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Law and Technology: Haiku Deck

By Carli Spina

No matter what your role at your library, you probably have to create presentations or support patrons creating presentations from time to time. The most popular tool for creating presentation slides is still PowerPoint, but other alternatives have emerged to offer free and online options for creating engaging presentations. One of my favorite of these tools is Haiku Deck.

Available as both a web application and an iPad app, Haiku Deck allows users to create presentations that are focused on images and visual information without the added complication of having to search for these visuals in other sources. Instead, Haiku Deck has an integrated image search feature that allows users to find relevant Creative Commons-licensed images that have been posted on Flickr and integrate them seamlessly into their slidedeck. Once an image has been selected, Haiku Deck even automates the process of properly attributing the image to its creator by including all of this information at the bottom of the slide.


HaikuDeckScreenshot1

Haiku Deck also offers some options for creating charts within the application if you would like to present data in your slides, though you can also upload your own charts and images if you would prefer.

HaikuDeckScreenshot2

While it is true that Haiku Deck offers more limited features than other tools such as PowerPoint, this is actually one of the advantages of the service. Users can choose from twenty different themes and more than twelve layouts, but beyond this there is little to no ability to further customize the slides. This is a limitation, but the payoff is that Haiku Deck is able to offer a consistent and very professional look to the finished slides.

Finished slides can be shared online, either publicly, privately, or under a limited option where only those with the link can find the slides. Users can also opt to make their slides reusable so that other Haiku Deck users can use these decks as a starting place for their own work. Decks can also be shared via social media, email or as an embeddable slideshow. If a user would prefer to export slides, Haiku Deck also offers the option to export as a PDF or as PowerPoint slides. This also means that slides from Haiku Deck can be integrated into a presentation that has been created in another tool.

Recently, Haiku Deck has also debuted a new tool called Haiku Deck Zuru. This ambitious product uses artificial intelligence to take an existing presentation or even a simple outline for a presentation and generate a completed slidedeck automatically. Slides can be imported from PowerPoint, Keynote, or Evernote, with more import options planned for the future. This feature is not included in the free Haiku Deck accounts, but is instead currently available for an annual pre-order price of $30, which is a 50% discount on the planned price of $60 per year. While I have not yet tried this tool, it is an intriguing possible option for the future. If you frequently create slide decks and are interested in new technologies, it may be an interesting option for automating some of your slide creation process. You can see a demo of Zuru below.

https://vimeo.com/122822221

UELMA Online Advocacy Training to be Held May 13

The LLNE Government Relations committee encourages us all to participate in the UELMA online training described below.

UELMA Online Advocacy  Training to be Held May 13 

Registration is open for AALL’s next online advocacy training, “Progress  Report: UELMA Advocacy in 2015 and Beyond,”on Wednesday, May 13 at noon EDT. Since it was approved by the Uniform Law Commission in July 2011, the  Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act  ( UELMA ) has been introduced in 20 legislatures and become law in 12 states. In this 30-minute training,  we’ll assess progress made on UELMA , including common advocacy challenges and strategies for success from the AALL members and chapters who have played an instrumental role in advancing the Act. Register  today to learn more about shepherding UELMA through the legislative process and to identify opportunities to help enact UELMA in your state. This training is complimentary for AALL and chapter members.

Service Committee Update

By the Service Committee

The Service Committee has continued to focus its efforts on making connections and building partnerships with public libraries in the New England region.

For the second year in a row, the Service Committee worked with the LLNE Education Committee and the Legal Research Instruction Program (LRIP) to offer two scholarships to New England area public librarians interested in taking the LRIP course. The two librarians who received the scholarships this year were Jeanne Bent of the Hope Public Library in Scituate, RI and Kathleen Clifford of the Boston Public Library in Boston, MA.

The Service Committee is also moving forward with its yet-to-be-named web portal project. The project aims to provide public libraries with one portal for comprehensive information on the legal research and information landscape across New England. Our committee members have started working to compile this resource by reviewing existing tools and projects by law librarians, bar associations, courts and legal aid conglomerates in each of the states. The committee hopes to have some piece of the portal ready and online by the annual meeting. Once complete, the web portal will be hosted on the LLNE website.

In tandem with the web portal project, the Service Committee is interested in creating a network of law librarians throughout New England who are willing to serve as resources to public librarians with legal research questions. The network of librarians will include individuals willing to be “on-call” for questions that may arise in their state of in their area of expertise, but also individuals willing to travel within their local area to provide in-person, basic legal research trainings to public librarians. If you or any of your colleagues are interested in serving as a trainer or on-call librarian for your state or in your area of expertise, please contact Rebecca Martin of the Service Committee.

TODAY at noon!!! Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries 200th Anniversary!

Come help our colleagues at the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries celebrate their anniversary! See details below!

Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries to Celebrate Historic Anniversary

The Trial Court Law Libraries will mark the 200th anniversary of the enactment of legislation that established what was to become a system of public law libraries in the Massachusetts. The public is invited to attend the following event to celebrate this milestone.

Reception
The Great Hall
John Adams Courthouse
1 Pemberton Square
Boston, MA 02108

Thursday, March 26, 2015
12:00p.m. – 1:00p.m.

At the reception, speakers will highlight the Law Libraries’ service to the Judiciary, members of the Bar Associations, and the public.

Light refreshments will be served.

Your $10 LLNE Membership Has Its Privileges

By the LLNE Membership Development Committee

LLNE is one of the most affordable professional membership for law librarians (or any librarians!). When we are faced with the constant challenge of “doing more with less”and the rising cost of legal publications, it is nice to know that some bills have not gone up. When we are reassessing our memberships and trying to figure out which ones we must have and which ones we cannot afford anymore, let’s remember how the $10 cost of LLNE benefits our members:

  1. Community: Sometimes we just have #lawlibraryproblemz and it’s good to know that there are other people out there who can understand them.
  2. Educational Opportunities: While LLNE membership is not required for attendance at the Spring and Fall meetings, it is the LLNE organization and its members who work to plan and host these meetings to further professional development in our field.
  3. Service: The LLNE Service Committee is busy throughout the year uniting members from throughout New England in service. Volunteers always welcome!
  4. Listserv: The members-only LLNE listserv is a great way to find out about upcoming employment opportunities, educational opportunities and other law library happenings.
  5. Advocacy: The LLNE Government Relations Committee, in partnership with the AALL Government Relations Committee, works to further the profession and the ideals of law librarianship.
  6. Scholarships: Scholarships are available for a variety of professional development opportunities and for tuition for students. However, scholarship opportunities are only available to members.
  7. Networking: You never know when you will discover your next career move. Many directors and hiring managers in New England law libraries are members of LLNE!

Whether you are a library school student interested in law librarianship who is just joining LLNE for the first time or a former LLNE Executive Board member who has been a member for decades, sometimes it it just good to appreciate the value of LLNE membership. Membership: it definitely has its privileges.

Spring Meeting Registration: Credit Cards Accepted!

The Law Librarians of New England are pleased to announce that you can now pay for your LLNE Spring 2015 conference  registration by credit card.

Save the Date: LLNE Spring 2015 Meeting, April 24 2015If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, now is your chance. This year’s theme is Mindfulness and Librarians: Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Come learn how mindfulness techniques can help you be a more effective librarian.

 

For more information visit the LLNE.org site at http://bit.ly/1EbCmkV

New UELMA Bill Filed in MA House

HB43 – An Act relative to the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act has been filed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

A one page summary of the bill and why we need to pass this legislation is linked to the LLNE webpage and lots of background information, documentation and tips for advocacy can be found on the AALL UELMA Resources page.

Thanks in advance for your support and assistance!

Barbara Morgan, Michelle Pearse, Barbara Schneider, Marnie Warner, Anne McDonald, Joan Shear
LLNE Massachusetts Government Relations Committee
Sub-committee working on the passage of UELMA in Massachusetts