Author: SaraMonalea

Technology Committee Update

The LLNE Technology Committee continues to maintain and develop the LLNE.org website, support the LLNE and Executive Board listservs, and implement and maintain automated membership tools. Specifically, over the last couple of years, Artie and Alex have implemented Memberpress, which is an automated membership tracking and payment tool, improved search engine optimization so that LLNE.org shows up higher in search engine result, and brought the website back online after a serious hack. We also reviewed several options and selected a new listserv platform, Mail-List, after AALL’s listserv became unfeasible as well as reviewing several video platforms and selecting Vimeo for LLNE’s hosted videos.

After the website was hacked, Artie and Alex took several steps to increase security, including changing a plethora of passwords, purging unused website plugins and updating out of date ones, and ensuring continuous backups of the entire site.

We work with many of the other LLNE committees to support their goals and Artie and Alex are always happy to help with anything relating to the website or listserv. Help can include training committee members on using the WordPress system, updating web pages on their behalf, or aiding them in finding technological solutions, such as Memberpress.

Join us for LLNE Trivia Night

In association with our Fall 2020 meeting, we are having a trivia night fundraiser on 10/28 at 7:30 pm to benefit RE·Center Race & Equity in Education.

You can bring your own team or just show up and be placed on a team with spooky strangers.

We want this to be a fun way to build community and raise money.

All you need to do to play is to make a donation in any amount to the charity and register at this link:

https://rwu.zoom.us/j/92622842334?pwd=WGZ6Q25xZUpOVE5xaGVadGxqNnE0UT09

Information on how to donate can be found on the flyer, below:

If you have any questions, please email me!

Thank you,

Nicole P. Dyszlewski, LLNE President

LLNE Scholarship News

  • LLNE members who are enrolled in an accredited degree program in Library Science or in an ABA accredited law school are eligible for one of our academic scholarships. We encourage you to apply!
  • LLNE  members who wish to access to continuing education and training opportunities by providing for programming beyond the biannual LLNE meetings and the annual AALL meetings may apply for one of our continuing education scholarships.
  • We anticipate opening applications for our meeting scholarships when LLNE imposes registration fees and meetings necessitate travel.
  • Please contact the Scholarship Committee for more information.

This October, we awarded one of our academic scholarships to student member Brian Quigley. So, we’d like to take this opportunity to let the LLNE community hear from Brian, and we wish him well in his studies.

Hello all- I am a recipient of the LLNE Academic Scholarship. I would like to thank the LLNE for your generous support of my education. I graduated from UConn with an English degree and attended Washington & Lee for law school. After that, I spent a year at a firm specializing in Workers’ Comp defense

During law school, I was interested in a career as a law librarian. Research has always been my interest and strength, but I was hesitant to commit to more schooling. I’ve been enjoying my MLIS program, and am looking forward to taking a different path while still using my law degree.

While studying, I have been working part time doing real estate closings. I enjoy rock climbing, archery, and hiking in my spare time.

The LLNE Academic Scholarship has helped me to get closer to my goal of becoming a law librarian. Thank you again for your generous support.

LLNE Government Relations Committee Report (October 2020)

Due to the COVID-19 closures of the various statehouses, we have no legislative activities to report on. The LLNE GRC is working on updating its website by revising some outdated information and adding links to the legislative pages of all six New England states. In last month’s Blog we reported that Past LLNE President Catherine Biondo has been appointed to the AALL GRC Government Relations Committee and also serves as liaison to LLNE.

Report from the LLNE Education Committee (October 2020)

Report from the LLNE Education Committee
Co-Chairs Jessica Panella & Maureen Quinlan

The Law Library at the University of Connecticut School of Law graciously agreed to host a virtual fall 2020 LLNE Conference. The topic was Dismantling Bias. It was the third virtual LLNE conference. LLNE had hosted a spring 2020 virtual meeting in April and the fall 2018 conference was a webinar. Plans are underway for conferences during 2021.

LLNE Communications Committee Report (October 2020)

Your committee co-chairs, Sara and Ellen have been busy planning a full slate of content for this upcoming year. We’ve had so much fun seeing everyone’s pets in our Zoom meetings we decided to launch a new blog post series introducing members of the Executive Board through interviews with their pets. You can also look forward to regularly scheduled blog updates from committees, a new Facebook page, and a few fun virtual social events. We also want to hear from YOU, our members! We welcome suggestions for new or improved communication channels, feedback on your communication likes and dislikes, and committee volunteers to work on special projects!

LLNE Service Committee Report (October 2020)

With the SNELLA Service Committee, we undertook two projects in conjunction with the Fall Meeting.  First, is a transcription project hosted on the Library of Congress website.  Members are encouraged to go to any of the following sites and transcribe historical documents to make them more accessible to the public.

The committees are also asking members to donate to the RE∙Center, an organization that works to promote racial equality in education.  For more information on the RE∙Center, visit https://re-center.org/.  To make a donation, go to https://bit.ly/LLNE_RECenter, select “I would like to dedicate this donation”, and type in LLNE Service Project.  As part of our donation drive, LLNE will be hosting a Trivia Night on October 28th at 7:30 pm EST via Zoom.  The event will be hosted by TTodd and prizes will be sponsored by Lexis.  Registration information will be sent out soon.

LLNE Technology Committee Report (October 2020)

The technology committee continues to maintain the website and listserv. Recent activities include, reverting website to previous version when updating a plug-in caused a crash, working with membership committee & treasurer to get memberships renewed, llne.org accounts updated, & mail-list updated.

LLNE Fall Service Project

The LLNE and SNELLA Service Committees are happy to announce two ways for you to give back in conjunction with the Virtual Fall 2020 Meeting on Dismantling Bias. 

First, you can donate to the RE∙Center, an organization that works to promote racial equality in education.  The RE∙Center offers anti-racism programming to students, educators, and the community.  For more information on the RE∙Center, visit https://re-center.org/.  To make a donation, go to https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E331556&id=1 select “I would like to dedicate this donation”, and type in LLNE Service Project.   

Hold onto your receipt!  Soon, we will be announcing a great virtual event to raise funds for Re-Center and we want you to be part of it.  More information to come… 

The committees are also promoting a number of transcription projects through the Library of Congress.  The transcription process is easy and just a few pages can make a huge difference in discovery and education.  Check out the following transcription projects: 

Click on a link, choose a page, and start typing away.  Before you know you will be submitting pages that will be more accessible to everyone.  What are you waiting for!  Get transcribing.   

If you have any questions, please contact the LLNE Service Committee chair at jessica.almeida@umassd.edu. 

LLNE & SNELLA Present “Dismantling Bias” Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting

The University of Connecticut School of Law Library is proud to host the LLNE & SNELLA Fall 2020 Virtual Conference on October 16, 2020. The conference is free to attend and registration is now open.

As law libraries continue to develop programs and initiatives relating to equity, diversity, and inclusion, the conference will focus on manifestations of bias within law libraries and the role of libraries in dismantling that bias. Sessions will increase participants’ knowledge of bias, deepen their understanding of different forms of bias, and identify biases within law libraries and collections. Being an election year as well as the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the conference will also examine biases and barriers to voting, as well as libraries’ role in overcoming those barriers.

Participants of the virtual conference will come away with an increased ability to:

  • Address their own personal biases
  • Recognize biases within their communities, law libraries, and collections
  • Identify potential ways in which libraries can eliminate voter suppression
  • Discuss potential solutions on how law libraries can continue these conversations at their own institutions

To learn more about the virtual conference, visit our LibGuide.