Blog

Volunteer! Please!

Hi, LLNE members,

This is a great time to volunteer for an LLNE committee or project! 

I know it may not seem like a great time because we are all busy and picking up new and unexpected COVID-related duties, but it is! 

So much about 2020 has been disconnecting. We may be working outside of our comfort zones, outside of our offices, outside of our routines, or even outside of our job descriptions. One thing that can make us feel more normal is connecting with other library workers and giving back to our profession. We have some exciting projects planned this year to keep us connected and we would really appreciate some volunteers.

In order to volunteer for an LLNE committee or project, go to https://llne.org and click the link at the top of the page to fill out a short form with your preferences. We will be in touch!

Finally, now is the time to renew your memberships. On behalf of myself and the LLNE Executive Board we are so grateful that you choose to be a member and be engaged with the work of our organization.

Thank you,

Nicole

Save the Date for the LLNE & SNELLA Fall 2020 Virtual Conference

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 focuses on the concept of Dismantling Bias in many aspects of our lives and profession.

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

More information on session topics, speakers, and registration will be coming in the weeks to come. In the meantime, save the date!

Welcome to the 2020-2021 membership year for LLNE!

My name is Nicole and I am the new LLNE president. I would like to start my year thanking those members of the Executive Board who have completed their service on August 1st:

Kathy Fletcher

Catherine Biondo

Shira Megerman

Michelle Pearse

Each of these women have served for multiple years on the Board and several have served in many capacities in LLNE leadership. We are so grateful for their service to this organization. One incredible thing about Kathy, Catherine, Shira, and Michelle is their willingness to pitch in and help out. Even after stepping down from their prior positions on the Executive Board, some of them have already re-enlisted in various volunteer roles. I am so proud to be leading an organization that has a reputation for service and leadership and I only hope that tradition can continue this year with me.

I would also like to thank the new members of the Executive Board, whom I will introduce in a future post. Thank you, new Executive Board!

This year has been disquieting. I intended to make my year as LLNE President flashy and celebratory but that doesn’t seem to fit where we find ourselves right now as a nation and as a profession. Instead, I intend the year to be more reflective as we think about our commitment to justice, equity, our profession, and our membership.

This week our Executive Board had its first meeting of the year and began conversations about several projects aligned with our values as an organization. I hope to share more about these as they become more defined and as we start work on them. For now, this was just a message of gratitude and welcome.

Finally, the budget our board approved for the coming year as well as a budget summary for last fiscal year can be found at https://llne.org/budget-subcommittee/. You must be logged in as a member to view the documents.

Thank you,

Nicole

AALL New Voices

Hello, everyone:

In the latest New Voices post, member Ana Delgado shares information on the development of a librarian-led initiative that monitors legal responses to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Librarians have a pivotal role when it comes to information, especially during a pandemic. Finding relevant and trustworthy information and resources around a specific topic can make the difference between life and death. Access to justice, human rights, and access to information in the time of COVID-19 is now more relevant than ever, and law librarians should be at the forefront of information dissemination. With this in mind, Marcelo Rodríguez, a Research and Training Librarian at the Second Circuit Library in New York, developed a librarian-lead initiative called Monitoring the Legal Response to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Read the full post here: conta.cc/3i8Bw4K

About AALL New Voices: AALL welcomes members to share their reflections on any aspect of law librarianship. Some examples include: Recommending a resource, professional development interests, a day in the life at your organization, or starting a new role. If you would like to participate, please send your submission of about 100-600 words to Megan Mall, AALL’s director of content strategy, with “AALL New Voices” in the subject line. 

Justice matters. Black lives matter.

Dear LLNE members,

The Law Librarians of New England is an organization committed to justice for all. We strive to foster compassion, dignity, inclusion, equity, equality, and respect in our profession and beyond. This includes the strongly held belief that justice matters. Black lives matter.

During this time of racial, political, social, and community unrest, after the killing of so many Black people in our country, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others, it is important for people and organizations to examine and re-examine their values and identity. It is also critical to affirm the importance of action and intention. It is important to live your values loudly. As individual members of the Executive Board we do not pretend to understand the experience of the Black community, and therefore listening and supporting the movement is crucial.  Per our bylaws, our purpose is “promoting the profession of law librarianship, and more particularly, to enhance the roles of law librarians in the legal and library professions, to provide for the further professional education of law librarians, to establish a continuing relationship between law librarians and legal entities in New England, and to foster a spirit of cooperation among the members of the profession.” 

We therefore want you to know we are committed to systemic change and doing work which furthers equity, access, and justice for the Black community not only in our country, but within our organization. 

Law librarianship and the rule of law cannot happen without us supporting and standing with Black lives because they matter. Black Lives Matter. Period.

Nicole P. Dyszlewski, LLNE Vice President, on behalf of the LLNE Executive Board

Nominations Committee and Election Information: Slate of Officers

Dear LLNE Members,

The Executive Board is writing to let you know that the LLNE Nominations Committee, appointed by the LLNE President and made up of Christine Dulac (Chair), Karen Rutherford, and Diane DiAnglo, present the following slate candidates for the 2020 LLNE Elections:

Michael VanderHeijden, from Yale Law School, will be running for the VP/President Elect position.

Christie Schauder, from WilmerHale, will be running for the Secretary position.

Jessica Panella, University of Connecticut School of Law will be running for the Co-Educational Director position.

Per the LLNE bylaws, additional nominations of LLNE members in good standing is allowed. Any additional nominations must be submitted in writing to LLNE President, Robert DiFabrizio and Nicole Dyszlewski 60 days before the LLNE elections.  The additions nominations need to be endorsed by at least ten LLNE members in good standing.  With these deadlines in mind, the LLNE elections will take place on August 1, 2020.

Voting will be held online. 

Thank you to the Nominations Committee for their outstanding work.

If you have any questions, please contact Nicole and Bob.

LLNE Friday Friendly

Topic: LLNE Friday Friendly Hour

Time: May 22, 2020 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

        Every 2 weeks on Fri, until Jun 19, 2020, 3 occurrence(s)

        May 22, 2020 03:00 PM

        Jun 5, 2020 03:00 PM

        Jun 19, 2020 03:00 PM

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

Weekly: https://bostonu.zoom.us/meeting/uZwlde-prjMv3nfVFadr1YIQaN-fPuY4vg/ics?icsToken=98tyKu2gpjksG9SdtVztRaotE8H9bPHMlCJArJV7nRv3Uhl6UwLYe-RyJ4srBt-B

Join Zoom Meeting

https://bostonu.zoom.us/j/488261085?pwd=Qm5hT0thOVJ0VFk5ZDRHYUxvUjNhUT09

Meeting ID: 488 261 085

Password: LLNE2020

One tap mobile

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Dial by your location

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Meeting ID: 488 261 085

Find your local number: https://bostonu.zoom.us/u/aceRFwt30f

Join by SIP

488261085@zoomcrc.com

Join by H.323

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Meeting ID: 488 261 085

Password: 605900

Join by Skype for Business

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Job Opportunity – Law Library Assistant – Berkshire Law Library

Law Library Assistant, Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries (Pittsfield)

The Law Library Assistant assists the Head Law Librarian in providing reference service, implementing circulation and interlibrary loan policies, utilizing knowledge of judges, court personnel, and the general public. Performs major duties under the direction of the Head Law Librarian. Law Library Assistants will be required to occasionally travel within a designated county to provide services at another law library as needed. The position title above the entry-level performs more complex and varied work. Employees are hired at the entry-level position title and are eligible for reclassification to the higher level position title within this series consistent with the specifications for the higher-level position title. The position title reverts to the entry-level when there is a vacancy. 

Qualifications

Law Library Assistant I Requirements:

High school diploma and two (2) years of clerical experience in a library or an Associate’s degree or paralegal degree and one (1) year of clerical experience in a library or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Knowledge of library procedures, interlibrary cooperation, and the types of resources and services available to librarians and library users.

Demonstrated knowledge of personal computers including MS-DOS and Window environments, and proficiency in word processing, spreadsheets, and CD-ROM use is preferable.

Ability to perform Trial Court fiscal procedures in accordance with MMARS accounting system.

Ability to travel to multiple court locations.

Ability to reach with hands and arms, bend, climb, crouch, and lift materials weighing up to 30 pounds.

Ability to gather, analyze, and report information.

Ability to communicate well both orally and in writing.

Ability to deal effectively with judges, court personnel, and the general public.

Ability to work independently.

Massachusetts residency.

Full/Part-Time

Full Time

Education

NA

Salary

$51,193.42/Yr.

Closing Date

5/22/2020

How to Apply

Please visit https://careers-trialcourtsofmass.icims.com/jobs/4944/law-library-assistant—berkshire—00102670/job to apply for this position.