Category Archives: Fall 2020

CALL Executive Board Meeting Minutes – September 2020

Tuesday, September 8, 2020; 8:30 a.m.

Board Members Present: Lindsey Carpino, Jamie Sommer, Tom Keefe, Megan Butman, Mandy Lee, Jessie LeMar, and Philip Johnson

Board Members Absent: None

Significant Actions: None

Guests: Eugene Giudice and Carrie Port (Meetings Committee)

Treasurer’s Report (Section IV)

  • Tom is a signer on the account now and was able to visit the PO box to pick up renewal checks.
    • BMO Checking: $16,906
    • BMO Savings: $20,820
  • Membership numbers to date – Reconciling membership numbers in Neon should be done soon.

CALL Executive Board Meeting Minutes – June 2020

Tuesday, June 9, 2020 9:00 a.m.

Board Members Present: Lindsey Carpino, Jamie Sommer, Tom Keefe, Megan Butman, Mandy Lee, Jessie LeMar, and Philip Johnson

Board Members Absent: None

Significant Actions:  None

Guests: None

Treasurer’s Report (Section IV)

  • The financial report is pending Tom getting final information from previous treasurer Julie Swanson.
  • Membership numbers to date – These are pending the extended renewal deadline of June 30

New Member Profile: Ariel Scotese

Ariel Scotese is the Associate Director for User Services at the D’Angelo Law Library at the University of Chicago. She became a member of CALL in September. Ariel graciously answered the following questions from the CALL Bulletin.

Tell us a little about your position at the D’Angelo Law Library Continue reading New Member Profile: Ariel Scotese

Letter from the Editors

Welcome to the Fall issue of the CALL Bulletin with a special feature exploring how many of the CALL Institutional libraries have handled the pandemic. You will hear from academic, law firm, and government libraries on the different pitfalls they have faced and how they have adapted to continue providing services to their patrons.

As always we have all of your favorite columns: President Lindsey Carpino highlights the ongoing work of CALL committees and members; we official meet Ariel Scotese as a new member of CALL; summaries of the September and November CALL Business meetings and the Executive Board Meeting minutes for your review. We also have a new section on member news highlighting the accomplishments of our members, and introduce the Executive Board candidates for 2021-2022. Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season!

UIC Louis L. Biro Law Library Response to COVID-19

After moving to remote operations in March, one of our immediate concerns was providing a simulacrum of access to our most popular print collections, Academic Success, which consists of our study aids. We had been exploring providing access to the Lexis Nexis Digital Library and the Wolters Kluwer Online Study Aid Library (WKOSAL), so we started trial access to each. Since then, we’ve moved past trial access to provide ongoing access to the Lexis Digital Library, and we are finalizing ongoing access to the WKOSAL. Early on, we were also able to get electronic Bluebook keys for students that didn’t have a chance to retrieve their copies from campus before we shut down. More generally, we have since taken the opportunity to give our print collection a serious look and consider what we may discontinue in favor of digital access. Continue reading UIC Louis L. Biro Law Library Response to COVID-19

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom Law Library

The Research & Knowledge staff of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom have been working from home since the beginning of the pandemic in March. We are a global firm with locations around the world. Because of this, the transition has not been as stressful as it could have been. We are well positioned from a contingency planning perspective, with library staff based in 8 locations in the United States and Europe, available to support research inquiries for all Skadden employees firm-wide. Continue reading Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom Law Library

Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP Law Library

As we welcomed 2020, my chief concern as the Library Manager at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP was to determine the ultimate fate of a good chunk of our print collection. Our firm had recently renewed the lease on our office space and with that came an initiative for tenant improvements. Plans had been finalized for firm-wide renovations and as I am sure you have already guessed, the call for “improvements” to library space mostly included that one charge we all dread: a reduction in our footprint. Continue reading Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP Law Library

NIU David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library

The response of the NIU College of Law Library to the COVID-19 pandemic has changed over time, as we have learned more about the virus and as the needs of our patrons has changed. While we have had to make significant adjustments to our modes of service, we are providing access to information to our patrons in increasingly efficient ways. Continue reading NIU David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library

The Illinois Supreme Court Library (Chicago Branch)

There was no precise reopening date for the Illinois Supreme Court Library because we never fully shut down. Our Springfield branch maintained daily operations, including serving the public by appointment, from the start of the pandemic. Here in Chicago, where we serve three Supreme Court justices and the judges of the First District Appellate Court, I have gone into the office at least once a week since mid-March. Each judge made their own decision about how to work, so I still communicate with some judges and clerks in person when they are in the building, others only via email. Continue reading The Illinois Supreme Court Library (Chicago Branch)