Nominees for the LLNE Board

The LLNE Nominating Committee has presented the final slate of nominees for the LLNE Board.  Elections will be held at the LLNE Luncheon and Business Meeting at the AALL Annual Meeting.

VP/President-Elect: Elaine Apostola
Education Director
: Ellen Frentzen
Treasurer: Rick Buckingham

The nominating committee includes Jocelyn Kennedy, Marnie Warner, and Kyle Courtney.

Vermont Law Library Transition Plan

By Anne McDonald and Emilie Benoit, Co-Chairs, LLNE Government Relations Committee

LLNE Government Relations Committee would like to share this news from the Vermont State Department of Libraries with our membership.

Unfortunately, the state legislature did not allot enough money to keep the state law library open and Vermont Law School will take on legal reference services to the public.

Vermont State Librarian Martha Reid comments: “The only good news came in the final days when the Legislature returned to our budget $67,000 that had been slated to be cut, the result of advocacy from the Board of Libraries and others. This $67,000 will be used as a pass-through grant to the Vermont Law School so that their library can take on legal reference services for the public. I am grateful to leaders in the House and Senate who recognized the essential need for public access to legal information and a trained law librarian — and to the Law School for stepping up to the plate; it will help ease the pain of pending cuts to be made in services now provided at the State Library here in Montpelier.” Here is a link to the full text of the Department of Libraries newsletter.

We thank Emily Feltren, Director of AALL’s Government Relations Office, for her constant vigilance on the Vermont law library situation and for keeping us informed.

Emily has spoken with Vermont Law School’s Library director who has stated that while the law school is rural, she is willing to take on the commitment of serving the public.

State Law Librarian Paul Donovan was honored with the Vermont Department of Libraries Staff appreciation award.  Congratulations, Paul!

Karen Quinn receives Edgar Award

Karen Quinn received the Edgar Award at the Spring 2015 LLNE meeting.  LLNE is pleased to provide her remarks below.

“I am deeply touched and honored to accept the Edgar Bellefontaine Award today.   It is truly fitting as today, April 24th, is the fifth anniversary of Edgar’s death.

“I know many of you here remember Mr. B personally.  How could you forget him?  He was larger than life in every sense of the phrase.     He was the commander of the  Social Law Library ship for 35 years and during those many years, he not only witnessed many innovations, he masterminded them.

“A technological guru before the phrase was coined – he was high tech and embraced automation with open arms.  With his can-do attitude, he encouraged his creative staff to follow his lead and implement cutting edge projects.  He foresaw the advent of computerization of legal materials as early as the 60’s, set up the Social Law Library as an internet service provider in the 90’s, and in 1989 created a searchable databases of Massachusetts primary and administrative law.  Anyone old enough will remember how law librarians would shudder at the prospect of research in administrative law and are grateful to Edgar and the Social Law Library for this contribution to legal research.

“Oh,  and did I mention that he  worked tirelessly on committees, mentored new librarians and, as Regina Smith noted, put the Social  in Social Law Library.  Highly regarded as a preservationist, he gave new life to thousands of pages of court records which were found in the musty court house basement and brought them into the light for generations to come.

“I must say that I was a bit awestruck by Mr.  B. and his many accomplishments.   To receive this award and to have my name associated with Mr.  B. is an honor indeed.   But when you think about it, I don’t think we are that different.  Whether it be technology, digitization, reference or  preservation, I believe throughout our careers as librarians, we shared many of the same goals, with the main goal providing service to our users and greater access to justice.     That is Service with a capital S — Service to our patrons, whether large law firms, other librarians, solo practitioners or Joe Q Public.   Each constituency was to be treated equally and each was to be provided with the absolute best legal materials our individual budgets could buy.  By providing this service, the playing field would be levelled and access to justice would be enhanced.  Short and sweet, that is what we do, day in and day out and that is why law libraries remain and hopefully will remain, a cornerstone of democracy.

“Thank you to Raquel and Nicole for those lovely remarks, to the  committee for this honor, to my staff at the Rhode island State Law Library, most especially Colleen Hanna, who was  always there for me,  and to all  my friends at LLNE.

“It certainly has been a wonderful ride.”

Congratulations to Karen and thank you for all your work.

Two New Exhibits at the Harvard Law School Library

By Karen Beck

The Harvard Law School Library’s Historical & Special Collections team is pleased to announce two new exhibits, both on view from 9 to 5 daily in the Caspersen Room, Langdell Hall, through mid-August 2015.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Semester … Portrayals of Harvard Law School in Literature” seeks to highlight the role of Harvard Law School in fiction. Sometimes the law school serves as the scene, sometimes the featured characters are law school graduates, and sometimes the law school inspired its students to become novelists during their JD studies. A companion website to the exhibit can be found here. The exhibit was curated by Library staff members Claire DeMarco and Ed Moloy.

By Popular Demand” is our first student-curated exhibit. It features objects in a variety of formats from Historical & Special Collections, selected by HSC staff and voted on by HLS students.

I hope you have a chance to view both exhibits next time you find yourself in the Cambridge area.

Theory Into Practice: Mindfulness

By Anna Lawless

The topic of the recent meeting, mindfulness, strongly resonated with me.  I have tried to practice mindfulness meditation on and off for the past several years, and have started to practice more regularly over the last year.  I was very excited to learn more about how to integrate this practice into my working life.  After all, the majority of my life is spent at the library; I am always interested in learning ways to improve the time for myself and my colleagues.

Since the conference, I have been trying to implement the strategies we learned about from the various speakers and discussions.  I have also been reading “The Buddha Walks Into the Office,” by Lodro Rinzler, which discusses bringing Buddhist principles and mindfulness into the workplace in a very accessible, easy-to-read manner.  Some of the things I have tried include:

Set an intention for my day.  Lodro Rinzler discusses this idea in his book.  When I wake up in the morning, I have a reminder set on my phone to think about something I want to focus on for the day.  Some of the intentions I have set recently have been:

  • Patience – I will be patient with everyone I encounter today, from fellow commuters to colleagues and my family.
  • Kindness – I will be kind to everyone I encounter today, including myself.
  • Gratitude – I will notice good things in the world today, large and small, and remember to be grateful for them.

I find it helps to remember that everyone is going through something, and I often don’t know what that is.  It may affect their behavior towards me and it may not.  Otherwise it’s very easy to let an intention drift away in frustration and cynicism.

Practice mindfulness throughout the day.  Remembering to stay mindful through the day can be difficult.  Mindfulness, or non-judgmental awareness of what is happening in a given moment, is not my mind’s natural state.  Like many people, I focus on the past or the future.  I replay discussions or actions, thinking about what could have gone differently; I imagine how future events and conversations will happen.  I began using an app called OMM, or “One Moment Meditation.”  I set a few alarms for myself throughout the day, and then use the app as a timer to meditate for about a minute.  This mini-practice re-centers me and helps my mind slow down and come back to what is actually happening.  As I continue to use the app, I find myself able to remember to be mindful throughout the day on my own.  I do appreciate that the app forces me to stop and sit for a moment, focusing only on my breath.  When I come back to what is happening I am calmer and in a less distracted state than I was before I began the meditation.

Stop multitasking.  This is still a dream, really, but I hope to achieve it someday.  I am trying to cut back on multitasking and focus on one thing at a time.  Instead of answering emails immediately, if it isn’t urgent, I flag it for follow-up that day and continue what I am working on.  Even though I have only recently begun this long process, I find myself less easily distracted and more able to focus on the task at hand.  I hope this improvement continues.

Practice meditation each day.  For me, that means sitting for ten minutes every evening before bed.  When, and for how long, each person meditates is different; it all depends on how much time you can make for it and when your body is comfortable doing it.  If I tried to do it in the morning I would be stressed out about traffic building up on the way to work, about projects for the day, and I would be falling back asleep.  At night, I find it helps me clear my mind before going to bed.  For another person, you might find it focuses your mind to start your day.  I use an app called Insight Timer.  It’s timer but also has a community of meditators you can talk to and learn from.  There is also a set of guided meditations available for free.

As I have begun using these tools and trying to be more mindful, I have begun to notice some changes in myself at work.  I find myself more patient with the people and situations around me; this could be from a more general feeling of calm that I’ve managed to cultivate.  I am also less reactive.  When things go wrong, I am able to remain calm and keep things in perspective.  This allows me to focus better on fixing the problem.  When people ask questions, instead of immediately responding, I have been trying to practice mindful speaking; I think about the best way to word things and whether my contribution is actually helpful to the situation.  I feel better about my own contributions to my workplace with these changes.  While I am still subject to stress, as is anyone, I am better able to control it; I am even sleeping better.

Mindfulness isn’t for everyone, and meditation practice is a lot of work.  One of the things Lodro Rinzler discusses in his book is that you need a conscious reason to start meditating.  It’s difficult and requires some self-motivation to keep up a regular practice; having articulated reasons for practicing can help you stay focused.  However, if you’re up for it, I recommend giving it a try.  It’s made a difference for me.

Three great ways to get to LLNE Spring 2015 in Concord, NH

 Holiday Inn Concord Downtown
172 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301
(603) 224-9534

Coming to the LLNE Spring 2015 conference, but you’re not sure how you’re going to get there? There are actually a few different ways to get to Concord, NH, a small city approximately 70 miles Northwest of Boston.

Continue reading Three great ways to get to LLNE Spring 2015 in Concord, NH

LLNE scholarship news

The LLNE Scholarship Committee is inviting applications for the following awards:

  • LLNE Spring Meeting scholarships are available to support members’ attendance at the fascinating meeting planned for April 24, 2015.  Scholarship forms must be submitted by April 10, 2015.
  •  LLNE is accepting scholarship applications for members seeking financial assistance in attending the 2015 AALL annual meeting in Philadelphia.  Scholarship application forms must be submitted by Friday, May 1, 2015.
  •  LLNE is now offering scholarships to support its members’ continuing education opportunities. Check the LLNE website for more details.

Also, AALL has reached out to LLNE to encourage members to apply for the Koslov Scholarship, the Continuing Education Scholarship, and the George A. Strait Minority Scholarship.

  •  The Marcia J. Koslov Scholarship provides funding for state, court, and county law librarians to attend conferences, seminars, and other live continuing education opportunities beyond the usual law library-related conferences.    The application deadline is April 1, 2015.
  •  AALL also offers a Scholarship for Continuing Education Classes, available for all law librarians (not limited to state, court, and county law librarians) who wish to register for continuing education courses related to their fields. See the application form for details. The application deadline is April 1, 2015.
  •  The George A. Strait Minority Scholarship is offered to degree candidates in law school or library school who belong to minority groups and who intend to have a career in law librarianship.

Rhode Island files UELMA Legislation

By Anne McDonald and Emilie Benoit, Co-Chairs, LLNE Government Relations Committee

H 5415, An Act Relating to State Affairs and Government – Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act, was introduced in the Rhode Island General Assembly House of Representatives on February 12, 2015 by Representative Joy Hearn (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence) and Representative Michael Marcello (D-Dist. 41, Scituate, Cranston.)  It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

The Act, if passed, would be the first in Rhode Island to regulate the official publication of legal material in an electronic format.  It designates Lexis Nexis as the official publisher of all Rhode Island legal materials (Constitution, Public Laws, Acts and Resolves, the General Laws) except for those published by state administrative agencies.

This bill is similar to the one that was introduced last year and later withdrawn.  Here is a link to the current bill:  http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText15/HouseText15/H5415.htm

The LLNE Government Relations Committee is providing this information to you to further its committee charge to keep you apprised of pending legislation which may be of interest to you as an informed law librarian.  We will continue to keep the LLNE membership updated on this bill and any others filed in the New England states that impact law libraries and information policy.