaguesConference for New Law Librarians Helps Beginners Learn AALL’s Ropes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24by Joyce Manna Janto

Get to Know New EnglandSix States are Less than a Day Away from Boston . . . . . 26by John Pedini

Letter from Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1From the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4From the Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Committee News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28SIS News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Membership News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Editorial StaffDirector of Publications and Managing EditorJulia O’Donnell [email protected]

Editorial DirectorPaul D. Healey [email protected]

Copy Editor Robert B. Barnett Jr.Graphic Designer Kathy Wozbut

2003–2004 Law Library Journal and AALL SpectrumEditorial Board and Advisory CommitteeChair Camille BroussardMembers Sarah Andeen

Sue BurchDaniel R. CampbellNaomi J. GoodmanElizabeth A. GreenfieldBonnie L. Koneski-WhiteKathleen S. MartinLisa A. Mecklenberg JacksonPatricia ParkerPaul D. Healey (ex officio)Frank G. Houdek (ex officio)Sandra Marz (ex officio)

2003–2004 Executive BoardPresident Janis L. JohnstonVice President/President-Elect Victoria K. TrottaSecretary Catherine LemannTreasurer Anne C. MatthewmanImmediate Past President Carol Avery NicholsonExecutive Director Susan E. FoxMembers Kathy Carlson

James E. DugganAnn T. FessendenNina PlattAlvin M. Podboy Jr.Merle J. Slyhoff

AALL Spectrum (ISSN: 1089–8689) is published monthlyexcept January and August with combined September/Octoberby the American Association of Law Libraries, 53 W. JacksonBlvd., Suite 940, Chicago, IL 60604. Telephone: 312/939-4764, fax: 312/431-1097, e-mail: [email protected]. Periodicalspostage paid at Chicago, Illinois. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to AALL Spectrum, 53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 940,Chicago, IL 60604.

Writers wanted — contribute to your Association’s magazine. For guidelines, visit www.aallnet.org or contact EditorialDirector Paul D. Healey at [email protected].

AALL Spectrum DeadlinesArticles are due on the following dates:2003–2004 Issue DeadlineVol. 9, No. 1 Sept./Oct. July 22

No. 2 November August 19No. 3 December September 23

Copy sent through a columnist or guest editor should besubmitted to him or her well in advance of the monthly deadline.

AALLNET: www.aallnet.org

Advertising RepresentativesBenson, Coffee & Associates1411 Peterson Ave., Park Ridge, IL 60068Telephone: 847/692-4695 • Fax: 847/692-3877E-mail: [email protected]

AALL Spectrum is a free benefit of membership in the AmericanAssociation of Law Libraries. Of each year’s dues, $42 is for oneyear of AALL Spectrum. Nonmembers may subscribe to AALLSpectrum for $75 per year. For membership and/or subscriptioninformation, please contact the American Association of LawLibraries at the address above.

The American Association of Law Libraries does not assume anyresponsibility for the statements advanced by the contributors to,nor the advertisers in, the Association’s publication. Editorialviews do not necessarily represent the official position of theAssociation. All advertising copy is subject to editorial approval.∞ AALL Spectrum is printed on acid-free, recycled paper.

All contents copyright 2004 by the American Association ofLaw Libraries, except where otherwise expressly indicated.Except as otherwise expressly provided, the author of each itemin this issue has granted permission for copies of that item to be made for classroom use or for any other educational purpose,provided that (1) copies are distributed at or below cost, (2)author and AALL Spectrum are identified, and (3) proper noticeof copyright is affixed to each copy. For items in which it holdscopyright, the American Association of Law Libraries grantspermission for copies to be made for classroom use or for anyother educational purpose under the same conditions.

f e a t u r e s

c o l u m n s

Germain, Janto, Myers, and Sullivan Elected to Executive Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Annual 2004 Business Meeting Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35FCIL-SIS Requests Teaching Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Make Way for AALL 2004 Book Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

a n n o u n c e m e n t sThe CRIV Sheet

c e n t e r i n s e r t

Ad Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Update on Strait Fundraising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Professional Development Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

d e p a r t m e n t s

AALL Spectrum Magazine May 20042

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 20044

Okay, so I have an unusual title for thismonth’s column, but my local PBS stationwas doing one of its fundraising events andaired a special on music from the ’60s and’70s. It showed a clip of Marvin Gayeperforming his classic, “What’s GoingOn,” and the song has been stuckin my head ever since.

Before I start my ownsoulful rendition right here atthe office (when I sing athome, the dog howls), let’stalk about what’s going on,or more to my point, let’sspot the trends that willimpact our professional lives.

When you find every dayfilled with a to-do list a mile long, itgets hard to focus on trends. With so much“doing,” it is almost impossible to find timeto think about the changes that are affectingyour firm, law school, corporation, court,county, or other government entity. Who has time to reflect on the future, much lessprepare for it?

We may be accomplishing many tasks,but are we working on the right things? Wemay be meeting our users’ information needstoday, but are we thinking about how to dothat in our technology-driven future? Wemight be succeeding with current goals, but are we setting the right things in motionto prepare for tomorrow? We might befollowing proven methods, but are wetraining ourselves to be flexible and adaptivefor a constantly changing future?

There is much about the future that wecannot predict, but it is dangerous to beoblivious to the trends developing around us. It is hard to respond well when caughtcompletely by surprise. Some of us mightaspire to be the trendsetters in ourorganizations, but at the least, all of us

from the president by Janis L. Johnston,[email protected]

should know a trend when we see one andposition ourselves to take best advantage ofchanging circumstances.

Next year AALL will create a newstrategic plan to take the Association into

the future. As with previous plans, we’ll do what has been termed

an “environmental scan” asbackground work beforedrafting the plan. Anenvironmental scan to me isreally an exercise in trendspotting—asking the questionsabout what is likely to

transpire in our world in thenext three to five years. It is not

an easy task, and this time arounddoing a really good job of trend

spotting will be critical to the success ofAALL in meeting member needs.

For the next plan it will be moreimportant than ever that we ask the rightquestions, seek the right data, and look morebroadly and more diversely to gather a widevariety of perspectives about the future oflibraries and the legal profession. Without aclear understanding of the trends that willimpact our profession, we cannot create aplan that best positions the Association toadvocate for our interests and serve oureducational and networking needs.

No exercise in trend spotting will makeus clairvoyant. Maybe Dionne Warwick(who was in the PBS special too and in the’90s was a spokesperson for the PsychicFriends Network) can see our future clearly.But the more research and thought we giveto identifying trends and their implicationsfor law librarianship, the more we increaseour potential to exert influence on and workwell with new trends.

Is it enough for AALL to engage intrend spotting on your behalf? As much as

I hope the new strategic plan will engage,enlighten, and empower all of us, I thinkeach of us is wise to engage in some trendspotting of our own. Marvin would approve.Each of us is best positioned to see the moreimmediate trends emerging for our librariesand our parent institutions. The trendtoward law firm mergers has private lawlibrarians very much on the alert. The trendof reduced funding for county law librariesin several states has our state, court, andcounty SIS colleagues very engaged inadvocacy. Each of us would be wise toanticipate the changes such trends willimpose and prepare for the next trends onthe horizon.

The how-to of trend spotting is prettystraightforward: pay attention to local and national news, read the journals yourboss reads, invest in subscriptions to trade publications for lawyers, monitordevelopments in technology, pay attentionto the ups and downs of the economy, talkwith the attorneys/judges/professors in yourorganization, attend professional meetings,talk with your colleagues, stay alert, and,most importantly, think about what youdiscover. Finding time to do all this isn’teasy, but it is so very important to thesuccess of our libraries and the future of our profession.

Identifying and understanding theemerging trends gives you time to respondeffectively to change; it also providesopportunities for you to use newdevelopments to your best advantage. That is what AALL will be doing as it crafts our next strategic plan. I hope you will do the same.

I apologize to you all for this concludingsentence, but those who pay attention totrends don’t have to lament, “I heard itthrough the grapevine.” Sorry, Marvin.

Ode to Marvin Gaye, or the Art of Trend Spotting

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 20046

The Association’s fiscal year ended onSeptember 30, 2003, at which time theindependent audit firm of Wolf andCompany examined our financialrecords.

Wolf is retained by the Executive Board tocertify the accuracy of the financial statementsand the integrity of theAssociation’s accountingsystems. The essence ofthe audit report is anopinion as to whether the statements fairly andaccurately report thefinancial condition of theAssociation at the end of the year.Again this year, Wolf rendered anunqualified opinion to the effect that ourfinancial statements “present fairly, in allmaterial respects, the financial position of the American Association of Law Libraries asof September 30, 2003 ... and the results ofits operations and cash flows for the year …in conformity with generally acceptedaccounting principles.”

At the February meeting of the Financeand Budget Committee, the Wolf andCompany partner responsible for our auditpresented the report and comments regardingthe overall financial condition of the

from the treasurer by Anne C. Matthewman, [email protected]

Association. Members of the committeewere given an opportunity to ask questions

regarding any items related to thestatements, methods, records, or

procedures employed by thefinancial staff.

The schedules foundon the following pagessummarize the datapresented in the auditreport received by theExecutive Board. If youwould like to receive the

complete report, you mayrequest a copy from Steve

Ligda, AALL director offinance and administration.Schedule A is a comparison

of the assets, liabilities, and fundbalances of total Association Funds as ofSeptember 30 (the fiscal year-end) of thetwo most recent years. The investmentportfolio composes the largest segment ofAALL’s assets. Overall, its three investedfunds, the permanent investment, restrictedendowment, and cash management funds,account for 81 percent of AALL’s assets atSeptember 30, 2003.

I am pleased to report that thepermanent investment fund increased invalue by more than $144,000 as a result of the gains realized in the investmentportfolio. AALL’s investment manager at Chevy Chase Trust has guided theAssociation’s equity and bond investmentsthrough the rough waters of recent marketsto recover nearly all of its value that was lostafter September 2001. The overall portfoliocontinues to reflect a modest approach, witha market volatility of slightly less than theS&P 500 index.

Three years ago AALL segregated and endowed funds, which have beencontributed by members and AALLsupporters, to ensure that all contributionsto these funds are permanently endowed and support the intentions of the donors.These endowed funds are comprised of theScholarship Fund, the AALL/West GeorgeA. Strait Minority Scholarship Endowment,the Lexis-Nexis/John R. Johnson MemorialScholarship Endowment, Institute forCourts Management Fund, Alan HolochMemorial Fund, Ellen Schaffer AnnualMeeting Grant Fund, and the AALL/LexisNexis Research Fund. I am pleased tonote that the Strait Endowment increased by$50,000 during this past fiscal year, whichwas the result of the contributions from

members, SISs, chapters, and publishers. We are within striking distance of the$100,000 goal set for AALL, and I feelconfident that fiscal year 2004 will see usexceed that target.

Schedule B compares the variousrevenue and expense accounts for the 2002 and 2003 fiscal years.

Overall, 2003 revenues increased by$359,000 from the prior year, primarily as a result of increased revenues from theAnnual Meeting and net gains from ourinvestments.

Increased revenue was also generatedfrom membership dues and publications and royalties. Although overall scholarships,grants, and contributions brought in less

Comparative Statement of Revenues & Expenses

Schedule BTotal of All Funds: Current Reserve, Investment,

Special Interest Sections, and Restricted

Fiscal Year Fiscal Year2002 2003

RevenuesMembership Dues $ 652,734 $ 690,259Publications & Royalties 593,921 603,418Scholarships, Grants,

Contributions 237,820 130,785Annual Meeting 1,158,873 1,294,508Professional Development 51,871 55,325Member List Sales 116,931 102,526Dividend & Interest Income 86,381 81,819Realized Gain (Loss)

on Investments (67,362) (148,492)Unrealized Gain (Loss)

on Investments (148,959) 219,770Special Interest Sections 97,427 98,701Other Revenues 29,486 39,429

Total Revenues $ 2,809,123 $ 3,168,048

ExpensesPublications $ 669,781 $ 623,562Annual Meeting 1,168,596 1,093,656Professional Development 139,201 57,851Executive Board & Committees 180,317 147,087Government Affairs 14,407 14,401Scholarships, Grants,

Contributions 45,906 44,396Representatives to Allied

Organizations 179,810 199,859Special Interest Sections 90,525 113,266Administrative & General 702,989 691,630

Total Expenses $ 3,191,532 $ 2,985,708

Excess (Deficiency) of Revenues over Expenses $ (382,409) $ 182,340

Fund Balance at the Beginning of the Year $ 3,157,501 $ 2,694,044

Prior Year Adjustments $ (81,048) $ —

Fund Balance at the End of the Year $ 2,694,044 $ 2,876,384

Comparative Balance SheetsSchedule A

Fiscal Year Fiscal Year2002 2003

AssetsCash $ 60,819 $ 243,773Accrued Interest Receivable 21,136 24,986Accounts Receivable 79,794 186,373Prepaid Expenses 405,006 115,194Investments at Market Value 3,088,112 3,037,359Furniture & Equipment,

net of depreciation 143,287 119,509

Total Assets $ 3,798,154 $ 3,727,194

Liabilities & Fund BalancesAccounts Payable &

Accrued Expenses $ 278,425 $ 268,111Deferred Membership Dues 430,734 486,781Deferred Subscription Income 111,709 90,818Deferred Exhibit Fees 19,400 5,100Deferred Compensation 263,842 —

Unrestricted Fund Balances 2,037,448 2,193,115Restricted Fund Balances 656,596 683,269

Total Liabilities & Fund Balances $ 3,798,154 $ 3,727,194

AALL Recovers from Deficit

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 2004 7

than in 2002, the decrease was due in largepart to West Group’s 2002 contribution tofund the George Strait Minority ScholarshipEndowment.

Fiscal year 2003 expenses decreased by $206,000 compared to the previous year; this was caused by staff vacancies atheadquarters and savings reported from the Annual Meeting and professionaldevelopment programs. I am grateful to the Finance and Budget Committee, theExecutive Board, and the Association stafffor their serious efforts to cut expenseswherever possible during this past year.

In total, the net surplus from all fundsand activities was $182,340 in fiscal 2003, as compared to a deficit of $382,409 in2002—a significant turnaround in our fiscalhealth and a positive sign that our financialpolicies have served us well.

For the past four years, including 2003,the permanent investment fund has failed to achieve its targeted level as specified byour financial policy. In years prior to 2000,when our portfolio generated substantialmarket gains, the value of the fund exceededthe target and was sufficient to allowwithdrawal of some portion of the fund tosupport specific projects, such as funding theGovernment Affairs Fund, publishing aneconomic study of legal publications pricing,

retaining a development consultant toincrease contributions in support of theAssociation, and publishing the Price Indexof Legal Publications and the Biennial SalarySurvey. With our continuing inability towithdraw market-generated profits from our investments, the task of funding suchprojects has become increasingly difficult.

Additionally, the withdrawals helped tomaintain the balance of the current reservefund—our reserve against unexpected deficitsincurred in our operating fund. The sumtotal of four years without withdrawals, plusthe deficit reported in 2002, left the currentreserve fund with a negative balance of$59,941 one year ago. Although the negativebalance of the fund has not been eliminated,it has been reduced to $30,675 at the 2003fiscal year end. The value of the PermanentInvestment Fund continues to increase, andwith modest returns from the marketbetween today and September 30, 2004, Iforesee the permanent investment fund onceagain exceeding its target level. This will allowus to withdraw a portion of our market gainsto fund programs of value to our membersand help rebuild our current reserve fund.

Schedule C reports the fiscal year resultsof the general/operating fund only. The fundexperienced a significant turn-around from2002, as revenues increased and expensesdecreased to net a modest excess of $37,303.

Analyses of some specific items from thegeneral fund are noted as follows:• Dues revenues were reported at

$690,259, an increase of $37,525 fromfiscal 2002. This improvement was due inlarge part to the first $15 installment of the dues increase, which was effectivefor the membership year that began on June 1, 2003.

• Net revenues generated from theAnnual Meeting were $135,635 greaterthan in 2002.

• Although the Seattle Meeting attracted1,858 registered attendees, it failed tomatch the expected (budgeted) level of 1,940 registrants. The meeting alsoexperienced a drop-off in Exhibit Hall revenues as three of our largestvendors scaled back their Tech Centerdemonstration areas. Exhibit space salestotaled 164, our lowest total since 1998,and total firms in the hall declined to83, by far our lowest total ever.

• Our professional development programs have recovered to a nearbreak-even level as two of the threeSeattle programs were oversubscribed—quite an improvement over 2002 whenthree programs were cancelled for lackof registrants.

Schedule D details the components ofthe restricted and unrestricted fund balancesfrom the bottom of Schedule A.

Various funds and projects have beenestablished by the Executive Board to ensure that adequate funding is available tosupport issues, advocacy views, or specificprogramming efforts or, as is the case withrestricted endowments, that contributionsare accounted for and restricted to theirintended purposes. As the various fundsachieve their intended objectives, theirunexpended balances are returned to thecurrent reserve fund.

The current reserve fund, as noted earlier,is still in a deficit position. The Finance and Budget Committee discussed andexamined several alternatives to restore thefund to a surplus balance. The committee’srecommendations were presented for boardapproval at its April Meeting. I expect toreport on the board’s recommendationsduring the Business Meeting in Boston.

If any member would like to commentor would like clarification of our financialperformance or policies, please feel free tocontact me or Steve Ligda. We will be gladto respond.

Comparative Statement of Fund Balances

Schedule D

Fiscal Year Fiscal Year2002 2003

FundsCurrent Reserve Fund $ (59,941) $ (30,765)Investment Fund (at Market) 1,674,723 1,819,061Special Interest Sections 166,088 154,967Aspen Research Grant Fund 26,161 18,811Call for Papers Award Fund (500) (1,250)Government Affairs Fund 36,828 37,260Grant Fund 128 3,729Schaffer Annual Meeting Grant Fund 17,885 17,616Scholarship Fund 89,544 92,473AALL & West George A. Strait

Minority Scholarship Endowment 185,732 236,152CIS Scholarship Fund 5,074 5,074ICM Scholarship Fund 33,348 33,739Minority Leadership Award Fund 930 —AALL Memorial Fund 9,785 9,270LexisNexis™/John R. Johnson

Memorial Scholarship Endowment 185,141 177,197Holoch Fund 10,068 10,166West Professional Education Fund (110) —LexisNexis Series Project — 2,335AALL/LexisNexis Research Fund 84,676 75,584Chapter Relations Project 1,250 —IFLP Reserve Fund 206,999 206,999Continuing Education Project 5,829 —Media Relations Project 3,836 —Biennial Salary Survey Project 2,603 —Price Index 2000 Publication Project 7,967 7,966

Totals $ 2,694,044 $ 2,876,384

Comparative Statement ofRevenues & Expenses

General (Operating) Fund

Schedule C

Fiscal Year Fiscal Year2002 2003

RevenuesMembership Dues $ 652,734 $ 690,259Publications & Royalties 265,619 245,750Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals 322,304 354,984Annual Meeting 1,158,873 1,294,508Professional Development 51,871 55,325Member List Sales 116,931 102,526SIS Dues Allocated to HQ 38,892 43,951Other Revenues 39,454 42,020

Total Revenues $ 2,646,678 $ 2,829,323

ExpensesPublications $ 471,928 $ 426,977Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals 197,853 196,585Annual Meeting 1,168,596 1,093,656Professional Development 139,201 57,851Executive Board & Committees 180,317 147,087Administrative & General 702,989 691,630Representatives to Allied

Organizations 165,983 178,234

Total Expenses $ 3,026,867 $ 2,792,020

Excess (Deficiency) of Revenuesover Expenses $ (380,189) $ 37,303

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 20048

Ican onlyimaginewhat Jean

FrançoisChampollionwould havesaid had helived duringthis age of theInternet.Champollionis known forbeing the firstdecrypter ofEgyptianhieroglyphics.He would have found theInternet to bea great place to record hisresearch.

A Web log would have been the ideal tool to share with fellow scientists his dailydiscoveries in the land of the pharaohs when he first visited Egypt in 1828. To makematters more interesting, Champollionwould have been able to syndicate the newsof his discoveries throughout the Webdirectly from his Web log.

Today, more than 185 years later, weenjoy a great technological advantage—blogsprovide us with theelectronic equivalent ofa public journal. Blog,short for Web log, “is aWeb page that servesas a publicly-accessiblepersonal journal for anindividual,” accordingto Webopedia.“Typically updateddaily, blogs oftenreflect the personalityof the author.”

The term blog canbe used as both a nounand verb (he blogs, sheis a blogger, I have ablog, etc.). Peoplefrom all walks of lifeuse this tool to shareideas on diverse topics, thoughts, andpersonal experiences. “[U]nmonitored, eachblogger is author, editor, and publisher,beholden solely to his or her own whims and desires,” wrote Michael Snider in theSeptember 15, 2003, issue of Maclean’s.

As we migrate many of our libraryresources to electronic media, blogs offer anattractive option. Their malleability andfunctionality make them ideal for use in the

library setting. The technology is fairlysimple, and best of all, you can set up yourown library blog for free. There are twomain applications for a blog: creating ajournal and creating a newsletter.

As a librarian you may want to set up ablog for yourself as a daily log of activities.Or you could create a blog for your libraryto keep the law school, partners at the firm,or judges at the courthouse informed. Whywould you use a blog instead of thetraditional newsletter? Convenience.

Why Blog?As an online newsletter, blogs are easy to setup and much easier to update. The process of setting up a print newsletter is time-consuming and costly. Many blogs are free,while print newsletters require particularsoftware, like MS Publisher or AdobePageMaker. Print newsletters also involvesupplies such as paper and ink and rely on the perfect functioning of a copier.Distribution of blogs is simple with either e-mail addresses or a link to the page.Moreover, blog service providers oftenprovide tools to update templates in a matterof seconds. The possibilities are endless, and the rewards are promising.

Blogging in librarianship is not new, yet it is still an emerging technology forlibrarians. Blogs by librarians started to

appear about twoyears ago, and theyhave become moreand more popularover time. One of thebest law library blogexamples comes fromthe Stark CountyLaw Library in Ohio(http://temp.starklawlibrary.org/blog/). The blog,managed by NancyStinson and KendelCroston, is anexcellent illustrationof a newsletter for thelegal community.From informationabout software

programs, such as Time Matter and AmicusAttorney, to information about ABA events,this blog promises to capture your attention.The information provided is up-to-date andtimely.

The following blogs provide more greatexamples of this medium’s potential for lawlibrarians, general librarians, and lawyers:LawLibTech (www.lawlibtech.com/) by lawlibrarian Cindy L. Chick; LibrarianInBlack

Blogs in LawLibraries

Web Logs Offer anElectronic Alternative to

Journals and Newsletters

by Roy Balleste

The Career Development Task Force, which coordinates the Desktop Learning

Opportunity Series, encourages members to exploreprofessional development offerings and

opportunities at the local, regional, and nationallevels. We welcome your comments and article

suggestions. Please contact Phyllis Marion at619/525-1429 or [email protected].

© 2004 Roy Balleste

professional development series

AALL Professional DevelopmentProgram Competencies of LawLibrarianship

1 Core Competencies

Specialized Competencies2 Library Management3 Reference, Research, and Client

Services4 Information Technology5 Collection Care and Management6 Teaching

This article addresses the AALL SpecializedCompetencies on Information Technology. Thecomplete AALL statement of Competenciesof Law Librarianship is online at www.aallnet.org/prodev/competencies.asp.

Web logs by librarians have become more and morepopular over time. They can serve as daily logs ofactivities or to keep law schools, firm partners, or judgesinformed of library happenings.

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 2004 9AALL recognizes major support from BNA, Inc. for the Professional Development Program.

a desktop learning opportunity

(www.librarianinblack.net/) by librarianSarah Faery; Law Related-KnowledgeAforethought (http://knowledgeaforethought.blogs.com/) by lawyer TomCollins; Excited Utterances (http://excitedutterances.blogspot.com/) bylawyer Joy London; Leah’s Law LibraryWeblog (http://radio.weblogs.com/0109773/) by law librarian Leah Sandwell-Weiss; LisNews.com (http://lisnews.com/)by librarian Blake Carver; and The ShiftedLibrarian (www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/)by librarian Jenny Levine.

Choosing a ProviderYou do not need to learn new software orhave prior designing experience to start ablog. For those librarians who do knowHTML, you have an added advantage andthe potential to customize your blog.However, avenues exist to customize yourblog that do not require HTML knowledge.

First, be aware that there are two typesof blogging services: hosted blogs andserver-based blogs. With hosted blogs, allthe tools are prearranged in advance for youon the Web. You simply pick a serviceprovider and begin the journey. The server-based option requires that you purchase thenecessary software and provide your ownmaintenance. (For more information onserver-based blogs, see “For FurtherInformation” on this page.) This article willconcentrate on hosted blogs because theyare far easier and less expensive to operate.

Several companies offer free bloghosting. The most notable examples areBlogger (www.blogger.com) andLiveJournal (www.livejournal.com).JoeUser (www.joeuser.com), DiaryLand(www.diaryland.com/), and Electric Diary(www.electricdiary.com) are also goodchoices, but they offer much simpler tools.Blogs are easier to learn than programs likeDreamweaver or PowerPoint. You create auser name and password, and that is it.Once you are logged in, the work isminimal—you will be able to design yourblog in a matter of minutes.

An account with Blogger includes toolssuch as bold and spell checking. LiveJournaloffers the same tools, and a yearly paidaccount ($25) will give you access toadditional options. Often, more than oneperson may work on the same blog. Andlook for special features that each serviceprovider touts. For instance, LiveJournal willsell you a polo shirt with your logo on it.

Getting StartedSetting up a blog is simple—as simple assending an e-mail. First, log on to your

selected service provider and click on the“create an account” button or link. Then,select a username and password—mostlikely the username that you select willbecome part of your blog’s URL. Next, fillin your personal information. After thisstep, sites like LiveJournal will give you theoption to upgrade to a paid account thatoffers more features; however, your blog will work perfectly with the free account.

Once the account is established,navigate the site; see what other bloggershave done and familiarize yourself with theavailable tools. An advantage to using ahosted service is that you are allowed tonavigate to other blogs and see how theyhave used the service. Next, begin writing.

Select the required option (it is self-explanatory), choose a title for your posting(if necessary), and begin to write. For thoselibrarians with experience using Blackboardor Twen, you will find that blog tools are similar and that the navigation iscomparable. If you prefer the option ofhard-coding HTML, you will be able to do so, but the preview option may not beavailable with all service providers. Eitherway, once done, click on the preview buttonto access your project and, when you’resatisfied, submit it. It is that simple!

Syndicate Your Blog and Spreadthe WordNow that you know how to design a blog,why not spice it up? Syndication, usingRSS, could be your ticket. There is no fullagreement yet as to what RSS stands for.“You will see it called RDF Site Summary,Rich Site Summary, and even Really SimpleSyndication,” wrote David Mattison in theFebruary 2003 issue of Searcher. The mostcommon designation, however, is Rich SiteSummary.

RSS, based on standards provided by XML, is a data format that allowscomputers to exchange summaries ofinformation. Although a blog will functionproperly without syndication, this optionprovides a robust instrument and manypossibilities. “[W]hile your words originateat your Web log, it’s possible to let othersrepackage your words and offer them inunique ways on different sites,” reportsBaush, Haughey, and Hoirihan, who havewritten a book on blogging.

A considerable incentive for bloggingstems from the publicity received by the useof RSS feeds. “[Y]our viewers will thankyou, and there will be more of them,because RSS allows them to see your sitewithout going out of their way to visit it,”according to RSS.

Although you can find other syndicationtools different from RSS, the format is “themost widely used and supported today,”according to www.faganfinder.com, anInternet link compilation site. LiveJournalwill offer you the option to add RSS feeds.Blogger, on the other hand, provides a newsyndication format called Atom. It is up toyou to search and explore your options.

Tap into the Tech GenerationIf you are you still wondering why youwould use a blog, remember that delivery ofinformation is our first name and retentionof patrons is our second name. Aslibrarians, we know that understanding ourpatrons helps us tailor our services. Blogscan increase visibility to your library andultimately your work. Like a newspaper,you will develop a faithful readership—maybe even a fan base. And the syndicationfeature could expand your fan base beyondthe walls of your library.

When David Winer began his blog,Scripting News, back in 1995, I am surethat he understood the potential of thistechnology. In 1997 he became the mostpopular blogger. People do read blogs, andwith proper marketing, their messages canspread throughout the Web. Go ahead, signup and blog on!

Roy Balleste ([email protected]) is headof public services at St. Thomas UniversityLaw Library in Miami.

For Further Investigation

Webopediawww.pcwebopedia.com

Web logsPaul Baush, Matthew Haughey andMeg Houriman, “We Blog: PublishingOnline with Web logs,” 4 (2002).

RSS Cory Doctorow, et. al., EssentialBlogging, 17-18 (2002).

Server-Based BloggingCory Doctorow, et. al., EssentialBlogging, (2002).

David Winer, Founder and CEO ofUserland Software in Silicon ValleyJ.D. Lasica, “Web logs: A New Sourceof News,” We’ve Got Blog, PerseousPublishing, 179 (2002).

Jean François ChampollionCarl Segan, Cosmos, 292-293, (1983).

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Many people, when asked to describe or conjure upan image of a librarian,

remember Marian the Librarian fromthe musical The Music Man. The lead character, Marian Paroo, alibrarian and music teacher, is a self-proclaimed spinster who has tofight off the attempts of everyone,including her own mother, to find a man for her. She is characterized as“picky, hardworking, bookish, andpitiable.” The phrase comes from the song bearing her epithet, andalthough it is more than 40 years old, the image still remains as theprominent librarian stereotype.

But librarians have beenportrayed in all kinds of flatteringways—in film and the popularmedia—both recently and in thepast. Although there may not be a

clear answer for the image problem that theprofession faces, it is clear that librarianship is changing and evolving, and the way thatlibrarians are perceived by the public andportrayed in the media is changing andevolving with it.

I’m Ready for My Close-UpThere have been many portrayals of librariansin movies. Numerous Web sites exist thattrack and trace librarians in the movies,including Librarians in the Movies: AnAnnotated Filmography at http://emp.byui.edu/raishm/films/introduction.html. This sitebreaks down movies into subcategories basedon how prominent librarians or librariesappear in the films. For a more scholarly andanalytical approach, see an article publishedin MC Journal: The Journal of AcademicMedia Librarianship titled “The LibrarianStereotype and the Movies” (http://wings.buffalo.edu/publications/mcjrnl/v1n1/image.html), which looks at 30 films to determinehow librarians were stereotyped inHollywood movies.

One of the earliest positive portrayals oflibrarians in the movies (and probably one ofthe more well known among librarians) isfound in Desk Set. In this 1957 film, engineerRichard Sumner (played by Spencer Tracy) is hired to install a new computer system inthe reference department of a TV network.The librarians (one of whom is played byKatherine Hepburn) are smart, capableprofessionals and engage in some very wittydialogue.

However, there are also some otherunflattering portrayals of librarians, includinga spinsterish librarian that shushes HollyGolightly (Audrey Hepburn) and Paul Varjak

Image and the Librarian

From Marian the Librarianto the Librarian ActionFigure, the Profession

through the Public’s Eye

by Holly M. Riccio

© 2004 Holly M. Riccio

public relations(George Pappard) when they are in the NewYork Public Library in Breakfast at Tiffany’s(1961); a small town librarian (portrayed by Barbara Stanwyck) who, on her way towork, is called “old lady four eyes” by localkids in Forbidden (1932); and the world’smeanest archivist, Bertha Anderson, awoman who wears her hair in a bun andhas an intimidating stare on her face inCitizen Kane (1941).

The overall portrayal of librarians infilm in recent years has been overwhelminglypositive. Just look at Foul Play (1978),where Goldie Hawn plays Gloria Mundy, ashy San Francisco librarian who helps solvea crime. Another film, Black Mask (1996),has Jet Li playing a gentle, mild-manneredlibrarian who is also a superhero. Librarianshave also begun to be portrayed asattractive, desirable, and sometimes evensexy. Some examples include Head OverHeels (1979), in which Mary Beth Hurtportrays a librarian who is obsessively lovedand pursued by the hero (played by JohnHeard); Hammett (1983), where MariluHenner plays a sexy librarian; and MajorLeague (1989), which stars Rene Russo as ayoung, beautiful librarian with a master’sdegree. However, the image of the sexylibrarian can be traced back to 1932, withthe release of No Man of Her Own, a filmthat starred Clark Gable as a con man whogoes to live in a small town and meets thelocal librarian, played by Carole Lombard.This film became famous for the scene inwhich Gable ogles Lombard’s legs while shestands on a ladder to retrieve a book.

Librarians SellIn addition to seeing librarians in themovies, we can also be seen in the media inadvertisements and commercials. Of course,as with most ads, each one can be seen aseither negative or positive, depending onyour point of view. Take for example theprint ad that Honda ran in a variety ofmagazines and locations a few years ago forits Accord V-6 Coupe. The text of the adread, “The automotive equivalent of a reallyhot librarian. Good-looking, yet intelligent.Fun, yet sophisticated. All in a very eye-catching, 200-horsepower package” (http://people.bu.edu/rmortiz/01-HotLibrarian.pdf ). This ad was discussed on numerousonline lists and was taken by some to be asort of a back-handed compliment, whereasothers saw it as a compliment to theprofession, saying it was nice to be seen as a sex symbol.

Another ad that generated lots of onlinelist discussion was the Bacardi ad with ascantily clad female model holding a drink

The Librarian Action Figure is based on a real-lifelibrarian—Nancy Pearl, director of libraryprogramming at the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library.

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with the caption, “Librarian by day. Bacardiby night.” The consensus about this adseemed to be that, although it is nice to havea representation that is the polar opposite ofthe way librarians are usually depicted, thisrepresentation wasn’t really any better.

Even the most positive of ads can stillbe looked at more closely and found to besomewhat contradictory, which is the casewith the HP Labs ad featuring its librarianEugenie Prime. The text reads, “What theInternet needs is an old-fashioned librarian.Finding what you want on the Web shouldbe as easy as finding a book in a library. It will be, if Eugenie has her way. She’sworking to create a standard for labelingand cataloging information online—including all 2.7 billion Web pages—avirtual Dewey Decimal system, if you will.So you can spend less time looking for, andmore time using, the information you need.Shh. You’re on the Internet” (http://people.bu.edu/rmortiz/eugenielibrarian.pdf ).

The consensus among librarians wasthat this ad conveys a positive image of amodern-day librarian. However, before thereader even gets to the text, he or she seesthe photo of a woman in a sweater set andpearls surrounded by stacks and stacks ofbooks. The text then refers to the librarianas an “old-fashioned librarian” and alsouses the infamous “Shh” line. HP wasprobably not trying to bash librarians, butwas merely trying to use the librarianstereotype that most people are familiar

with to link to a more modern, tech-savvykind of librarian.

Accessories Sold SeparatelyThe latest incarnation of librarians camealong last year from the Archie McPheeCompany—The Librarian Action Figure.Based on a real-life librarian (Nancy Pearl,director of library programming at theWashington Center for the Book at theSeattle Public Library), this action figure isone of many that the company makes;others include Jesus, Sigmund Freud, andRosie the Riveter. The company states thatit has always tried to create action figuresout of not only historical figures, but alsoout of people in unusual or underappreciatedjobs. The Librarian Action Figure comes witha plastic replica of Pearl’s latest book and astack of random literature. Also, press thebutton on her back and her arm moves up toher face in a “shushing action.”

When the action figure first came out,there was lots of controversy about it. Somethought it was deplorable and set theprofession back, while others saw its kitschvalue and took it as a compliment becauseother professions didn’t have an actionfigure. Pearl herself said, “The role of alibrarian is to make sense of the world ofinformation. If that’s not a qualification forsuperhero-dom, what is?”

Seattle City Librarian Deborah Jacobs,Pearl’s boss, said anyone who doesn’t view a librarian as a potent force doesn’t

understand the job. “Ideas are morepowerful than bombs,” she said.“Information is the way to take over theworld.” I would like to believe, as Pearldoes, that today’s librarians are secureenough in their work that they won’t takeoffense at the old cliché.

Librarians are ever-present in ourculture and society today, from actionfigures to movies to contestants on WhoWants To Be A Millionaire—in 2002 alibrarian won $500,000 on the show andprompted Regis Philbin to exclaim, “Whatcan I say? Librarians rule!” As the world haschanged and evolved, so has the image oflibrarians in popular culture. In this age ofinformation overload and technologicaladvances, librarians are being perceived andpraised for their abilities to find, organize,and disseminate information.

The popular media, although it may stillrefer to the clichés of librarians, understandswhat lies underneath the buns and glassesand is promoting that positive image in everykind of media—books, TV, movies,advertisements, and now even toys. As theold adage goes, “You can’t judge a book by itscover.” I think that people have finally takenthis to heart when it comes to librarians andcan honor and respect us and our profession,looking beyond the image and imagine whatlibrarians really can do and be.

Holly M. Riccio ([email protected]) isthe head librarian at O’Melveny and MyersLLP in San Francisco.

announcements

The votes are in. Four members were elected to the AALLExecutive Board in this year’s Association elections.

Claire Germain, Edward Cornell Law Librarian andprofessor of law at Cornell University Law School, was elected

Germain, Janto, Myers, and Sullivan Elected to Executive Board

vice president/president-elect for 2004-2005. She willassume the presidency at the conclusion of the 2005Annual Meeting in San Antonio.

Joyce Manna Janto, deputy director of the lawlibrary at the University of Richmond School of Law,was elected treasurer to a three-year term.

Anne K. Myers, head of technical services at thePappas Law Library at Boston University, and KathieJ. Sullivan, reference librarian at Downs Rachlin andMartin PLLC in Burlington, Vermont, were elected

to three-year terms as members of the Executive Board.AALL Headquarters received 1,716 ballots by the election

deadline of April 2. Members of the Chicago Association of LawLibraries tallied the ballots.

Claire M. Germain Joyce Manna Janto Anne K. Myers Kathie J. Sullivan

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A s has become a tradition, we arepleased to once again presentAALL Spectrum’s annual

architectural issue. The basic premise ofthis issue is simple: Give AALL membersa chance to showcase recent building andremodeling projects in law libraries, andin the process, let them describe the trials,tribulations, and lessons learned fromplanning, building, remodeling, andmoving a library.

I am always amazed and impressed at the creativity, resourcefulness, anddetermination that are evidenced in thearticles we receive each year. This year is no exception. As always the librariesshowcased here are beautiful spaces thatwill be a joy to use for years to come.They also provide stories of dealing withparticular challenges or experiences inworking with law library space.

Shrinking law library space isbecoming a mantra in law firm librariesand is usually seen as something to befeared. Mark Estes of Holme Roberts and Owen in Denver recently oversawreducing the physical size of the firm’s lawlibrary by two-thirds, but he saw it as apositive experience. The result is a librarywith more staff space that better serves the firm’s needs.

Rethinking how law library space is used is also occurring at academiclibraries. When the University of St.Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota,decided to redesign its law school lawlibrary from the ground up, attempts

The Trials andTribulations of

Building orRemodeling a

Law Library by Paul D. Healey

© 2004 Paul D. Healey

Floor plan of theUniversity of Washington’sGallagher Law Library’stop level.

were made not only to create a beautifulfacility with room to grow, but also tofacilitate interaction and collaborativelearning among students. Ed Edmondsdescribes how the university made the law library an intellectual hub of the lawschool community.

The law library staff of ThompsonCoburn in St. Louis took on the task ofupdating for the computer age when itrecently remodeled its library space.Increases in the size of the firm and of thelibrary staff, combined with a reduction in the number of physical books in thecollection, but an increase in referencedemands, required the firm to rethink how the library space could be changed tobetter serve its needs. Challenges includeddetermining how to increase staff spaceand maximize their work with anincreasingly electronic collection. Mary Kay Jung has written an article for us onhow they achieved their goals.

Issues relating to library access for thedisabled plague many law libraries builtbefore enactment of the Americans withDisabilities Act. Making an existingfacility ADA-compliant can be adaunting task. The Thormodsgard LawLibrary of the University of NorthDakota School of Law took on thischallenge recently as it engaged in anextensive remodeling project whose main goal was to make the law libraryaccessible to all. In the process, staff raninto typical problems that can crop upwhen remodeling an older building, suchas unexpected asbestos and troubles withfunding and timing. Gary Gott takes us through the process and shares theexperiences and lessons of the project.

Finally, Penny Hazelton and JonathanFranklin of the University of Washingtonlaw library take us through the process of moving a large law library, describinghow they moved into the new WilliamH. Gates Hall. They have lots ofsuggestions for managing such a large and complicated project.

I’m sure you will find somethinginteresting and useful in these articles,and I know you will admire the beautifullibrary spaces that have resulted.

Paul D. Healey ([email protected]), head of public services andassociate professor of library administrationat the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign law library in Champaign,serves as the editorial director of AALLSpectrum.

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By cutting its size by more than two-thirds, Holme Roberts and Owen(HRO) transformed its large and

elegant—yet little-used—library into one with a streamlined design and space for collection, staff, and knowledgemanagement.

In 2003, HRO converted its 5,100square feet and 6,000 linear feet of shelvinginto an efficient library space of 1,600square feet with 2,200 linear feet ofshelving. It also created office space for twopartners, six associates, two paralegals, andfour secretarial workstations. But the mostexciting and unique new feature is theknowledge exchange space, which is invitingand intimate.

HistoryIn 1988, HRO moved to its current spaceon floors 41 through 45 of the 52-storyWells Fargo Tower—the distinctive mailbox-shaped building in downtown Denver. Mostpractice groups were dispersed throughoutall floors so there was little pressure to havesatellite libraries. The library occupied theoutside northwest quarter of the 44th floor.

Less is MoreHolme Roberts and OwenCuts its Library Space byTwo-thirds and Creates a

More Efficient Space

by Mark E. Estes

© 2004 Mark E. Estes

The 1988 spaceplan included aconvenience copymachine in thelibrary; anticipatingmassive case pullprojects, the libraryand copy centershared the same floor.Staff also expected todouble the collectionin five years, so theentire western half of the floor wasreinforced for futureshelving.

Housed in bothopen stacks andcompact shelving, the volume countexceeded 35,000volumes, includingthe first and secondseries of the completeNational ReporterSeries, both legalencyclopedias, and at least two or threetreatises in each areaof practice. The open stacks werecustom-painted metalbookcases with woodend panels. The aisles

were 40 inches wide and included at least two pullout reference shelves. Thecompact shelving was cantilevered onmanual carriages.

The library had dramatic views—theFront Range to the west, the city to thenorth. Seating consisted of 12 carrels; eightcarrels filled the six-foot wide windowsfacing north with a good view to the west.

In 1991, instead of executing theplanned expansion to fill half of the 44thfloor, the library first slowed the growth rateof the physical collection and then startedto shrink it. Coincidentally, online contentexploded during this time. Improved caselaw printing and flat price contracts enabledfirst canceling subscriptions to regionalreporters and then later discarding them. By late 2002 the firm needed more attorneyoffices, and lease rates were increasing. Thefirm had tenant improvement monies tofund a library redesign, and its technologyevolved from a DEC VAX system to a firm-wide network using high-speed desktop andlaptop machines with 17-inch flat panelmonitors running Windows XP. The timewas right to change the space.

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The ready referencearea helps HROlibrary staff solveinformation problemsfor its attorneys andstaff.

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Planning the New SpaceThree principles framed discussions withthe architect Ralph Hellman of the localfirm Acquilano Leslie Inc.: thinkstrategically, support the firm’s goals, andmaximize the space for current and futureuses while ensuring that the remodeledportion looked like the other floors.

First library staff confirmed how manylinear feet were needed to meet our needs—about 2,200. Next we looked at spaceusage. We had little need for researchcarrels, but we did need study counters nearthe compact shelving so that users couldeasily step out of the stacks. We also neededstaff space. The space for ready referencematerials led to the new knowledge

exchange area. This informal seating areainvites attorneys and staff to enter andshare the stories and conversations abouta deal or a case—ideally, we thought,with a coffee bar.

Maximizing usable space requiredcompact shelving. The existing compactshelving had greater capacity than wasneeded, access to it felt cramped anddark, and it had no nearby counter space.We shortened the 15-foot ranges to 12feet, added a counter and additionallights, and cut a doorway, creating accessto coffee and copy machines. The bulk of the collection moved into the newshelving, while the balance—along withthe staff—moved to a temporary readyreference area on the 41st floor; the entirecollection was accessible throughout

the project. The rest of the space wasdemolished, and Integrated Interiors andConstruction LLP began construction. All construction was done after hours.

ResultsAlthough the library cut back its spacesignificantly, we received larger offices forreference librarians, the clerical/technicalstaff was provided with ergonomicworkstation cubicles, and serials/mailprocessing now has ample counters andshelves with good workflow.

Staff responsibilities and needs remainthe same. The HRO Library staff solvesinformation problems for HRO attorneysand staff, ranging from ready reference

questions to large researchprojects. In addition, the library staff is responsible forconflicts checks.

There are eight library staffin Denver and one in ColoradoSprings; a virtual reference deskserves all seven offices. Thenumber of items to be checkedin, routed, filed, and shelvedremains largely unchanged.There have been increasedefficiencies and betterergonomics in each individualwork area. The book stacks

The knowledge exchange space includes large chairs that roll easily anda swinging writing surface. This informal seating area invites attorneysand staff to enter and share stories and conversations about a deal or case.

The computer station provides access to the online catalog and the Internet.

Advanced Productivity

Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

BNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Court Express . . . . . . inside back cover

Global Securities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

LexisNexis . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, back cover

RoyaltyStat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Softlink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

University of Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

West . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover, 13

ad index

occupy less square footage so it takes lesstime to walk from one end of the stacks tothe other.

The project successfully fulfilled thefirm’s goals of delivering superior clientservice, profitability, and expandingknowledge management. More attorneyscome to the library, and the collection isused more—it’s not only a destination butalso a place to stop by. While there’s noespresso bar in the library, a coffee room is nearby.

Mark Estes ([email protected]) isdirector of library services at Holme Robertsand Owen in Denver.

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 200416

There are places in the University of St. Thomas’ new law library that are

noisy—and that’sjust how it wasdesigned to be. Thenew SchoeneckerLaw Library wasbuilt in 2003 toinclude areas thatpermit activediscussion andpromote peerinteraction in anattempt to fostercollaborativelearning. Integral toits design, the librarycultivates thiscontemporaryapproach to legaleducation andresearch.

Though a fairlytraditional library,many of its features,such as spacious groupstudy rooms and acasual reading room thatincludes games like chess, stem from themodern idea that libraries serve to buildrelationships. The law library comprises fourfloors and one wing of a five-story buildingin downtown Minneapolis. The centerpieceof the building is the four-story Schulze

The IntellectualHub of a New

Law SchoolThe Schoenecker Law

Library Designed forCollaborative Learning

by Ed Edmonds

© 2004 Ed Edmonds

Grand Atrium, providing a stunning view ofthe downtown skyline. The first floor alsocontains the Frey Moot Court Room andthe St. Thomas More Chapel. The originalplan for the building was a joint effort ofMinnesota’s Opus Corporation and theBoston architectural firm Shepley BulfinchRichardson and Abbott; construction wascompleted by Opus.

Comfortable Working and StudyingEnvironment A substantial goal in the development of the library plan was to assure that patronswould be quickly oriented to theirsurroundings after entering the library onthe second floor. The second floor skywaylevel is the main pedestrian corridor formany buildings in downtown Minneapolisand also conveniently connects the library toan attached parking facility. The circulationdepartment is located directly beyond themain entrance next to an alcove providingaccess to networked computers. Because theinitial planning contemplated after-hoursaccess for students, faculty, and staff, a gatehoused in the ceiling can be lowered afternormal hours of operation to prevent accessto the circulation department area.

To one side of the circulation area is acasual reading room. This room providesstudents with quick access to network jackswhere they can use their laptop computersto check e-mail, complete assignments, oraccess printers in the adjacent reference area.

Some group study rooms in the Shoenecker Law Library have a view of the Schulze Grand Atrium.Seating within group study rooms accounts for 25 percent of the library’s total seating and underscores itscommitment to collaborative learning.

The casual reading room permitsactive discussion and promotes peerinteraction. It also provides studentswith quick access to network jackswhere they can use their laptopcomputers to check e-mail, completeassignments, or access printers in theadjacent reference area.

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This casual reading area provides a bufferbetween the circulation desk and thereference area located on one end of thefloor. Offices for the two research librariansand the associate director for public serviceswere built just beyond a reference stationand the counter height-shelving units that house the reference collection. Alsosurrounding the reference area are twogroup study rooms, a CALR (computerassisted legal research) room housingcomputers and printers for LexisNexis andWestlaw, and a computer teaching lab.

At the other end of the circulation areais the entrance to the administrative suite.An internal stairway within that suiteprovides access to the offices for theInformation Resources and TechnicalServices Departments on the first floor.The Information Resources and TechnicalServices suite houses office space for theassociate director for informationresources, the associate director fortechnical services, the catalog librarian,and the administrative manager. Anexpansive work area provides flexible space for processing materials and for theacquisitions, catalog, and serials assistants.The workspace for all staff members isadjacent to large windows with ampleviews of the surrounding urban landscape.

Also located on the first floor is theformal reading room, a wood-paneled and shelf-lined signature room that isreminiscent of some of the more classicstudy spaces in American legal education.A cherry wood finish is prominent in thereading room and throughout the library. At one end of the reading room is a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that provides a view intothe Schulze Grand Atrium, while a large bay window at the other end of the roomprovides a view to the outside. Shelvingareas containing appellate reporters arelocated on both sides of the reading room.

Room to GrowThe library was built with the majority ofthe collection concentrated in the lowerlevel and third floor. At one end of thesubterranean lower level is a microformroom capable of holding 250,000 volumeequivalents. The lower level also houses fourof the library’s 12 spacious group studyrooms. Seating within group study roomsaccounts for 25 percent of the library’s totalseating and underscores the commitment of the library to collaborative learning.

The original program aimed to have the capability to house 250,000 hard-copyvolumes. Soon after planning began, itbecame apparent that reaching the program

goals for shelving in a conventionalconfiguration would require substantiallymore of the library’s footprint than wedesired. Compact shelving provided theanswer, and the lower level and the thirdfloor were engineered and constructed toaccomplish this. Becausethe building of anextensive hard-copycollection is a long-termprocess, the completestorage capacity was notnecessary at the outset.The third floor’s initialconfiguration isconventional shelvingwhile the lower level is

entirely compact shelving.The current hard-copycapacity is just under210,000 volumes on34,900 linear feet ofshelving. BorroughsCorporation provided theconventional shelving, andSpacesaver provided thecompact units.

Except for casualchairs, all of the seating inthe library is hard-wiredfor network connectivity.The 379 total seats include123 at tables, 97 in thegroup study rooms, 94 atcarrels, 46 in casual chairs,14 seats in the computerlab, three in media viewingrooms, and two seats in themicroform room. Chairswere provided by JasperChair Company, KI, and

Steelcase, and the tables and carrels werebuilt by Spectrum Industries of ChippewaFalls, Wisconsin. Responding to a requestfor a unique design element, Spectrumcreated a carrel reminiscent of a side view of a roll-top desk.

The Schoenecker Law Library iscurrently fulfilling the vision of its plannersto create an intellectual hub for the newUniversity of St. Thomas School of Law.The library provides a comfortable workingenvironment for the staff and a modernstudy space for students and faculty.

Ed Edmonds ([email protected])is director of the law library and professor oflaw at the University of St. Thomas School ofLaw Library in Minneapolis.

Spectrum Industries created carrels reminiscent of a side viewof a roll-top desk.

The Schoenecker Law Library includes 46 casual chairs.

The formal reading room is a wood-paneled and shelf-lined signature room reminiscentof some of the more classic study spaces in American legal education.

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W hen Thompson Coburn lastremodeled its library in 1992,the firm had 180 attorneys and

a library staff of three. The library had twoLexisNexis and two Westlaw terminals, andno one had desktop access to electronicresources. The library collection held theentire West Reporter system, including theDecennial Digests back to the centuryedition. Attorneys crowded the tables and carrels, requiring staff to re-shelvematerials at least three times per day to clear workspace.

By 2002, the firm had grown to about300 attorneys, and the library staff hadincreased to seven. Attorneys and staff hadLexis and Westlaw, along with variouspractice-specific resources, at their desktops.While staff squeezed into makeshift space,the 14 tables along the windows werefrequently empty. Tools like Find and Printand Get and Print reduced our re-shelvingof reporters from more than 35,000volumes per year to fewer than 1,000.

But the increasing reliance on, and numberof, electronic services increased our referenceload by 68 percent. Clearly it was time foranother remodel.

Designing aLibrary for theComputer Age

Thompson CoburnRemodels its Space to

Reflect Increased Accessto Electronic Materials

by Mary Kay Jung

© 2004 Mary Kay Jung

The law library’s entrance viewed from the elevator lobby.The arch in the ceiling, custom woodwork, and etched glassare used throughout the library.

Creating the Wish ListWe began meeting with architects in Marchof 2002. Our first order of business was toidentify those items we felt we absolutelyhad to have: individual cubicles or officesinside the library for the staff, includingexpansion room for additional staff; atechnical services area; seating for librarypatrons based on current usage; improvedlighting; and shelf space for the collectionwith a minimum of five year’s growth.

To determine the amount of shelvingneeded, we took a careful look at howattorneys perform research in a combinedelectronic and paper environment. Ananalysis of several years of usage statisticsindicated cases were generally retrievedonline and that most reporters could beeliminated painlessly. We could also removethe entire Decennial Digest, but would keepthe Missouri, Illinois, and federal digestsand statutes. Armed with our usagestatistics, we also identified several largepractice-oriented sets that could be removedwith the blessings of the practice area. Weeventually lowered our shelving requirementfrom 6,000 linear feet to less than 4,500.

While we had enjoyed having windowsfor the last 10 years, we realized that theinfrequent use of the tables by attorneyswould result in that space being taken over for offices. Like most administrativedepartments, we would most likely occupyinterior space. Our library was oddly shapedaround a mechanical room, electrical room,elevator lobby, freight elevator, and twostaircases, resembling a lower-case “h” on itsside. We wanted to keep the reference staffand user workspace down the center, whichcreated three very distinct areas for thebooks. Forcing the collection into thisspace, while maintaining an organizationalscheme our users would understand, tookseveral meetings with the architects to planshelf placement.

Organizing the CollectionThompson Coburn’s practice is divided intolitigation and corporate departments, whichare then subdivided into practice areas. The library had been organized along thissame departmental line, with all corporatematerials together and all litigationmaterials together. A classification schemeusing practice area prefixes above a Libraryof Congress classification number supportsa logical arrangement while maintaining theseparate collections. In its new space, thelitigation materials fit in the southeasternsection, primary sources are shelved in the

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southwestern section, and corporatematerials are placed in the northwesternedge. The central location of the primarymaterials provides easy access from both the corporate and the litigation collection.

While attorneys may not use the tables as much these days, we do see themfrequently standing in the stacks, browsing

statutes or treatises. Both direct and indirectlighting combined with bright white wallsand ceilings provide well-lit stacks forbrowsing, and each range of the newshelving has a pullout shelf for users to resttheir books.

For the first time, the library has a singlemain entrance directly off the elevator lobby.Newspapers are on one side of this entrance;four club chairs, coffee tables, and coffeeservice are on the other side. The referencestaff is located near the entrance to provideassistance as soon as patrons enter. Behindthe reference staff are the referencecollection, two pairs of worktables, and threecarrels with public-access terminals. Thetechnical services staff, workroom, printers,copiers, and microfiche reader/printer arelocated at the far southern end of the library.

A third set of worktables is placed betweencorporate materials and primary resources.

The Finishing TouchesOur remodeling was completed inconjunction with the building of a state-of-the-art conference center two floors above.Firm management decided the library should

have the same feel as the conference center,with light cherry wood arches and endpanels and stone countertops. Fifteen floor-to-ceiling windows and doors are placedalong the perimeter of the library that allowfor natural light from the halls and exterioroffices.

The new library was built within theexisting library space, so in November of2002 we relocated the collection and staff to temporary quarters on the 25th floor. We purchased all new shelving for our newspace, but used the existing shelving in thetemporary space. Moving the collection at the same time we moved the shelving brought challenges to the planning process,but made the move back up in June 2003seem effortless. We were able to provideuninterrupted phone and e-mail libraryservice throughout both moves and closed thephysical library for a total of only five days.

As with most things, compromises had to be made. The library director andelectronic services librarian are locatedoutside of the library. The technical servicesspace is not quite as large as we would haveliked. Yet overall, we feel we have a beautifuland functional place to work in, and theattorneys and staff agree.

Mary Kay Jung ([email protected]) is director of library services atThompson Coburn LLP in St. Louis.

The quick reference collection is shelved in shorter units,making it easy for users to flip a volume open on the top ofthe shelves.

On one side of the entrance is comfortable seating with coffee service—the perfect place to read the morning paper.

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Taken apart, rearranged, and put backtogether again last summer, theThormodsgard Law Library of the

University of North Dakota School of Law’scollection is now accessible to as manypatrons as possible. The library’s accessibilityissue wasn’t a new problem, but it took anAmerican Bar Association site visit andensuing prodding to get a solution funded.

Several years ago, the library invited thecampus disability support services to reviewthe situation and learned that in order tomake the aisles in the stack areas wideenough for wheelchair access, a significantnumber of ranges would have to be removedfrom three of the library’s four floors. Somany ranges had to be removed that it wouldleave about one-third of the collection withno place to go. Staff couldn’t weed that manybooks, remote storage was already full, and abuilding addition or replacement was tooexpensive. That left compact shelving as theonly practical option.

Almost every book in the collection wasmoved. Some stayed on the shelves as fullyloaded ranges were relocated. The rest werepulled and shifted to different shelf locationsor placed in storage while the ranges on theupper three floors were dismantled. Someranges were never put back up so that theaisles between stacks could be widened toallow comfortable wheelchair access. Allshelving in the basement level was removedand replaced with compact shelving, and thebasement floor was carpeted for the first time.

Accessible to AllUniversity of North Dakota Law Library

Redesigned to be ADA-Compliant

by Gary Gott

© 2004 Gary Gott

Challenges Big and SmallLibrary staff faced a number of challengeswith this project, some foreseen from the beginning and others that arose as itdeveloped. We thought that securingfunding would be a major hurdle, but the university administration wasextremely cooperative in working with the law school to fund the renovations.Unfortunately, our estimated costs formoving and storing the collection were too low, and costs for site preparation alsoballooned. Our dean came to the rescueand convinced the administration to coverthe extra expenses.

One of the reasons for the unexpectedincrease happened fairly late in the gamewhen campus facilities staff realized thebasement linoleum floor tiles containedasbestos. We had not planned for anasbestos abatement project, but suddenlyone had to be inserted in the middle of acarefully timed sequence of events.

That sequence was also put at risk due to misinformation given by the compactshelving reseller. We had based our scheduleon repeated firm assurances about how longthe installation would take. Using thatinformation, our movers had in turncommitted to work at other libraries in theweek immediately following the date plannedfor completing our job. But when theinstaller (who came from the manufacturer,not the reseller) arrived, he was shocked tolearn that he had not been given enoughtime. We ended up with the mover’s staff andthe installer’s crew working around eachother in the final days. Fortunately goodwilland cooperation prevailed, and the projectwas finished on time.

Fundamental to the venture’s ultimatesuccess were the countless hours that library staff spent carefully measuring, re-measuring, and re-measuring again;planning how the stacks and collectionwould be reconfigured; considering trafficpatterns and carrel and table arrangements;and talking through the seemingly endlessissues associated with the undertaking.Throughout the planning we consultedwith the university’s facilities specialists andmade sure they were in contact with thevendors involved—and with each other.When the movers arrived and the projectbegan, we knew we were as ready as wecould be. And when the library dissolvedinto what seemed to be a chaotic maelstromof big rolling bins of books, clattering steel,and suddenly empty spaces, we had to keepthe faith that it would all turn out in theend as we had planned.

After remodeling, the University of NorthDakota’s Thormodsgard Law Library has wideraisles and space between the stacks.

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What a Difference Half an Inch MakesAnother unanticipated challenge was hiddenin the blueprints drawn up by our compactshelving reseller (not the manufacturer). Thebasement ceiling limited the height of theranges. Even manually operated compactshelving uses electricity to power its safetysystems, and the conduit connecting ourranges had to be located above the shelves.

From the first preliminary blueprints to the final set, the reseller assured us that in each section five shelves would have aminimum net available height of 113/4 inchesand the sixth shelf would be 121/2 inches.That height would comfortably hold ourvery large and ever-growing set of tall bound volumes of North Dakota SupremeCourt briefs. Unfortunately, when themanufacturer’s installer arrived on site, he told us that the vertical heights shown on the blueprints were “an impossibility”because the steel shelf supports were alwayspunched in one-inch increments—resultingin five 121/4-inch high shelves and one 111/4-inch shelf per section.

What a difference half an inch makes!Our bound briefs would not fit on the 11 1/4-inch shelves, so with only five useable shelvesper section for that collection, we suffered ahuge loss of available shelf space. Havingfewer shelves than expected was going topush the briefs collection far beyond theirallocated space in the re-shelving plan. Butwe couldn’t re-work the re-shelving mid-stream—by this time the books had beenboxed and stored on semi-trailers accordingto the mover’s pre-arranged plan that calledfor multiple teams to re-shelve the wholefloor simultaneously.

In order to stay on schedule, we simplyre-shelved the bound briefs and otherslightly oversized items by tipping thevolumes forward on their edges. We turnedthem back up when we shifted everythinglater when all the books were back on the ranges. Fortunately our reseller wasextremely cooperative about compensatingus for the loss of useable shelf space.

Unexpected OutcomesWe decided to put our microfiche cabinetson rolling bases integrated into the compactshelving system because there simply was noother location that would work in the newarrangement. Happily, they have turned outto be amazingly easy to move, even thoughwe have a manually operated system. Thecabinets are located adjacent to a well-lit,high-traffic area by our student study rooms.The end panels are the same height as the

rest of the compactshelving, which looked a bit peculiar, until thecampus carpenters’ shopfilled in the space abovethe cabinets with shelvesthat now hold our boundCIS indexes and otherfinding tools for the fichecollection.

Carpet tiles wereused for the final floorcovering. They wentdown very rapidly andwere much easier toinstall between the railsthan roll carpeting wouldhave been. Since thecompact shelving is on slightly elevatedplatforms, there are several

places where the floor slopes. At points theslope seems to over-stress the tile’s adhesive,because there is slight loosening along someedges. Only time and wear will tell if this willbecome a problem.

Due to a miscommunication betweenour vendor and the factory, the compactshelving did not exactly match the plannedlayout. Except for two fixed-length sectionsthat were six inches too long, the installermanaged to re-engineer everything on site.The vendor accepted responsibility for fixingthe problem and did so during the mid-yearholiday break.

Today the Thormodsgard Law Library is a better place for all of our patrons. Thewider aisles on the upper floors let morelight into the stacks, making it noticeablyeasier to read titles and call numbers. Theadditional space also makes it a great dealeasier to move in and out of the stacks,always important to busy researchers. Widertraffic and study areas outside the stacks aremore inviting and comfortable, physicallyand psychologically. The basement has beenreborn—the new carpet is quieter andbrighter than the old linoleum tile and feelsgreat underfoot. The compact shelving,finished to match the upper floor ranges,looks superb and works flawlessly.

What’s next?With the help of the campus disabilitysupport services, we have reviewed all of oursignage, sought estimates to remodel thecirculation desk for better wheelchair access,and begun a review of our Web site foraccessibility and other issues.

What did we learn from the experience? • Proper prior preparation means

plan, plan, plan.• Notify your patrons early.• Get everybody with a role in the

project together at the same tableor included in conference callsearly and often.

• Measure as many times as it takes.• Question everything on the

blueprints.• Select vendors who are experienced

with law library collections (ourmovers were purely spectacular).

• Keep smiling—it really will turnout all right in the end!

To view a pictorial chronology of theproject, visit www.law.und.nodak.edu/library/update.html.

Gary Gott ([email protected]) is director ofthe law library and associate professor of law atthe University of North Dakota School of LawThormodsgard Law Library in Grand Forks.

A half-inch error in the blueprints drawn up by the compact shelving reseller resulted in asignificant loss of shelving space. The vendor paid to have shelves built above the microfichecabinets as part compensation.

Wider traffic and study areas outside the stacks are moreinviting and comfortable, physically and psychologically.

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Some days in the middle of theUniversity of Washington School ofLaw’s move from Condon Hall to

William H. Gates Hall, we weren’t sure we could find anything positive about it. But now that we’re all settled, it’s hard toremember how stressful it was.

The move began more than a decadeago. Condon Hall, home of the law schoolsince the 1970s, was a model of brutalconcrete architecture. It was excellent forwithstanding earthquakes, but it madeupgrading the technological infrastructuredifficult. The library had 22 entrances andexits and little security for its volumes. Worstof all, the law school was built off the maincampus by four blocks, and the lack ofintegration between it and the rest ofcampus impeded collaboration efforts.

“[A] new building will help usher in anew era in legal education and training atthe UW,” said Roland Hjorth, dean of thelaw school. “By emphasizing advances ineducation technology, creating flexible workspaces adapted to hands-on training, andincreasing library space, the new buildingwill help us better educate our students and serve people in the community whodepend on us.”

Between the original vision and theribbon-cutting, library staff experiencedyears of legislative lobbying for the state-funded portion of the budget, fundraisingfor the privately funded portion of thebudget, architectural planning that wassubsequently rejected by the university’sBoard of Regents, and all the complexities of putting a large public works project out to bid.

It took about two years to complete theproject, from ground-breaking to ribbon-

Moving a Law LibraryLessons Learned

while Relocating theUniversity of Washington

Law Library from Condon to Gates

by Penny Hazelton and Jonathan Franklin

© 2004 Penny Hazelton and Jonathan Franklin

The William H. Gates Hall skylights allownatural light to stream into the library spacebelow.

cutting. The school had a firm requirementthat classes be taught in Gates Hall in thefall of 2003. Original plans had the librarymoving in during the early part of thesummer. As completion dates slipped, theanticipated move was pushed into July andAugust, with the final books reaching theshelves only a few weeks before studentsarrived. Luckily, the University ofWashington is on the quarter system, soclasses start at the end of September.

Everything is InterrelatedThe move was staged to coordinate with theinstallation of shelving, lighting, carpeting,and various other parts of the interiordecoration. Lighting may not seem relevantto moving books, but everything isinterrelated. The books could not go in untilthe shelves were up. The shelves could not go in until the ladders were gone from thedrop ceiling installation. The drop ceilinginstallation could not be completed until thelighting fixtures were installed. And when thelighting fixtures were delayed in early 2003,we knew the book move would be affected.

This illustrates one of the hundreds, ifnot thousands, of ripple effects that can takeplace on a project of this type. If you areembarking on a new building, a problemwith a rebar delivery has a direct effect oneverything that follows.

The book move was carefully coordinatedwith the shelving erection. We put the firstbooks on the shelves long before the finalshelves were installed. In addition, the firstfew floors we vacated in Condon Hall wereremodeled long before the last books were

Days before the building was dedicated, the library’s new chairswere still plastic-wrapped and waiting to be open.

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out of the building. The move of 350,000volumes took more than six weeks.

Library staff experienced substantialchallenges in removing the books fromCondon Hall because the movers could notget their carts into the non-ADA-compliant22-inch-wide aisles. This meant they had toferry books to the range ends and, using acomplex cart numbering system, get thebooks off the shelves, on the carts, downthe elevators, onto the trucks, off thetrucks, onto the Gates elevators, down tothe correct level, and onto the shelf.

A Smooth MoveThe library move went without a hitch(except for delays caused by installationproblems with our compact moveableshelving). Nikki Pike, planner extraordinaire,got the collection organized after months of

decisions about where specific titles shouldgo and hundreds of hours of marking andremarking the more than 350,000 printvolumes in our collection, ably coordinatedby Richard Jost and his remarkabletechnical services crew.

A Bekins Moving and StorageCompany crew moved the collection.Bekins hired a high school track team for the summer, and they worked hard.Because Condon’s aisles were so narrow andthe Geology Department needed to buildbig laboratories for its temporary occupancyof Condon Hall, the stacks were taken

down as quickly as they removed the books.(Why do you suppose the GeologyDepartment wanted to keep the manualcompact stacks in the basement? It gave thedepartment somewhere to store its hugerock collection!)

During our three and a half monthclosure, reference and access servicescontinued to provide services to the lawschool community and others through e-mail and phone reference. The library staff met the challenge of finding answers to questions when the collection was in adifferent place every day.

Going through the move, we knew thatmany things would be much better in ournew home. Now that we’re here and movedin, they are! Stack aisles are ADA-compliant;staff members have better workingconditions; virtually our entire collection is

accessible to all libraryusers; we have much bettersecurity (one entrance andexit); library users all havegenerous work spaces andaccess to the wirelessnetwork; we have newfurniture, stacks, endpanels, and book trucks;and we have growth spacefor the collection.

Saying Good-byeWe packed our last boxeson a Friday in early Augustand did our brief grieving.Condon Hall was notperfect, but we knew itinside and out. We knewits wrinkles and warts (and cement). For most ofus, it was the only homewe knew for the MarianGould Gallagher LawLibrary.

We knew where to park and what bus to take;we knew where to find the

Maine Revised Statutes Annotated and theUSCA; we knew how long it would take to get to a classroom or the dean’s office; we knew which doors to lock and theshortest way to the faculty office on theseventh floor.

Monday morning we arrived at WilliamGates Hall. Our computers were workingon our desks, our phones were connected,and our boxes were stacked ready forunpacking. It was a remarkably smoothtransition. Except … except for a few minorannoyances. But we learned some lessonsalong the way:

• Expect the unexpected. Plan as muchas you can, realize that you cannotcontrol everything, but know that youcan control how you react to thesituations that arise.

• Be flexible and adaptable. Prepareyourself for change, but don’t besurprised if it stresses you out anyway.

• Laugh a lot, and don’t be afraid to talkabout what seems to be stressing youout. Talking through the challenges you face (even if they are small) can be therapeutic.

• Celebrate milestones and party asmuch as you can. We had a goodbye-to-Condon party as well as a welcome-to-Gates party.

• Everyone will handle a movedifferently. Expect that staff will bestressed at different times throughout thisprocess. Sometimes people will expresstheir stress in ways that seem completelyunrelated to the move, even though thatis the underlying cause. Encourage casualinteractions and conversations aboutpeople’s concerns or worries.

• Communicate often with the staff.The more that staff know about theproject, the more likely they are to bepatient. Sharing what you know, even ifit is not the answer they want, is betterthan keeping people in the dark.

• Be sure all staff computers andtelephones work immediately. Inmany places, this is not under thelibrary’s control, but stress levels wouldhave been over the top if we had notbeen able to do simple things like checke-mail or make calls.

• The longer you work on a project, themore you are invested in its outcome.Try to keep the big picture in mind.The dedication of William H. Gates

Hall celebrates the life and contributions of a giant of a lawyer in the Seattle legalcommunity. We are very proud to have ourbeautiful new building bear his name. Butwe did not feel truly at ease until MarianGallagher’s portrait was hung outside themain library’s entrance in Gates Hall. Then we knew we were home.

Penny Hazelton ([email protected]) is professor and associatedean for library and computing services at the University of Washington School of LawGallagher Law Library in Seattle.

Jonathan Franklin ([email protected]) is the associate law librarianat the University of Washington School ofLaw Gallagher Law Library in Seattle.

The University of Washington’s new law library features many improvements,including ADA-compliant aisles, better working conditions, improved security (oneentrance and exit), and growth space for collection.

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 200424

As a member—and later chair—of theMentoring Committee,

I have given a lot of thought tothe Conference of Newer LawLibrarians (CONELL). Lastyear, an event in my lifereminded me of why thisconference is so valuable. One of the supposed joys ofparenthood is the ability torelive your past through yourchildren. But let’s admit it—some of those past experiences,like the dreaded junior highschool dance, should be leftdeeply buried in our psyche.Last year when my daughter’sfirst dance was announced, itwas hard to say who panickedmore, me or Emily.

I was terrified that no onewould dance with Emily, and

she would be scarred forever. Then I wasterrified that someone would dance with herand that some sweaty little boy would puthis hands on my baby! Emily’s concernswere different. What if none of her friendscame? Who would she talk to? Whereshould she stand between dances? Whatshould she wear? Even though she hadknown most of her classmates for nineyears, she was worried. Only when a friendsuggested that they go together did shedecide to attend.

By now you may wonder what theconnection is between a junior high dance andAALL’s CONELL. Frankly, there isn’t one; theconnection is to the AALL Annual Meeting.

Who Will I Sit With? What Will I Wear?The Annual Meeting is very much like the big dance. It is a chance for members,many of whom have known each other foryears, to come together to learn, conductAssociation business, and socialize. Theprospect of attending your first AnnualMeeting can be daunting. You may feelcomfortable in your position and in yourlibrary, but not in AALL. Your newness andunfamiliarity with all things AALL will beexposed to the entire world.

You may have counted on attendingprograms with a co-worker only to find thatthe tradition in your library is for librariansto cover as many programs as possible. You may be working in a library whereattendance at the meeting is rotated. Youmay be the only one on the staff attending.Or maybe you’re in a library where severallibrarians are attending the conference.

Easing the Pathfor Newer

ColleaguesConference for New Law Librarians Helps

Beginners Learn AALL’s Ropes

by Joyce Manna Janto

© 2004 Joyce Manna Janto

Those colleagues, however, may be busywith committee meetings, special interestsection (SIS) functions, and reunions withold friends, leaving them little time to showa first-timer the ropes.

There are many questions newer lawlibrarians have about the Annual Meeting.First and foremost may be, what is theAnnual Meeting? Heck, it might even bewhat is AALL? Is it worth the time andmoney to attend? What kinds of programsare offered? Should I only attend programsthat correspond to my job title? Do I haveto attend a program in every single timeslot? Can I plop right down next to someoneon the bus ride to the Opening Reception?What do I wear—is this like being onvacation or being at work?

Some newer law librarians are luckyenough to work in a library where they feelfree to ask such questions. Others, however,may feel uncomfortable asking questions.During CONELL, attendees have the chanceto ask questions like this while surroundedby people who share their concerns.

CONELL Answers Your QuestionsThe CONELL program is structured toanswer these questions and more. It is a briefbut intensive introduction to all thingsAALL. The day begins with remarks fromthe AALL president, the chair of the AnnualMeeting Program Selection Committee, andthe editors of Law Library Journal andSpectrum. Attendees participate in breakoutsessions where they spend time with one ofthe members of the AALL Executive Board.Here participants learn not only about thestructure and governance of AALL, but howthey can become a part of the organization.

This part of the program has consistentlyimpressed CONELL participants. Onevaluations, year after year, attendees expressappreciation for the time given to them by the leaders of the Association. “I can’tbelieve how much time they took out of anobviously busy day to make sure that we feltwelcomed to the Association,” wrote one2003 CONELL attendee on her evaluation.

Aside from leaders of the Association,attendees will hear from seasoned and not-quite-as-new law librarians. AALL isfond of saying that the Annual Meeting isthe premiere educational event for lawlibrarians. At CONELL, we attempt to show attendees how to get the most out oftheir experience. Experienced conferenceattendees share their dos and don’ts ofconference life. Former CONELLparticipants give impressions of their firstAnnual Meeting and what they would havedone differently or the same.

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Many people have a hazy notion of howto become involved on the national level. A fairly new law librarian will outline thevolunteer opportunities available to AALLmembers. She will tell how committee workhas enriched her career. One of the morepopular sessions in the CONELL programis “AALL Marketplace.” Here CONELLparticipants meet with members of thevarious AALL committees, SISs, andchapters to learn about the projects andactivities they engage in. CONELLparticipants will also learn about the historyof the Association; three former presidentsand a member of the Centennial Committeewill reminisce about past Annual Meetings.

Meet People Like YouAn important part of CONELL is themixers, where participants are encouraged tointroduce themselves to the other attendees.One of the primary missions of CONELL is to allow newer law librarians to develop a cohort—a group of librarians similar inexperience and interests. Many law librarianstrace long-standing friendships to theirCONELL class.

New this year is the Dutch Treat Dinnerprogram. Since CONELL begins early on Saturday, participants arrive in theconference city on Friday night. Many know no one and have no dinner plans, sothe members of the Mentoring Committeewill host Dutch Treat Dinners. Participantswill meet at the registration area of theconference center and accompany a group of fellow librarians to dinner at one ofseveral nearby restaurants.

“Ask the Experts” is a session that allowsparticipants to interact with each other andwith experienced librarians. During thissession, CONELL participants will rotatebetween tables that are devoted to particularlibraries or job responsibilities. There may be a table for technical service librarians;computer service librarians; solo librarians;firm librarians; or government, state, court,or county librarians. Each table will have anexperienced law librarian to moderate thediscussion, which can be quite freewheeling,using the assigned designation as only astarting point.

Borrowing the concept of speed dating,CONELL will also run a session of speednetworking. Participants will rotate fromtable to table every 10 minutes, with the goalof meeting as many people (and collecting asmany business cards) as possible.

Time to Play, TooCONELL is not all work and no play. Aftera morning of learning, CONELL members

will be treated to lunch and a tour ofBoston. The lunch will take place at theSheraton, the conference hotel. The bus tourwill take in many of the neighborhoods ofBoston, including Beacon Hill, Back Bay,and Chinatown. The tour will pass throughthe Midtown Cultural District and the SouthEnd, which boasts the largest Victorianneighborhood in the United States.

A visit to the Waterfront is also planned,and tour members will have a chance toexplore the North End, Boston’s famousItalian neighborhood. Attendees will visit theOld North Church where the lanterns werehung to signal the beginning of Paul Revere’sfamous midnight ride. Boston’s FreedomTrail continues from here to the USSConstitution, Massachusetts State House,Old South Meeting House, BostonCommon, and other sites along the trail.

In an attempt to expand CONELL, thecommittee has built in activities for mostdays of the Annual Meeting. Along withFriday’s Dutch Treat Dinners and Saturday’sformal program, Sunday features a receptionfor CONELL attendees and those parti-cipating in the Mentoring Program. OnMonday CONELL will reserve tables at theAssociation Luncheon, where attendees cantouch base with their new colleagues andmeet some more experienced law librarians.

And throughout the meeting, CONELLattendees will have the chance to participatein a CONELL/AALL scavenger hunt.

Mentors beyond the Annual MeetingWhile meeting people who share yournewness in law librarianship is fun andhelpful, sometimes a librarian needs anexperienced shoulder to lean on. AALL’sMentoring Committee makes every effort to match newer librarians (whether theyattended CONELL or not) with a mentor.Mentors are encouraged to introduce theirmentee to AALL, attend a program or two together, and share at least one meal.Many of those who have served as mentorsat the Annual Meeting report that theexperience was one that they foundpersonally rewarding. A significant numberof these mentors report keeping in contactwith their mentee for at least a year after the Annual Meeting.

Unfortunately, every year we have more mentee applications than mentorapplications. If you have ever consideredbeing a mentor, please apply this year. And ifyou have not thought about being a mentor,consider it. For those people who feel unsure about the process, the MentoringCommittee has developed a hand-out that outlines the typical mentor/menteerelationship and gives suggestions on how tobe a successful mentor. The only thing youneed to be a great mentor is some time andthe ability to listen. Often, what a menteeneeds most is a sounding board, someone tolisten to him or her and offer advice. Whilemany librarians are fortunate to find thisrelationship in their workplaces, some are not as fortunate.

If you hesitate to become a mentorbecause you don’t feel you are experiencedenough, gray hair is not a qualification to be a mentor. In fact, the January 2004 issueof the ABA Journal addressed this very topic.Many law firms now encourage seniorassociates to mentor newer associates. Senior associates, with their more recentexperiences, are better equipped to answersome questions. Senior associates also enjoythe process because they feel it helps thembecome more connected to the profession.

If you are a librarian with only a few years of experience under your belt,consider mentoring. It may help to makeyou a better librarian. To help kick off thementoring relationship, the MentoringCommittee will sponsor a reception for allmentors/mentees prior to the OpeningReception on Sunday.

CONELL Schedule at a GlanceFriday, July 9Dutch Treat Dinners 7-9 p.m.

Saturday, July 10Check-In 7:30-8 a.m.

Welcome 8-9:10 a.m.

From Rookie to Veteran 9:20-10 a.m.

Ask the Experts 10-11:30 a.m.

Marketplace 10-11:30 a.m.

Speed Networking 10-11:30 a.m.

Overheard at the Bar 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Luncheon and Tour 12:30-5:15 p.m.

Sunday, July 11Mentor Project

Reception 6-7 p.m.

Monday, July 12Association

Luncheon 12-1:40 p.m.

(continnued on page 32)

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New England is comprised ofConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and

Vermont. Each state is loaded with attractionsfor the summer visitor. And the followingdestinations are a quick car or train ride awayfrom the Annual Meeting.

ConnecticutTraveling southward along Interstate 84,while pausing for refreshments and a freebook at the Traveler Book Cellar in Union,you can peruse the used, scarce, rare, andout-of print collections available for sale. Ifyou have more time on your hands, youcould journey through the northeast andnorthwest corners of the state where you willsavor the rural scenery of forests, rivers, stonewalls, covered bridges, farms, and quaintNew England villages. Treasures in thesenecks of the woods include the prestigiousUniversity of Connecticut in Storrs and thenation’s first law school in Litchfield.

Continuing along I-84 you can exploreConnecticut’s capital, Hartford, where youwill discover the homes of Mark Twain,Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Noah Webster.The Wadsworth Museum includes nearly50,000 works of art by world-renownedartists. Favorite destinations south ofHartford and along the scenic ConnecticutRiver are Gillette Castle, the former mansionof the famous actor William Gillette (a.k.a.Sherlock Holmes), and the GoodspeedOpera House, which premiered manyBroadway shows.

Drive down I-95, or better yet, takeAmtrak from Boston for a charming 90-minute train ride to Mystic, home ofMystic Pizza, Mystic Seaport, Mystic

Aquarium, and Olde Mistick Village.Besides a peaceful and picturesque ridedown the Connecticut coast, you get toexperience two centuries of seafaring, strollalong a colonial village, and meet up closewith all kinds of aquatic life, big and small.

You can also stay on the train a littlelonger and get off at New London toexperience its beaches, waterfront attractions,and ferry service to Long Island. Or get off at New Haven and visit friends at Yale.

It could be said that the Nutmeg State is famous for its rustic charm, seacoastcommunities, and thriving urban centers,but let’s face it—it has casinos! Within atwo-hour bus ride from Boston sit Foxwoodsand Mohegan Sun, two of New England’slargest gaming facilities. They houserestaurants, hotels, nightclubs, and all theaddictive apparatuses you can imagine undera single roof.

Visit www.ctbound.org.

MaineThe great state of Maine is a tourist’sparadise. There are a multitude of activitiesavailable, and the scenery is second to none.But covering all of the largest of the NewEngland states in a quick trip is challenging.

From Boston you can take the Amtraktrain called the “Downeaster” and be in thecharming city of Portland in less than threehours. Or you can bus it up north to Bangorand make it a “two-nation vacation” withhigh-speed catamaran service to Nova Scotia.While in Bangor, visit Betts Bookstore, withits large selection of home state hero StephenKing memorabilia—from a $3 refrigeratormagnet to a $10,000 handwritten screenplay.

You can also rent a car and drive upInterstate 95. In less than an hour and a halffrom Boston you’re at the outlet stores ofKittery, near the sandy beaches of OldOrchard, York and Kennebunkport, andFreeport, home of L.L. Bean. Along the wayyou can try your best to grasp the localverbiage (“Ayuh,” “Cahn’t Get Theah FromHeah”) and attempt to pronounce thelandmarks, like Piscataqua River andMooselookmeguntic Lake. Just don’t ask afarmer for directions.

Visit www.visitmaine.com.

MassachusettsA short bus ride to Lexington/Concord bringsyou back to one of America’s earliest battlescenes and the summer homes of literarygreats like Ralph Waldo Emerson, NathanielHawthorne, and Louisa May Alcott. Withouta car, you have to choose among the sites.History buffs opt for Lexington; literary typesmay choose Concord.

Get to Know New England

Six States are Less than aDay Away from Boston

by John Pedini

© 2004 John Pedini

If you visit Rhode Island, take the ferry fromProvidence to Newport. You can arrive early and frolic in the surf of Newport Beach, havelunch, and then embark on a tour of theNewport mansions.

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Further west is the splendor of theBerkshire Mountains and its ultimatedestination spot, Tanglewood, the summerhome of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.The orchestra performs daily and nightlythroughout July.

A short commuter rail ride from NorthStation to Salem brings you to the intrigueof the Witch Trials, our seafaring heritage,and the beginning of many architecturalstyles in America. Visit the Peabody EssexMuseum and learn all about it, see the sites,and then have a relaxing dinner overlookingthe harbor.

Take a bus ride down to Plymouth andvisit Plimoth Plantation, an interactivejourney into the original 17th centurysettlement. Come see how Pilgrims andNative Americans lived, worked, and played.

Where, you ask, did the Pilgrims go forvacation? Cape Cod, of course. Just downthe road from Plymouth is the famouspeninsula that lures people from all over. In July it is quite crowded, and driving isdifficult. But the sea air and sandy beachessoothe all aggravations. Whether you’restopping at Hyannis to take a ferry to

Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket, headingdown Route 6 all the way to Provincetown,or stopping along at one of the manybeaches along the way, you are guaranteed a delightful and refreshing time.

What’s that? Don’t want to drive toProvincetown? You can take a ferry fromBoston Harbor and get there in 90 minutes.Enjoy a leisurely cruise across Cape Cod Bay,shop and snack, and then come back in timefor dinner. There are also many islands inBoston Harbor accessible by ferry, or you

can just take a sunset cruise and watch thesun go down and the lights go on.

Visit www.massvacation.com.

New HampshireThe Old Man of the Mountain may be gone,but his spirit remains. From Franconia Notchto Hampton Beach, there’s always somethingthat lures you into the Granite State.

Along the 17 miles of New Hampshire’spicturesque and historic seacoast, Portsmouthis a quaint little city with lots of shops,restaurants, galleries, and museums. TheStrawberry Banke Museum showcases life inAmerica as it was in the 1600s. Walk thePortsmouth Harbor Trail or take a sceniccruise with the Isle of Shoals SteamshipCompany. Just remember there’s no sales tax in the stores.

Outdoor enthusiasts need look nofurther than New Hampshire’s Lakes orMountain Regions for some adventure. A short bus ride from Boston’s South Station takes you into another world. The Lakes Region features one of America’smost famous water destinations, LakeWinnipesaukee, with its many islands andresort attractions. The White Mountains,featuring the Presidential Mountain Rangeand Mt. Washington, offer spectacular viewsalong with a day’s worth of hiking, camping,and restful contemplation. Hit the manyroadside antique shops for that little doo-dadyou don’t really need, and you have yourselfa day well spent.

Visit www.visitnh.gov.

Rhode IslandFrom the vineyards (yes, vineyards), to thebeaches, to the mansions, to the Red Sox(more later), to the revitalized downtown ofits capital city, Rhode Island is a small statewith lots to offer. And at a mere 60 milesfrom Boston, it’s very accessible.

By Amtrak, you can whoosh right intoProvidence in no time and see a city centerthat offers shopping (ooh, Nordstrom) anddining at Providence Place, restaurants ofall description, nightlife, theater, andgondola rides.

For outdoor activities, the whole state isliterally one huge beach. Take the ferry fromProvidence to Newport. You can arrive earlyand frolic in the surf of Newport Beach,have lunch, and then embark on a tour ofthe Newport mansions, either by guided touror by foot. The breathtaking Cliff Walk is adramatic 3.5-mile public walkway that putsyou at the edge of the properties and givesyou a sweeping view of the ocean below.

Newport also offers the InternationalTennis Hall of Fame, several museums, loads

of antique shops, and scads of restaurants—some with a great harbor view. Nearby isNewport Vineyards, one of four vineyards inthe state. Take a tour and have a taste.

Did you know Rhode Island also has itsown island? Yes, it’s Block Island. A 30-minute ferry ride from Point Judith gives youa fun getaway from your getaway with plentyof charming hotels and bed-and-breakfasts.

Finally, I mentioned the Red Sox.Anyone Triple-A-savvy knows that thecommunity of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, isthe home to the Pawtucket Red Sox, theBoston Red Sox’s minor league team. And if

Along the 17 miles of New Hampshire’s picturesque and historicseacoast, Portsmouth is a quaint little city with lots of shops,restaurants, galleries, and museums.

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We Need You Volunteer in Boston

Join the wonderful group ofdedicated people volunteering theirtime to help make the 2004 AALLAnnual Meeting in Boston a success.

The Annual Meeting LocalAdvisory Committee needsvolunteers for a variety of activities at the Annual Meeting. Meet newpeople and reconnect with oldfriends while working at theregistration desk. Scoop stories andwrite articles for The Hub, the dailyconference newspaper. Collect ticketsand seat people at the AssociationLuncheon and Closing Banquet. Or if you plan to be in Boston early,help stuff the conference tote bags onJuly 9 or set-up booths and visit withattendees’ children at the FamilySocial Hour on July 10.

Volunteers make the conferencerun smoothly—and they have fun.Thanks in advance!

For more detailed descriptions of volunteer opportunities at theBoston AALL Annual Meeting,check the volunteer form availableon AALLNET at www.aallnet.org/events/04_volunteers.asp or in thePreliminary Program. Please fax,mail, or e-mail the completed formby June 4 to:

Judy Gire, Volunteer ChairFranklin Pierce Law Center Library2 White StreetConcord, NH 03303Phone: 603/228-1541, ext. 1129Fax: 603/[email protected]

(continued on page 32)

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 200428

Input Sought by the LicensingPrinciples for Electronic ResourcesSpecial CommitteeThe Licensing Principles for ElectronicResources Special Committee has compiled a set of guidelines to assist librarians,publishers, and vendors involved in thelicensing process. The committee has workedthis past year to revise the original principlesestablished in 1997. Included below is thesection of the draft document that sets forththe principles that we identified.

The committee would like to considercomments from the membershipbefore submitting the final draftto the Executive Board. As you review, please rememberthat these principles mustapply to a wide range ofcircumstances and in a variety of libraryenvironments. Thecommittee welcomes your comments andsuggestions, which shouldbe directed to TracyThompson, committee chair, at 603/357-3385 [email protected].

Principles for Licensing Electronic Resources Licensing Process The practice of licensing electronic resourcesshould be accomplished in good faith by allparties. It is important that the process becarried out as openly as possible to achievefairness and to develop best practices. Aconfidentiality agreement should not be a prerequisite to a license agreement.

License Content A license agreement should state clearlywhether the access rights being acquired by the licensee are for permanent use andownership of the content or are subscription-based access rights only.

A license agreement should state clearlythe period of time for which access rights are being acquired.

A license agreement, along with anyappendices, addendums, or attachments,should comprise the whole of the agreementbetween the parties. Neither party shouldrely on verbal assurances or understandings.All agreed terms should be incorporated intothe written agreement.

A license agreement should not requirethe licensee to adhere to unspecified terms in a separate agreement between the licensorand a third party (such as a publisher or

committee news by Therese A. Clarke

other copyright holder) unless the terms arefully reiterated in the current license or fullydisclosed and agreed to by the licensee.

The terms of a license should beconsidered fixed at the time the license issigned by both parties. If the terms aresubject to change (for example, scope of coverage or method of access), theagreement should require the licensor orlicensee to notify the other party in writingin a timely and reasonable fashion of

any such changes before they areimplemented and permit

either party to terminatethe agreement if the

changes are notacceptable.

A licenseagreementshould state the financialrelationship, if any, betweenthe electronic

resource beinglicensed and

any equivalentpublications in other

formats.A license agreement should

state whether the resource being licensed is in compliance with Section 508 of theRehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d).

Authorized Use A license agreement should clearly state thepermitted uses of the electronic resource.The licensee should make clear to thelicensor those uses critical to its particularusers including, but not limited to, printing,downloading, copying, electronic reserves,and the development of course packs.

The licensee should be responsible for establishing policies that create anenvironment in which authorized users makeappropriate use of licensed resources and forcarrying out due process when it appears thata use may violate the agreement.

A license agreement should not hold thelicensee liable for unauthorized uses of thelicensed resource by its users, as long as thelicensee has implemented reasonable andappropriate methods to notify its usercommunity of use restrictions.

A license agreement should require thelicensor to give the licensee notice of anysuspected or alleged license violations thatcome to the attention of the licensor and allowa reasonable time for the licensee to investigateand take corrective action, if appropriate.

Access A license agreement should specify themeans of authentication and access to theelectronic content that are available toauthorized users. A license agreement shouldnot require the use of an authenticationsystem that creates an unnecessary barrier to access by authorized users.

A license agreement should recognizethe affiliation of users with a given library or institution, regardless of users’ physicallocation and should allow for routineremote access to licensed electronicinformation resources.

A license agreement should fairlyrecognize those access enforcementobligations that the licensee is able toimplement without unreasonable burden.Enforcement must not violate the privacyand confidentiality of authorized users. The licensee should be willing to undertakereasonable and appropriate methods to enforcethe terms of access to a licensed resource.

Copyright and Intellectual Property A license agreement should recognize andnot restrict, abrogate, or circumvent therights of the licensee or its user communitypermitted under copyright law, includingbut not limited to the fair use provisions of Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. 107) and the interlibrary loanprovisions of Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. 108).

A license agreement should not limit the rights of the licensee to use publicdomain content in any way, even when suchcontent is included as part of the licensor’sproprietary resource. A license agreementshould recognize the intellectual propertyrights of the licensee, the licensor, and anyrelevant third-party.

A license agreement should require thelicensor to defend, indemnify, and hold thelicensee harmless from any action based on aclaim that use of the resource in accordancewith the license infringes any patent, copyright,trademark, or trade secret of any third party.

Archiving When permanent use of a resource has beenlicensed, a license agreement should allowthe licensee to copy data for the purposes ofpreservation and/or the creation of a usablearchival copy. If a license agreement doesnot permit the licensee to make a usablepreservation copy, a license agreementshould specify who has permanent archivalresponsibility for the resource and underwhat conditions the licensee may access orrefer users to the archival copy.

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morning learning how librarians can begood advocates for their libraries and, on a larger scale, advocates for access toinformation. The workshop will includehands-on training in how to become thebest advocate you can be. There is not alibrarian in our association who cannotbenefit from learning new communicationsskills and from the inspiration to change the world around us that the workshopbrings. The Advocacy Workshop will offersomething for everyone. We will focus thisyear on the funding issues of state, court,and county libraries. The SCCLL-SISleadership has asked us to put together aprogram for them, and we think this is justwhat the doctor ordered. If you are anSCCLL-SIS member and have worriedabout your funding, please plan to join uson Saturday morning for an illuminatingand inspiring workshop. To reserve yourspot at the workshop, please e-mail MaryAlice Baish of the Washington Affairs Officeat [email protected]. Coffee anddrinks will be served, but not breakfast. For further information, please contactElizabeth LeDoux, chair of the GovernmentRelations Committee, at [email protected].

Submitted by Elizabeth LeDoux.

Mentoring Committee LooksForward to Boston The Mentoring Committee encourages youto become a mentor or mentee. The MentorProject provides an informal, personalsource of information for newer membersand an avenue by which experienced law librarians may meet promising new members of the profession. It alsoprovides a network for members who arecontemplating a move to another type oflibrary. Applications for AALL MentorProject mentors and mentees are now

available at the Mentor Project Web site at www.aallnet.org/committee/mentoring/mentor_project.html. Applications receivedby May 14 are guaranteed a match. In orderto assist participants in the Mentor Project,the committee’s Web site includes tips formentoring and links to helpful articles onmentoring. The committee will also provideall mentors with a brochure to help themdefine their roles as mentors. Additionally, thecommittee will host a reception on Sunday,July 11, that will provide an excellent meetingplace for mentors and mentees.

The Mentoring Committee is excitedabout this year’s Conference of Newer LawLibrarians (CONELL) and encourages allnewer law librarians to attend the event.This year’s participants will have the optionof Dutch Treat Dinners on Friday, July 9, as an informal way to get acquainted. OnSaturday, July 10, the CONELL programwill introduce our newest members to AALL and its resources, provide manyopportunities for networking, and concludewith an afternoon tour of Boston. To register for CONELL, visit the MentoringCommittee’s Web site at www.aallnet.org/committee/mentoring/.

The committee continues to administerLONELL, the List of Newer Law Librarians.This list offers an opportunity for newerlibrarians to ask questions about theprofession among their peers who havesimilar experiences. To subscribe toLONELL, visit AALL’s list manager athttp://share.aallnet.org/read/all_forums/.

Submitted by Connie Lenz.

Therese A. Clarke, Northern IllinoisUniversity College of Law, David C. ShapiroMemorial Law Library, DeKalb, IL 60115 •815/753-9497 • fax: 815/753-9499 •[email protected].

AALL Spectrum Magazine May 2004 29

When subscription-based or renewableuse of a resource has been licensed, a licenseagreement should specify what, if any, accessto the licensed material would continue to beavailable after the subscription period lapses.

Statistics/Privacy A license agreement should describe theusage statistics collected or generated by the licensor or any third parties, and themeans available for the licensee to accessthose statistics.

The routine collection of use data byeither party to a license agreement should be predicated upon disclosure of suchcollection activities to the other party andmust respect laws and institutional policiesregarding confidentiality and privacy.

Termination/Renewal A license agreement should providetermination/renewal rights that areappropriate to each party.

A license agreement should specify thefinancial obligations of both parties in theevent that either party terminates the license.

Dispute Resolution A license agreement should allow for the useof alternative dispute resolution to resolveany conflicts that may arise in relationshipto the agreement. A license agreementshould state the choice of law and choice ofvenue by which the parties will be governedin the event of a dispute.

Submitted by Tracy L. Thompson.

Government Relations CommitteeAdvocacy Workshop The Government Relations Committee andthe Washington Affairs Office are excitedabout the upcoming Advocacy Workshop,which will be hosted from 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.on July 10, the Saturday before the AALLAnnual Meeting begins. We will spend the

classifiedBEI offers transcription services from cassette tapes, videotapes and CDs, or upload your WAV file onto our secure FTP site, or use ourstate of the art dial-in dictation service, available 24/7. Fast, accurate. 703/573-4500, [email protected], www.WeWork4You.com.

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AALL Spectrum Magazine May 200430

CS-SIS Set to Unveil Top Secret“Project Mumbai” at CONELLMarketplaceAside from the business meeting on Sunday,July 11, from 5:30-6:30 p.m., this year’sAnnual Meeting will also be packed withmany fun-filled Computer Services-SISevents. The full schedule is on the CS-SISWeb site at www.aallnet.org/sis/cssis/meetings.html, but here are the highlights:

Our breakfast meeting will be held onMonday, July 12, from 7-8:45 a.m. Wealways invite engaging speakers, so this one isnot to be missed. We again plan to hold thecost of the breakfast to $10 for members andto subsidize the rest. Be sure to sign up forthe breakfast when you register for theannual meeting. (This event is limited to 50 attendees, so register early.)

On Monday morning, from 10:15-11:30a.m., come to our informative Roundtableon Web Design and Maintenance. Topics lastsummer ranged from accessibility issues todatabase-driven pages to managing electronicjournals. Come join the discussion, and leavewith practical tips that you can implement assoon as you get back to your office.

As always, we will take part in the socialevent of the season (aside from our karaokeouting); the TS/OBS/RIPS/CS-SIS jointreception will be held on Saturday, July 10,from 6-7:30 p.m., generously sponsored by Innovative Interfaces, Inc. Hope to seeyou there!

Submitted by Don Arndt.

LISP’s Annual Meeting UpdateHere’s a reminder that the annual LegalInformation Services to the Public Special

special interest section news by Don Arndt

Interest Section’s business meeting isscheduled for Sunday, July 11, from 5:15-6:15 p.m. This will not conflict with theResearch Instruction and Patron Services or Social Responsibilities Special InterestSections’ business meetings. New this year,we will hold a joint roundtable discussionwith the LISP-, RIPS-, and SR-Special Interest Sections onMonday, July 12, from 5:15-6:15 p.m. We will discusshow different institutionsserve self-representedlitigants and prisoners. We encourage everyone toattend, even those who arenot members of these specialinterest sections. Please let meknow if you have any questions.

Submitted by Amy Hale-Janeke.

SCCLL is Busy in BeantownThe State, Court, and County LawLibraries-SIS has a full agenda planned forthe AALL Annual Meeting in Boston thisJuly. The SIS leadership gets off to a seriousstart on Saturday, July 10, with an ExecutiveBoard Meeting (4-5:30 p.m.), followed bythe SIS Committee Chairs Meeting (5:30-6:30 p.m.).

The Annual Breakfast and BusinessMeeting kicks off Sunday morning at 7 a.m.and again features the popular “SCCLL-SISSilent Auction.” Members donate items thatare bid on throughout the business meeting.All funds raised at the auction go to the SISGrants Committee. We all look forward toseeing, and bidding on, the unique itemsdonated each year.

Specialty meetings this year include the SCCLL-SIS Librarians and TrusteesLuncheon (Sunday at noon), the SCCLL-SISAttorney General Law Librarians’ RoundtableLuncheon (also Sunday at noon), and theSCCLL-SIS State Law Librarian Roundtable

(Sunday at 5:30 p.m.).Monday morning offers more

chances for SCCLL-SIS librariansto work hard, with a Strategic

Planning Committee meetingheld at 7 a.m., the EducationCommittee meeting at 7:45a.m., and the Membershipand Mentoring Committeemeeting at 10:15 a.m.

Finally, by Tuesday it’stime to relax a bit, with the

SCCLL-SIS/West CustomerService Update Luncheon at 11:45 a.m.

and an off-site evening reception sponsoredby Thomson West. For those stalwart SISmembers who can still drag themselves outof bed on Wednesday, there will be a 3:30p.m. Attorney General Law Librarians’Library tour.

SCCLL-sponsored programs include:

• Passport to the World of LegalInformation: International LegalMaterials on the Web; SusanneDyer; A-3, Sunday, July 11, 10:15-11:45 a.m.

• Can I Get Some Help Here?Providing Effective ReferenceServices While AvoidingUnauthorized Practice of Law;Judith Lehosit; F-4, Tuesday, July 13, 10:15-11:30 a.m.

• Marketing the Law Library to the World: Getting Published in Judicial, Court, and BarPublications; Marcus Hochstetler;I-5, Wednesday, July 14, 1:30-2 p.m.

• Lost that Whistle while You Work Feeling? Staff MeetingManagement Strategies forLibrary Directors and Managers;Jean Holcomb; K-5, Wednesday,July 14, 3-3:30 p.m.

Don’t miss the action! The SCCLL-SISWeb site has additional details, as will thefinal program.

Submitted by Karen Westwood.Don Arndt, University of Toledo, Law

Center, Mail Stop 508, Toledo, OH 43606-3390 • 419/530-2945 • fax: 419/530-5121 • donald.arndt@ utoledo.edu.

CONELL attendees beware: It’s alive! CS-SIS members Don Arndt, Ryan Overdorf, and Robert Jacoby put the finishing touches ona mysterious technological gizmo in preparation for this year’s Annual Meeting in Boston. The top-secret doo-dad, code named“Mumbai,” will be given away to some lucky CONELL attendee at the CS-SIS Business Meeting. Stop by the CS-SIS table atCONELL Marketplace to find out what the surprise is and pick up an entry form; then come to our business meeting on Sundayevening for a chance to win.

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With a registration fee of $505 for theAnnual Meeting, it may seem difficult forlibrarians (especially administrators with that eagle eye on the budget) to justify anadditional $100 charge for the one day-CONELL program. But CONELL is much more than a one-day event. Ask anymember of the Mentoring Committee or a past attendee of CONELL—we will tellyou that that $100 may be the smartestinvestment to be made in a librarian’s career.

And by the way, Emily had a great timeat the dance. Having a friend along made it a lot more fun, and it gave her theconfidence to say yes when Hunter askedher to dance.

Joyce Manna Janto ([email protected]) is deputy director of the lawlibrary at the University of Richmond Schoolof Law Library in Richmond, Virginia.

Easing the Path - continued New England - continued from

you are really savvy, you’ll know that on July14 the “Paw Sox” are hosting the Triple-AAll-Star game at McCoy Stadium.

Visit www.riroads.com.

VermontVermont’s legendary Long Trail extends the entire length of the state along the crestof the signature Green Mountains andcoincides with the Appalachian Trail in thesouth. You can venture for an overnight trip(there are many shelters dotting the trail) orbecome an “End-to-End” hiker.

Devotees of more urbane pursuits canvisit Bennington, a charming New Englandtown just over the Massachusetts border,home to covered bridges, antique shops,crafts stores, and small art galleries.Burlington, which includes the campus ofthe University of Vermont and ChamplainCollege and is situated among theAdirondack Mountains, Green Mountains,and Lake Champlain, is a combination ofthriving social scenes and stirring pastoral

vistas. You can take in a day of shopping in the pedestrian-friendly Church StreetMarketplace or pass the day at the beach.

Of course, ice cream lovers may want tomake a trip to Ben and Jerry’s in Waterbury.You can take weekday factory tours, but keep in mind that the tour does not takereservations in July.

Near the Ben and Jerry’s factory is theCabot Annex Store, featuring an availablevariety of locally produced cheeses fromCabot Creamery, the most famous companyalong the “Vermont Cheese Trail.” Truecheese enthusiasts can visit Cabot Creamerynear Montpelier, the state capital.

And no trip to Vermont would becomplete without a visit to the Trapp FamilyLodge in Stowe. Spend a day or more at this magical resort inn and see if the hills are indeed alive.

Visit www.vermontvacation.com.John Pedini ([email protected]) is

director of media services at the Social LawLibrary in Boston.

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update

AALL seeks contributions to raise$100,000 by 2005 for the AALL and West George A. Strait MinorityScholarship Endowment.

After West contributed $150,000 in2001 to endow the George A. StraitMinority Scholarship, the companychallenged AALL to raise an additional$100,000 for the endowment. AALLimmediately accepted the challenge and set a deadline of 2005 to reach its goal.

The income generated from theendowment will provide a permanentfunding source, allowing AALL to awardtwo to four Strait Scholarships per year. A portion of the income earned each yearwill be returned to the endowment’sprincipal to assure its long-term viability.

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

$95,102.50April 2004

To contribute to the endowment, visit www.aallnet.org/services/strait-br.asp.

AALL Campaign Raises Funds for Strait MinorityScholarship Endowment

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New LibrariansEwald Uwe “Ed” Beltz is the new accessservices librarian at Furman Smith LawLibrary, Mercer University, in Macon,Georgia. Beltz’s JD is from the University of North Carolina, and he expects to receivehis MSLS from the University of NorthCarolina in May 2004.

R. Lee Sims is the new evening referencelibrarian at the Tulane Law Library. Hereceived his MLIS from the University ofWashington with a certificate in lawlibrarianship in 2003 and his JD from theUniversity of Idaho College of Law in 1979.

James P. Walsh is the new referenceservices librarian at Furman Smith LawLibrary, Mercer University, in Macon, Georgia.After receiving his JD from NorthernKentucky University, Walsh practiced law withCors and Bassett, a Cincinnati firm. His MLISis from Dominican University (formerlyRosary College).

membership news by Sarah Mauldin

New Places and ResponsibilitiesRobb Farmer is a new reference librarian atthe Ross-Blakley Law Library, Arizona StateUniversity, in Tempe. Farmer had been areference librarian at Greenbaum Doll andMcDonald in Louisville.

Sima Mirkin has been appointed anassistant librarian for the WashingtonCollege of Law, American University,effective March 1. Mirkin will serve as acatalog librarian. Mirkin was previously amember of the cataloging team forGeorgetown University Law Library.

Diane Murley is now reference/Webservices librarian at the Southern IllinoisUniversity School of Law Library inCarbondale, Illinois. She was previously thehead of reader services at NortheasternUniversity Law Library in Boston.

Trina Robinson is the new acquisitionslibrarian at the Tulane Law Library.Robinson had been a reference librarian at

Tulane’s law library and was formerly theacquisitions librarian at Loyola (NewOrleans) Law Library.

RetirementsMargareta Horiba, long-time acquisitionslibrarian at the Tulane Law Library, retiredon March 1.

Professional ActivitiesIn January, Christine Stouffer wasappointed to a second one-year term aspresident of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library Board ofTrustees. Stouffer is the director of libraryservices at Ulmer and Berne LLP inCleveland.

Sarah Mauldin, Lionel Sawyer andCollins, 300 S. Fourth Street, Suite 1700, Las Vegas, NV 89101 • 702/383-8988 • fax:702/383-8845 • [email protected].

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announcements

Session 1: Monday, July 12, 2:30 - 4 p.m.Session 2: Tuesday, July 13, 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

Members’ Open Forum: Tuesday, July 13, 3:15 - 3:45 p.m.

Agenda Business Meeting Session IMonday, July 122:30 - 4 p.m.Janis L. Johnston, President, Presiding

1. Call to Order Janis L. Johnston2. Introductions Janis L. Johnston3. Adoption of the Standing Rules Janis L. Johnston4. Adoption of the Agenda for Both Sessions Janis L. Johnston5. Approval of the Minutes from the 2003 Business Meeting Catherine Lemann, Secretary6. Report on Elections Catherine Lemann7. Introduction of Newly Elected Board Members Janis L. Johnston8. Memorials Janis L. Johnston9. President’s Report Janis L. Johnston10. Remarks: President of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries11. Remarks: President of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians12. Remarks: President of the International Association of Law Libraries13. Resolutions Janis L. Johnston14. New Business Janis L. Johnston15. Announcements Janis L. Johnston16. Recess

Business Meeting Session IITuesday, July 132:15 - 3:15 p.m.Janis L. Johnston, President, Presiding

1. Call to Order Janis L. Johnston2. Introductions Janis L. Johnston3. President’s Certificates of Appreciation Janis L. Johnston4. Treasurer’s Report Anne C. Matthewman5. Executive Director’s Report Susan E. Fox6. Washington Affairs Representative’s Report Robert Oakley7. Vice President’s Remarks Victoria K. Trotta8. Unfinished Business Janis L. Johnston9. New Business Janis L. Johnston10. Announcements Janis L. Johnston11. Adjournment Janis L. Johnston

Members’ Open ForumTuesday, July 133:15 - 3:45 p.m.

A Members’ Open Forum will be held immediately at the conclusion of the second session of the Business Meeting. The Open Forumprovides members with an opportunity to raise questions and discuss issues without following the requirements imposed by parliamentaryprocedures. Action may not be taken during the Open Forum. However, issues may be raised and referred to the president for further action.

American Association of Law Libraries 2004 Business Meeting

Boston, Massachusetts

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announcements

Do you teach an advanced legal researchcourse that focuses on foreign, comparative,or international law?

The Foreign, Comparative, andInternational Law Special Interest Section isre-designing its Web page and updating itscourse materials currently accessible at:http://brkl.brooklaw.edu/screens/fcilsis.

html. We welcome new submissions of alltypes of course materials, including syllabi,reading lists, PowerPoint slides, handouts,bibliographies, assignments, final exams,and final projects.

Materials in HTML and non-HTMLformats are welcome—the SIS will facilitateconversion to PDF or HTML formats and

will host the materials if necessary.If you know of others who teach

ALR-FCIL, please encourage them tosubmit materials.

Please contact Lee Peoples at [email protected] if you are willing to share yourmaterials.

FCIL-SIS Requests Teaching Materials

announcements

Spring is almost here. Help a child blossomby donating a book today.

The Social Responsibilities-SIS iscoordinating the 6th annual children’s bookdrive in Boston. The theme this year is“Make Way!” based on Boston’s belovedchildren’s book, Make Way for Ducklings byRobert McCloskey (The Viking Press, NewYork, 1941).

This year’s efforts will benefit ReadBoston (www.cityofboston.gov/bra/ReadBoston/JCSRB.asp), a city educationsupport initiative whose mission is toensure that all Boston children are ablereaders by the time they complete thirdgrade. The programs include: the FamilyLiteracy Program, which provides books forclassroom libraries and teacher training; the

Reading Trail, a family-focused readingprogram that allows families to borrowbooks; and the Storymobile, which lendsbooks to kids’ camps and summerprograms.

Think about how you would like todonate next year—it is easier than ever. Youcan go directly to Amazon.com to view theBook Drive Wish List (go to Amazon.com,click on the link for “Wish List,” andsearch for AALL Book Drive or ReadBoston), and your donation will be shippeddirectly to the book drive team.

Other options include bringing yourdonation with you to the conference,donating at the Association Luncheon, orsending your donation or check made outto AALL to:

Make Way! Book Drivec/o Annette DemersHarvard Law School Library1545 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138617/[email protected].

Make Way for AALL 2004 Book Drive

professional development calendarPDC Desktop Learning Opportunity Series (AALL Spectrum)• “Cyberplagiarism and the Law” by Sharon Blackburn and Stephen Good, July 2004

For more information about Professional Development Program activities, please visitwww.aallnet.org/prodev.

AALL recognizes major support from BNA, Inc. for theProfessional Development Program.

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The

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Margaret Maes Axtmann, CRIV ChairUniversity of St. Thomas Schoenecker Law [email protected]

The CRIV Sheet

Richard Vaughan, Subcommittee Chair and Co-editorIndiana University School of Law [email protected]

Lucy Moss, Co-editorChicago-Kent College of Law [email protected]

Margaret Maes Axtmann Jill Porter

Annual Meeting Subcommittee

Jill Porter, ChairPractising Law [email protected]

Margaret Maes AxtmannKevin ButterfieldKaren Douglas

CRIV Tools Subcommittee

Karen Douglas, ChairDuke University School of Law [email protected]

Contents

Editor’s Corner 2

From the Chair 2

The Future of Shepard’s® Citations in Print 3

Loose-leaf Binders: A Plea for Consistency 5

Fair Business Practices Implementation Task Force Update 6

Vendor Profile: Brill Academic Publishers 7

HeinOnline in the Law Firm Environment: Comment 8

The View from the Other Side of the Desk: Librarians Employed by Legal Publishers 8

Notes of Interest 11

Some Thoughts on Publisher Web Sites 12

Jan AndersonBeth DiFeliceCraig GarrettGail McCainEllen Strbak

CRIVPage Subcommittee

Stephanie Schmitt, ChairYale Law School Lillian Goldman [email protected]

Kevin ButterfieldBeth DiFelice

New Product AwardSubcommittee

Beth DiFelice, ChairArizona State University Ross-Blakley Law [email protected]

Gail McCainMarcia Zubrow

Publisher CommunicationSubcommittee

Margaret Maes Axtmann, ChairUniversity of St. Thomas Schoenecker Law [email protected]

JoAnn HounshellEllen StrbakMarcia Zubrow

Site Visits Subcommittee

JoAnn Hounshell, ChairChicago-Kent College of Law [email protected]

Margaret Maes AxtmannKaren DouglasEllen Strbak

CRIV Web Site

www.aallnet.org/committee/criv

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It seems impossible to us, but we are at the end of anothervolume of The CRIV Sheet. Our next issue will not appear untilthe fall, well after the annual get-together in Boston.

As we conclude the 26th volume of the newsletter, we want tothank all those who contributed to this year’s issues as well as tothe entire Committee on Relations with Information Vendors.

This issue starts off with an article that addresses a topic thatseems to arise every month on one online discussion oranother—the future of Shepard’s Citations in paper. JaneMorris, director of customer programs, case law and citationseditorial at LexisNexis, was gracious enough to pull this articletogether at our request. We think the information she provideswill prove valuable to law libraries who question their collectionsof paper citators.

Another online discussion tie-in article was been written by Jason Kruppa of the Law Library of Louisiana. Kruppa posted a question to other librarians about the design of loose-leafbinders this past winter. From the responses he received andfrom discussions with publishers, Kruppa has produced awonderful Consumer Reports-like survey. It is our hope that thedialog he has opened with the publishers will lead to improvedloose-leaf binder design.

Next we have an update on the work of the Fair BusinessPractices Implementation Task Force that was created by theAALL Executive Board in 2003. CRIV committee member Beth DiFelice follows with a vendor profile of Brill AcademicPublishers—a company with a long history, but one that hasonly recently jumped into the world of legal publishing. SusanSiebers, a firm librarian from Chicago, follows with a responseto our February interview with a group of firm librarians whopurchased HeinOnline. Siebers’ comments reinforce the notionthat there are times when not purchasing a quality product isthe best decision for a library.

Next is co-editor Dick Vaughan’s look at the lives of severallibrarians who work for legal publishers. This is a group we havewanted to profile for some time, and we hope it will shed newlight on the work of these dedicated, but often forgotten, libraryprofessionals. We conclude with a few “Notes of Interest” andKevin Butterfield’s look at several unique features found onpublishers’ Web sites.

As always, thanks for reading our work, and please send us any comments you have.

2 The CRIV Sheet Vol. 26 No. 3 May 2004

Editor’s CornerRichard Vaughan

Indiana UniversitySchool of Law LibraryBloomington

Lucy Moss

Chicago-Kent College of LawLaw LibraryChicago

I recently returned from the Joint Study Institute in Sydney,Australia, where I had an opportunity to talk with librariansfrom Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.A frequent topic of conversation was the state of legalpublishing and the impact of publisher practices on librarybudgets and services.

“What are you doing?” people asked me. “What is CRIV doing?”

With the vast majority of print and electronic resources beingproduced by two or three publishing conglomerates, librariesand other consumers of legal information have few choices inhow to spend their dwindling budgets. The sheer size and globalnature of the companies make it nearly impossible to have ourvoices heard, individually as law librarians and collectively asAALL and the Committee on Relations with Information Vendors.As one Australian librarian put it, “They just sit back and add 8 percent every year without adding any content or value.”

One of the most frequent concerns I hear from librarians is aboutpricing. These are just a few of the common problems we face:

• A huge portion of our incoming material is paid on receiptrather than on an annual subscription basis, making it nearlyimpossible to plan and control our budgets. We don’t knowwhat we can afford, because we can’t predict how muchanything will cost.

• Publishers recompile or reissue large sets with little advancewarning, and libraries must either absorb the cost or cancelthe set. Collection development becomes a reactionary processrather than a thoughtful one.

• Postage and handling charges continue to rise unnecessarily,eating up more and more of our acquisitions funds.

• Some publishers discount new sales more attractively thanstanding orders, leading libraries down the path of cancellingand reordering. The recordkeeping is labor intensive, and theimpact on our collections is undeniable.

• Bundling of resources, either in electronic databases or inprint/electronic combinations, can allow a library tomaximize subscription dollars. But it also reduces flexibilityand takes the choices out of the hands of librarians so thatwe are shaping our collections according to packagesdesigned by the publishers and not according to our needs.

Continual evaluation of collections and services is a basicprinciple of librarianship, and it is even more critical for us toundertake collection assessment at a time when library budgetsmandate that we do more with less. But our ability to build andmanage our resources according to our library’s mission anduser population is greatly limited by the pricing strategiescurrently prevalent in the legal publishing industry. It’s not just

From the ChairMargaret MaesAxtmann

University of St.Thomas, SchoeneckerLaw LibraryMinneapolis

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The CRIV Sheet Vol. 26 No. 3 May 2004 3

The Future of Shepard’s® Citations in Print Jane W. Morris

LexisNexis™Colorado SpringsShepard’s Citations has been a cornerstone of the legal research

process for 130 years. Back in 1873, Frank Shepard inventedthe legal citator as we know it today. In time, the use of hisinvention to conduct legal research came to be known asShepardizing™. During the early 20th century, Shepard’sinvention was ranked—along with the telephone (invented in1876) and the typewriter (1873)—among the three topproductivity tools for lawyers.

For nearly 110 years, Shepard’s information was available onlyin print. Initially, the product was called Shepard’s AdhesiveAnnotations. The citations were printed on gummed, perforatedsheets, which were designed to be divided and pasted ontopages of case law. Known to the profession as “stickers,” mostShepard’s first editions were literally torn to bits and stuck topertinent margins of case reporters.

By the early years of the 20th century, the citations were boundinto maroon volumes with Shepard’s Citations stamped in goldon their spines, much like the ones still found on library shelves100 years later. While today’s law students are most likely toassociate Shepard’s with the LexisNexis Total Research System at lexis.com®, print remains the medium of choice for manyexperienced legal researchers.

Learning to Shepardize® in print was once a rite of passage forall first-year law students. Until quite recently, generations oflawyers Shepardized™ in print to be sure their authorities werestill good law. They also Shepardized to retrieve comprehensivelists of authorities—including cases, annotations, law reviewarticles, and other sources—that cited their cases or statutes.

Print v. OnlineToday, some of these lawyers still prefer to do their citationsresearch in print. Our market research plainly indicates thatmost attorneys and librarians conduct the majority of theirresearch online. But our market research also tells us that thereare a number of experienced attorneys, principally in smallerfirms, who still prefer print and who are extremely unlikely tochange their ways. Given the ripe old ages at which manylawyers continue to practice their profession, we don’t see themarket for Shepard’s in print disappearing any time soon.

Clearly, subscription lists for Shepard’s products are declining asonline usage grows. Attrition has been steepest in large lawfirms, where relatively junior associates conduct a great deal of citations research online. Attrition has been less steep inlibraries and small firms where attorneys who prefer printcontinue to do their research.

For many years, attrition in academic law libraries wasrelatively low. Many law school libraries continued to retainrelatively substantial collections of Shepard’s in print. In recentyears, attrition has increased—especially in law schools that no longer teach their students how to Shepardize in print. Butbecause many law school libraries are open to the public (or atleast to graduates of the school), including practicing attorneysin the communities they serve, a typical law school librarycontinues to retain at least a basic collection of Shepard’sprint products.

Let’s assume that attrition continues. Will the day come whenShepard’s will no longer be available in print? When it comes toforecasting, never say never is good advice. Thus we wouldn’t

about keeping our budgets under control; it’s also about makingthe decisions that are right for us rather than the decisions thatare expedient for publishers.

What is the CRIV doing about all of this? The committee workshard, often behind the scenes, to help publishers understandhow their pricing policies affect libraries. We engage inconversations that articulate these general issues as well asaddress specific problem areas identified by law librarians. It is more difficult to have meaningful dialogue in the globalpublishing environment that exists today, but we continue tomake personal contacts and to advocate for sound practices. We encourage better communication between publishers andlibrarians, but the CRIV can’t do it alone.

Ultimately law librarians also must take a personal standagainst poor pricing strategies and other publisher practices that reduce our ability to make intelligent choices. We need topersuade publishers to provide us with more annual subscriptionprice information so that we can manage our budgets. We needto convince them that the package that is right for one library

may be wrong for another so that they will build moreflexibility into their content and pricing structures. We don’talways speak with one voice, and it’s important for each of us to make our individual opinions known.

Publishers also have a responsibility to explain their prices andto inform customers in advance of changes to those prices. They must recognize different customer needs and work toaccommodate those needs within their own policies. This is achallenge for global publishers, but they must maintain effectivecommunication and personalized customer service in order tokeep library customers satisfied.

This is a watershed time for the legal publishing industry and its customers. Law librarians and legal publishers would do wellto work toward a better understanding of each other’s needs,because we can’t continue with business as usual. The CRIVstands ready to facilitate this discussion and to monitor trends in legal publishing and pricing. I’d be glad to hear more frompublishers and librarians on this topic.

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4 The CRIV Sheet Vol. 26 No. 3 May 2004

want to predict that the end of the road for Shepard’s in printwill never arrive—but we’re confident it won’t be soon. Severalfactors support this conclusion.

Print Still ProfitableAs an organization, LexisNexis is strongly committed todelivering products in the media our customers need. We derivea substantial percentage of our revenues from print products.This may be surprising to those who associate the LexisNexisname with online legal research. But it’s not so surprising whenyou consider the longtime print publishers, including MatthewBender®, Anderson Publishing®, and Michie™ in addition toShepard’s, that are also part of today’s LexisNexis.

Despite the trend toward ever-increasing online use, certainprint resources are highly valued and seem unlikely todisappear. Most attorneys want to have ready desktop access tothe statutes and court rules they frequently use. Others want tohave some secondary materials close by, including practiceguides and treatises for areas of law that are important to theirpractices. Matthew Bender, Anderson, and Michie publish manyof these must-have-in-print titles.

Shepard’s Citations is a beneficiary of this association. Becauseour LexisNexis manufacturing and distribution operationssupport a variety of print products, including Matthew Bender,Anderson, and Michie titles, we can continue to provide cost-effective support for Shepard’s in print, even as Shepard’sprint subscription lists continue to decline.

There is another major factor that contributes to the continuingviability of Shepard’s in print: a very substantial amount of theeditorial work we do for Shepard’s Citations is necessary tosupport the online Shepard’s product. Thus our cost structure for print includes paper, ink, and postage, but not the analyticalwork that our editors perform. This means that even small printsubscription lists can be profitable.

After Shepard’s became a part of LexisNexis, we totallyredesigned the way we process case law and citations. The multi-million-dollar Citations Redesign (CR) project was intendedto eliminate duplication and allow us to deliver current, accurateinformation unmatched by our competition. The ability toproduce Shepard’s print pages quickly and efficiently was builtinto the CR requirements—another factor contributing to thecontinuing viability of Shepard’s in print.

It should be noted that over the years, we have determined todiscontinue a few Shepard’s titles. In the main, the cancelledtitles have been Shepard’s case names citators. Two otherdiscontinued products (Shepard’s Fifth Circuit Citations andShepard’s California Federal Citations) contained subsets ofinformation that are also available in two of our flagship printproducts, Shepard’s Federal Citations and Shepard’s UnitedStates Citations.

Unfortunately, the lists for these lesser titles were never large.Over time, they had declined to the point where the costs ofproducing them exceeded the revenues they generated. It ispossible that other individual titles might be discontinued in thefuture. But fortunately, these products represent the exceptionto the general rule. Almost all of our core citator productsremain solidly profitable.

So long as they remain profitable—and so long as ourcustomers value this medium for their research—we arecommitted to producing Shepard’s traditional print products.Judging from the market research we do, a small but viableminority of legal researchers continues to prefer print, and they tell us they would rather retire than move online.

Mixed FeelingsWe confess to being just a little conflicted by all of this. On one hand, we’d like everyone to experience the powerfulnavigational tools that make Shepardizing on lexis.com so easy and fast. We’d like everyone to see how Frank Shepard’sinvention, the Adhesive Annotation, has come full circle, with Shepard’s Signal™ indicators appearing on the face ofLexisNexis case documents to provide at-a-glance indications ofprecedential status. We’d like everyone to share our convictionthat Shepard’s on the LexisNexis Total Research System is simplythe best way for legal researchers to be sure they have reachedsound conclusions about their research.

On the other hand, we value the long tradition that Shepard’s inprint represents. It’s because of print that Shepardize has longbeen one of the most widely recognized words in the lawyer’slexicon. The little editorial shorthand that Frank Sheparddeveloped—“a” for affirmed, “r” for reversed, “f” forfollowed, and “o” for overruled—lives on in print. We likeknowing that Shepard’s expert legal editors continue to applythis analysis today, just as they did when Frank Shepard was still directing their work.

Going forward, we couldn’t produce Shepard’s Citations withoutcomputers, but some of us still remember that Shepard’sinformation was processed manually for more than a century.More than 100 million citations were originally extracted ontoslips of paper by clerical employees, analyzed by legal editors,sorted and validated, set into lines of hot metal type, andcarefully proofread for inclusion in a Shepard’s bound volumeor cumulative supplement. The painstaking work that madeShepard’s in print possible continues to inspire us today.

Therefore, we wish long, productive lives for the lawyers, law librarians, judges, and law professors who still prefer to use Shepard’s Citations in print.

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Loose-leaf Binders: A Plea for Consistency Jason Kruppa

Law Library of LouisianaNew OrleansAsk anyone on the street about the importance of loose-leaf

binders in the grand scheme of things and you’ll probably get a blank stare. But open up discussion on the topic to any groupof law librarians and you’re likely to get a response that’s quitea bit more sanguine. I discovered this very truth when I postedan e-mail on the law-lib online discussion list detailing my ownfrustrations with inconsistencies and flaws in the usability ofvarious binder designs. Over the next few weeks, I receivednumerous e-mails from librarians and professional filers aroundthe country who concurred with my sentiments and amplifiedthem with their own experiences.

In preparing this article, I used those responses as a basis for speaking with personnel from several of the major legalpublishers about their chosen style of binders and elicitedfurther comments via e-mail from staff members of law librariesand filers around the country about their experiences. Thisarticle summarizes those exchanges and moves to open adialogue between publishers and the community they serve in hopes of establishing a standard that all parties may find satisfactory.

Because regularly updated loose-leaf services, by necessity,constitute a significant portion of some law library collections,those of us who work in this field often deal with loose-leafbinders many times during the day. Any material used thisfrequently will doubtless come under close scrutiny, and as aresult, the wide variety of binders from different publishers has given rise to comments ranging from praise to very pointed criticism.

Product CritiquesLexisNexis’ Matthew Bender binders received the most positivecomments overall for their sturdy five-ring, round-backeddesign. In 1995, Bender changed the style of its binders, andthe CEO of the company took measures—including customerfocus groups—to assure that it was choosing a design thatusers would prefer. Like other publishers, Bender also performsa “tumble test” to determine how much wear and tear itsbinders will withstand and has set page limits for each binder toreduce overfilling. These last two points may still need a bit ofattention; at least one librarian complained of “flimsy” rings onbinders she received recently, and a few volumes scatteredthroughout various sets remain too full. By and large, though,most people who have dealt with Bender’s loose-leaf binders aresatisfied with their general design.

Thomson/RIA also received compliments for its use of well-constructed ring binders, though the actual binder size in somecases presents a problem. Library shelves are commonly quitenarrow, and publications such as the Payroll Guide oftenchallenge the available space. The size of the forms in thisparticular publication dictates the size of the binder, so makingthe binders smaller may not be an option. These larger bindersalso present a problem because RIA’s ring mechanism does notlock, and the rings can come open easily if the binder is dropped.

For some of its titles, Aspen Publishers chose the D-ring stylebinder, which it contends allows for more pages per binder (andtherefore fewer binders for each title). Because the rings areriveted into the rear panel of the binder, as opposed to thespine like most other binders, these binders can fall open as one removes them from the shelf. This places extra stress on therings and makes the binder easy to drop, which any user islikely to find annoying. The rings themselves, however, seem to be fairly strong and open and close with a top and bottomlever mechanism. This assures even pressure on the rings andkeeps them closed better. Still, the basic design of the binder is unwieldy.

CCH prefers the ring mechanism with the sliding lock system,because it finds the tension is more consistent overall than thelever mechanism. Once notable for some of the sturdiest, mostwell-designed binders in the field, CCH recently (within the pastfive years) changed some manufacturing practices, resulting in aless reliable product. To be fair, various manufacturing issues—the use of synthetic instead of animal-derived glues, a generalpush to use more environmentally friendly materials, etc.—have affected all legal binders, but CCH seems to have sufferedthe most dramatic change in quality.

Various users reported problems with the ring mechanismbecoming detached from the spine (at least one person evenused a rivet gun to fix the problem) as well as ineffectiveadhesive. Another recent change saw the ring size increase by 1/2 inch to allow more pages to be filed in each volume,which has only exacerbated the problems. Fortunately, CCH hasaddressed some of these complaints, and binder constructionappears to be more dependable. The overall quality, however, is not as good as it once was; binders that are 20 years old stillseem more solid than binders that are just one year old. CCHhas expressed a willingness to work on this issue and certainlyseems to be open to suggestions.

Because of the number of smaller companies it has absorbedover the years, Thomson/West has the greatest variety ofbinders within one organization. To its credit, the publisherrevised some of its binder designs for greater consistency, but it still has work to do in this area simply because of the numberof titles it publishes. Some of the loose-leaf services formerlypublished by Clark Boardman Callaghan, which are now underWest’s banner, use the post-style binder design. This designfeatures a clip that is supposed to release the post mechanismand free the top cover for removal. The benefit of this design isdurability, but the downside is that the binders are often difficultto open due to tightness of pages; filing is inconvenient; and theclip often does not release as intended. I have personally had totake a hammer and screwdriver to several of these binders toopen them, a measure that usually damages the binder beyondfurther use.

Some current West titles are housed in the aforementioned D-ring binders, but the binder style it seems to be using most is

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the round-backed, five-ring binder, similar to those used byBender. While West indicates it has not made it a goal in thepast to convert to any particular design across the board, itsperiodic review of binder designs for user satisfaction has oftenrevealed that the five-ring design is preferable. West alsoreported it is conducting research on the binder mechanism toassure that it “opens and closes more easily” and has editorialpractices in place in an attempt to keep page limits manageable.

Of all the binder styles surveyed, the one that drew the greatestcriticism was the Bureau of National Affairs’ (BNA) four-inch,double-prong design, specifically the Labor Relations Reporter.Common complaints include misaligned prongs (that causedamage to the loose-leaf pages), difficulty opening/closing/filing in the binders, pinched fingers in the binder hinge, andoverstuffed binders. BNA acknowledges that the binder designhas been in use for so long—up to 30 years—that theoriginators of the design are no longer with the company, andthe reasons for choosing the design are therefore unclear. Whatis clear, however, is that despite the excellent construction, thesebinders are impractical for filing and/or reading the materialwithin. It is encouraging that BNA is aware of this problem, and Bob Robbins, executive editor for BNA’s legal and businesspublishing group, says he continually examines ways to improvethe company’s publications.

What Do Users Want?Complaints about the various binder designs lead, of course, tothe question of what users do want in a loose-leaf binder. Notsurprisingly, simplicity and ease of use are prime considerations.Nearly all users who responded to this survey prefer ringbinders over other styles, such as post binders. Those who filelarge amounts of materials find that a mechanism located at thebottom of the binder (older CCH binders, for example) increasesfiling speed, though most prefer a mechanism at the top toavoid scratching shelves. Sizes of binders are also important andshould reflect not only average shelf depth but also take intoconsideration, “How many pages are too many pages?”

This last point is as much an editorial as a manufacturing issue.Too often, it seems, the binders are made larger to hold morematerial, when a more practical solution (from the user’s pointof view) would be to add more binders to accommodate the

increase in pages. More binders means greater expense,naturally, but many users of these materials go this routeanyway by ordering extra binders from the publisher, splittingup the material, and simply affixing their own labels to thespines to reflect the adjustment.

In summary, the round-backed, five-ring design—similar to theone used by LexisNexis/Matthew Bender or even the older CCHdesign—seems to be the preferred format overall, but with thecaveat that there is some room for debate on the ring mechanismitself. Post binders and double-prong binders drew the greatestdisdain, and D-ring binders also garnered little enthusiasm.

The bottom line here is usability. People who file in thesebinders, as well as those who turn to the content of the bindersfor research, should experience the least amount of resistancefrom these very necessary tools. An ongoing collaborationbetween vendors and users should result in greater usability and improve consistency dramatically.

Thanks in preparing this article must be extended to theindividuals who contributed from the various publishing houses,all of whom were very helpful.

• Peter Durham ([email protected]), Manager of theLegal Resource Center at RIA

• Pete Nedza ([email protected]), Director of Manufacturing at CCH

• Dan Lehn ([email protected]),Training Manager;Anne V. Ellis ([email protected]), Senior Director of Customer Programs; and Craig Yolitz ([email protected]), Director of Manufacturing at West

• Kamla Hedges ([email protected]), Director of LibraryRelations, and Bob Robbins ([email protected]), ExecutiveEditor for the Legal and Business Publishing Group at BNA

• Duane Waldron ([email protected]),Managing of Purchasing and Restocks, and Rich Harriman([email protected]), Purchasing Specialist at Lexis Nexis

• Ralph Cooper ([email protected]), ExecutiveDirector, Manufacturing and Distribution at Aspen Publishers

Fair Business Practices Implementation TaskForce Update

Kamla Hedges

Bureau of NationalAffairs, Inc.Washington, D.C.

Judy Lauer

New York State Supreme Court LibraryBinghamton

Those who keep abreast of librarian-vendor relations will beaware that in 2000, despite substantial comment from AALL andits members, the Federal Trade Commission rescinded its Guidesfor the Law Book Industry, indicating that associations couldadopt guides of their own. AALL responded in 2002 by adoptingthe AALL Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers.

Based on five principles—Truthful and Accurate Communication,Disclosure, Fair Dealing, Customer Satisfaction, and ProductQuality—the Guide covers the full range of interactions in

which publishers commonly engage, from ensuring accurateinformation in advertisements to resolving account problems ina timely manner. To facilitate the distribution and promotion ofthe Guide, in 2003 the AALL Executive Board created the FairBusiness Practices Implementation Task Force.

With a life span of only two years (its final report will bepresented to the Executive Board in July 2005), the charge tothe task force may seem a bit daunting. Chaired by Kay Todd,members Michael Beaird, Kamla King Hedges, Linda Kawaguchi

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McLane, Judy Lauer, and James Mumm manage assignmentsand discussion via e-mail as well as meeting monthly byteleconference. The task force maintains frequent contact with the CRIV through its chair Margie Axtmann.

The task force is initially engaged in distributing copies of theAALL Guide to legal publishers; efforts are being made to ensurethat publishers may obtain additional copies easily and atminimal cost. An essential part of encouraging use of the Guide is publicizing its existence, not only to vendors and AALLmembers, but also to a wider audience of legal professionalsand librarians outside of AALL.

Task force members have created a series of short e-mailnotifications that are dispersed via several online discussion lists.Each of these notifications targets a specific principle from the

Guide and presents it in a condensed form. As these are issued, they are also mentioned in the From the Desk of ... alerts fromAALL Executive Director Susan Fox. AALL members are alsoencouraged to read the full text of the Guide either in paper oron AALLNET (www.aallnet.org/about/fair_practice_guide.asp.).

A press release has been prepared and is being distributed tovarious library associations. In the December issue of AALLSpectrum, James Mumm authored an article describing theGuide as well as the creation of the implementation task force,its charge, and a few of the projects underway. Kay Todd wrotean article that appeared in the December 2003/January 2004issue of Against the Grain, a journal for librarians, vendors, andpublishers. Articles for other publications, both print and online,are in progress.

Vendor Profile: Brill Academic Publishers Beth DiFelice

Arizona StateUniversityRoss-Blakely Law LibraryTempe

Brill Academic Publishers is (and has always been) anindependent commercial publishing company. The company wasfounded in 1683 in Leiden in the Netherlands. It was originallynamed Luchtmans after its founder Samuel Luchtmans. In 1848,the company was purchased by the Brill family whosubsequently changed the name. The company remainsheadquartered in Leiden, but has two North American offices—an editorial and marketing office in Boston and a customerservice department in Herndon, Virginia.

Early publications of Luchtmans and Brill include works of thephysician and botanist Boerhaave (1666-1738), early editionsof Pierre Bayle’s (1647-1706) Dictionnaire Historique etCritique, and Arabist Dozy’s (1820-1883) Histoire desMusulmans en Espagne.

Today, Brill Academic Publishers concentrates on the areas ofhistory, religion, Islamic studies, Asian studies, classical studies,and, most recently, international law. Brill’s principal marketsare Europe, the United States, and Japan. The majority of itscustomers are libraries.

Brill expanded into the legal world in June 2003 when itacquired the public international law and human rights law listsfrom Kluwer Law International. This list had been publishedunder the imprint Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, and Brill willcontinue to publish these titles under that imprint. Nijhoff is well known for its book series, such as International Studies in Human Rights; International Humanitarian Law Series;Developments in International Law; Publications on OceanDevelopment; and Legal Aspects of International Organization.

New international law books published by Brill this year includea sixth edition of Rosenne’s The World Court: What It is and HowIt Works and a fourth edition of International Institutional Law.

Brill publishes 19 international law journals, such as TheInternational Journal of Children’s Rights; The Legal HistoryReview; Nordic Journal of International Law; The InternationalJournal of Marine and Coastal Law; and the European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, as well as the new journal, The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals, begun in 2002. A new journal this year isInternational Organizations Law Review, which will serve as adiscussion forum for academics and practitioners of the law ofinternational organizations.

Last December, Brill acquired the Arab and Islamic law list fromKluwer Law International. This list includes Arab Law Quarterly,Yearbook of Arab and Middle Eastern Law, the Arab and IslamicLaw book series, Register of Laws of the Arabian Gulf, andBusiness Laws of the Middle East. The Arab and Islamic lawmaterials will also be published under the Martinus NijhoffPublishers imprint.

Contact Brill:Brill Academic PublishersP.O. Box 9000, 2300 PA LeidenThe NetherlandsPhone: +31 (0)71 53 53 500Fax: +31 (0)71 53 17 532E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.brill.nl

North American Ordering and Customer Services: Brill Academic PublishersP.O. Box 605Herndon, VA 20172Phone: 800/337-9255E-mail: [email protected]

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HeinOnline in the Law Firm Environment: CommentSusan P. Siebers

Katten Muchin ZavisRosenmanChicago

Editors’ Note: In our last issue, we published an interview with a group of firm librarians who work in libraries that hadpurchased access to the HeinOnline law review database. SusanSiebers, director of library and information services at KattenMuchin Zavis Rosenman in Chicago, offers reasons why her firmdecided not to purchase access.

First, I feel that HeinOnline is an excellent product. I had beenaware of it through discussions with Dick Spinelli, Hein’s vice-president of sales and marketing, throughout the process of itsinitial development and have been following its progress withgreat interest since its release. HeinOnline definitely deservedthe AALL New Product Award.

Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman (KMZ Rosenman) currently onlyhas a HeinOnline subscription in its New York office and for nowwill not extend that subscription to Chicago, our largest office,or any of our other offices. This decision has nothing to do withthe quality of the product. It relates only to the firm’s practiceand attorneys’ current need for the information contained inHeinOnline. For this firm of approximately 600 attorneys, itcurrently would not be a cost-effective purchase.

Our New York City library had a subscription when it wasRosenman and Colin. After the merger that created KMZRosenman in March 2002, that subscription was maintained. The service is used frequently by the librarians, so there was and continues to be no reason to discontinue it. As we surveyedpotential usage in our other offices, however, and compared it tothe price, we decided not to extend the subscription nationwide.

In Chicago, historically we don’t purchase more than a very fewlaw reviews, and even those have been canceled during the last

few years. We do not accept offers of issues of law reviews fromattorney alumni, since those issues would merely take up shelfspace. We maintain a firm membership in Chicago Kent Collegeof Law’s library, conveniently located a block from our office,and have been able to meet the few requests received each yearthrough its library and document delivery service. We simplyhave not experienced a great need for law review articles.

The only other KMZ Rosenman office that had maintained lawreviews was our Los Angeles office, which had subscriptions toCalifornia law reviews. These have been canceled as spacebecame an issue and the usage declined. They are not expensive,but do take time to process. Since the usage of these publicationsdeclined and there was no need for other law reviews, theadditional cost of HeinOnline could not be justified. If a specificarticle is needed, it will be obtained and the client charged.

I was very pleased when the decision was made by Hein to offersubscriptions to the various components of HeinOnline, since Ithink that flexibility will make it a viable, cost-effective optionfor many libraries. A subscription to the Federal Register portionof the database is currently the only part of the service that issomewhat appealing for KMZ Rosenman. Since we havemaintained this publication in paper and our coverage coincideswith the years being requested, we are currently continuing tomaintain it that way. Shelf space, convenience, and attorneypractice will definitely continue to be monitored and balancedagainst the cost of HeinOnline.

We will certainly be monitoring developments with the productand our needs for what it contains. At some time, this may stillbecome a cost-effective purchase for us.

The View from the Other Side of the Desk:Librarians Employed by Legal Publishers

Richard Vaughan,co-editor

Indiana UniversitySchool of Law LibraryBloomington

I have worked in academic acquisitions-related positions for 20 years; more than half of those in law libraries. Duringthat time I have worked with a lot of publisher and vendorrepresentatives. The vast majority have been hardworking, honest,and dedicated to their profession. I view most as colleagues and afew as friends. When I first started out, the average publisherrepresentative a.) was male, b.) spent most of his time “on theroad,” and c.) held no library degree. Today I find more and morea.) are female, b.) still travel, but do much of their work fromtheir homes or offices, and c.) hold library degrees.

Although I have never seriously considered crossing over, I doadmit that I have wondered what it would be like to work for alegal publisher. Certainly if I were just entering the profession, Iwould owe it to myself to take a serious look at working outsidethe traditional library environment. In an attempt to find outjust what it is like on the other side of the desk, I contacted asmall sampling of librarians, or soon to be librarians, whocurrently work for legal publishers. Thanks to the following:

• Lori Hedstrom, Manager of Librarian Relations, West (MLS, University of Minnesota)

• Larry Lempert, Director, Product Research and Planning,Bureau of National Affairs (MLS in progress, University of Maryland)

• Jill Porter, Director of Library Relations, Practising LawInstitute (MILS, Pratt Institute)

• Cindy Spohr, Senior Director, Librarian Relations Group,LexisNexis (MLS, Indiana University-Bloomington).

Thanks also to Kamla Hedges, director of library relations at theBureau of National Affairs Inc. (MLS, Peabody College), whoalso helped us.

Starting OffTo my surprise, only one of these individuals worked for a legalpublisher prior to his library school education. In fact, theirreasons for entering the field of librarianship are no different

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than most other librarians I know. Hedges (BNA), Hedstrom(West), Porter (PLI), and Spohr (LexisNexis) all entered libraryschool after completing their undergraduate studies. “I was very interested in literacy and urban public libraries’ role in thecommunity and felt that librarianship would allow me tocontribute to society in a meaningful way,” Hedstrom recalls. “I expected that when I graduated I would work at a large city’spublic library downtown in some type of outreach capacity.”

Porter, a liberal arts major, was looking for a career insomething other than teaching. “Since I spent more than my fair share of time in libraries and bookstores, becoming alibrarian seemed like a logical choice,” she says.

Spohr, like so many of us, worked as a circulation clerk at herundergraduate library. “In watching the work of the referencelibrarians, I decided I wanted to become a librarian,” she says.“When I entered library school, I planned to seek employment asa reference librarian at a university. After my first semester oflibrary school, I decided that special libraries would be a better fitfor me, and I specifically became interested in law libraries.”

Only Lempert (BNA) started his library education after he wasemployed by a legal publisher. Lempert, who also has a lawdegree from the University of Michigan, had worked for BNA for16 years prior to his decision to pursue a degree in informationstudies. Hedges notes that the idea of going to library school was,for Lempert, “to add depth, breadth, and coherence to the body ofknowledge and experience that he had been building on his own.”

Early DaysFor the others in my survey, the first job after library school wasin a traditional library environment. Hedges began as a legallegislative librarian at the Connecticut State Library and thenmoved on to become a firm librarian in Washington, D.C.Hedstrom’s first two jobs were with Minneapolis firms. “For one, I managed the branch office of a large firm that was veryinvolved with Minnesota politics and lobbying,” she says. “In thenext firm I was a solo librarian for 40 attorneys who practice incorporate law and general litigation. I felt this was a particularlygood fit for me, because as the firm’s first librarian, I was ableto set things up the way I thought they should be done andenjoyed the independent nature of the work.”

Porter worked as a librarian in several types of settings beforeshe began working for PLI. “I spent my last eight years as alibrarian in law libraries,” she says, “first as a tax librarian,eventually becoming the associate librarian in charge ofreference for a large New York firm.”

Spohr was first employed as a librarian for a Dayton-based firm.“I was the only professional librarian on the staff, responsiblefor managing four library clerks, reference requests, collectiondevelopment, and budget for all three offices,” she says.

The twists and turns of most librarians’ careers cannot bemapped in advance, and the careers of these librarians are noexception. None of them planned to work for legal publishers—it just worked out that way. For Hedstrom, the connection wasmade because she worked for a firm that represented WestPublishing. “When West was preparing to move from downtownSt. Paul to its current headquarters in Eagan, a member of

the editorial management team asked me for assistance inpreparing a job description for a soon-to-be-hired law librarian,”she recalls. “Previously there were libraries throughout thedepartments that were administered by people in each group.With West’s first librarian in mind, I very carefully crafted a jobdescription and plan to assess issues connected to the move thatemphasized the value of a professional law librarian. To mysurprise, they offered me the job, and I accepted!” Hedstromhas been with West since 1991, starting as the law librarian andmoving to her current position with the Library Relations Groupwhen it was consolidated in 1998.

Similarly, Porter was contacted by PLI to “get my ideas when PLIwas first considering having a librarian liaison,” she says. “JuneMcDonald, who was the library community’s customer servicecontact at PLI, had retired a few years before. As part of their1998 strategic plan, PLI had decided they wanted to reinvent theposition, this time with a librarian manager. Perhaps my verbosityduring focus group sessions stuck out, because shortly thereafter,PLI called to see if I was interested.” Porter was interested andhas been the director of library relations ever since.

For Spohr, it was just a matter of needing a change. “I fullyexpected to move to another law firm librarian position,” shesays. “I was aware that this would require moving to anothercity, as I was the only professional law firm librarian in Dayton,Ohio. As it turned out, LexisNexis was looking for an experiencedlaw librarian, and I joined the company at that time. So, I did notactively seek employment with a legal publisher, it just happenedthat they were looking for someone with my education andexperience when I was looking for a new job.”

Spohr has been with LexisNexis since 1985. “My first positionwas to manage hard copy resources that were received in printform that were then converted to an electronic format to beplaced online,” she says. “Much like the first professionallibrarian joining any organization, I needed to organize material,determine where materials were received in order to centralizeboth receipt and payments, establish tracking methods, etc. Fromthis position I moved to online product development focusing onspecial libraries. Then I held two different positions that workedclosely with technical development for the online services. In1993 I became one of the founding members of the LibrarianRelations Group (LRG). I’ve held a variety of positions within theLRG and remain with this group today.”

Lempert’s approach has been completely different, as he wasalready working for BNA when he decided to work on his librarydegree. During his tenure at BNA, Lempert has been managingeditor to several reference services and has been active inbuilding and launching new products. “Larry’s role in productresearch and planning involves interviewing customers either toestablish information needs or to get reactions to prototypes ofnew services or approaches,” Hedges says. “Examples include:(1) interviewing a law firm librarian when the firm asked if and how we could create feeds of BNA headlines to severaldozen practice group pages; and (2) getting HR professionals’feedback on a taxonomy-based navigation system for our HRlibrary. The MLS program helps him with customer-related work,because the degree is very focused on user needs—identifying

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them and then selecting and presenting information in light ofthose needs.”

TodayAnd now that they have worked their way up the professionalladder, what do these librarians do today? In her role asmanager of librarian relations, Hedstrom is “responsible forstrengthening our relationships with our law librarian customersby providing services specifically tailored to them,” she says.“West understands that our products and services are useddifferently by librarians than by attorneys, faculty members, or law students. My contributions include supporting the AALLand SLA annual meetings and chapter and SIS activities, offeringthe Westlaw in Library Schools and West Excellence in LawLibrarianship Scholarship programs, and working with ouradvisory boards. I serve as a resource for West productdevelopers, customer service, and other departments seeking tounderstand the challenges and issues important to law librariansand am available to assist librarians with feedback they’d like toshare with West. I also manage several of our newsletters andother vehicles for communication with law librarians.”

West requires that the manager of librarian relations hold a library degree. “It is essential,” Hedstrom says, “to haveeducation and experiences in common with law librarians so we can better understand their needs.”

While working on his degree, Lempert continues to work asBNA’s director of product research and planning in its productdevelopment department. His experience and education arecomplementing each other on a daily basis because his degreehas a concentration in information architecture. “One experiencehe had with ‘information architecture,’ which occurred beforethe term had actually evolved into widespread use, was in themid- and late-90s, designing a finding aid that organized thesubject of Medicare hierarchically with hypertext links to avariety of document types,” Hedges says. “This experiencetaught him what a challenge it is to organize information inways that the user will perceive as intuitive and simple, evenwhen the material is highly complex.”

While a library degree is not required in his current position,Hedges views Lempert as “reflective of a new breed ofvendor/publishers librarians who will join our ranks,” she says.“The experience that new librarians like Larry bring to ourprofession will certainly expand our traditional horizons.”

While Porter’s title has not changed in her years at PLI, herresponsibilities have. “At this time, library relations overseesPLI’s treatise Standing Order Plan, Course Handbook Seriessubscriptions, and Library Contract program,” she says. “This is in addition to our original mandate to facilitate relationsbetween the library community and PLI through outreach,education, and account assistance. I work directly with ourlibrary customers on a number of levels, though thedepartment’s library account specialists, Nickola Francis andJosephine Vega, handle day-to-day customer service issues. This allows me to spend more face-to-face time with librarians (I travel a lot!) and to present librarians’ issues more effectivelyto other PLI divisions.”

Porter notes that PLI “requires the director of library relations to have a library degree, as well as substantial experience in thefield. Experience obviously gives the person much better insightand enables him/her to help align PLI’s products and serviceswith librarians’ needs and requirements.”

In her position as the senior director of the LexisNexis LibrarianRelations Group, Spohr is “responsible for successfully managingthe relationships between LexisNexis and our law librariancustomers,” she says. “In order to accomplish this goal, Imanage 14 librarian relations consultants who work with ourlaw librarian customers on a daily basis, providing producttraining and specialized support. I also manage the marketingaspects of the Librarian Relations Group, including newsletters,advertising, and our Web site (www.lexisnexis.com/infopro);working with associations as well as their tradeshows; andmanaging our professional education conferences.”

LexisNexis requires that the person in Spohr’s position hold alibrary degree, “as well as experience working in a library,” she says. “In addition, the librarian relations consultants arerequired to have a library degree and experience as well.”

Customer Contact, ProfessionalParticipation, and Colleague ReactionI was pleased to learn that all of these librarians work with their customers on a daily basis. And it is when working withcustomers that their degrees and their library experience becomemost apparent. “I believe that having both a library degree aswell as experience in working in a law library is of great benefitto my direct work with customers,” Spohr says. “This provides mewith a better understanding of the issues our librarian customersare facing. Because of this education and experience, I share acommon language and a common understanding of the world oflibrary science with my customers.”

Hedstrom agrees. “I work with customers everyday,” she says.“Whether they are library school students, practicing lawlibrarians, or others within our profession, my degree enablesme to grasp the subtleties of their requests or concerns in a wayI could not do without that background. Having used Westproducts in my firms, I am able to communicate better withthose who develop new features or services here at West.”

Being more involved with the technology side of publishing than the others we surveyed, Lempert is active in the AmericanSociety for Information Science and Technology, especiallythrough ASIST’s Information Architecture Special Interest Groups. The others are all active members of AALL and otherprofessional library associations. Hedstrom is good example. She is a former president of the Minnesota Association of LawLibraries and has a long history of working on AALL committeesand task forces. “In order to properly support the organization,it is essential to participate and work with other law librariansfor the benefit of our profession,” she says.

I asked each of these librarians what sort of reaction they gotwhen they told other librarians that they worked for a publisher.I expected them to list a litany of misconceptions about workingfor a publisher, but I was happy to learn that all of therespondents have only received support and respect from other

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librarians. “The librarians I’ve spoken with are very positive,”Porter says. “I’m sure that over the years they’ve seen whatpeople in these roles can do to benefit the library community.There seems to be a less adversarial relationship betweenlibrarians and vendors, and much of that has to do with thesenew positions at the vendors.”

Crossing OverI concluded by asking the librarians if they would recommendlibrarianship to other colleagues in the publishing field. They allsaid they would, and in fact many of them have recommendedit to their cohorts. As to whether they would recommend that alibrarian consider working for a legal publisher, the answer is an unequivocal, “Yes.”

Kamla Hedges and Larry Lempert of BNA: “Larry and I wouldboth encourage a law librarian considering employment with alegal vendor/publisher to go for it! It’s a challenging alternativecareer path. While many of us assume that the jobs all fall intoa traditional area, such as library relations or the corporatelibrary, librarians should not overlook how their skills can beused throughout a publishing company. Librarians can add agreat deal to publishers’ understanding of the way customersuse information—that makes librarians influential players inlegal publishing today.”

Lori Hedstrom of West: “Working for a legal publisher allows alibrarian to use his or her education and experience in a verydifferent way than what is required in a library setting. Theorganization benefits greatly from having employees who havebeen customers and who see trends, training, and education issuesand technology utilization through the lens of the end user.”

Jill Porter of PLI: “My suggestion to law librarians looking for a career with a vendor would be to gain as much experience inyour organization as possible. Try to work in both reference and tech services—it’s amazing how much both contribute toyour overall understanding. It’s also important to have someunderstanding of business and finance.”

Cindy Spohr of LexisNexis: “Legal publishing offers a lot ofgreat opportunities! Working for a legal publisher has broughtme wonderful opportunities by allowing me to remain in thelegal information field while at the same time working for alarge corporation that has allowed me to expand my skills inrelationship building, leadership, innovation, and finance.”

The FutureBased on this small survey, the outlook for librarians working inlegal publishing looks bright. Hedstrom notes that her company“employs many people with library degrees to work in manydifferent departments. As an information provider West knowsthat holders of the MLS degree have a detailed understanding of the organization and management of information, and thoseskills are crucial here.”

Porter agrees. “I believe that legal information vendors willcontinue to hire librarians in the future,” she says. “Librarianrelations specialists at the different vendors have all madestrides in improving the dialogue between the library communityand the vendor. This, in turn, ultimately improves the vendors’bottom line. It would be against their best interest to phase outthese programs.”

Spohr notes, “Librarians bring a great skill set to legalpublishing. In addition to the Librarian Relations Group,LexisNexis currently employs librarians in product development,editorial areas, customer support, and sales, and I expect this to continue.”

So there you have it. There is life for a law librarian outside thetraditional walls of a law library. And like those of us who workwithin those walls, librarians who work for publishers face manyof the same challenges and goals. The world is smaller than we think, and all of us share much more in common than not. Who knows, if the trend continues, maybe AALL will, asPorter suggests, have to start a new SIS. How does PUBLI-SIS(Publisher Librarians Special Interest Section) sound?

Notes of Interest2004 Online Law Review Directory AvailableThe 2004 edition of the Directory of Law Reviews, compiled byMichael Hoffheimer of the University of Mississippi Law School,is now available online. The Directory, previously known asAnderson’s Directory of Law Reviews, is now published byLexisNexis. The publication lists address information for lawreviews produced in the United States. The Directory is arrangedby the following headings: General Student-Edited Journals,Special Focus Student-Edited Law Journals, and Non-Student-Edited Peer Review and Trade Journals. The Directory alsoincludes a list of selected university presses, a bibliography ofarticles about law reviews and scholarly legal publishing, and atitle index. The online version of the publication can be found atwww.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/faculty.

PILP 2d Now SearchableThe Association’s Price Index for Legal Publications, 2d is nowsearchable. Found on the Members Only Section of AALLNET, theIndex can now be queried by publisher, subject, category, andstate. The Index contains pricing data for more than 900 legaltitles and currently contains data for the years 1998-2002, with 2003 data due to be loaded in the near future.

JSTOR Adding Law TitlesJSTOR, the not-for-profit online collection of scholarly journals(www.jstor.org), has announced that it will release a newcollection of journals in 2004. Included in the new Arts &Sciences IV Collection will be a number of law-related titles.Details about the new collection, along with a list of initial titles to be included, can be found at www.jstor.org/about/asiv-ascomp_release.html.

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Some Thoughts on Publisher Web SitesKevin Butterfield

College of William and MaryMarshall-Wythe Law LibraryWilliamsburg, Virginia

Whether it is from our directors, deans, or the ABA survey,librarians are often asked to provide detailed descriptions of theircollections. What we are buying, how much are we paying for it,how costs are rising or falling, how we manage updates andsubscriptions, and are we getting what we are supposed to begetting? The queries are constant and, just as often, inconsistent.

Libraries with an Integrated Library System (ILS) can use thesystem to gather a great deal of this information. Now,however, we may also use publishers’ Web sites to pull suchinformation directly from their end. This is a boon to both ourlibraries and for the publishers/vendors. For us, more usefulinformation is always helpful, as long as that information is well organized or available to us in a format we canmanipulate. For publishers/vendors, being able to deliverfrequently requested information over the Web saves time andmoney. But what types of information are we interested in?Generally the information provided by vendors falls into twocategories: information about the publications they provide, and information about the accounts we have with them.

Information about the purchase and ongoing maintenance oflegal publications is now a staple of the Web. Having a salescatalog available to users over the Web has become aubiquitous marketing tool. Rarely do I pull out a print catalogthese days. The bulk of my searching for prices, content,currency, etc., is done via the publisher’s Web site or through aseller such as Amazon.com. Only when this fails do I go diggingthrough my print catalog collection.

The most useful sites are those that have taken the Web-basedcatalog beyond a simple hypertext version of its printcounterpart. These catalogs are designed to sell products, ofcourse, but also allow consumers to build relationships with thepublications and ensure longer-term satisfaction with theproducts. For instance, some publisher/vendor sites now linkinformation about their publications’ maintenance and upkeep.Filing instructions for loose-leafs, release dates for supplementsand upcoming editions, editorial information, shipping dates fornew volumes, and the ability to order replacement pages fromthe catalog are innovations we have come to take for granted.Thomson/West has posted filing instructions on its Web catalogfor some titles going as far back as 1998. These release notescan be a great source of information about a publication’supdate cycle and extremely helpful in tracing filing errors.Borrowing a page from Amazon, it would be helpful to some insupplying sample pages for a person looking to purchase items,related titles, etc.

The more innovative publishers have applied these business e-commerce approaches to the claiming and maintenanceprocess as well. In addition to using the term “building a

relationship with the product” to sell it, publishers should alsoconsider working with librarians on building systems to helpmaintain our accounts. The harder that business relationshipbecomes, the less likely we are to want to continue it.

A second category of data available from publisher or vendorWeb sites is information about accounts. While those librarieswith ILS can often pull subscription reports from their catalogs,those that lack ILS, or lack one with reporting capabilities, areat a disadvantage. Customer account Web sites that providedata on subscriptions are a great help. Subscription summaryreports that we can run, download, and import into aspreadsheet or database are very helpful in gatheringinformation about the collection. Ebsco provides this feature onits Web site EBSCONET. West and LexisNexis offer similar “youraccount” features that provide information regarding invoices,shipping lists, and dates. While there can be no universalscheme that will satisfy the reporting needs of all our libraries,being able to grab the information and put it into a spreadsheetor database is a good first step and a feature that vendorsshould continue to expand upon.

When we need information about our accounts, we are typicallyreacting to a request from a director, partner, etc. The moreinformation a publisher can provide us in a canned format that we can download and manipulate, the better we are atresponding to those requests. We look better to the deans anddirectors, and the vendor looks much more helpful to us as apartner in the process. It is in this area that the e-commerceprinciples can come into play the strongest. In helping usmanage our accounts and giving us the ability to retrieve andmanipulate information about our transactions, we not onlyhelp ourselves, but also help the publisher by allowing them to devote resources to resolving more complicated issues.

At present we have the ability to access information about ouraccount and the publications we have and wish to purchase.What about the future? Being able to go beyond Electronic DataInterchange for payments, to being able to link our systemstogether would be an interesting path to research. Myriadsystems on multiple platforms make attempts at deliveringinformation a tricky proposition, but standardizing the format inwhich information can be delivered would be a big first step.Once this hurdle is met, direct interaction between an ILS and thevendor on levels beyond claiming and invoicing will be possible.

In the end, however, no matter how wonderful the Web site, it is the personal relationship between the vendor and thelibrary that makes or breaks the transaction. The Web site, likethe print catalogs that came before it, only supplements theworking relationship between people—it does not replace it.Wise publishers recognize this and build upon it.

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