A Chapter of The American Association of Law Libraries

Inside This Issue

Vendor Relations Forum / Member News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Placement / Blog News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3SLA Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4HBA Hosts Local Bar Leaders / Some Leisure Reading . . . 6AALL Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8AALL General Business Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Continuing Education / Editor’s Comments. . . . . . . . . . . . 17

San Antonio Local Advisory Committee and Hospitality Booth–photo by Paula Howe

Volume 22, Number 4 July/August 2005

Fromthe President...

Kimberly Serna, Jones Day

Wow, where has the summer gone? It is hard to believe that thenew year of HALL is upon us. It's also hard to believe that my12 (okay 13, but who's counting...) weeks of maternity leave areover. I want to thank all of you for the well wishes as the Sernafamily welcomed our newest edition, Sofia Louise. Please bearwith me as I return to work mode. I can assure you it will takesome getting used to.

I'd like to first thank Trisha for a fabulous 2004-2005 year andhope I can contribute to the success of our organization as thepast presidents have. I'm looking forward to working with thenew 2005-2006 Executive Board. I know Susan has beenworking hard on programs and seminar ideas for this year. Ifanyone has something they are particularly interested in, pleasedon't hesitate to let us know. We will do our best to contactspeakers of interest.

One item that we will be addressing this year is changes to theBylaws. Charles Gibson has worked hard on the revisions andthey will be presented to AALL, as well as our chapter. I'm alsohoping Charles will continue to serve as Bylaws Chair, but I'm alittle behind in that area. Speaking of committee chairs, if youhave a burning desire to serve in this capacity please let meknow of your interests.

I hope all of you had an opportunity to enjoy AALL in SanAntonio. I'm anxious to hear about the programs and festivities. Iknow Monica Ortale and Mary Foreman worked very hardserving as Local Arrangement Co-Chairs. I also want to thankthe many HALL members that came forward to volunteer toassist in various areas. I'm sure it was bar none! I'm proud to be amember of the Houston Chapter!

Thanks and Congratulationsposted to HALL-L by Anne Meyers, Member-at-Large, AALL

Executive Board

I know how hard many HALL members worked to make the2005 AALL annual meeting the success that it was. Havingvisited with you all back in February, and hearing then aboutsome of the plans and preparation that everyone was involvedwith, it was a special delight for me to see the final results andreap the fruits of all your labors.

I had a fabulous time and hope that you were able to enjoyyourselves as much as the rest of us. Now it's time to kick backand celebrate a job well done.

Thanks and congratulations!

July/August 2005 HALL Newsletter

Page 2

The HALL Newsletter, published 6 times a year by the HALL Publications Committee, is the official publication of the Houston Area LawLibrarians. The purpose is to communicate information to its members. Send contributions, comments, news items or advertising queries toBarbara Szalkowski, Editor, The Fred Parks Law Library, South Texas College of Law, 1303 San Jacinto, Houston, Texas 77002-7000; fax:(713) 659-2217; email: szalkow@stcl.edu ; or call (713) 646-1724.

All contributions submitted for publication are subject to editorial review. HALL does not assume responsibility for the statements ofcontributors. Views or opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Houston Area Law Librarians. The HALLNewsletter is not copyrighted, however, permission should be sought from the authors and credit given when quoting or photocopying materialfrom this publication.

Membership dues for HALL are $25.00 a year. For membership information, contact Susan Spillman, Computer Instructional Services Librarian,The Fred Parks Law Library,South Texas College of Law, 1303 San Jacinto, Houston, TX 77002-7000.

HALL home page: http://www.aallnet.org/chapter/hall

Vendor Relations ForumColleen Pincumbe, Thompson & Knight LLP

Please mark your calendars for an upcoming Vendor Forum,Thursday, August 25th, sponsored by LexisNexis. LexisLibrarian Relations Manager Susan Skyzinski is going to bring abit of AALL 2005 to us in a special presentation. Please plan tocome, enjoy a tasty lunch and register in a drawing to win a$50.00 Rewards Card while taking in some exciting news fromLexis!

Please take note that lunch will be provided by LexisNexis so asthe forum date gets closer and there is a possibility that you willnot be able to attend please let me know by and no later than theRSVP date of August 22nd as we would prefer not to have anyfood left or wasted. Details are in the flyer later in this issue andon the HALL website, so we hope to see y’all there!_________________________________________________

Vendor Forum presentations are provided for HALL Members toreview products and learn about services of legal and businesspublishers we interact with today. The content of thesepresentations may or may not be specific to the needs of all ofour libraries but these presentations help you evaluate just that.This platform is a valuable service of HALL as it not only givesyou the opportunity to view a product or learn about a new trendin library research or library management, but it also helps youstay on top of the nuances of the on-line products and serviceswe already utilize. More importantly it gets you connected with anetwork of product representatives and marketing individualsyou might deem necessary to invite to do a presentation for yourusers or your library administration.

MemberNews...

James Durham, Publications & Reference Librarian, The FredParks Law Library, South Texas College of Law, left Houston atthe end of June for a position as Head of Public Services, TouroCollege Law Library in Huntington, New York. In his newposition, James directly will supervise 5 librarians and severalsupport staff. He will direct reference services, oversee the headof circulation, coordinate faculty services, and teach legalresearch. Touro currently is building a new law school andlibrary, so James will be involved in the planning of the newfacility. In addition, James will continue in his role as ProgramAdministrator for Touro's summer study abroad program inShimla and Dharamsala, India. After living in Houston for 7years, James says he will miss his friends but plans to return tothe Lone Star State for frequent visits.

Karl Gruben, St. Thomas University Law Library, is one of the2005 recipients of the AALL/Aspen Law and Business ResearchGrant Fund, which provides funding for research projects thatcreate, disseminate, or use legal and law-related information.Projects may range from the historical to theoretical to practical.Karl received funding for his research project entitled: “AmLaw100 KM Survey.”

Michelle Lucero joined Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP asLegal Information Manager. She was formerly AssistantLibrarian at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.

Mariann Sears, Library Manager, Thompson & Knight LLP,has published, “You've Been Promoted! Now What?” in 8 LawLibrarians in the New Millennium 1 (May-June 2005). Thispublication is from West Librarian Relations and is availableonline at http://west.thomson.com/newsletters/llnm .

Catherine Whitney is now at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.She was formerly with GSI.

HALL Newsletter July/August2005

Page 3

Prospective Employees:

Please send self-addressed stamped ($.37, please) envelopes(preferably, standard legal size) to:

Pamela R. JenkinsConoco Inc. Law LibraryP.O. Box 4783Houston, TX 77210

Please note whether seeking professional or non-professionalposition and indicate if interested in Internet postings forother Texas locations. Please do not include resumes.

Prospective Employers:

Please send job description, including name of contact personand any additional information about the position to PamelaJenkins at the above address.

PlacementNews...

Pamela Jenkins, ConocoPhillips

Reference/Research Librarian. The O'Quinn Law Library atthe University of Houston Law Center seeks a highly motivatedand service oriented person for a newly-created position. TheO'Quinn Law Library is the largest public legal researchinstitution in the nation's fourth largest city. With a veryreasonable cost of living, Houston is home to first-ratesymphony, opera, ballet, and theatrical companies and museums,as well as to the country's second largest port, which ranks firstin international shipping. A sophisticated legal practice providesa superb professional environment for law librarianship. LawCenter programs consistently rank among the best in the country.The Law Center's student body of over 1,000, fifty full-timefaculty, and a rich complement of adjunct faculty providesintellectual challenges and opportunities for professional growth.The Law Center and the library support the professionalactivities and travel of professional staff.

Requirements: Master's degree in library or information sciencefrom an ALA accredited program; a law degree from an ABAaccredited law school; a demonstrated ability to work flexiblywith law faculty, students, staff, and a diverse researchcommunity; effective team-building; and excellent oral andwritten communications skills. The position requires a serviceorientation, and the ability to work both independently and as ateam member. Persons with a JD who are currently enrolled inan MLS degree program at an ALA accredited school areencouraged to apply. Significant experience in academic lawlibraries and a history of increasing responsibilities preferred.

Responsibilities: Include providing reference service to allpatrons of the Law Library; serving as library liaison to facultymembers; taking part in the evaluation and selection ofinformation resources for collection development; preparingresearch guides, bibliographies, instructional materials and otherlibrary publications; lecturing on legal research to various classesas requested; assisting in the creation and maintenance of theLaw Library's web site; participating in the regular referencedesk duties, which include some scheduled weekend and eveninghours; and other duties as assigned by the Head of Reference orthe Law Library Administration. The incumbent of this positionwill have the opportunity to work on collection development,such as participating in the library's five-year multi-milliondollar collection rebuilding project.

Salary and Benefits: Competitive salary and benefits.

How to Apply: Applicants should send a cover letter, a resumeand the names of three references to: Mon Yin Lung

Associate DirectorO'Quinn Law LibraryUniversity of Houston12 Law LibraryHouston, TX 77204-6054

or mlung@central.uh.edu

The University of Houston is an Equal Opportunity AffirmativeAction employer. Women, minority, veterans, and individualswith disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Blog News . . .Establishing a Weblog On YourOrganization's Intranetposted to SLA-LAW by Gloria Miccioli, International Librarian,

Jones Day–Washington DC

Sabrina I. Pacifici and Dennis Hamilton's presentation from theSLA Annual Conference in Toronto is a ying and yang study ofblogging enterprisewide behind the corporate firewall, withexamples of blogs, and numerous references to a wide range ofsources that serve as a pathfinder on the various avenues andoptions available to those interested in leveraging thisapplication http://www.llrx.com/features/establishingablog.pdf .

posted to ALL-SIS by James Milles, University of Buffalo LawSchool

I would like to announce a new group blog, “Out of the Jungle,”at http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com . This is a brand new forumwhich will feature a small but growing group of opinionatedbloggers posting on issues relating to legal information, legalresearch, and legal education. Founding members include BillieJo Kaufman, Linda Ryan, and I. We expect to add a few moreauthors in coming weeks. We all invite you to drop by, andplease add your comments!

July/August 2005 HALL Newsletter

Page 4

SLA ReportsWorkshop ReportsPatricia Huntsman, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

I attended two workshops at the SLA annual meeting in June. Iwas rather disappointed by them as I felt that the content did notjustify the price of SLA workshops.

Taxonomies for Indexing : a hands-on approachpresented Saturday, June 4 by Information Technology

DivisionSpeakers: Alice Redmond-Neal and Jay Ven Eman of Access

Innovations

Overall, I thought it was not hands-on enough. I thought thespeakers' experience would really give a real-life sense of howthis is done, but it all still seemed somewhat mysterious by theend.

Taxonomy is the science of classification – the laws andprinciples covering the classification of objects. A taxonomy isan indexing structure with a controlled vocabulary that isstructured hierarchically. A taxonomy is the hierarchical view ofthe thesaurus of authorized terms to which actual items areconnected. A thesaurus can be broader than a taxonomy as itincludes associative as well as hierarchical relationships.Taxonomies are useful in corporate enterprise because of thevolume of information to be dealt with, the speed with whichinformation comes, and the variety of “languages” spoken ineach department across the enterprise.

Taxonomy construction estimator (from scratch): 4 terms anhour; $60 per hour; this does not include time needed forcommittee meetings and dealing with people (the politics oftaxonomy construction). 5000 terms is average for corporatetaxonomy ($75,000). A website can have a short list of a fewhundred.

Allowing an uncontrolled vocabulary field can save timepolitically. Don't waste time with controlled vocabulary if yoursearch engine won't take advantage of it.

Digital Licensing Online presented Sunday, June 4 by Lesley Ellen Harris, copyright

lawyer & consultant

The main content of the workshop was a clause-by-clause reviewof a license agreement. Some points I noted:

1. A license is permission. Speaker made analogy betweenlicense as rental versus assignment, which is a change inownership.

2. The content being licensed must be made clear in theagreement – it can be a single image, a simple text, anonline journal (table of contents, abstracts, text), a database;it may include software that is bundled with the content.

3. Grant of rights is the heart of the licensing agreement.Specific electronic rights are to reproduce, adapt, transmit,digitize, value-add, use with other works, distribute, archive,include in a database, authorize others to use content.Specific rights may pertain to countries or sites, and printrights in addition to digital rights.

4. It is a good idea to enumerate within the agreement someintended specific uses; for example, if you plan to use thecontent of articles as supporting literature for registeringpatents. But also contemplate the broadest possible use forthe content.

5. Don't deal if you aren't completely comfortable that thecontent owner has the content rights to make this agreement!

6. Delivery specifies how the content will delivered oraccessed by the user; this is where methods of identificationand authorization of users is addressed.

An excellent site on licensing issues for librarians is: Liblicensehttp://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense .

Random Thoughts About SLACaren Luckie, Jackson Walker L.L.P.

I attended the SLA conference in early June, in Toronto. I waslooking forward to going to Toronto – north, cooler weather, etc.Unfortunately, it was in the mid-80's, and their a/c isn't as goodas ours. And we never did find moose jerky! But that hadnothing to do with the conference.

My perception of SLA may be flawed by the fact that I was stillon crutches, and had rented an electronic scooter to get around.But because my mobility was limited, I wasn't able to take fulladvantage of all SLA had to offer. I attended the Legal Divisionlunch, and heard a short presentation by Susan Freeman onemotional intelligence.

I was sufficiently intrigued that I attended the Legal Divisionprogram on Emotional Intelligence, presented by SusanFreeman. It was fascinating! She discussed how our jobsatisfaction is controlled by factors other our ability to performthe job functions. For example, do you like change? SusanFreeman is a consultant on emotional intelligence, and she uses atest to score emotional intelligence. (Unfortunately, I have notbeen able to find the program materials online, nor a link to hertest.) The test is simply a list of words, and the participant selectsa specified number of words. The words themselves are gradedto different EQ factors. Because the participant doesn't knowhow the words are graded, it is very hard to “cheat” or skew theresults.

While Ms. Freeman's services are generally used bycorporations, I think you can take the test as an individual (but,I'm still looking for the test and my notes with her contactinformation). The results don't tell you for what specific jobsyou're suited, but it tells you to look for a job with certaincharacteristics. A different take on career counseling.

continued on page 6

Differences that matter.

I’m here tohelp you.Librarian tolibrarian.Blythe McCoyWest Librarian Relations ManagerSouthwest Division

Meet Blythe McCoy, your West Librarian Relations Manager.Law librarians are very important to West. Which is why I’mhere – to provide you with personal, locally based service for:

• Advanced practice-area and non-legal training on Westlaw®

• Continuing education

• Cost recovery solutions

• Professional development

• West account support

• Scholarships for working and future law librarians

I understand the work you do – and know the challenges you face.I genuinely look forward to hearing from you and personallyworking with you.

Please let me know how I can help you. Call 713-332-7103, e-mail me at

blythe.mccoy@thomson.com or visit ourWeb site: west.thomson.com/librarians

© 2004 West, a Thomson business L-306566/4-04

July/August 2005 HALL Newsletter

Page 6

HALL President Trisha Fabugais (center) with HBA Director Denise Scofield (l)and Janet Schafer, President of the Association of Women Attorneys

–photo used with permission of HBA and Houston Bar Bulletin

Just a reminder!Publication deadlines for the

HALL Newsletter are:

September/October 9/15/2005November/December 11/15/2005January/February 1/15/2006March/April 3/15/2006May/June 5/15/2006July/August 8/1/2006

HBA Hosts Local Bar Leadersinformation submitted by Elizabeth Black Berry, Weil, Gotshal &

Manges LLP

Trisha Fabugais, 2004-2005 HALL President, attended aluncheon hosted by the Houston Bar Association at Brennan’s inJune. The Association annually invites leaders from other HarrisCounty bar associations and law-related organizations toencourage the exchange of ideas and information amongmembers of over 40 specialty and geographic bar association andlaw-related organizations in the Houston area. In addition to thisannual luncheon, the HBA holds quarterly brown bag meetingsat the HBA office to continue the interaction among thesegroups. The photo and a brief write-up of the event appeared inthe August issue of the Houston Bar Bulletin.

SLA Reports . . .continued from page 4

Random Thoughts . . . (continued)

The SLA exhibit hall is enormous. While the usual, large legalpublishers are there, there are a great many non-legal vendors,and a wealth of information for some of our more unusual needs.I spoke to several suppliers of scientific information andconference proceedings who, in addition to subscription services,offer a pay-as-you-go transactional alternative. Now I just haveto file all that information somewhere … There were give-awaysand drawings, but the best idea for a vendor “freebie” wasoffered by Reuters. Each SLA registrant was given a ticket for afree 10 minute massage (you could also get a ticket by stoppingby their booth). While you were waiting for your massage, youcould sit and have a foot massage. Suffice it to say there was along line!

The one thing I didn't like about SLA was the fact that you don'tlist which programs you plan to attend when you register. As aresult, many programs are extremely crowded and in smallrooms. Luckily I had my own seat, but if I had wanted to leave aprogram early, it would have been impossible because of thenumber of people sitting on the floor behind me. Because of mylimited mobility, I didn't attend as many programs as I wouldhave liked. Maybe another year …

Some Leisure Readingposted to Autocat by Barbara Stewart, Latin American &

Non-Print Cataloger, Cataloging & Processing Dept.,W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts

James Turner has created a graphic novel called Rex Libris, aplayful exploration of classic literature told through theadventures of a librarian charged with traveling across bothspace and time to retrieve unreturned library books. “The secrethistory of librarians : an interview with Rex Libris creator JamesTurner” by Chad Boudreau is great reading, as I’m sure theactual graphic novel will be, from the sounds of it. The interviewis on the web at http://www.comicreaders.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1540

LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under license. It’s How You Know is a trademark of LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

© 2005 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A partnership that works.

The LexisNexis Librarian Relations Group

For over 11 years, you’ve had a partner working for your success—the LexisNexis® Librarian Relations Group. We’re dedicated to providing expert training and support exclusively designed for your needs. Just as important to our partnership is the input you provide to help LexisNexis®

make your job easier.

Not only will your Librarian Relations Consultant tailor specific solutions tofit your organization, but we also offer resources exclusively for you as alibrarian—including a special Web site, newsletters, toolkits and professional development opportunities. We understand your needs because we come fromthe same legal librarian background that you do. And we are active membersin and supporters of the professional associations that support you.

Why is our commitment to you unsurpassed in the field? You’re as much a part of the picture as we are in a partnership that works.

Find out more about how our partnership will work for you at: www.lexisnexis.com/infopro

A focused mission, a proud tradition, a treasured relationship—the LexisNexis Librarian Relations Group.

AL7734

July/August 2005 HALL Newsletter

Page 8

San Antonio Skyline in ice at the Opening Reception.–photo by Monica Ortale

Special Guest and Speaker (and Independent Candidate for Governor of Texas),Kinky Friedman, visits with (l-r) Elizabeth Black Berry, Riva Laughlin, and JaneHolland. –photo by Paula Howe

AALL Reports

Each year, HALL bestows grants to members so that they canattend the AALL annual meeting. Part of the requirements forreceipt of these funds is to submit something on theirexperiences to the HALL Newsletter. The first two reports arefrom HALL AALL Grant recipients Riva Laughlin and MaryAnn Wacker. The rest of the reports are from other members ofHALL who wanted to share some of their experiences of theannual meeting as well.

AALL 2005 - Welcome to Texas!Riva Laughlin, Haynes & Boone, L.L.P.

Some random thoughts on the conference:

San Antonio is hot – especially in July (and I live in this state!).

It's a rather rude awakening to be greeted in the elevator at6:00am by a Doberman Pinscher (nice dog, but big!).

The San Antonio skyline is beautiful in ice – thanks LEXIS!And, chocolate is always appropriate.

Frito Pie over a campfire – how cute! Thanks, WESTLAW – andthe music was wonderful! As was the quiet area set aside forthose of us with “older” ears.

On the other hand, I think both LEXIS and WESTLAW havecreated just a few too many hoops for librarians to jumpthrough to get their gifts – but the LEXIS reward pointswere welcome. I used mine to get Harry Potter (no, I did notpre-order before leaving for San Antonio!)

Kinky Friedman – why the h*** not??!! (my own opinion andnot that of my employer, HALL, or AALL).

It is possible to make government documents entertaining! (moredetails later)

I didn't win a big prize – again! But I was spotted by Westwearing my Antonio pin, so got an armadillo purse. And, Iwas spotted wearing the Firm360 pin and got a $10 giftcheck – which went to buy more books. (As my new t-shirtsays: There's no such thing as too many books.)

It's so good to be able to catch up with folks you haven't seen ina while – like Karl Gruben and Gail Sisson. It's one of myfavorite parts of conventions.

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

Finding Government Documents Today

I attended this session because I'm being asked to retrieve manymore government documents these days and they aren't alwayseasy to find. I loaded up on coffee, expecting to be fighting offnap attacks. Boy, was I wrong!

Peggy Jarrett and Cheryl Nyberg started their presentation with asilent movie depicting the perils of finding governmentdocuments just a short time ago, before the Internet. Now, manyof these documents are available on the Web, if you just knowwhere to look.

Jarrett and Nyberg gave general strategies on findinggovernment documents, then moved to discuss lesser knownavenues for finding these. They even included a few hints onwhere to look if the document just isn't to be found in electronicformat. Each section of their presentation was given a theme,and introduced with music. We were even asked to sing.

This presentation was extremely helpful and anything but boring.Both the printed materials and the PowerPoint presentations areavailable at: http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/docstoday.html .Unfortunately, the audio files are not duplicated there, but thePowerPoint presentation concludes with the song list used.

AALL Reports continue on page 10

Who is using GSI’s LIVEDGAR®?

Every Am Law 100 FirmThe reason is elementary. It is a competitive world and LIVEDGAR has information that is unavailable from any other online research service. Information that is essential to success in the area of corporate and securitieslaw. LIVEDGAR offers exclusive content, such as SEC Staff Reviews and M&A abstracts. Its advanced featuresinclude hundreds of data fields for highly granular research. And perhaps, most importantly, GSI provides immediate phone access to researchers 86 hours a week.

Lawyers, librarians and other legal researchers know that LIVEDGAR offers a level of research sophistication that makes securities law work easier and better. Here’s your chance to get a free password for use at your owndesktop. If your firm already has an account we’ll make sure your ID and password is on the same usage termsas everyone else in your firm. If your firm’s location does not have LIVEDGAR, we have several special offers foryou to choose from. Visit GSI at www.gsionline.com and click on Become a User. Find out for yourself why somany lawyers use LIVEDGAR over other online services. Use promo code A704.

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July/August 2005 HALL Newsletter

Page 10

Dina Dreifuerst (center) of Jones McClure Publishing, Inc., sponsor of theDALL/HALL/SWALL (a.k.a. Y’ALL Texas Chapter) Reception

photo by Monica Ortale

AALL Reports . . .continued from page 8

AALL RecapMary Ann Wacker, Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P.

I have not been to AALL in probably 10 years and it was great tobe back. I saw lots of current and old friends and really renewedmy commitment to and excitement about our profession. Thequality of the programs I attended was excellent. I arrived rainy Sunday afternoon and my first stop was to registerfor the conference and start wandering the exhibit hall. To getthere I had to cut through the Rivercenter shopping mall and wasreeled in by the siren song of the Petite Sophisticate (it was overquickly – I bought a skirt). Back on track, I checked in andentered the massive exhibit hall. These days the large vendors(Lexis, WESTLAW, GSI) are not content with a “booth,” theyhave to have many computer “stations,” plus a portable trainingroom! It was quite overwhelming at first I have to say, but Iquickly dived in and started visiting with the various vendors.

My next stop was the evening HALL/SWALL/DALL reception,sponsored by our friend Dina Dreifuerst at Jones McClure. I sawlots of old Dallas friends including Laura Justiss, Ann Jeter,Susan Phillips, Rita Dermody, Thom Austin, and CarolynGrimes. Some Austinites were in attendance too – Jency James,Joan O'Mara, Kay Schlueter, and Sally Harlow. HALL was alsowell represented with many familiar faces, and of course, theirrepressible Yvonne Chandler was making the rounds! The foodwas delicious and all had a great time visiting, laughing, andcatching up.

Monday morning I attended a session called “Don't Throw ThatAway! Ensuring Future Access to Legal Information in an Ageof Digital Media.” One of the presenters was Cathy Hartman,who is the librarian in charge of the fabulous online Texas

Register and Administrative Code at the University of NorthTexas. She brought up several fascinating issues. What willcourts accept as a digital document – who can authenticate thisdocument? Is this document as was intended? Cathy also told astory about a privacy issue. Someone requested that her addressbe removed from the online version of an entry in the TexasRegister. The Texas Secretary of State insisted Cathy take it out,but she was concerned it then was not an authentic version.

Kent McKeever talked about the “Dark Archive” (sounds likeDarth Vader's lair), storing materials with no intention ofretrieving them, it is simply backup for electronic resources. Hesaid 75% of JSTOR is stored in a Dark Archive. The LegalInformation Preservation Alliance is working on how manypaper copies of items should be kept in various placesthroughout the country. Is five copies enough – or 10? How dowe know who stored it? If the copies are kept at a constanttemperature, they will remain in good condition and no one elsewill have to keep a copy. What do we do about statutes thatchange over time – keep pocket parts too?

I met my friend Chad McAllister from Lexis for lunch, and hewas able to show me a sneak preview of Lexis' new Total Searchproduct and get my comments. I am sworn to secrecy but it'spretty neat. I spent a lot of time that afternoon in the exhibit hall.It was important to visit both with friends such as GSI'swonderful William Barth and people I did not know such asthose at Alibris, Puvill, and Factset. As I mentioned earlier, bothWest and Lexis had many stations in their areas. Each also had aportable classroom but I always seemed to be there at the wrongtime for a class. Plus the West one (shaped like a giant airplanecomplete with airplane seats) always had a line outside it! Wewere bribed with prizes for visiting a specific number of stations,but I have to say the gimmick worked and I learned a lot.

The next program was “Marketing Schmarketing” with CindyCarlson and Abby Ross, two DC librarians. Their presentationwas really funny, with a barrage of ideas for grabbing attorneys'attention year-round. They encouraged us to borrow and stealtips from each other, so here are a few of their ideas:

• President's Day encourage the attorneys to be honest likeAbe and never tell a lie like George, and turn in your books

• March, be “Library Leprechauns” and go to attorney officesfor one-on-one training sessions

• April – Tax Relief with refreshments • May We Help You With Business Research? • July – Freedom from Wasted Time - use the Library Intranet

to Find Great Resources Fast! • September theme could be “Fall for Great Resources”

October – “Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid about How MuchMoney You Spend on Online Research! Let the LibraryHelp You Search More Efficiently”

• December brings a Naughty/Nice List of library users!

Cindy and Abby recommended that you mix fluff and serious forthese events, and ask vendors if they can pick up some of thecosts. Also, it is a delicate balance between being annoyingversus being visible for the number of events you plan. Abby hosted library-themed Haiku and limerick writing contests, plus

continued on page 11

HALL Newsletter July/August2005

Page 11

AALL Reports . . .continued from page 10

AALL Recap . . . (continued)

another contest for first line of a law library-themed romancenovel. She shared some of the entries which were hystericallyfunny.

The much-ballyhooed WESTLAW party was Monday night andit did not disappoint. There was a great band, an incredibleamount of food and drink available, and lots of party stations forpicture taking – ask Michele Lucero about our picture. Somefriends from DC told me later they had their photo taken on thefaux mechanical bull, however, it was from an unfortunate angle– looking up - so my friend said her white pants were perhapsnot the most flattering fashion choice.

HALLites Paula Howe, Susan Yancey, and Mary Lippold werespotted near the dance floor with Linda Will. I stood next toGreg Lambert and Michele while the winners of several fantasticprizes were announced but, alas, we did not win the home theatersystem, laptop, flat screen TV, or either of the $1500 AmericanExpress gift certificates – or even a colorful Thomson serape. Patti Curtis, Nano Scherrieb, Marianne Sears, and JoanEnglander were also seen enjoying themselves.

Woke up Tuesday in time for Terri Lawrence's “Partnering forShared Success” talk. Terri had many suggestions and hints forbetter visibility and communication. She said we should begin bylistening to others – attend department, section, and committeemeetings of other groups and see what they are up to. Organizebrown bag lunches with other departments. Read all kinds ofinternal communications and look for ways to be useful. Sheinsisted that each Library staff member have an “elevatorspeech” memorized – and be able to tell attorneys and staff thekinds of projects the Library is working on. Look at marketing as“partnering” – we have so much to bring to the table and canreally make a difference. Always volunteer for projects with ITor marketing and never be afraid of too much work. Come upwith a slogan – hers is “Your Information Support Partners” andit's on e-mail signatures, bookmarks, and notepads of the Librarystaff. Always take a pad and paper with you – even when you getcoffee, so you can write anything down that people ask orsuggest. Terri also encouraged each of us to have a LibraryMission Statement and use it as a guide to all your activities.

After class, Laura Tieken and I took a trolley to the MarketSquare near downtown. We had a yummy Mexican food lunchwhich fortified us for a bit of shopping. Market Square reallyfeels like an authentic Mexican market and the shops sold manybeautiful crafts, jewelry, keepsakes like paper flowers &sombreros, dishes, and souvenirs. We walked away with a fewgifts for others and treats for ourselves, and we had a great visittoo!

The last class of the day was “E-Rulemaking: Breaking Out ofthe Beltway” and even though it sounds like a huge yawn – itreally knocked my socks off! Neil Eisner from the Department ofTransportation talked about their amazing efforts to make theentire rulemaking process available to anyone online. TheirDocket Management System, with all proposed and final rulesplus every single comment in between, is available on the DOT's

web site – it's so cool! The electronic docket is completelysearchable by various criteria and you can be notified by e-mailevery time anything is filed in a particular docket. They wantedto make the comment area sort of an “online chat room” environment so people could see other's comments and makerebuttals, instead of the linear paper trail only viewable inWashington DC. They also have pioneered the idea of a realtwo-to-three hour online chat with a DOT official (moderated ofcourse). The E-Government Act of 2002 establishedhttp://www.regulations.gov , but the other agencies are notnearly as advanced as the DOT. Hooray for Neil – Laura Justissand I ran up and shook his hand when he was finished talking!

Wednesday morning I attended an interesting session byconsultant Cate Bower on strategic thinking. Cate walked usthrough 10 steps to approach any initiative in a strategic way. Cate strongly believes that thinking strategically is a disciplinethat can be learned through experience, and competency canimprove over time. Here are her suggestions

Start by describing the initiative, then author a vision orgoal.

Next, determine who the key stakeholders are – theindividual or group with a significant interest in whatyou are doing.

Cate then recommends a “conditions assessment”– wherethe strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats ofany idea are recognized.

Then, strategic issues must be identified, key factorsdetermined, strategies developed, assessed, andselected;

Finally an action plan must be developed.

Her presentation was very high level, but it helped that she tookreal-world examples from the audience to illustrate her keypoints. It really made me think about mapping out initiatives in atotally different way.

The last session I attended was a plenary session and the speakerwas Jerry Kang, a law professor from UCLA. He gave anabsolutely fascinating talk called “Pervasive Computing:Embedding the Public Sphere.” He started with a discussion oftiny RFID tags and they will be in all our clothing and shoeswhen they are inexpensive enough (in just a few years). All ofour movements will be able to be tracked – also our cell phoneswill, if they don't already, include a device which can locate youwithin 50 feet. He called this phenomenon “digital kudzu,”which I thought was very clever.

Jerry suggested these factors will make real space andcyberspace merge – and just like Amazon, which can track yourmovements and clicks through its web site, marketers can seewhere you are in any retail environment. He thought this privatesector monitoring of consumers much more insidious than bigbrother government. We will be lulled into this as retailers canmaximize our preferences and cater to our needs and interestseffortlessly.

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Riva and Joe Laughlin entertain at the Family Social Hour which wascoordinated by Blythe McCoy and Catherine Whitney. –photo by Monica Ortale

AALL Reports . . .continued from page 11

AALL Recap . . . (continued)

Jerry also brought up the idea of “augmented reality” wherepeople can know things about you – like “Googling” someone toknow their characteristics and interests – for example, you willknow if the person next to you on the plane shares yourobsession for Grateful Dead music or Keats with a “mutualinterest filter.” He also addressed privacy concerns. If youchoose to not be observed it will also make you stand out as noinformation is also information – or you may have your cellphone beep each time you are scanned. However, he said itwould beep all the time and we would just have to turn it off!

Thank you so much HALL for the grant!! I returned to workrefreshed and renewed! If anyone is interested in moreinformation about any of these sessions, please let me know.

AALL Program SummariesElizabeth Black Berry, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Moving & Downsizing Private Firm Libraries: Drive theProcess through Strategic Leadership

Christine Scherzinger, Duane Morris, LLPPosition Yourself as a Leader • Be informed

Prior to the Move:Do user surveys/focus groupsKnow your Space

Linear Shelf SpaceWork RoomsStaff SpaceBack Office Space

• CommunicateDiscuss staff growth with administratorSpace (e.g. whether you plan to eliminate the reference

desk)OperationsNew Concepts (how will your ideas add value to the

firm)Network your vision with key people

• Identify Opportunitiesex. Your library gets downsized (Opportunity: Donate your

books and get recognition for the firm)

Clay Pendergrast, Architecht, HOK InteriorsBusiness Trends: • Critical focus on productivity (how is the space best used) • Attorneys as business advisors (not in the office as much) • Marketing w/support staff • Client Service Teams • Attraction & Retention • Hiring more laterals and not as many associates right out of

law school

Technical Trends: • “Plug and Play” project rooms and conference rooms • 100% Document Scanning • Follow me Networks

Library Trends: • Online • Reduction in Seating • High Density Shelving

Holding Difficult ConversationsBullet points or golden nuggets from Michael Moffitt, University

of Oregon, School of Law:

• If you are stuck in “Truth Land” (“I'm right and you're not”),try to shift your internal voice to a place of curiosity

• Our good intentions “cleanse” any negative impact ourwords may have (but this in not a good way to think)

Sit down and explain your intentionsDiscuss the impact/effect and try to determine the

impact your behaviors had on the other person andtheir intentions towards you.

• Read Holding Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss whatMatters Most, by Doug Stone, Bruce Patton and SheilaHeen (Penguin, 2000)

• Invite Michael Moffitt to Houston to do a program with thisname and/or a negotiations workshop. He is a veryengaging speaker, facilitator and motivator!

see also “Valuating Information Intangibles, Measuring theBottom Line Contribution of Librarians and InformationProfessionals," Frank H. Portugal (SLA, 2000) (from “Valuingthe Intangible” program, AALL, 2005).

More AALL Reports on page 13

HALL Newsletter July/August2005

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Good food and fun was had by all who attended the DALL/HALL/SWALL (a.k.aY’ALL Texas Chapter) reception. –photo by Monica Ortale

AALL Reports . . .continued from page 12

Summary of My Trip To AALL 2005Peter Egler, University of Houston Law Center

I am a relative neophyte to Texas, and this was my first trip toSan Antonio. I found it to be a very nice convention city. Theconvention center provided plenty of space for AALL's needs,and – most importantly – it was well air conditioned!

On Sunday July 17, AALL shared the convention center with alocal dog show. The multitude of legal information vendors hadto compete with cute canines for the librarians' attention that day. This was my fifth AALL annual meeting. San Antonio comparesfavorably with other AALL annual meeting sites. The hotels areconvenient to the convention center, and the convention centerarea felt safe after dark. San Antonio's River Walk anddowntown mall provided plenty of nice places to eat and otherdiversions between programs.

Several of the programs I attended were very good. One of thebest programs I attended discussed publishing opportunities forlaw librarians outside of tradition law library publications. Thepanel was composed of one law firm librarian and two academiclaw librarians. I think that any librarian interested in writingprofessional articles would have found this program interesting,regardless where they worked. The panel members wereinformative, and they worked well together.

Another good program I attended was “Finding GovernmentDocuments Today.” This program was an update on recentGovernment Printing Office activities. It was presented by twolaw librarians from the University of Washington. Discussionsabout government documents can be dry, but the speakers keptthe large audience interested and entertained during theirPowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint slides were verydetailed, and they will be posted on the AALL web site. Anyoneinterested in this topic would probably benefit from reviewingthe slides.

Both of the plenary session speakers were good. On Sunday,Roy Tennant spoke about the opportunities and challenges thatnew technology offers libraries. On Wednesday, Jerry Kanggave an entertaining presentation on the increasing presence ofinformation technology in our lives. He spoke about both theamusing and worrisome aspects of this pervasive computing.Both presentations were thought provoking – they raised a lot ofquestions, and didn't try to provide easy answers.

Our library is currently interviewing candidates for a newreference librarian position, so we used the annual meeting'sPlacement Office services. We met several strong candidates.The Placement Office allowed us to accomplish in a few dayswhat would have taken several weeks and various travelexpenses to accomplish otherwise.

As always, the exhibit hall was full of legal information vendorsoffering information about their current and future products. Aswith the Placement Office, the exhibit hall allowed me to collecta lot of information on potential future additions to our library ina relatively short period of time.

The annual meeting allowed me to interact with past and currentcolleagues on a professional and personal basis. That is animportant and welcome part of any professional meeting.

In summary, I had a very positive experience at this year'sannual meeting. I was able to accomplish several important tasks(attending programs, interviewing potential librarians, gettinginformation on new products, and interacting with colleagues)over the course of just a few days. In my opinion, the meetingwas well organized and well run.

Electronic Resources from Acquisition toAccess: Selecting, Negotiating, Licensing,Managing and Delivering E-content for YourLibrary - AALL WorkshopJoan Englander, Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P.

This workshop was one of four held in San Antonio in the 1-2days prior to this year's AALL Annual Meeting. The goal of thisworkshop was to have the participants learn about issuesinvolved in the selecting, licensing and maintaining of electronicresources for their libraries. The morning session was veryinteresting and we learned much about acquisitions and licensingof electronic resources. We also learned some negotiationstrategies to be used when working with the vendors to in orderto obtain the best deal for the library.

The afternoon sessions were less enlightening. There was abrush with basic record management, i.e. creating lists,cataloging, inclusion of licensing information in the accessrecords, but no substantial information as to the actual catalogingof electronic resources titles and maintenance of catalog records.

The second speaker of the afternoon discussed authentication,but again it was surface and no substance. This was a very basicoverview of IP addresses, proxy servers, defining users, access

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AALL Reports . . .continued from page 13

AALL Workshop : Electronic Resources(continued)

points, planning access, the future of access. The last speakercovered statistics. This session was on the subject of whether ornot the vendor would provide user statistics.

If you would like more information on this workshop, includingthe PowerPoint presentations and bibliographies used by thespeakers, go to http://www.librarianish.net/aall2005 .

AALL General Business MeetingTrisha Fabugais, Gardere Wynne Sewell, L.L.P.

I am not on LAW-LIB, so I did not see the discussion brewingabout a resolution that was to be voted on at the GeneralBusiness Meeting at AALL. Being a part of the local advisorycommittee for the annual conference, attending various programsand attending my required meetings took up a lot of time. So, it'sunderstandable that in typical years, I barely have time to attendmy required events, much less look for extra items to attend onan already overbooked schedule. My firm sends me to theconference, so I have a “duty” to attend programs or meet withvendors that may benefit my firm either in the immediate now,or in the future. Somehow I've always thought of BusinessMeetings as dry, dull, and unnecessary to attend. That is, untilthe San Antonio conference!

As I'm walking out the door to attend a 7:00am meeting, I pickup my AALL newspaper, and before tossing it in my bag, myeye catches the article, “Iraq War and Libraries Resolution.” Below is reprinted what I saw in the AALLamo News, datedTuesday, 7/19.

The following resolution, drafted by the SocialResponsibilities SIS, was presented Monday at the AALLGeneral Business Meeting I. A vote on the resolution isscheduled for today's business meeting at 2:15pm.

Whereas, many of the justifications for the invasion ofIraq have proven to be unfounded; and

Whereas, the war in Iraq has taken the lives of untoldthousands of people; and

Whereas, during the war in Iraq, many of Iraq's culturaltreasures including libraries, archives, manuscripts, andartifacts have been destroyed, lost or stolen; and

Whereas, the numbers of deaths and destruction ofIraq's cultural heritage will continue to increase so long asU.S. forces remain in Iraq; and

Whereas, the U.S. is spending billions of dollars for thewar in Iraq; and

Whereas, a small fraction of these resources would bemore than sufficient for rebuilding and greatly enhancingthe libraries and educational institutions of both Iraq and theU.S.; and

Whereas, the American Library Association hasrecently passed a similar resolution; and

Whereas, the American Association of Law Librarieshas taken positions in the past on important social issues;therefore, be it

Resolved that the American Association of LawLibraries calls for the withdrawal from Iraq of U.S. militaryforces and allow the people of Iraq to fully governthemselves.

Resolved that the American Association of LawLibraries urges the U.S. government to subsequently shift itsbudgetary priorities from the war in Iraq to improve supportfor vital domestic programs, including U.S. libraries.

Resolved that the American Association of LawLibraries calls upon the U.S. government to provide materialassistance through the United Nations for the reconstructionof Iraq, including its museums, libraries, schools and othercultural resources.

Resolved that this resolution be sent to all members ofCongress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Stateand the President of the United States.

I instantly reacted to with “Hmm … we're a group titledAmerican Association of Law Libraries, not law librarians.”AALL is not about us, but about the organizations we serve in,and making a political statement under the name of AALL, was,in my opinion, definitely out of order. I believe that asindividuals, we have the choice to choose and belong toorganizations that further our individual belief systems.However, when a person joins AALL, most people are lookingto it for professional support and education, and not to a smallgroup's political agenda by using AALL as its mouthpiece. Iwas perturbed, so I went and made an effort to attend my firstbusiness meeting at AALL.

The meeting started on time and, by 2:30pm, a large number ofpeople were in attendance. As suspected, the business meetingwas quite boring. The usual litany of reports were spoken to themembers in attendance. People were patiently waiting for the“New Business” part of the meeting, where the resolution wouldbe discussed. Discussion was limited to 20 minutes and eachperson would have 2 minutes to discuss the pros and cons of theissue. To the right of the room would be a microphone whereeach person would identify himself, and give the name of hisorganization, and where people who were against the resolutionwould give his reasons. To the left of the room, was anothermicrophone where people who wished that the resolution wouldpass would discuss it.

The AALL Board kept excellent track of time, and one by one,people came up to discuss the pros and cons of the issue. Peoplewere calm and collected, but there were some very strongopinions for either side. I was glad to note that more people werewaiting to speak against the resolution than for it. A Houstonlibrarian spoke up, and made a point of asking the Board howthey could guarantee in the voting that only AALL memberswould be counted. The Board replied that each person votingwould stand up and Steve Ligda (Director of Finance andAdministration at AALL), would go up and down the rows to

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HALL Newsletter July/August2005

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(l-r) HALL members Linda Will (now in Minneapolis), Paula Howe and SusanYancey offer sunny smiles at the Local Advisory Committee/Hospitality booth.

–photo courtesy of Paula Howe

AALL Reports . . .continued from page 14

AALL Business Meeting . . . (continued)

count people, and at that time, people were to hold up theirAALL badges so that Steve and others could see that only AALLmembers were being counted.

Before the count started, another member made a motion that thevote would go to an electronic vote that would include all 5,000members of AALL, not just those people attending the businessmeeting. That motion was put to membership attending themeeting and people were asked to stand who wanted the motionto pass. As only 18 people stood up, the motion did not pass, andthe vote on the Iraq resolution continued.

People were asked to stand if they were for the Iraq resolution.Steve Ligda came around with a counter, and pointed to eachperson who was then asked to show his badge, and after beingcounted, could then sit down. The number of people whosupported the resolution stood at 85. People were then asked tostand if they wished to vote against the Iraq resolution. To myuntrained eye, it looked like there were more people who wereagainst the resolution than for it. As Steve Ligda came around,and pointed at people, and they sat down, I breathed a sigh ofrelief. After 86, and Steve was still coming around to countpeople, I felt better. In the end, the resolution failed to pass. Thenumber was 85 for the resolution, and 169 against the resolution.

After the vote, the meeting adjourned and we were released togo. I came away from the meeting realizing that a mere 254people determined whether AALL would back a particularresolution. Approximately 5000 members are in AALL, but atiny fraction of membership, if they attended the businessmeeting, had the power to determine a particular agenda thatAALL would support. If you ever look at the program andmeeting announcement, there are so many meetings andprograms available, it's very easy to overlook the businessmeeting. I'm active at my local chapter but I'm not on LAW-LIB,and I'm not active on the national level. I had never realized thatan agenda could be developed in the form of resolutions, and ifpassed, had the power of AALL's name behind it. In SanAntonio, there were two business meetings, one in which theresolution was formed, and the second in which the resolutionwas voted upon. The resolution was printed in the AALLnewspaper, and if I had not happened to glance at it beforerushing to my meeting, I would not have known about theresolution, and would not have been able to get my voice heard,in the form of voting against the resolution.

So, for future attendees, be aware that the AALL businessmeetings are important! Except for that blurb in the AALLnewspaper, with so much going on, the resolution being votedupon was not publicized. OK, LAW-LIB might have beentalking about it, but if you're not on the listserv, and wereactually attending the conference, there was very little talk aboutit. If you were running from program to program and makingnotes, and meeting up with colleagues and attending the exhibit hall, you could be unaware of the whole debate up for discussionthat Tuesday. It appears that resolutions are printed in the AALL

newspaper at the conference, so if you want to know whatagenda a tiny fraction of membership might be trying to pushthrough, please take 1 minute and glance through the newspapereach day. At San Antonio, the resolution was printed on the frontpage. If you agree or disagree with the resolution, or you wantyour SIS to put forth its own resolution to put in front ofmembership, attend the business meetings!

I now understand that AALL business meetings are veryimportant, and I will keep closer tabs on them than in the past. Ijust encourage each of you to do the same, you won't regret it.

AALL San AntonioMichele Lucero, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP

“So much to do, with so little time” may be a common motto weall live by as law librarians. Attending AALL in San Antoniodidn't break me of this habit! I somehow over-booked myschedule as usual, but managed to do a little bit of everythingfrom attending the valuable educational workshops, networking,running a race, touring a library facility, shopping, eating,drinking, dancing, and checking out the wonderful exhibit hall.San Antonio is a great historical city. I've been there many timesto visit with friends and play tour guide for my family. However,this was my first AALL conference I have attended. To myunderstanding there were over 2,000 law librarians attending!

My conference stay began on Friday where I spent that nightwith a friend of mine. We were up until 2:00am chatting aboutour library ideas as she's a reference and instructional librarian at a university in San Antonio. Bright and early, I ventured downtown to attend CONELL (Conference of Newer Law

continued on page 16

July/August 2005 HALL Newsletter

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Mission San Jose –photo by Michelle Lucero

DALL/HALL/SWALL Reception –photo by Monica Ortale

The WESTLAW party offered a variety of photo opportunitiesphoto courtesy of Michelle Lucero

AALL Reports . . .continued from page 15

AALL San Antonio (continued)

Librarians). I highly recommend this one day adventure foranyone new to our field or to become inspired. We learned ideason networking, preparation and even had the opportunity tospeak with experts within our field. We spent the afternoontouring the city with stops at the Alamo and Mission San Jose(http://www.nps.gov/saan/visit/MissionSanJose.htm). TheMission was a beautiful park area where the famous RoseWindow is exhibited all around town exists. This Mission is thelargest in San Antonio and the church still utilized for weddingceremonies. I highly suggest visiting these missions to take inthe beauty and history of San Antonio.

My second day began bright and early at 5:00am! After gettingto sleep at 2:00am, I don't know how I made it through the day!This morning, I ran in the William S. Hein 2005 fun walk andrun (http://www.wshein.com). Needless to say, I ended upwinning a trophy for my second place in the run! Pictures andresults can be viewed at the link above (Click on “Results” or“Photos” at bottom of screen. There were librarians dressed incostume too!

An interesting meeting I attended was “Digitization's Impact of Legal Research.” Three key speakers spoke about theirinvolvement with digitization of documents. One notable is thatof the Yale Avalon Project(http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm), wheredocuments from law and history from pre-18th century topresent have been digitized. This is a wonderful free resource tofind treaties and other older documents. At night, was theopening ceremony with a lot of opportunity for networking andfun.

Highlights of Monday were the “Moving and DownsizingPrivate Law Firm Libraries,” workshop, the American LawyerLibrary Survey Briefing and a tour of the San Antonio ExpressNews. “Moving and Downsizing Private Law Firm Libraries”was a great workshop for those that have ever dealt with or willbe facing a move and/or downsize. Key points were to beprepared for the move, measure and evaluate spacing and layout,be prepared to deal with staff, interact with the movers and beflexible should something change. During the whole process,one has to be a leader and remain calm as library service willstill need to be provided. After the move, one should review andevaluate. A stressful point is that “lost space does not have toequal lost empowerment.” The new space may need to bepromoted through marketing in order to get users back into thelibrary (even if it is smaller!).

The American Lawyer hosted a meeting on the library surveythey included in the July 2005 issue title “Don't Count ThemOut.” Aric Press, editor in chief of American Lawyer, facilitatedthe meeting asking for feedback and brainstorming for nextyear’s survey. Should you have any ideas for changes oradditions to this survey, please e-mail Aric Press(apress@amlaw.com). I recommend reading this great articlealso!

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HALL Newsletter July/August2005

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Deadline for the next issue(September/October 2005):

Thursday, September 15, 2004

AALL Reports . . .continued from page 16

AALL San Antonio (continued)

In the afternoon, I assisted in hosting a tour to the San AntonioExpress News (San Antonio's major newspaper). We toured thefull facility and spent an hour with the newspaper researchers/librarians. I had never thought of how exciting itwould be to work as a news librarian. They have to be prompt inretrieving news research and on their toes for retrieving up todate news information. I found many similarities with their jobas ours. They utilize many of the same news databases onlinethat we do as legal researchers. The information they need toresearch is just as or even more critical working in their industrysimply because news is already old once it hits the press. Theyshowed us their online databases for pictures and images andtheir archives back to the 1890's. This tour made me think aboutanother possibility in our realm of librarianship.

On Tuesday, I attended a panel discussion on foreign andinternational law. This panel was comprised on threeinternational librarians which discussed how they came tospecialize and the challenges that they have faced. I thought itwas worth attending to get a broader perspective of internationalresearch and how often times international law is the hardest tofind. My night concluded with attending the minority lawlibrarian dinner, having drinks in the lobby and going to the clubPolyesters for some 70's music.

Throughout the time in San Antonio, I visited the exhibit hall atleast five times. There were so many vendors there that I wantedto have the opportunity to meet each one and learn more aboutthe up-and-coming products. AALL was well worth attending. Iwas able to network, see old friends from the West coast, seenew products in the market and learn new ideas to bring back tomy library. There was just so much to do and see that it isimpossible to share all within this article. I hope ya'll will be ableto attend in the future, whether it be to network, take back newideas for your library and have fun!

HALL Members Take Hein FunWalk & Run PrizesIn the 23rd annual Hein Fun Walk & Run, held at AALL in SanAntonio, two HALL members were recognized with awards.Michelle Lucero came in 2nd in the 29 and under group, andViolanda Fabugais received the Ann Puckett award, given to theoldest person who is participating for the first time.

For a complete list of awards and photos, see the Hein web sitehttp://www.wshein.com (click on results or photos at the bottomof the main page).

Editor'sComments...

Perhaps some of you are not aware how many HALL membersput in countless hours to make this year’s AALL annual meetingin San Antonio such a success. I thought I would recognize themhere now:

Local Advisory Committee Co-Chair: Monica OrtaleAssociation Luncheon Trisha FabugaisClosing Banquet Kim Serna

Susan YanceyFamily Social Hour Blythe McCoy

Catherine WhitneyHospitality Paula HoweVIPs Elizabeth Black BerryRegistration Mary LippoldVolunteers Caren Luckie

And, I would also like to recognize South Texas’ Web Designer,Wynell Wall, who did the web design for the Local AdvisoryCommittee website.

There were a lot of other volunteers who helped out. I don’tknow all of your names, but we appreciate everything you did tomake this meeting such a success. Congratulations for a job welldone!

I would also like to thank all of the HALL members whocontributed to this informative issue of the HALL Newsletter. Ican’t remember an issue, AALL recap or otherwise, where I hadso much content contributed on time! My deepest appreciation toall of the writers and photographers, you make my job so mucheasier! Keep up the great work!

—Barbara Szalkowski

Continuing EducationSusan Spillman, South Texas College of Law

Mark your calendars now for our meeting on September 14th.Blythe McCoy has generously offered to sponsor a programpresented by Ceridian, a company that specializes in professionaldevelopment presentations and business solutions. The programwe are planning is either “Business Etiquette: Enhancing YourProfessionalism” or “Managing Your Work Style to ReduceStress : How to Approach Work with Humor and Wisdom.”Both programs sound very interesting and have earned ravereviews from Blythe’s colleagues. Watch for more informationcoming very soon via HALL-L and the HALL website!

LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under

license. It’s How You Know is a trademark of LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. © 2005 LexisNexis, a division of

Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On August 25, 2005, LexisNexis brings the AALL stampede from

San Antonio to HALL!

LexisNexis cordially invites you to join Susan Skyzinski for a special

AALL in Reviewluncheon presentation

showcasing our exciting news from San Antonio.

Thursday, August 25, 200511:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Thompson & Knight LLP333 Clay Street, Suite 3300

Please RSVP by August 22 to Colleen Pincumbe via e-mail at

colleen.pincumbe@tklaw.comor via phone 713-653-8765

Bring your business card to register for a Rewards Card worth $50. Drawing

will be held after lunch. Must be present to win.

HALL Newsletter July/August2005

Page 19

Send us your news, please!

This is a reminder to all members, the HALL Newsletter needs your news. When you or your staff members have attended a seminar,published an article, received an award, been elected to an office, or done anything interesting, personally or professionally, please letus know! We also need to know any innovative programs you may have developed, special events you are working on orachievements you are proud of. Give Barbara a call at (713) 646-1724, fax her at (713) 659-2217, or email her at szalkow@stcl.edu ,or just take a minute to complete this fact sheet.

Who?Name: Title: Phone:

What?

Where?

When?

Why?

How?

Submitted by:Name: Library: Phone:

Send to: Barbara Szalkowski, EditorThe Fred Parks Law LibrarySouth Texas College of Law1303 San JacintoHouston, Texas 77002-7000

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Houston A

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Barbara S

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