Category Archives: Spring 2015

Issue 235

Spring 2015

Chagall’s Four Seasons

Artwork from Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, LLP

Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons
Four Seasons, by Marc Chagall (Chicago, 1974)

As we near the end of our slog through winter, Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons (Chicago, 1974) helps remind us that spring is just around the corner. This lithograph poster, which was signed by Chagall, can be found in the Carl E. Moore, Jr. library of Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, LLP.

Signature from Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons
Signed Chagall

The poster was originally commissioned for the dedication of the mosaic mural at First National Plaza (now Chase Tower). At that time, the firm was located in 2 First National Plaza, overlooking the Chagall mural. A limited number of prints were offered for sale, and a group of partners purchased the piece to display at the firm.

Thank you, Todd Hillmer, Library Manager at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, for sharing this piece with us!

Spring 2015

A Bit of CALL History: Portrait of Kurt Schwerin

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Artwork from Pritzker Legal Research Center

Kurt Schwerin
This oil painting of Kurt Schwerin (artist and date unknown) hangs in the Pritzker Legal Research Center.

Northwestern University’s Pritzker Legal Research Center is home to several fascinating works of art in a variety of forms, including this oil painting of Kurt Schwerin—a former CALL president from 1958 to 1959.

Continue reading A Bit of CALL History: Portrait of Kurt Schwerin →

Spring 2015

Art on the 29th Floor

Artwork from the Cook County Law Library

The Cook County Law Library has an ongoing collaboration with the Illinois Artisans Program of the Illinois State Museum to display the work of juried artists in the Law Library. The Illinois Artisans Program provides venues for Illinois artisans to display and promote their work.

Artisans work in a range of media. To date, artwork in the Law Library has included oil paintings, photographs, and oil pastels. The art exhibitions are on semi-annual rotation cycle.

Continue reading Art on the 29th Floor →

Spring 2015

Art History — Office Art with Interesting Backstories

Artwork from Sidley Austin, LLP

Some of us never get around to decorating our offices. For others, “decorating” means hanging up that free motivational calendar you received in the mail, or taping a family photo to the wall by your computer screen. This is not the case for David Rogers, Reference Librarian at Sidley Austin, LLP.

If you ever have a chance to visit David’s office, you will have an opportunity to admire pieces of art that are not only beautiful, but have interesting histories as well—from a valuable lithograph rescued from the trash, to a watercolor won in a grade school raffle, to a family heirloom with ties to Chicago.

Continue reading Art History — Office Art with Interesting Backstories →

Spring 2015

Creative Use of Library Space

Artwork from Pritzker Legal Research Center

There is no denying it, we’ve all groaned at this phrase at one point or another: “We’re going to start a shifting project.” Rather than groaning, however, artist Mark Frazer turned a large weeding and shifting project into a chance to flex his creative muscles and create this sculpture, which he named “Liber Dentata: Watch in the Woods.”

Through the tunnel I. “Liber Dentata: Watch in the Woods,” by Mark Frazer.

Continue reading Creative Use of Library Space →

Spring 2015

Soviet WWII Propaganda Posters at Chicago-Kent

If you’ve visited the research  office at the IIT Chicago-Kent Law Library, you may have noticed a trio of very large framed posters with Cyrillic text. These posters are just a small sample of the collection of World War II Soviet propaganda posters that Chicago-Kent received when we acquired the Library of International Relations (LIR), a special collection, in 1983.

A few of these have been on display in our library for years, but many more were rediscovered stuffed in a box in a storage room in 2006. The Chicago-Kent posters were identified just as the Art Institute of Chicago was finishing the restoration of a very similar collection. This led to Chicago-Kent playing a very small role in supporting the Art Institute’s wonderful exhibition in the summer of 2011.

Continue reading Soviet WWII Propaganda Posters at Chicago-Kent →

Spring 2015, Bylaws, CALL Committees

Introduction to the CALL Bylaws Committee

The CALL Bylaws Committee is composed of a chairperson, with additional members as needed in years when major changes to the Bylaws are to be considered. The Committee is charged with monitoring and reviewing the Bylaws of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) for any implications to CALL.

The Committee works with the CALL Board and the CALL attorney regarding any questions concerning CALL Bylaws.  A thorough review of the CALL Bylaws is conducted every 3-5 years.  The Committee may also submit suggestions to the Board for consideration.  If the Board has suggestions for modifications of the Bylaws, the Committee reviews these suggestions and formulates possible amendments.  Any such amendments are presented to the membership at a business meeting, at which time a vote is taken whether or not to send the amendments to the entire voting membership.  Extensive revisions to the Bylaws were made in 2003-2004 and additional modifications were made in 2008 and 2013.

‘Gender Identity’ Change

AALL gives its chapters considerable leeway with the contents of their bylaws, but a chapter’s antidiscrimination article must be no less inclusive than that in the AALL Bylaws.  In January 2014, AALL added “gender identity” to its antidiscrimination article thereby requiring a revision of CALL’s Bylaws.

The proposed amendment was presented to the membership at the November 2014 business meeting; the members present voted to send the measure to the entire voting membership for approval.  In January 2015, the amendment was approved.

 

Spring 2015, Grants & Chapter Awards

Nominations for CALL Awards Now Open!

Each year, the Chicago Association of Law Libraries honors members who have made outstanding contributions to the organization and the profession of law librarianship. CALL members are encouraged to submit nominations for the following annual awards:

  • The Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Law Librarianship is presented annually at the May business meeting to a retired or soon-to-be retired CALL member for their outstanding lifetime achievement in law librarianship.
  • The Award for Outstanding In-House Publication is given to an individual or group who created in-house library materials (print or online) that are user- and staff-oriented, are relevant for law libraries, and are outstanding in quality.

Criteria for each award can be found on the CALL website.

In 2014, the Reid Award was given to Keith Ann Stiverson; the Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement was given to Eloise Vondruska and Julia Wentz; and the Award for Outstanding In-House Publication was given to the John Marshall Law School Library and the IIT Chicago-Kent Law Library. Nominate your deserving CALL colleagues to join these distinguished award recipients!

Please submit nominations for all three of these awards to Maribel Nash, Chair, CALL Grants & Chapter Awards Committee, at m-nash@law.northwestern.edu by March 27, 2015.

Bulletin, Spring 2015, CALL Committees

What Happened Here? Moving the CALL Bulletin to WordPress

The PDF Years

It wasn’t that long ago that CALL decided to upgrade the CALL Bulletin from a print publication distributed by mail to an online PDF that could be sent out in seconds using the CALL listserv.  Going online saved CALL thousands in printing costs, but still required CALL to hire an outside graphic designer to help with the newsletter’s layout.

The PDF looked professional, but for modern newsletters, the PDF format can be limiting.  Readers cannot link to individual articles, the organization cannot showcase videos, and individual articles are harder to find with search engines. Continue reading What Happened Here? Moving the CALL Bulletin to WordPress →

Spring 2015

Are You Ready for the Microsoft Lync Revolution?

Have you ever received a call from a partner unable to find a resource or register his user information?  Despite trying your best to describe what you are seeing on your computer screen, the partner is unable to follow along as you explain where to find the resource or register his user information.  You grow more and more frustrated as the partner does the exact opposite of what you told him to do and he grows increasingly agitated as he continues to waste time trying to find a resource or log-in. Have you wished in that moment of anguish for a way to get inside the partner’s computer and see what he was describing? Well, wish no more because the Microsoft Lync revolution is here and it will transform legal reference in your library.

Continue reading Are You Ready for the Microsoft Lync Revolution? →