Category Archives: Winter 2016

Issue 238

Forecasting Opportunities for Rainmakers: Librarians as Strategic Partners to Lawyers

I was thrilled to share insights from the marketing and business development perspective at the October 20, 2015 CALL program “Forecasting Opportunities for Rainmakers.” Here are a few take-aways that emerged from our conversation:

Collaboration NOT Competition. Our professional lives are already hectic enough with responding to or preparing for the various requests we receive from our attorneys—the last thing we should devote our attention and energy to is competing with each other.

Let’s face it, we’re not mind readers (although our attorneys often think that we are!). Any time you have the opportunity to share information across administrative departments—do it. Open communication and sharing of information ultimately creates greater efficiency for all of us and reduces time spent tracking down information that only resides in certain departments. Continue reading Forecasting Opportunities for Rainmakers: Librarians as Strategic Partners to Lawyers

From the Courthouse

Photo of Juanita Harrell
Juanita Harrell

Once upon a time I was a librarian in a public library. I was a teen services librarian to be exact. Prior to that, I was a paralegal. My two worlds have magically come together and now, for going on three years, I have been a law librarian at the DuPage County Courthouse. Although there are differences from working in a public library to working in a courthouse library, there are also a lot of similarities. Continue reading From the Courthouse

Whatever Happened To . . . Laura Weidig?

In an organization as large as CALL, members come and go and many of us sometimes wonder where our former colleagues have gone and what they are doing personally and professionally. This article is the revival of a past series featuring individuals who were Chicago law librarians at one time and who have moved on to other locations, jobs, or even careers. Suggestions for future profiles are welcome.

Photo of Laura Weidig
Laura Weidig, Priory Solutions

Laura Weidig, an active CALL member during the 1990s, recently attended the September 2015 CALL Business Meeting as a representative of Priory Solutions, the meeting sponsor. Many members enjoyed talking with Laura and wanted to know more about her professional journey. I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura and learning more about her experience as a law librarian and information professional and the factors that have influenced her career path. Continue reading Whatever Happened To . . . Laura Weidig?

All About ILTA

Joanne Kiley photo
Joanne Kiley

The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) formed over 30 years ago due to the shared needs and concerns of law firm accounting professionals using Wang Computers.  As technology seeped and then poured into legal entities, ILTA grew in areas of expertise and support.  ILTA’s membership includes law firms, corporate and non-profit legal departments, courts, law schools and more from across the globe with backgrounds in applications, desktop support, litigation support, systems, marketing, knowledge management, communications technology and yes, libraries. Continue reading All About ILTA

Volunteer Opportunities at AALL Chicago 2016

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Do you like to greet visitors and make them feel welcome? Do you like to guide others to local restaurants? Do you like to staff the hospitality booth? Or do you prefer to help out behind the scenes with fellow librarians?

Chicago is the host city for the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting and Conference in July 2016 and there will be a variety of opportunities for you to help out. We will be sending more specific requests in the new year but, in the meantime, if you want to get on our VOLUNTEERS list now, please send your name to either Carolyn Hersch (chersch@ngelaw.com) or Claire Toomey Durkin (8durkin@jmls.edu).

Advocacy Tools from AALL and ALA

One of the charges of CALL’s Government Relations Committee includes monitoring other associations and their advocacy work and, from time to time, informing CALL’s membership of those activities. In this column, rather than focus on a specific issue, let’s take some time to look at some of the advocacy resources provided by some of these associations, specifically AALL and ALA.

Photo of Tom Gaylord
Tom Gaylord, Member, CALL Government Relations Committee, 2015-2016

Continue reading Advocacy Tools from AALL and ALA