Calling all caffeine lovers! For our next free ‘funtivity’ we’re heading to Mexico for a Coffee Master Class. Join us on Tuesday, June 1st at 9am to learn about the best processes for brewing a great cup of coffee and a whole latte of other facts. To register and obtain the zoom meeting details, visit [tinyurl.com/zercsbps]tinyurl.com/zercsbps and for more information on this virtual experience see https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1655017 .
LLNE President Nicole Dyszlewski and Service Committee chair Jessica Almeida recently published an article titled, “Law Librarians as Access to Justice Allies” in Public Services Quarterly. The article was part of the “Special Libraries, Special Challenges” series and discusses the how law and public librarians can be allies in working toward shrinking the access to justice gap. It also celebrates the work of a great number of LLNE leaders such as Catherine Biondo, Mike VanderHeijden, Josh Laporte, Jessica Jones, and all the members that have served on the Access to Justice and Service Committees.
The article begins by looking at the history of the LLNE Service and Access to Justice Committees, including the various service projects that have been organized over the past twenty years. One of the most successful service projects was the Legal Book Drive, which led to the creation of LLNE Legal Link. The Legal Link website has become a tool for law librarians to share their knowledge with public librarians and self-represented litigants, through the use of best practices and resource documents.
The article continues by discussing the committees’ work in outreach, specifically presentations at regional public library conferences that allow law librarians and public librarians to connect over access to justice issues. Also mentioned is the creation of the LLNE A2J Twitter account that promotes Legal Link documents as well as the programs and resources of other legal organizations such as court libraries and bar associations.
Finally, the authors explore the areas that public librarians are most concerned about. They discuss the unauthorized practice of law, what it is, and how and when to say no to a question that veers into legal advice territory. The article ends with a section on how to write a policy that explains legal information vs. legal advice. This policy can be used by public library staff to help patrons understand the legal questions public librarians can and can’t answer. For more information on the article, please reach out to Nicole Dyszlewski at ndyszlewski@rwu.edu or Jessica Almeida at jessica.almeida@umassd.edu.
In conjunction with the Law Librarians of New England (LLNE) FUNtivities , the Service Committee is raising funds for NEADS, an organization that provides service dogs to veterans, people with physical disabilities, individuals with autism, and even assistance dogs that work in hospitals and courthouses.
The money we raise will go to the Prison PUP Program. According to NEADS “90-95% of NEADS puppies are trained in 7 correctional facilities throughout New England. Our statistics show that, under the guidance of NEADS staff, inmates are able to provide consistent training at a high level simply because of the amount of time they are able to devote to the dogs. This enables us to place dogs faster with people in need.”
For more information, please visit https://neads.org/training-placement/prison-pup-program/.
For a first person post about the program, please visit https://neads.org/prison-pup-program-a-win-win/.
Due to the generosity of our members, we have increased our goal! To donate, go to https://support.neads.org/llne.
The Service Committee
The Access to Justice committee has had a quiet winter, but information about Covid-related eviction protections and policies has been added to Legal Link for most of the New England States. Many thanks to A2J member Dana Lucisano for posting the info on Legal Link and to the LLNE Technology Committee for supporting her on that endeavor.
As we look to the rest of the year, we are exploring program proposals for public library conferences to continue to outreach to our public library colleagues and support them to provide legal information support to their patrons.
It’s time for another free funtivity sponsored by LLNE! On Friday April 30 at 6pm EST let’s jet off to Australia to meet Cadbury the llama and friends. We’ll tour their paddock, then use our newfound knowledge as inspiration in an interactive drawing and animation lesson. Great for all ages (bring the family!) and all artistic skill levels. To register and obtain the zoom details visit https://tinyurl.com/2e2bjaca. Please feel free to contact Kelly Johnson (johnskel@bu.edu) with any questions and for more information on this virtual event visit https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1711473 .
After many years of exceptional service as Co-Chair of LLNE’s Government Relations Committee, Anne McDonald will be stepping down at the end of her term on June 30, 2021.
LLNE President-Elect Mike VanderHeijden and the Executive Board are requesting nominations, including self-nominations, for the position of Co-Chair of LLNE’s Government Relations Committee (GRC).
GRC Co-Chairs work with GRC members from each New England state to monitor legislative and policy initiatives which are of interest to concerned law librarians and to report these developments to LLNE members and the AALL GRC. More information concerning the LLNE GRC, its charge, members, etc. can be found on the LLNE website at: https://llne.org/committees/government/
Please send nominations and self-nominations to President-Elect Mike VanderHeijden (michael.vanderheijden@yale.edu) on or before May 15, 2021.
As my 2019-2021 term, as one of the Educational Directors draws nearer to the end I wanted to reflect on this time. Like everyone else I thought this commitment would be the usual experiences of some in-person conferences and some telephone meetings.
LLNE has two Educational Directors. Each serves two years with the terms ending on different years. My term started in July 2019. I did not attend the annual AALL meeting in 2019 in Washington, D.C. as I was at a family reunion. I was without a care and thought I would attend the meeting in July of 2020 in Cincinnati.
One strange thing about being one of the co-Educational Directors is attending meetings and thanking hosts for work done by previous Educational Directors. My first LLNE Conference as Educational Director was hosted by the Harvard Law Library and was on Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms in Law Libraries and Legal Practice. Little did we know this was the last in-person conference that would be planned for a long time.
One of the many wonderful experiences working with LLNE has been meeting so many dynamic and creative law librarians. There was a resilience and a commitment to moving forward during challenging times. LLNE leadership stepped up as COVID-19 protocols were put in place and planned a virtual spring 2020 conference. Summer gave way to fall and COVID-19 would not allow an in person conference. So, the University of Connecticut Law Library planned a virtual Fall Conference. Suffolk will host a virtual conference in the late spring of this year.
We will meet virtually for the AALL Annual Meeting this summer. When the new academic year starts and the leaves fall again LLNE will again plan and host the meeting. The traditions will continue.
– Maureen
Do you miss traveling? Are you in need of a fun break from your routine? The Law Librarians of New England have you covered! Over the next few months, LLNE will be hosting a series of FUNtivities for members to get together and enjoy some fun (and free!) virtual adventures.
Join us for our first FUNtivity on Thursday, April 1 at 7pm EST, when we’ll follow a Plague Doctor through Prague. This hour long interactive tour will take us back in time as we experience the empty streets of Prague during the Black Death and plagues of the 17th and 18th centuries. For additional details on the virtual tour visit: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1658926
In order to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience during the FUNtivity, it’s important to prioritize the well-being of all participants. In case of any unexpected health concerns or medical needs that may arise, it’s beneficial to have access to nearby medical facilities. Located in the vicinity, the urgent care clinic Jackson Heights can provide comprehensive healthcare services and support for women of all ages. By offering a range of specialized care options, such as routine check-ups, preventive screenings, and reproductive health services, the clinic promotes the overall well-being and vitality of women. While participating in engaging virtual events like the FUNtivity, it’s reassuring to know that quality healthcare resources like the women’s health clinic in Little Neck are readily available to address any healthcare needs that may arise.
After the tour we’ll keep the Zoom going for some open social time! Families are welcome, but we recommend ages 7+ for this FUNtivity. To register and obtain the zoom details, visit bit.ly/2NGI68v. This event is capped at 100 participants, so make sure to sign up and save your spot soon! Please feel free to reach out to Kelly Johnson at johnskel@bu.edu with any questions.
We look forward to seeing you there and stay tuned for more FUNtivities in the coming weeks!
Ellen: We’re here today speaking with Hazel, Burnley, and Snuggleball for an exclusive interview about life with one of LLNE’s co-webmasters, Artie Berns.
Sara: We want to get to know the real Artie better, and we thought we’d start by asking you to introduce yourselves and then we have a few questions about life with Artie.
Hazel: Hi Sara and Ellen, my name is Hazel, or sometimes Hazelbug, or just Bug for short. I live with my mom and dad and two cats that don’t seem to want to hang out with me despite my always paying a lot of attention to them. I’ve lived with my people since I was a puppy. I am five years old.
Burnley: I can speak for myself dog. My name is Fanciful J. Catworth. My humans call me Burnley for some reason. I’ve been living among these humans for all my life. Life was great until about five years ago when they brought the dog home.
Snuggleball: Hi I’m Snuggleball. I’m sorry, I just am not sure why you’re talking to me. Perhaps you could just leave me alone, or better yet distract that dog so I can take a nap. My name was something else before my humans rescued me from the animal shelter.
Ellen: What does Artie do for fun?
Burnley: I’m quite certain his favorite thing to do is to hang out with me in the basement where the dog isn’t.
Hazel: Sometimes dad chases me around the backyard or takes me for a walk around the neigborhood. I’m sure if you asked him he would agree that those are the funnest things he could possibly do.
Snuggleball: Why do you keep bothering me? Is there any food in my dish?
Sara: What is your favorite thing about Artie?
Snuggleball: He brings me the foods.
Hazel and Burnley: Yeah food.
Hazel: I also like him because he always gives me part of his dinner.
Ellen: What is your least favorite thing about Artie?
Hazel: sometimes he withholds yummy looking foods. He says they’re not good for dogs, but I’m willing to risk it man!
Snuggleball: He sometimes distracts me when I am trying to take a nap. Speaking of which…
Burnley: He seems to like the dog. I am against such things.
Sara: What is Artie’s favorite guilty pleasure?
Hazel: I’m not sure what that means.
Burnley: It’s a thing that is probably bad or in bad taste that he enjoys. Again, I think the answer for this is the dog.
Snuggleball: Yeah, the dog….
Ellen: This brings us to our final question: If Artie won the lottery what would he do with the money?
Burnley: He doesn’t really confide in me about finances. But, I believe he would invest heavily in Friskies Party Mix cat treats. This is clearly a sound investment considering how delicious they are.
Snuggleball: No, that’s not right. A smart human would invest heavily in stock tips gleaned from Reddit.
Hazel: Buy more foods to share with me.
Like most things during the pandemic, being responsible for the LLNE Archives has been challenging since the committee can’t visit the Archives in person. So your Archives committee is trying to see what we can do to create a digital archive and come up with policies to use going forward. The committee is currently made up of Dana Lusciano, a reference librarian at Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury Connecticut, Andrew Roache, the Associate Law Librarian at the Maine State Law and Legislative Library in Augusta Maine, Olga Umansky, the librarian and archivist for the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute in Newton Massachusetts, and Stefanie Weigmann, the Associate Director for Research and Instruction at Boston University School of Law in Boston Massachusetts. Andrew has been reaching out to past presidents to see what digital materials they might have in their files, Dana has been looking at how other regional organizations organize their archives, and Olga has been drafting a collection document. Our main goal is to grow and organize our Archives.
So while we are still in COVID we would like to reach out to you. Do you have any pictures or other interesting digital materials from events or committees you served on during your time with LLNE? Please send it to Andrew.Roache@legislature.maine.gov.
