As part of the University of Illinois School of Information Sciences’ Professional Pathways program, Mandy Lee spoke with iSchool students interested in pursuing careers in law librarianship on November 6, 2025. Over the course of an hour, Mandy spoke about the factors that contributed to her decision to enter law librarianship, her relevant work and educational experiences, and the types of responsibilities that she encounters on a typical workday as a Content Management Librarian in an academic setting.
More generally, Mandy shared insight into the sectors that tend to hire law librarians, the educational requirements, beneficial skills, and relevant courses. Because the attendees were aiming for government or vendor positions, Mandy compared and contrasted legal research work across the respective industries.
To conclude the talk, Mandy offered tips for the attendees, such as, figure out the aspects of law librarianship that you most enjoy, then get involved in the profession in ways that help you to grow in those ways. She encouraged the students to seek out mentors, whether formally or informally, to do internships in law libraries, if feasible, and to take advantage of the wealth of resources and opportunities available to them through professional associations, local, regional, and national.