Jesse Bowman

  • CALL Position: Continuing Education Committee, Co-Chair, 2015-2016; Meetings Committee, Co-Chair, 2014-2015
  • Electronic Research, Technology, and Instructional Services Librarian at Northwestern University School of Law
Fall 2014

A Fun and Enriching Experience, Deep in the Heart of Texas

By Jesse Bowman, Electronic Research, Technology, and Instructional Services Librarian, Pritzker Legal Research Center, Northwestern University School of Law
jesse.bowman@law.northwestern.edu

With the generous assistance of the CALL Grants Committee, I attended the AALL Annual Meeting & Conference in San Antonio, Texas from July 12-15. Amidst the educational programming, networking opportunities, Tex-Mex cuisine, and unparalleled margaritas, I had a fantastic experience. In this article, I will relay a few thoughts and observations about my time in the Lone Star State.

Bexar County Courthouse ~ Photo by Jesse Bowman
Bexar County Courthouse ~ Photo by Jesse Bowman

I arrived in San Antonio feeling excited but very nervous. I was scheduled to speak at “Deep Dive: Inventing the New Classroom,” a session focusing on legal research instruction. In particular, I planned to speak on how social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, can be used when teaching today’s legal research students. Although I felt prepared, I found myself feeling surprisingly anxious about speaking to an audience of professional colleagues. As such, after getting checked in at the Convention Center, I spent the eve of the Opening General Session back at the hotel, reviewing my notes and aiming to awake ready and refreshed. Continue reading A Fun and Enriching Experience, Deep in the Heart of Texas →

Winter 2014

A Summer of Law and Technology

Last fall, my Library Director and fellow CALL member, Emily Janoski-Haehlen, stopped by my office and asked if I would be interested in co-teaching a course in law practice technology. She had taught a similar course in her previous position and thought that I might be interested, given my role as Digital Services Librarian.

Intrigued by the idea and believing that Emily was looking out for my best interests, it took me less than 48 hours to respond with a confident “Yes!”  Less than a year later, I have not only survived my first summer of co-teaching the course but also truly enjoyed the process of doing so.

In this brief column, I will provide a few thoughts and observations about my experience, including how our course proposal was received by the curriculum committee, how I learned a great deal about the topic in a short amount of time, and what class topics the students seemed to particularly enjoy. Continue reading A Summer of Law and Technology →