Upcoming Events – Law Librarians of New England

Legal Research Instruction Program Scholarship Information

All public librarians are encouraged to apply for a scholarship, sponsored by the LLNE Access to Justice Committee, to attend our chapter’s Legal Research Instruction Program.

The Legal Research Instruction Program (LRIP) is a six-week online seminar geared towards public librarians interested in learning more about law librarianship. Each week, a different aspect of legal research is covered — everything from an overview of the U.S. legal system, to finding business transactional documents. The class will run on Wednesday evenings from March 23 — April 27, 2022. For more information about the LRIP course, go to https://llne.org/legalresearchinstruction/ or contact Brian Flaherty directly at brian2@bu.edu.

The LLNE Access to Justice Committee is providing two scholarships to cover the cost of registration. Applicants must be public (non-law) librarians from the New England region.

Applications should be submitted through this Google form https://forms.gle/Wdyy1hiYQJtzNwY89 by Friday, March 18, 2022. Scholarship recipients will be notified by Monday, March 21, 2022.

Please send questions about the scholarship to Anne Rajotte at anne.rajotte@uconn.edu.

We encourage all LLNE members to share this scholarship opportunity with their local public libraries and any public librarians that would be interested in this excellent professional development opportunity.

Fall 2021 Meeting – [In]accessible Justice: Innovation, Technology and Solutions

There is still time to register for the Fall 2021 meeting next Friday!

If you’ve registered, a Zoom link to attend will be sent soon!

More details and a schedule can be found on the meeting website.

See you soon!

Fall 2021 Meeting Planning Committee

LLNE Trivia Night 2021!

Join us on Wednesday, November 17th at 7PM (EST) for LLNE Trivia Night 2021! The event will once again be hosted by Ttodd and prizes provided by Lexis. We will be raising money for SouthCoast Fair Housing, a nonprofit fair housing organization dedicated to eliminating housing discrimination, ensuring equal housing opportunities, and developing inclusive communities throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Remember to register for the event and donate any amount! Once registered, the Zoom link will be sent to you prior to the event. This event is open to all, so feel free to invite family, friends, and colleagues.

Can’t make it to trivia? You can still donate to this great cause!

Questions? Contact Jessica at jessica.almeida@umassd.edu.

The LLNE Service Committee

Update From the Access to Justice Committee

Hello LLNE Members,

I am Anne Rajotte, the chair of the Access to Justice Committee. I am joined this year by three members: Dana Lucisano, Misty Peltz-Steele, and Sara McMahon. The Committee is actively seeking opportunities for outreach to public libraries and the community generally. Some possible initiatives this year include creating additional informational resources through Legal Link and submitting proposals to present at regional library conferences on topics related to assisting public library patrons with locating reliable legal information.

This fall’s virtual meeting, which focuses on technology and access to justice, should provide some inspiration and ideas for how law librarians can use their skills and resources to begin to bridge the justice gap. As our profession combines information seeking, legal knowledge, and technological innovation, we are natural participants in the movement to increase access to justice.

The Access to Justice Committee welcomes new members! Please contact me at anne.rajotte@uconn.edu if you are interested in joining us.

Save the Date!

Logo in blue and yellow for LLNE’s virtual fall conference, [In]accessible Justice: Innovation, Technology and Solutions with a yellow figure climbing the words

We are excited to announce, the LLNE Fall Conference, will be held November 12^th online.

Entitled, [In}accessible Justice: Innovation, Technology, and Solutions, it will focus on the intersection of technology and access to justice and explore ways that technology can help to bridge the justice gap. The day will begin with speakers from the National Center for State Courts defining the justice gap and discussing existing approaches to address it. The following panels will explore ways technology can improve access to legal assistance, information, and institutions. Speakers from technology firms, nonprofits, law firms, law schools, courts, and bar associations will discuss their initiatives and how they have used technology to address an identified need.

A lot of research and location scouting was done to find a COVID safe location for the Fall 2021 meeting. Sadly, after monitoring health recommendations and local and regional COVID-19 developments, it was decided to not hold an in person meeting.

Many more details and registration are coming soon on the conference website!

We look forward to seeing you there!!! -Nicole Dyszlewski, Jessica Almeida, Kaitlin Connolly, Danielle Lamontagne, Joshua LaPorte, Jessica Panella, Anne Rajotte, and Michael VanderHeijden

Trip to Chernobyl – Thursday, July 15 at 7pm

Image preview — A trip to Chernobyl, Thursday July 15th at 7pm via Zoom.

Join us on Thursday, July 15 at 7pm for another LLNE sponsored event! We’ll be taking a Trip to Chernobyl, where our guide Olena will take us on an interactive virtual tour of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Registration is *free*, just visit [tinyurl.com/kyfufd3m]tinyurl.com/kyfufd3m.

Coded Bias Screening and Discussion

We have another event coming your way this week! After the 2021 LLNE Virtual Spring Meeting, join us THIS Friday June 11 at 7pm EST for a screening and discussion of the documentary Coded Bias. See below for more information and to register.

Coded Bias Screening and Discussion
Friday, June 11th at 7pm ET/ 6pm CT/ 5pm MT/ 4pm PT

CODED BIAS explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini’s discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all. Join us for a screening of this acclaimed documentary followed by a discussion featuring:

Nicole Dyszlewski (moderator), Head of Reference, Instruction, & Engagement, Roger Williams University School of Law
Sarah Lamdan, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
Susan Nevelow Mart, Professor and Director of the Law Library, University of Colorado Law School

To register visit: tinyurl.com/xr5dm9wf

Sponsored by the Legal Information Services to the Public Special Interest Section, the Law Librarians of New England, and the Research Crits Caucus.

Events Scheduled in June by Asian American Law Librarians Caucus

This month, the LLNE Executive Board signed onto the Asian American Law Librarians Caucus Statement on Anti-Asian Incidents. We encourage you to review the statement and refer to the valuable resources it links to. The Caucus is now hosting a series of guest speakers, live music, movie watch parties, and a book discussion throughout the month of June. We hope you find an opportunity to participate in any number of these events. Please see the schedule below.

Wednesday, June 2

12:00-1:00 PM Central

Anti-Asian Violence Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: New Episode in the Long History of Anti-Asian Violence in the United States and Educational Implications. Presentation byProf. Sohyun An

Dr. Sohyun An, Associate Professor at Kennesaw State University, researches social studies education. In the NBC News article, “Illinois House passes bill mandating Asian American history in schools,” Dr. An cautions, “if we don’t teach [Asian-American history] or teach it in a misrepresented way it can lead to violence” (April 15, 2021). Bio/presentation description and article attached.

Friday, June 4

12:00-1:00 PM Central

Donut King Watch Party! (We’ll gather via Zoom, then each watch the film on our own computers, but with Google Jamboard open so that we can watch “together” and post sticky notes to communicate during the screening. Film is free on PBS.)

Genre: Documentary

Film Duration: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes (We will watch the first hour together)

Ted’s story is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. It’s the rags to riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living the American Dream. But, in life, great rise can come with great falls. (https://www.donutkingmovie.com/synopsis/)

Thursday, June 10

2:00-3:00 PM Central

Asian American Studies High School Course Curriculum, Presentation by Albert Chan

Niles North (Skokie, Illinois) High School teacher Albert Chan teaches one of the only Asian American studies high school courses in the United States. He will describe his course curriculum. In the article, “TEAACH Act could make Illinois first state to mandate teaching of Asian American history in public schools,” he observes, “the lack of Asian American representation in school courses leads non-Asian students to fall back on stereotypes about their Asian and Asian American peers.” (The Daily Northwestern, April 20, 2021). Article attached.

Wednesday, June 16

2:00-3:00 PM Central

Simon Tam of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band, will speak about his Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court, in Matal v. Tam. With live music featuring Simon and The Slants’s guitarist, Joe X. Jiang!

Simon Tam is best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band. He helped expand civil liberties for minorities by winning a unanimous victory at the Supreme Court of the United States for a landmark case, Matal v. Tam, in 2017. He also leads The Slants Foundation, a nonprofit that supports arts and activism projects for underrepresented communities.

Joe X. Jiang is a filmmaker and musician who has called Portland home for nearly ten years. His movies, which range from intimate documentaries to artistic narratives, have been featured at film and art festivals around the world. He plays guitar for The Slants as well as other groups based in Portland, OR.

Thursday, June 24

2:00-3:00 PM Central

Kumu Hina – Amazon Watch Party! (Requires each participant to rent the movie on Amazon for $3.99)

Official website, with trailer

Genre: Documentary

Film duration: 1 hour 17 minutes (We will watch the first hour together)

KUMU HINA is a powerful film about the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaiʻi. It is told through the lens of an extraordinary Native Hawaiian who is both a proud and confident māhū, or transgender woman, and an honored and respected kumu, or teacher, cultural practitioner, and community leader.

Amazon Prime membership not required.

Wednesday, June 30

2:00-3:00 PM Central

AAPI Book Discussion – Choose your favorite (or any) AAPI book and come prepared to “show and tell” us about it!

Some suggested titles are on these documents:

· Asian Pacific American Resources (pages 7-8)

· Books by/about Asian American lawyers/judges

· Books by/about Asian American politicians, civil rights activists, non-legal scholars

New LLNE Funtivity! Meet and Draw a Llama

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 .

LLNE FUNtivities! Follow a Plague Doctor through Prague

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!