Dear Colleagues,
It seems like just last week we were kicking off the new year with our first meeting at Wildfire, and here we are, already lacing up our boots and digging out our mittens to head out to Ditka’s for the November Business Meeting.
Winter is officially upon us. While many of us wish for the return of sunshine and warmth, winter can be a great time to dig into those projects we tend to put aside in the frantic summer and fall months’ influx of new students and new associates.
The quieter work months of winter are a perfect time to reflect on ways you can jumpstart some personal and professional goals for the upcoming year. Embrace the hours when the hallways and offices are empty this holiday season and use that time cross some items off your to-do list. Don’t worry – CALL is here to help! Our CALL committees have been busy for months planning programs and events.
Professional Development Resources
Perhaps you’d like to work on publishing an article or presenting at a conference in 2020? Our Continuing Education and Mentorship and Leadership committees are working on programming that will help you fine-tune your proposals, feel more confident in your public speaking skills, or workshop the material you’ve already got!
Want to brush up on particular research skill or share your amazing research skills with others? Please reach out to our committee chairs. They welcome your suggestions and participation.
Speakers for presentations are always needed. And while this issue is fresh off the presses, writing for the Bulletin is a great way to dip your toes in the publication pool. (And doesn’t dipping your toes in any kind of pool seem lovely this time of year?)
Networking & Social Events
Maybe you’d like to network and make some new connections in the law library community? Placement and Recruitment has been busy on this front by organizing the CALL trivia team for the CARPLS “Are You Smarter than a Lawyer?” trivia night in October and attending the University of Illinois iSchool Career Fair.
If you find yourself with a free moment and thinking, “I’m missing out on all this librarian fun!,” then make plans to stop by the next CALL Happy Hour on January 30.
Mentoring & Community Service
Reach out to Mentorship and Leadership to find a mentor or be matched with a mentee. Or, come out to the Community Service Volunteer Day at The Greater Food Depository on December 7, from 1:00-3:45.
Connecting with Stakeholders
And finally, the quieter office hours might be a great time to reach out to a colleague at your organization to extend an invitation to be the next Stakeholder at our February Business meeting. As part of our Strategic Plan, CALL is actively engaging in ways we can reach out to the legal community outside of libraries to market the skills of our members, the value of our organization, and help find the next generation of CALL leaders.
To spread the good word our PR Committee has been busy posting and live tweeting (@CALLChicago) our meetings and events. The CALL Executive Board welcomes your ideas for stakeholders visits. Please email me or any Board member with your suggestions!
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered and participated in CALL so far this year. I look forward to seeing our busy members, and hopefully some new faces, in 2020!