AALL Spectrum - archives.library.illinois.edu...Web Users for PR Get a Taste of the Lone Star State...

In This Issue

How to Tap into One BillionWeb Users for PR

Get a Taste of the Lone Star State

The CRIV Sheet

SpectrumVolume 9 No. 7 May 2005

AALLAALL: Maximizing the Power of the Law Library Community Since 1906

AnnualArchitectureSeries

www.aallnet.org

5 th

Changing Spaces

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© 2005 West, a Thomson business L-310749/1-05

Real People. Real Partners.

QUESTION:How does West support Law Librarians?

June Berger knows that our Librarian Relations program is just one example of how West can help you

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Welcome to AALL Spectrum’s annual architecture issue. Since librarieshave traditionally been large spaces full of heavy books, you wouldn’texpect them to move very often. But move they do, and apparentlyfairly regularly. As a result, most of us who work in law libraries will

probably be involved in remodeling, moving, or building a law library at some point inour careers.

Remodeling or moving any law library is a huge project. In addition to the basicproblems of designing and building a new space, law libraries have unique issues tocontend with, including changing space needs and usage patterns; the need for certainkinds of light and sound control; and the sheer logistics of moving a carefully arrangedcollection of books and other materials. It’s a big job.

Up to this point in my career I have avoided being part of a remodeling or movingproject in a law library. My first law library job was at William Mitchell College of Lawin St. Paul, Minnesota, where I was smart enough to begin working there just a few yearsafter it had moved into a wonderful new library facility. This gave me all the benefits of a new library without the work. I did have to listen to my coworkers tell stories of the travails of the project, but it was a small price to pay for such nice facilities.

The Jenner Law Library at the University of Illinois, where I have worked for the last five years, was remodeled in the early 1990s. No further changes were planned until, recently and quite suddenly, they were. For the last few years the law school hasaggressively expanded its faculty and re-emphasized its research mission, with the resultof a sudden need for more faculty offices and more librarians. So we’re getting both, andspace in the library will be used to house it all.

Between the time that I am writing this in early March and the time you read this in May, we will have moved 30,000 volumes of our collection to make way for newoffices and enhanced reading room space. This summer we will be under construction,and, if all goes well, by the beginning of the fall semester the project will be finished.

By law library standards this project is not that big. We’re only moving about 5percent of our collection, and the construction will be isolated to one end of the library.Reference and circulation won’t be affected at all. Compared to the stories you will readin this issue of Spectrum, what we’re doing is a piece of cake. But I find it almostoverwhelming, and I can only imagine what it’s like to build a new library building ormove an entire library.

This gets to the heart of why each year we devote an entire issue of Spectrum to lawlibrary architecture. The projects involved are so big, and their effect on the library is so profound, that they warrant this kind of attention. And then there are the beautifulpictures of the results. As hard as remodeling and building projects are to accomplish, the results can be truly inspiring.

Architecture is our main focus this month, but it’s not all that we have. To help youbegin to think about the upcoming Annual Meeting, Robert Hu has provided us with awonderful article about attractions surrounding the host city, San Antonio. Both historicand beautiful, San Antonio promises to be a wonderful backdrop for our annual gettogether, and Robert’s article will help you enjoy it while you’re there. And speaking ofbeautiful pictures, be sure to take a look at our back page where we feature yet anotherinstallment in our series of interesting views from the windows of law libraries.

We hope you enjoy this issue ofSpectrum. �

Appreciating Architectureby Paul D. Healey, [email protected]

Volume 9 No. 7 May 2005

Editorial StaffDirector of Publications and Managing EditorJulia O’[email protected]

Editorial DirectorPaul D. [email protected]

Copy Editor Robert B. Barnett Jr.Graphic Designer Kathy Wozbut

2004–2005 Law Library Journal and AALL SpectrumEditorial Board and Advisory CommitteeChair Sarah AndeenMembers

2004–2005 Executive BoardPresident Victoria K. TrottaVice President/President-Elect Claire M. GermainSecretary Catherine LemannTreasurer Joyce Manna JantoImmediate Past President Janis L. JohnstonExecutive Director Susan E. FoxMembers

AALL Spectrum (ISSN: 1089–8689) is published monthly exceptJanuary and August with combined September/October by theAmerican Association of Law Libraries, 53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite940, Chicago, IL 60604. Telephone: 312/939-4764, fax: 312/431-1097, e-mail: [email protected]. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago,Illinois and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to AALL Spectrum, 53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 940, Chicago,IL 60604.

Writers wanted — contribute to your Association’s magazine. For guidelines, visit www.aallnet.org or contact Editorial Director Paul D. Healey at [email protected].

AALL Spectrum DeadlinesArticles are due on the following dates:2004–2005 Issue DeadlineVol.10, No. 1 September/October August 4

No. 2 November September 1No. 3 December October 6

Copy sent through a columnist or guest editor should be submitted to him or her well in advance of the monthly deadline.

AALLNET: www.aallnet.org

Advertising RepresentativesBenson, Coffee & Associates1411 Peterson Ave., Park Ridge, IL 60068Telephone: 847/692-4695 • Fax: 847/692-3877E-mail: [email protected]

AALL Spectrum is a free benefit of membership in the AmericanAssociation of Law Libraries. Of each year’s dues, $42 is for one yearof AALL Spectrum. Nonmembers may subscribe to AALL Spectrum for$75 per year. For membership and/or subscription information, pleasecontact the American Association of Law Libraries at the address above.

The American Association of Law Libraries does not assume anyresponsibility for the statements advanced by the contributors to, nor the advertisers in, the Association’s publication. Editorial views do not necessarily represent the official position of the Association. All advertising copy is subject to editorial approval.

All contents copyright 2005 by the American Association of LawLibraries, except where otherwise expressly indicated. Except asotherwise expressly provided, the author of each item in this issue hasgranted permission for copies of that item to be made for classroomuse or for any other educational purpose, provided that (1) copies are distributed at or below cost, (2) author and AALL Spectrum areidentified, and (3) proper notice of copyright is affixed to each copy.For items in which it holds copyright, the American Association ofLaw Libraries grants permission for copies to be made for classroomuse or for any other educational purpose under the same conditions.

Naomi J. GoodmanElizabeth A. GreenfieldBonnie L. Koneski-WhiteRichard A. LeiterKurt X. MetzmeierKristina L. Niedringhaus

Mary Ann ParkerMaria E. ProttiPaul D. Healey (ex officio)Frank G. Houdek (ex officio)Raquel M. Ortiz (ex officio)Kathie J. Sullivan (board liaison)

Kathy CarlsonAnn T. FessendenAnne K. Myers

Nina PlattMerle J. SlyhoffKathie J. Sullivan

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letter from the editor

AALL Spectrum

On the Cover:Ground floor Native American area of theSupreme Court of Ohio building. The supremecourt moved into what used to be called theDepartments Building, a 1930 art decostructure in downtown Columbus.

Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court of Ohio.AALL Spectrum May 2005

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table of contents

Public Relations: DesperateTimes Call for PracticalMeasures

Tap into the one billion Webusers with more PR onlineby Phill W. Johnson

Changing Spacesby Paul Healey

EncouragingCommunicationby Lenie Ott

Heartbeat of the LawSchoolby Aletha Honsowitz and Duane Strojny

Extreme Makeoverby Brian L. Baker

New Digs for the SupremeCourt of Ohioby Ken Kozlowski

Let the Sun Shine Inby Regina Smith

Beyond San AntonioGet a taste of the Lone StarState with quick road tripsfrom the Annual Meetingby Robert Hu

Letter from the Editor

From the President

Washington Brief

From the Treasurer

Chapter News

Committee News

SIS News

Membership News

features

columns

Ad Index

Memorials

Views and Viewpoints

departments

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The CRIV Sheet

center insert

Annual 2005 Business MeetingAgenda

announcements31

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Special to Austin are the hundreds of musicians and livelymusic bars around town, offering blues, country, rock ‘n’ roll,jazz, and any other style of music. This brings the city thehonorary title of the Live Music Capital of the World.

View from the University ofNew Mexico School of LawLibrary in Albuquerque.Submitted by Ron Wheeler,head of faculty and publicservices/lecturer. Photo byDiego Romero.

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AALL Spectrum May 2005


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I’m writing this column poolside insunny Phoenix. We have blue skies,mild air, a bumper crop of colorfulwildflowers, and spring training all the way.Spring in the desert is always a glorious,inspiring, and optimistic time. In terms ofAALL activities, spring is the season wheremany projects begun the previous summerare starting to take shape and show thepromise of completion. We’re all starting tolook forward to our San Antonio AnnualMeeting. It’s a busy time.

By the time this column appears, twoimportant Executive Board events will have taken place. First, the Finance and BudgetCommittee met at its annual Februarymeeting. You can read all the details of thatmeeting in Treasurer Joyce Manna Janto’scolumn on page 6. I am happy to report thatthe Association is in a strong financialposition—stronger than it’s been since thefallout of 2001-2002.

The Current Reserve Fund, our risk fund,is fully funded again after operating at adeficit. This restoration is several years aheadof schedule and a huge accomplishment.Our success is due in no small part to acollaborative partnership between AALLHeadquarters staff and member leaders, aseveryone focused attention on all expenses.Additionally, the Executive Board committedhalf of the phased-in dues increase toreplenish this important fund, and wereceived a small assist from the recoveringstock market. The planets have all aligned,and we are in comfortable financial shapeonce again.

Another recent event was the ExecutiveBoard meeting in April. We have workedhard to make these meetings a blend of“committee of the whole” discussions on avariety of issues and formal action items.Here are the projects that are in process and the subject of lively board discussions:• A draft of the Strategic Directions

Document. It is member centered andemphasizes advocacy, education, andleadership as its core concepts. Thisdocument will be circulated to the

by Victoria K. Trotta, [email protected]

membership forcomment, andthe final plan will

be considered foradoption by the

Executive Boardduring the San Antonio

Meeting. Once adopted,the document will set

programmatic priorities for the nextfew years.

• A preliminary report from theSpecial Committee on ArchivalIssues. This report presented a creativeanalysis of how Association informationmight best be archived in a hybridworld of print and born-digitaldocuments.

• The creation of an AALLNET editor.This position will oversee the migrationof Association information fromSpectrum to AALLNET and work tomake AALLNET the comprehensiveresource for AALL information.

• Annual Meeting scheduling. Theboard will also discuss how allocationof finite resources can be bestdistributed among an increasingnumber of stakeholders.

• Outline of our planned EducationSummit. Scheduled for September2005, this summit will bring togetherrepresentatives from each chapter andSIS for the purpose of designing a self-sustaining education program that will enhance educational opportunitiesoutside the Annual Meeting.

Advocacy CountsIf there is one thing I have learned duringthe past two years, it’s that the importanceof Association advocacy efforts cannot beunderestimated. Members consistently point to the advocacy program as the most important service AALL undertakes. There are challenges facing all sectors of lawlibraries, and the scope of the issues hasexpanded from congressional and judicialcommunications, into state legislatures,accrediting bodies, and increasingly into theinternational arena. Our representatives arededicated, hardworking, and effective, andwe are known for our energetic grassrootsorganization.

Although we accomplish a phenomenalamount with the resources that we have, we know that we have reached the limits ofthose resources. We could have an entireAssociation just focused on advocacy issues.The Executive Board is discussing the bestway to plan for additional support for thiscritical program.

As many of you know, the Associationadvocacy program is dictated by ourGovernment Relations Policy (www.aallnet.org/about/policy_government.asp). Allactivities that we select for action arecoordinated by our Washington AffairsOffice. I recommend that all members read this policy very carefully; it makes forinteresting reading. It includes sections ondissemination of government information,including the Federal Library DepositoryProgram; accessibility of governmentinformation, including equitable access;intellectual property; intellectual freedom;and management of information, whichincludes preservation and library funding.There are important issues to address in eachand every category of our current policy.

You can keep up to date with the fullrange of activities coordinated through theWashington Affairs Office on AALLNET at www.ll.georgetown.edu/aallwash.

San Antonio on the HorizonWe are in full Annual Meeting planningmode. The Annual Meeting ProgramCommittee has put together a wonderfuleducational program, and the San AntonioLocal Arrangements Committee is planningin earnest to make our Meeting the bestever. They have prepared a Web site thatdescribes the sights, sounds, and activitiesavailable during our visit. Check out thelink from the AALLNET home page.

Our accommodations are right on theRiverwalk and close to entertainment,eating, shopping, and, oh yes, historical andcultural venues. The convention center isspacious and colorful, and San Antonio is,as I like to say of Phoenix, a full-servicefrontier town, fully air-conditioned. Pleasejoin us and encourage your colleagues toattend as well.

Now, back to the wildflowers and theball game. �

Spring is in the Air

presidentfrom the

AALL Spectrum May 2005 3


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In last month’s column, I reported on plans announced in January bySuperintendent of Documents Judy Russellto distribute to depository libraries only the50 titles listed on the Essential Titles forPublic Use in Paper Format beginning in October 2005. This was extremelyproblematic for our community, because theEssential Titles list, last revised in 2000, doesnot include important materials, includingadministrative decisions and other legalmaterials and Senate and House reports,documents, and hearings that inform thecitizenry of the workings of Congress. Once again, law librarians saved the day by responding quickly to the Action Alertposted on January 26 (www.ll.georgetown.edu/aallwash/aa01262005.html). AALLmembers contacted members of theircongressional delegation about this latestthreat to public access to authenticated legalmaterials through the Federal DepositoryLibrary Program (FDLP).

In addition, on February 16 ourExecutive Board endorsed the AALLResolution Opposing GPO’s Plan toEliminate Important Titles in Print Prior toEstablishing a Reliable Electronic System(www.ll.georgetown.edu/aallwash/re021605.html). The resolution urges the GovernmentPrinting Office (GPO) to establish a reliablesystem ensuring version control, authenticity,adequate distribution, permanent publicaccess, and preservation of electronicinformation before discontinuing productionand distribution of print documents—currently the only authenticated version of critical official government legalinformation—to depository libraries. It also urges Congress to: • provide adequate appropriations to

GPO for print distribution and itsimportant digital initiatives;

• require that GPO maintain productionand distribution of authenticated print legal materials at adequate levelsuntil a reliable system for electronicinformation is in place; and

• hold timely oversight hearings onGPO’s new initiatives and changes to the FDLP.

With huge pressure from members ofCongress to reverse GPO’s plans, on March1 Russell announced via various online

discussion groupsthat:• “GPO will

continue to expand electronic

information offeringsthrough the FDLP and

will continue to provide fordissemination of tangible products to

depository libraries in accordance withexisting policy, in full consultation withthe library community” and

• “GPO’s superintendent of documentswill actively seek the guidance andinput of the library community inplanning for and implementing changesin the dissemination of governmentinformation products in eitherelectronic or tangible formats.”

Russell also announced that the plan to initiate a Print on Demand (POD)Allowance Program of $500 for selectivedepository libraries would be put on holduntil a small pilot POD project can beconducted in consultation with theDepository Library Council (DLC) and the broader library community. Thisconsultation will officially begin at theDLC’s April 17-20 meeting in Albuquerque.On March 4, Russell announced a newsurvey for depository libraries to identifyadditional titles to be added to the EssentialTitles list (www.gpoaccess.gov/essential). Thestated purpose of the survey is to help GPOdetermine the resources that will be necessaryto provide these materials to depositorylibraries in print or other tangible formats.

In a clear victory for our community,Russell announced that GPO had alreadyadded to the Essential Titles list congressionalpublications, including reports, documents,hearings, and prints; the House and Senatejournals; Supreme Court slip decisions; andthe Code of Federal Regulations.

The AALL community is taking thesurvey very seriously, even though we havemany questions about it and how its resultswill be used. Depository librarians areespecially concerned that each library canrecommend only 10 titles they would like tosee added to the Essential Titles list. Russellis on record as stating that, “No changes inexisting policy or program practice regardingthe dissemination of tangible products will be implemented until the results ofthese efforts have been fully reviewed inconsultation with the library communityand GPO’s oversight committees inCongress.” Nonetheless, the law depositorylibrary community will be in Albuquerque

next month in full force to participate inthese important discussions. Stay tuned foran update on the DLC meeting in nextmonth’s column.

New Momentum in Congress toStrengthen FOIAThanks to the bipartisan leadership of Sen.John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of theJudiciary Committee, and Ranking MemberSen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), there are twonew bills in Congress to strengthen theFreedom of Information Act (FOIA). Sens.Cornyn and Leahy jointly introduced theOpenness Promotes Effectiveness in OurNational (OPEN) Government Act of 2005(S. 394) on February 16. The OPENGovernment Act promotes accountability,accessibility, and openness in the federalgovernment by strengthening and enhancingFOIA. A companion bill, H.R. 867, wasintroduced in the House the same day byRep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas).

In addition, Sens. Cornyn and Leahyonce again joined forces by cosponsoring the Faster FOIA Act of 2005 on March 10.This second bill is very important in that it would establish a 16-member FOIAcommission to be charged with reporting to Congress and the president onrecommendations for steps that should betaken to reduce delays in the processing ofFOIA requests. It would also strengthenagency reporting requirements on howquickly agencies respond to these requests.There are documented cases where agencieshave not yet responded to FOIA requestsmade more than 10 years ago.

Sen. Cornyn chaired a March 15 hearingof the Subcommittee on Terrorism,Technology, and Homeland Security, titled“Openness in Government and Freedom of Information: Examining the OPENGovernment Act of 2005.” This was the first time since 1992 that the Senate has held an oversight hearing to examine agencycompliance with FOIA. Sens. Cornyn andLeahy hope to move the less contentiousFaster FOIA Act quickly through Congress so that they have an early victory to createmomentum for the OPEN Government Act.

Both senators have a longstandingcommitment to public access. Sen. Cornyn,former Texas attorney general and memberof the Texas Supreme Court before hiselection to Congress in 1992, has long beenrecognized as helping Texas develop one ofthe strongest and most robust freedom ofinformation laws in the country. In fact,(continued on page 18)

by Mary Alice Baish

briefGPO to ContinuePrint Distributionthrough FDLP

washington


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Essential information. Expert analysis.

“When I’m setting up a new library and ask my attorneys what they want, BNA is first on their list — right up there with the Wall Street Journal!

“Some of the deciding questions I ask myself before I make a purchase are if the service is available electronically and what’s the licensing agreement. Having BNA’s electronic current awareness materials saves me people-time — I don’t have to worry about lost issues. What’s more, with IP authentication I never have to worry about people losing their passwords.

“I also demand quality and expert customer service — and again, BNA fits the bill. Definitely. It’s their superior content and knowing that people are there to help — just a phone call away — that makes all the difference to me. I don’t think I could accomplish what I do without the support from BNA.”

© 2005 THE BUREAU OF NATIONAL AFFAIRS, INC Essential information. Expert analysis.

800-372-1033www.bna.com

“BNA fits the bill. Definitely.”

Mary M. AmesDirector of Library ServicesEdwards & Angell LLPProvidence, RI

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regarding theoverall financialcondition of theAssociation.

Members of thecommittee were

given an opportunityto ask questions regarding

any items related to thestatements, methods, records, or proceduresemployed by the financial staff.

The schedules found on the followingpages summarize the data presented in theaudit report received by the ExecutiveBoard. If you would like to receive thecomplete report, you may request a copyfrom Director of Finance and AdministrationSteve Ligda at [email protected].

Schedule A is a comparison of theassets, liabilities, and fund balances of thetotal of all Association funds as of September30 (the fiscal year-end) of the two mostrecent years. The investment portfolioconstitutes the largest segment of the AALL’sassets. Overall its three invested funds—the Permanent Investment, RestrictedEndowment, and Cash ManagementFunds—account for 82.5 percent of AALL’sassets at September 30, 2004.

I am pleased to report that our investmentportfolio increased in value by $148,000 as aresult of dividends, interest, and marketappreciation. As a result of this increase in themarket value of AALL’s investments, theExecutive Board approved the transfer of$135,000 of those returns to the CurrentReserve Fund to assist in rebuilding thebalance of the fund from the deficit positionat the end of our 2003 fiscal year. AALL’soverall portfolio continues to reflect a modestapproach with a market volatility slightly lessthan the S&P 500 index.

Three years ago AALL segregated and endowed funds, which have beencontributed by members and AALLsupporters, to ensure that all contributionsto these funds are permanently endowedand support the donors’ intentions. Theseendowed funds consist of the ScholarshipFund, the AALL/West George A. StraitMinority Scholarship Endowment, theLexis-Nexis/John R. Johnson MemorialScholarship Endowment, Institute for Courts Management Fund, Alan Holoch Memorial Fund, Ellen SchafferAnnual Meeting Grant Fund, and theAALL/LexisNexis Research Fund. I ampleased to note that as a result of thecontributions from members, SISs,chapters, and publishers, the Strait

by Joyce Manna Janto, [email protected]

treasurerfrom the

AALL Current Reserve Fund Restored

The Association’s fiscal year ended onSeptember 30, 2004, at which time theindependent audit firm of Wolf andCompany examined our financial records.

Wolf is retained by the Executive Boardto certify the accuracy of the financialstatements and the integrity of theAssociation’s accounting systems. Theessence of the audit report is an opinion as to whether the statements fairly andaccurately report the financial condition of the Association at the end of the year.Again this year, Wolf rendered anunqualified opinion to the effect that ourfinancial statements “present fairly, in allmaterial respects, the financial position ofthe American Association of Law Librariesas of September 30, 2004, and the changesin its net assets and its cash flows for theyear then ended in conformity withaccounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”

At the February meeting of the Financeand Budget Committee, the Wolf andCompany partner responsible for our auditpresented the report and comments

Endowment increased by more than$45,000 during this past fiscal year toeclipse the $100,000 matching goal set bythe Executive Board. Currently, the fundhas a balance of more than $236,000—sufficient to assure scholarships for manyyears to come.

Schedule B compares the various revenue and expense accounts for the 2003 and 2004 fiscal years.

Overall, 2004 revenues increased by$207,000 from the prior year, primarily as a result of increased revenues from theAnnual Meeting and member dues.


Comparative Balance SheetsSchedule A

Fiscal Year Fiscal Year2003 2004

AssetsCash $ 243,773 $ 327,618Accrued Interest Receivable 24,986 16,918Accounts Receivable 186,373 158,010Prepaid Expenses 115,194 99,860Investments at Market Value 3,037,359 3,357,828Furniture & Equipment,

net of depreciation 119,509 107,217

Total Assets $ 3,727,194 $ 4,067,451

Liabilities & Fund BalancesAccounts Payable &

Accrued Expenses $ 268,111 $ 140,290Deferred Membership Dues 486,781 531,473Deferred Subscription Income 90,818 102,003Deferred Exhibit Fees 5,100 28,300

Unrestricted Fund Balances 2,193,115 2,572,143Restricted Fund Balances 683,269 693,242

Total Liabilities & Fund Balances $ 3,727,194 $ 4,067,451

Comparative Statement of Revenues & Expenses

Schedule BTotal of All Funds: Current Reserve, Investment,

Special Interest Sections, and Restricted


RevenuesMembership Dues $ 690,259 $ 770,752Publications & Royalties 603,418 582,328Scholarships, Grants,

Contributions 130,785 91,198Annual Meeting 1,294,508 1,461,840Professional Development 55,325 22,610Member List Sales 102,526 107,398Dividend & Interest Income 81,819 74,101Realized Gain (Loss)

on Investments (148,492) 11,462Unrealized Gain (Loss)

on Investments 219,770 79,525Special Interest Sections 98,701 102,485Other Revenues 39,429 31,105

Total Revenues $ 3,168,048 $ 3,334,804

ExpensesPublications $ 623,562 $ 635,249Annual Meeting 1,093,656 1,152,150Professional Development 57,851 25,961Executive Board & Committees 147,087 139,075Government Affairs 14,401 19,676Scholarships, Grants,

Contributions 44,396 46,157Representatives to Allied

Organizations 199,859 174,533Special Interest Sections 113,266 105,311Administrative & General 691,630 647,691

Total Expenses $ 2,985,708 $ 2,945,803

Excess (Deficiency) of Revenues over Expenses $ 182,340 $ 389,001

Fund Balance at the Beginning of the Year $ 2,694,044 $ 2,876,384

Fund Balance at the End of the Year $ 2,876,384 $ 3,265,385


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Various funds and projects have beenestablished by the Executive Board to ensure that adequate funding is available tosupport issues, advocacy views, or specificprogramming efforts or, as is the case withrestricted endowments, that contributionsare accounted for and restricted to theirintended purposes. As the various fundsachieve their intended objectives, theirunexpended balances are returned to theCurrent Reserve Fund.

The Current Reserve Fund, as notedearlier, is now in a healthy position with a balance of $354,000. The Finance andBudget Committee discussed and examinedseveral policy revisions to maintain the fund at a level consistent with prudent fiscal management. The committee’srecommendations were presented forExecutive Board approval at its Aprilmeeting. I expect to report on the board’srecommendations during the BusinessMeeting in San Antonio.

If any member would like to commenton, or would like clarification of, ourfinancial performance or policies, please feel free to contact me or Steve Ligda. We will be glad to respond. �

financial policy, which meant that, in each of those years, no withdrawals wereallowed from the Permanent Fund. Thesewithdrawals helped to build and maintainthe balance of the Current Reserve Fund—our reserve against unexpected deficitsincurred in our Operating Fund. The sumtotal of four years without withdrawals, plusthe deficit reported in 2002, left the CurrentReserve Fund with a negative balance of$59,941 two years ago. A modest surplus in2003 reduced the fund deficit to $30,675 atthe 2003 fiscal year end. With the $135,000withdrawal and the surplus of $249,862from the Operating Fund, we have, in veryshort order, returned the Current ReserveFund to its pre-2002 level and restored itsability to cushion the AALL from any futurefinancial downturns.

Schedule C reports the fiscal year resultsof the General/Operating Fund only. Thefund experienced significant improvementfrom 2003, as revenues increased andexpenses decreased to net to the $249,862surplus—the largest net surplus from thefund in more than a decade.

Analyses of some specific items from theGeneral Fund are noted as follows:

• Dues revenues were reported at$770,752, an increase of $80,493over the previous year. Thisimprovement was due, in largepart, to the second ($30)installment of the dues increase,which was effective for themembership year that began on June 1, 2004.

• Net revenues generated from theAnnual Meeting were $167,332greater than in 2003.

• The Boston Annual Meeting totalof 1,962 registered attendees wasthe highest since the 2000 meetingin Philadelphia. Exhibit space salestotaled 181 spaces—our highesttotal since 1999. Total exhibitingfirms were 103, again the highestsince 1999.

• AALL’s professional developmentprograms have recovered to a near break-even level as all fiveprograms were well attended,which was quite an improvementfrom recent years when programswere cancelled for lack ofregistrants.

Schedule D details the components ofthe restricted and unrestricted fund balancesfrom the bottom of Schedule A.

The 2004 Annual Meeting in Bostonattracted 1,962 paid attendees, sufficient togenerate a net return, after all direct costsand overhead, of $310,000. Member duesincreased by $80,000 over 2003 as thesecond step of the dues increase took effectwith the membership year that began onJune 1, 2004.

Meanwhile, fiscal year 2004 expensesdecreased by $40,000 over the previous year, due in part to staff vacancies atHeadquarters and lower expenses forrepresentatives, the Washington AffairsOffice, and professional developmentprograms. I am grateful to the Finance and Budget Committee, the ExecutiveBoard, and the Association staff for theirserious efforts to control expenses duringthis past year.

In total, the net surplus from all fundsand activities was $389,001 in fiscal 2004 as compared to $182,340 in 2003; it wasanother positive year in regaining our fiscal health and a signal that our financialpolicies have served us well.

For the four years prior to 2004, ourPermanent Investment Fund failed toachieve its targeted level as specified by our


Comparative Statement ofRevenues & Expenses

General (Operating) Fund

Schedule C


RevenuesMembership Dues $ 690,259 $ 770,752Publications & Royalties 245,750 272,129Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals 354,984 310,199Annual Meeting 1,294,508 1,461,840Professional Development 55,325 22,610Member List Sales 102,526 107,398SIS Dues Allocated to HQ 43,951 43,705Other Revenues 42,020 35,592

Total Revenues $ 2,829,323 $ 3,024,225

ExpensesPublications $ 426,977 $ 446,244Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals 196,585 189,005Annual Meeting 1,093,656 1,152,150Professional Development 57,851 25,961Executive Board & Committees 147,087 139,075Administrative & General 691,630 647,691Representatives to Allied

Organizations 178,234 174,237

Total Expenses $ 2,792,020 $ 2,774,363

Excess (Deficiency) of Revenuesover Expenses $ 37,303 $ 249,862

Comparative Statement of Fund Balances

Schedule D


FundsCurrent Reserve Fund $ (30,765) $ 354,097Investment Fund (at Market) 1,819,061 1,832,816Special Interest Sections 154,967 144,459Aspen Research Grant Fund 18,811 12,073Call for Papers Award Fund (1,250) (2,000)Government Affairs Fund 37,260 17,704Grant Fund 3,729 6,030Schaffer Annual Meeting Grant Fund 17,616 16,492Scholarship Fund 92,473 90,076AALL & West George A. Strait

Minority Scholarship Endowment 236,152 271,767CIS Scholarship Fund 5,074 3,574ICM Scholarship Fund 33,739 34,491AALL Centennial Fund 9,270 9,370LexisNexis™/John R. Johnson

Memorial Scholarship Endowment 177,197 171,146Holoch Fund 10,166 10,169LexisNexis Series Project 2,335 —AALL/LexisNexis Research Fund 75,584 74,640IFLP Reserve Fund 206,999 206,999Combined Fund 7,966 11,482

Totals $ 2,876,384 $ 3,265,385


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Did you hear

about the

public library

director in Texas who

camped out on the roof

of her library in an effort

to raise money? Sorry,

no punch line in this

one, folks. It actually

happened. Rose Aleta

Laurell, then-director of

Texas’ oldest continually

operating library, needed

$20,000 in additional

funding for her facility.

Her solution: have a

construction crane hoist

her to a perch high above

the usual confines of

the reference desk.

public relationsDesperate Times Call for Practical MeasuresTap into the one billion Web users with more PR online

© 2005 Phill W. Johnson


by Phill W. Johnson

AALLSpectrum_May 4/14/05 1:30 PM Page 8

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each week? Let everyoneknow right up front,couching the link in termsthat makes the user want toknow more. No matter howbig or small the information

you are promoting, you have the ability tomake it what you want it to be. Even if youare a small library staying open an extrahour each day, make the PR announcementspeak volumes about your new service. Just remember not to overload your site bypushing all of your PR promotion to oneplace. While your Web site is a great PRtool, one needs a balanced approach, andthis is just one weapon in your PR arsenal.

Join the Blog TrendBlogs are another great way to enhance yourPR presence. An excellent example is theTrial Advocacy Blog recently started by theTemple University Law Library (http://indexhtml.blogspot.com). According to itsWeb site, the blog was created as “a forumto provide information and discussion ontrial advocacy.” However, it does much morethan that.

This beautifully designed site alsopromotes the library as the gateway to legalinformation at its institution. Additionally, itis a great PR tool that shows how proactivethe library is within the Temple Law School.And just because this example is from anacademic institution does not precludesmaller law libraries from having blogs. Aslong as the information is timely and directlyrelated to user needs, a blog can be used forthe informational and PR needs of anylibrary, no matter what the size.

With an expected one billion usersonline in 2005, we should all make gooduse of our online presence. Newsletters inthe form of e-zines, blogs, and our Web sites can be used to increase our PR activitywhile providing useful services to our users.And the best part is that we do not have toexpend large amounts of money or time topromote our institutions ... and we don’t haveto camp out on the roof of the library. �

Phill W. Johnson ([email protected]) is director of electronic services andcommunications at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Leon E. Bloch Law Library inKansas City.


According to an article inthe Austin Chronicle, the so-called loony librarian“presented herself to thepublic in a most alarmingfluorescent-pink jump suit,more jewelry than Mr. T, and a goldenconstruction hat.” How much attention did this PR activity draw? The article in theChronicle generated public interest in theplight of the library, and Laurell receivedone of eight John Cotton Dana LibraryPublic Relations Awards for 2001.

Do you really have to resort to suchextreme measures to draw attention to your library? Certainly not. There are much easier and safer ways to promoteourselves. According to the ComputerIndustry Almanac, a group that publishesmarket research reports for the PC, Internet, and wireless industry, there will beapproximately one billion users online in2005. Law librarians should use their onlinepresence to tap into those users, especiallyconsidering that for many of us our initialinteraction with users is not in person butvia our online presence. Why not use thatportal to begin the PR process?

Update Your Web SiteAs the world continually changes the way it accesses information, law librarians,too, should reconsider their approach tomarketing their libraries. With many usersrarely entering our doors—instead using ourWeb sites as a “branch” of our libraries—we may need to push more of our PR toolsto our Web site. A library already has toconsider the requirements, preferences, anddecision-making processes of our users whenthinking about PR strategies. We couldeasily use those same principles in a Web-based environment.

Consider the fact that we have solediscretion of what content to include on ourWeb sites. We also have the ability tofrequently change that content to suit ever-changing needs. A well-designed site, suchas one using cascading style sheets, can bechanged in a matter of minutes. Not justone page, but every page on the entire site.Of course, there is rarely a need to changeevery single page if the site is wiselyconstructed. But if the need arises, we

have the ability to completely and quicklyredesign a site, which means that we can pushthe PR envelope to our maximum benefit.

For instance, a newsletter is a great toolfor disseminating information, but are youreaching your entire audience? One way toincrease distribution is to have both a printnewsletter and an e-zine. What is an e-zine?Think of your print newsletter publishedelectronically but available to a much wideraudience. Bravenet News offers the followingtips for making an e-zine work for you:• Include a link or form within the

navigation menu of your site.• Include a link to your e-zine with

all outgoing e-mail.• Post articles about your e-zine,

with a link back to your site.• Encourage readers to forward or

recommend your e-zine.• Make the newsletter useful or unique.• Comply with anti-spam regulations.

Another consideration when using yoursite for PR purposes is time. On average,users typically leave a site if they have notfound what they are looking for within 10 seconds, which means navigation iscritical and leaves little room for largeamounts of PR material. Focus on what is most important to you, and place thatinformation in a strategic location. You willnot reach every user, but you can increaseyour odds by drawing the user farther intoyour site. In fact, you can increase your PR presence on sub-pages since you havedrawn the user in at that point. And if yoursplash page absolutely requires scrolling,keep the most important information above the fold, that is, where it can be seenwithout first scrolling.

Another way to add PR dynamism toyour Web site is to consider the fact thatyou can promote anything you want. Have a new rare book? By all means, put thatinformation on your splash page. Increasingthe number of reference hours you offer

Temple University LawLibrary’s new blog promotesthe library as the gateway to legal information at itsinstitution.


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The May issue

of AALL

Spectrum is

our annual architecture

issue, and it’s always one

of the most popular of

the year. Each year as we

begin to plan the issue

I worry that we won’t

come up with anything

new or interesting or

different enough to

justify devoting an

entire issue to law

library architecture.

Each year, happily,

I am wrong.

Changing feature

As in the past, we have tried thisyear to present a variety of projectsfrom a range of law libraries. Ourarticles this year, in addition to showingoff some truly beautiful libraries, reflectmany of the trends that all law librariesface, including the loss of space, theincreasing predominance of electronicresources and information technology,and shifting roles for the library itself.As you will see, law librarians are doingsome pretty creative things with limitedspace and resources.

Lenie Ott describes how the libraryat the Toronto law firm of McMillanBinch fought to retain its place as the “village square” when the firmreallocated space and reduced the size ofthe library. What I find interesting abouther story is how she and her co-workersmarketed the library’s role in the firm so as to preserve its position as a hub ofinformation and knowledge sharing,making it a part of every lawyer’s dailyexperience.

Large academic law libraries, like theuniversities they are part of, need to begood neighbors. When the Thomas M.Cooley Law School opened a satellitecampus in Grand Rapids, Michigan, thelaw school and law library had the chanceto help revitalize Grand Rapids’ Heartsideneighborhood. Aletha Honsowitz andDuane Strojny describe how the schoolrehabilitated a former furniture andchildren’s clothing manufacturer buildinginto the new law library. The end result isa wonderful new facility in an oldbuilding and a new asset for both theschool and the community.

Brian Baker takes us through theUniversity of the District of Columbia © 2005 Paul D. Healey

David A. Clarke law school libraryrenovation, a project that actuallyresulted in more rather than less space for the library. He alsodescribes how the nearby HowardUniversity Law Library helped out whilethe UDC reading room was closed.

Ken Kozlowski, a veteran of severallibrary moves, describes the process ofmoving the Supreme Court of Ohio LawLibrary to a new space while integratingstored materials back into the collectionand keeping the library open andfunctioning during the move. All thiswould be difficult enough withouthaving to deal with feuding vendors,time delays, and mis-shelved materials.Still, the results speak for themselves.

It would have been hard to pass up a story about America’s first law library,the Jenkins Law Library of Philadelphia.The story is made even more interestingby the fact that during the last 203years, the Jenkins Law Library has neverreally had a home of its own. Instead it has existed in a succession of leasedspaces. Regina Smith describes how,when the library’s lease expired, theJenkins staff took the opportunity to do some careful planning before theanticipated move to a new space. While the library ended up staying put, it got a nice renovation thatsubstantially changed its look and feel.

I hope that you’ll enjoy the articleswe have this year. As always, we hadmany more offers to write than wecould accept, and we turned down anumber of very interesting projects. We are grateful to everyone who offeredto participate. �

Spaces

by Paul D. Healey


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What a lawyer needs to know – beyond face value.

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© 2005 West, a Thomson business W-301793/2-05


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Long considered the firm’s “village square,”

McMillan Binch’s library was determined

to keep its place of prominence when the

Toronto firm moved in January 2004. The firm had

decided to adopt a layout popular with large U.S.

firms—single-sized offices, uniform furniture, and

a client floor and business center separate from

practice floors. With this design, libraries often are

relegated to the back office with less shelving and

square footage. Even after successful lobbying for

space on the client floor, library staff recognized that

the real challenge lay in maintaining its role in being

a part of every lawyer’s daily experience.

EncouragingCommunicationThough less space for books, McMillanBinch’s library offersmore open space forstaff and patrons

by Lenie Ott

feature


The expansive reference desk sitsprominently at the library entrance in areadily accessible, naturally high-traffic area.

When McMillan Binch moved lastJanuary, its library was redesignedwith a vision of communal spaceswith natural light and open readingand browsing room.

© 2005 Lenie Ott


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The design process began by examiningour existing library to determine what wewere willing to abandon, what we shouldkeep, and what we could add. Identifyingthe drawbacks of our original library waseasy. We had five satellite libraries and amain collection that wound around anumber of walls into a former reception areawith a large staircase in the middle, creatinga meandering, inconsistent collection.Compact shelving that housed periodicalsand reporters was old—one of the firstelectric sets ever installed, I’m sure—and inconstant need of repair. Library staff wassimilarly scattered, and the space providedno power points for laptop users. Ourproximity to the washrooms meant thatnewspapers and popular journals oftendisappeared.

There were, of course, positive featurestoo. The library’s expansion seven yearsearlier had added a wall of windows near a spacious reading area. And we werelocated in the middle of the busy litigationdepartment, giving us a steady stream offaithful users.

To create a vision for the new library, weneeded to determine not only how it shouldlook, but also how it would be used, what its role within the firm should be, and how users’ needs had changed and wouldcontinue to evolve. Visions of communalspaces with natural light and open readingand browsing space danced in my head. Thechallenge, of course, would be implementingthis vision within the boundaries ourPremises Committee established.

Hub of Information andKnowledge SharingThe firm’s hired designers had fewsuggestions and little interest ininvestigating new ideas for us to exploreinnovative library space. While at timesfrustrating, this left the field open for avariety of concepts. A literature search andthe law-lib online discussion forum revealedtrends in law firm library design, with aconsiderable number still promoting thelibrary as a gathering place for social andintellectual exchange. True, there was lessspace for books and browsing, but there wasalso more space for staff and open areas withcomfortable seating for patrons. Fortunatelythe Premises Committee accepted most ofour recommendations, granting the library alarge, open, bright space that amply servesthe firm community.

In keeping with the firm’s focus oncreating a space that reflects and supports

innovation with technology, a knowledge-sharing culture, and departure fromconvention and tradition, the new library’sdesign encourages communication amonglawyers. Positioned to be a hub ofinformation and knowledge sharing, ouropen concept library is surrounded bywindows and is built around conferencerooms; it has a lounge and is close to thereception area, while still retainingproximity to designated training facilities.

The library is now a part of the wholeclient experience—an experience no longerrelegated to reception and boardrooms. Inthis way, the design supports the library’saim to participate more fully in client

extra-nets and the firm’s external Web site.Obviously, our primary focus remainsserving library clients. But, by utilizingspace readily accessible to firm clients, wehave expanded our user-base and profileand have drawn in clients’ clients. We nowplay a greater role in developing strongclient relations.

The new library features an annex thatbridges the library and firm lounge—literally and figuratively connecting thesocial and cerebral. It offers a comfortableseating area and low tables situated beside

racks housing newspapers and popularjournals. Because it can be partitioned offfrom the lounge, it has proved to be a greatspace for informal training sessions andorientation. The lounge spills into thelibrary and is used for a variety of functionsin addition to daily coffee and lunch. Bothfirm-wide and professional staff functionshave been held with great success during theday and evening, including the firm’s 100thanniversary celebrations and first annualfamily Christmas party.

Flexible SpaceAs expected, our square footage diddecrease. We were lucky, however, topreserve nearly the same shelf space—thetrade off being that the entire collection liveson compact shelving. Before moving, weweeded our collection to allow room for itsinevitable growth, because all practice areasare not equally served by digital resources,and both publication of and reliance onprint material continues. Of course, as morematerial migrates to digital format andpractitioners’ comfort levels using thosematerials increase, need for shelf space insome areas will decrease.

One of the key elements we sought wasflexibility. We needed space that could beconverted as needs changed. While we kept most of our print reporters, I anticipatethat we will one day convert that space intooffices for additional library staff.

Workspace for processing mail andacquisitions and cataloguing was designedfor continuous flow of materials. Althoughstill in an open space with windows, it’slocated in a low-traffic area. Our expansivereference desk sits prominently at the libraryentrance in a readily accessible, naturallyhigh-traffic area. Although reduced fromprevious numbers, reading tables andworkspace with terminals accommodate a handful of researchers, reflecting ourclientele’s changing needs.

As we continue to reach out to lawyerson a variety of levels and formats, the library has established a presence beyond itstraditional boundaries. At the same time,our physical presence remains significant for research, training, orientation, andcollegiality. Our multifunctional spaceredefines the firm’s concept of a library. �

Lenie Ott ([email protected]) is manager of library services atMcMillan Binch in Toronto.

The new library features an annex thatbridges the library and firm lounge. Itoffers a comfortable seating area and lowtables.


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The Thomas M. Cooley LawSchool designed its law center ina six-story building located in theGrand Rapids’ historic warehousedistrict. The rehabbed buildingonce housed a furniture andchildren’s clothing manufacturer.

of theHeartbeatLaw School


feature


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When Thomas M. Cooley LawSchool and its partner WesternMichigan University (WMU)

decided to open a satellite campus in GrandRapids, Michigan, it took on an award-winning project that is helping to revitalizeGrand Rapids’ Heartside neighborhood.

In conjunction with RockfordConstruction and Design Plus, Cooleydesigned its law center in a six-storybuilding located in Grand Rapids’ historicwarehouse district. A rehabbed buildingonce housing a furniture and children’sclothing manufacturer is now home to the

library, which occupies the lower level,first floor, and a portion of the

second floor. Classrooms andadministrative and faculty

offices are beginning tofill the remaining

space. Atraditional library

feel and furnishings,along with a loft-typesetting, blend together to take advantage of the old warehouse’scharacteristics.

The design processmoved quickly; sitedevelopment tooccupation took lessthan 18 months.Although space was partiallypredetermined, a fewfactors helped thelibrary gain squarefootage as thebuilding progressed.The openingbetween the lowerlevel and first floorbecame smaller;staff-only space was created on thesecond floor; andthe collapse of anolder buildingcreated theopportunity foradditional at-


grade space for extra compact shelving asthe library collection grows.

The architectural and design firms hadworked with the construction contractor on Cooley’s temporary space with WMU’sdowntown Grand Rapids facility. Becausethe facilities had similar footprints, theplayers knew what to expect and were ableto incorporate that knowledge into theplanning process. While not specificallylibrary designers, the firm did haveexperience with library and educationalfacilities. From the beginning, the firmencouraged dialogue on needs andexpectations. The designers listened tolibrarians in a way that was conducive to getting the project done on time.

Described as the heartbeat of the lawschool, the library is the center of attentionupon entering the building. “Our architectsand contractors have made this buildinginto an exciting urban setting for our lawschool,” says Marion Hilligan, associateprofessor and associate dean of the GrandRapids campus. “And the law library is thehub that draws students, local attorneys,and judges together, connecting theacademic community to the professionalcommunity. Cooley is very pleased to be apartner in the renovation and revitalizationof Grand Rapid’s Heartside neighborhood.Receiving the Gerald Helmholdt award forthe best renovation project of 2004 was agreat honor.”

Design HighlightsKey design elements include an open areabetween the lower level and first floor in the warehouse portion of the building,which creates excellent light and space inwhat used to be a cramped basement. “I am rarely disappointed when looking for a cheerful sunny spot to study in the law library,” says Joanna Smith, a Cooleystudent and the Grand Rapids Student Bar Association president.

Radiant heating in the basement allowsfor heating of both floors. Similarly, coolingon the first floor also takes care of the lowerlevel. Most of the shelving is at grade level,allowing installation of compact shelving for nearly two-thirds of all library shelving

and providing more study space. Staff andshelving space were projected into the future to accommodate more than a dozenemployees and more than 200,000 volumes.

A combined circulation and referencedesk allows better communication betweenthe areas and a more economical staffingarrangement. Reference and Michiganmaterials, as well as the photocopy area, areadjacent to the desk area, so heavily-usedcollections are nearest to where patrons canfind help. With all technical services dutiescompleted at the Lansing library, materialsarrive shelf ready.

There are seven study rooms tuckedaway from open study areas. The entirefacility is wireless, but two 30-seatlabs/classrooms offer computers, printers,and projectors for teaching. These roomscomfortably hold a complete research andwriting class. Students enjoy the spaciousfour-foot-wide study carrels with electricaloutlets and lighting while sitting incomfortable two-position padded chairs.

The 1,500 square feet of open space atone end of the stacks serves as an excellentreception and gathering space withoutcompromising quiet study in other places inthe library. A large ribbon-cutting ceremony,an alumni gathering, a traveling diversityexhibit, and an upcoming MichALL annualmeeting all have taken advantage of thismixed-use space.

Planning Pays OffBooks were ordered in the winter of 2003,and a temporary receiving, cataloging, andprocessing facility in Lansing coordinated allthe print materials destined for the shelvesin Grand Rapids. Planning became reality at

by Aletha Honsowitz and Duane Strojny

An open area between the lower level and first floor in thewarehouse portion of the building creates excellent light andspace in what used to be a cramped basement.

Thomas M. Cooley Law School satellite campusrenovates an old warehouse into a new law center

© 2005 Aletha Honsowitz and Duane Strojny


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the end of January 2004 when two semiswith more than 1,200 boxes of processedbooks and a year’s worth of updates arrivedin Grand Rapids. Excellent planningenabled the boxes to be moved to stagingareas near where they would be shelved. On February 4,2004, library staffand volunteersfrom the GrandRapids Area LawLibrarians beganshelving thebooks.

Organizationpaid off whenlibrary staffrealized that thesets were notalways packedtogether, makingunpacking andshelving moredifficult.However, signstold shelversexactly on whichrange, stack, andshelf a particularvolume was to beplaced. On February 5, 2004, studentvolunteers, library and administrative staff,and the dean put the last volumes on theshelves. The next project was to sort throughthe updates, discard those no longer needed,

Students used temporary tables, and thelibrary staff used a temporary circulation/reference desk. During the next few weeks,the library furniture arrived, providingstudents with a comfortable place to study.The circulation/reference desks were built,the addition was completed, and materialsfor that location were moved from the lowerlevel.

Challenges did exist. During the move,phones were not yet installed, so cell phoneswere used. The large windows added naturallight, but overheated, sun-drenched officesforced us to order new window blinds. Sinceconstruction of the law center continuesthrough 2007, grit from the ceiling fallingon desks, construction noise, and accidentalfire alarms are regular occurrences. In thesummer of 2004, due to major streetconstruction, the lower level of the libraryflooded four times, fortunately damagingonly the carpet.

The result, however, is a comfortable,well-planned facility that will serve the lawschool and surrounding community formany years to come. Students, faculty, andlibrary staff appreciate the comfortableatmosphere in which to study, research, andwork. The perfect combination of old andnew has become a reality. �

Aletha L. Honsowitz ([email protected]) is head of public services at the ThomasM. Cooley Law Library Western MichiganUniversity Grand Rapids Campus. DuaneStrojny ([email protected]) is the associatedean for libraries and instructional support forthe Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing,Michigan.

Two 30-seat labs/classrooms offer computers, printers, and projectors for teaching. These rooms comfortably hold a complete researchand writing class.

and shelve the most recent ones. Despite theaccomplishment, the library opening wasdelayed a week due to a building inspectionproblem.

On February 16, 2004, at 8 a.m., thefirst student walked into the warehouse

portion of the library,officiallyopening thenew library. The temporarylibrary space in the WMUGraduateCenter closed at9 a.m. Reserveitems in thetemporarylibrary wereboxed andtaken across thestreet by librarystaff. The 1,400volumes in thetemporarylibrary, loadedon librarymoving cartsduring the

weekend, were also moved across the streetto the new Law Center Library, unloaded,and immediately shelved by library staff. In the end, students only faced a two-hourdisruption of access to materials.

Students enjoy the spacious four-foot-wide study carrels with electricaloutlets and lighting while sitting in comfortable two-position paddedchairs.

A combined circulation and reference desk allows bettercommunication between the areas and a more economicalstaffing arrangement.

feature


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© 2005 Elite, a Thomson business L-311868/2-05

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Naturally, you can retrieve and repurpose contracts, agreements and other trans-actional documents. You can also gain negotiating leverage, search material byjurisdiction, company or clause type, and manage firm risk. It’s incredibly easy touse – see a demonstration of this major advance for transactional practitioners.

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�

If you need to trace outdated statutes or regulations,research medical or business information,

our expert librarians can do it for you!

Your East Coast Connection

833 Chestnut Street, Suite 1220Philadelphia, PA 19107

215.574.1505www.jenkinslaw.org

If it’s published, printed, posted, recorded or videotapedJenkins can get it to you!

Cornyn received the Freedom ofInformation Foundation of Texas’ 2001James Madison Award for his efforts topromote open government. As he said in his opening comments at the hearing,“it’s long past time to bring a little of ourTexas sunshine to Washington.”

For his part, Sen. Leahy was theprincipal author of the 1996 ElectronicFreedom of Information Act Amendments(P.L. 104-231), which updated FOIA forthe Internet Age. That bill was the lastsignificant FOIA legislation passed byCongress. AALL strongly supports thesebills, and I’ve promised both senators’ staff that law librarians would help getadditional cosponsors. Please contact yourmembers of Congress today and urge themto cosponsor these important bills tostrengthen FOIA. Thank you! �

Mary Alice Baish, associate Washingtonaffairs representative, Edward B. WilliamsLaw Library, 111 G Street, NW Washington,D.C. 20001-1417 • 202/662-9200 • Fax:202/662-9202 • [email protected]• www.ll.georgetown.edu/aallwash.

washington brief - continued from page 4

Ad IndexBNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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Global Securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover

Jenkins Law Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

LexisNexis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover

Oceana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

RoyaltyStat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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MemorialsAALL Spectrum has been advised of thedeath on February 18 of Pat Keller, whowas the library director at Kirkpatrick andLockhart in Washington, D.C., for morethan 15 years. She was very active in AALL,both locally and nationally. She served as a

board member of the Law LibrariansSociety of Washington, D.C., Inc. and asthe 2001-2002 chair of the Private LawLibraries Special Interest Section.

AALL Spectrum carries briefannouncements of members’ deaths in the

“Memorials” column. Traditionalmemorials should be submitted to FrankHoudek, Law Library Journal, SouthernIllinois University Law Library, Mail Code6803, Lesar Law Building, Carbondale, IL62901, [email protected].


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16,450 linear feet of shelving, and was at89.6 percent of capacity. In 2004, thelibrary’s footprint increased to 21,452square feet, shelving increased to 26,116linear feet, and the library is now at 63.6percent of capacity. More importantly,however, is what the new look and feel ofthe library has done for patron usage andrespect for the law library.

A Little Help from HowardAt the beginning of the renovation, thereading room and circulation areas wereboth closed. The law library was able toarrange for our students and faculty to use

HowardUniversity’s LawSchool Library,located threeblocks away. The law librariansprovided maps to patrons andarranged for toursof the HowardUniversity Law

Library for students and faculty. Meanwhile,the law library provided some circulation,reference, and other services in our clinicallaw library three floors up in the lawschool’s classroom and clinical suite.


Talk about an extreme makeover. The Charles N. and Hilda H.M.Mason Law Library at the

University of the District of Columbia lawschool needed much more than a simplefacelift. But when the makeover wascomplete, the library could boast anexpanded and beautifully renovated spacefor its collection and services.

In 2000, the staff of the law library firstsuggested the idea of remodeling the libraryin order to reduce noise, enclose storage forreserve materials, create offices for librarians,and provide group study rooms. At thattime, the structure was one large open room with 30-footceilings of concrete andlinoleum tile floors.This airy facilityincluded study areas,the stacks, and thecirculation area. Theonly enclosed areaswere three staff officesand a small computerlab. It was a noisy andugly facility.

The law schooldean immediately acted on our modesthand-drawn proposal.With her lobbying andguidance, the projectgathered approval fromthe university’s provostand president andbecame a part of theuniversity’s capital budget. During the nexttwo years, the law library staff met regularlywith the law school’s deans, the FacilitiesCommittee (now the Library, Technology,and Facilities Committee), and the Leo A.Daly architectural firm to develop a multi-phase renovation plan based on the needs ofthe law library and law school.

The $1,570,000 renovation of the entirelaw library began in the spring of 2003 andwas completed in early summer of 2004,dramatically enlarging and improving thelibrary’s functionality. The law libraryrenovations significantly improved squarefootage, linear feet of shelving, andpercentage filled capacity. In 1999, the law library square footage was 16,000, with

Most of the reading room renovation wascompleted in late fall of 2003. At that timethe law library quickly moved to establish atemporary circulation desk and reference deskin the new facility. The spring of 2004 wasspent renovating and creating a newcirculation area, reference room, and director’ssuite, including a conference room andpantry for staff use. The fully renovated lawlibrary opened to the public in May 2004.

The resulting law library is a beautifulblend of form and function that transformeda formerly utilitarian space into a gem. It combines traditional physical spaces andamenities with the power and reach ofvirtual legal resources, available by wirelessLAN throughout. The fine hardwoods ofbuilt-in tables, carrels, counters, shelving,and desks; the earth-toned carpets; and the

modern suspended lighting andcloud-form lighting panels all givepatrons and staff an impression ofwarmth, comfort, and conveniencefor research and study.

The Greatest HitsMajor improvements include new carpeting throughout; newsculptured drop ceiling of acoustictile sprinkled with reading lights;two group study rooms; a conferenceroom, new carrels, and tables wiredwith reading lights and electricaloutlets; additional compact shelving;renovated restrooms; and separateprinter/copier alcoves that ensurequiet research and study.

A long, free-standing wall in thelobby entrance provides patrons onone side with convenient lockerspace to recharge laptops and, on theother side, with a built-in display

cabinet and space for law school signage. The circulation area is now acoustically

and physically separated from the readingroom and new reference room by a floor-to-ceiling curved glass and wood wall. It

Extreme MakeoverUDC David A. Clarke law school library renovation createswarm, inviting environment for research and studyby Brian L. Baker

A long, free-standing wall in the lobby entrance providespatrons on one side with convenient locker spaces to rechargelaptops. The other side has a built-in display cabinet and spacefor law school signage.

© 2005 Brian L. Baker

The circulation area is now acoustically and physicallyseparated from the reading room and new reference roomby a curved glass and wood wall.

The reading room has comfortable spaces forstudy at wired and lighted tables and carrelsalong with floor-to-ceiling windows lookingout onto Connecticut Avenue.


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provides a gracious, welcoming intro-duction to the law library. Behind thecurving circulation counter are workstationsfor the circulation technician and work-study staff, a spacious reserve room, and thedumbwaiter for transporting books to andfrom the technical services department.Also located in the circulation area are aconvenient copier/printer alcove, counterfor catalog terminals, shelving and seatingarea for casual reading, and an adjacentoffice for the circulation librarian.

Opening to the right of the circulationcounter is a short hallway leading to theoffices of the director and an administrativeassistant, a small pantry, and a conferenceroom wired for data and telephonecommunication. Opening to the left of the circulation counter are two sets of tallglass doors, which lead to the referenceroom and the reading room.

The reference room encloses two group study rooms and provides a built-inreference desk, shelving for a large referenceand career services collection, and officesfor the head of public services and theelectronic services librarian. The readingroom has comfortable spaces for study at wired and lighted tables and carrels,access to the core collection in print andmicroforms, two richly tiled restrooms, andexpanded shelving space in the enlargedcompact shelving area, all graced by floor-to-ceiling windows looking out ontoConnecticut Avenue and a small park ofshrubs and ornamental cherry trees.

One floor directly below the referenceroom is the technical services department’snew space. Its 2,500 square feet providesoffices and workstations for the head oftechnical services, cataloging librarian,acquisitions librarian, and three law librarytechnicians, in addition to a server room,compact shelving, and storage space.

UDC David A. Clarke School of Lawnow has a library it can be proud of. It is a warm, comforting home for staff andpatrons alike, and it was worth the wait. �

Brian L. Baker ([email protected]) isdirector of the law library and assistantprofessor of law at University of the Districtof Columbia David A. Clarke School of LawCharles N. and Hilda H.M. Mason LawLibrary in Washington, D.C.

The reference room encloses two groupstudy rooms and provides a built-inreference and career services collectionand offices for the head of public servicesand the electronic services librarian.

featurePhotos courtesy UDC David A. Clarke School of Law


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Officially, the Supreme Court of Ohiobegan its move on Friday, February 13,2004, and finished on President’s Day,Monday, February 16, 2004. In reality, themove planning had started a number ofyears earlier, and I finally received my lastpiece of office furniture on, appropriatelyenough, February 16, 2005.

This was my third library move. Back in 1992 I sat on the move committee at the Cleveland-based law firm of SquireSanders and Dempsey. We moved from one downtown building to another. Theexecution of the move was flawless, and alllibrary materials made it to the new space in about 20 hours.

My second move was at the Universityof Dayton School of Law’s Zimmerman LawLibrary. Although I was not involved withany of the planning or execution of themove (having brilliantly scheduled my startdate for just after the move), I was able toassess the aftermath of a move of that type.

One common thread of the two earliermoves was that the library moved to a newfacility with brand new shelving. It wassimply a matter of plotting out shelf spaceand floor locations. That is not that difficultto do. My most recent move, however, didnot have that luxury.

We moved from a state office tower with two floors of shelving plus three smallbalcony areas to a facility where we weregiven five floors for our books. Newshelving was provided on only a couple ofthe floors. Consequently, the main task wasto break down shelving (both metal andwood) at our old building and rebuild it in the new building while maintaining alibrary that was open to court staff, stateemployees, and the general public. Oh, and the books had to be stored somewhereduring this break-down-build-againprocedure.

In the BeginningThe February 2004 move actually beganback in August 2003 when the library staffhad to move and/or discard thousands ofbanker’s boxes of books and periodicals thathad been stored in various locations whenspace became scarce. The cost to maintain aclimate-controlled storage facility for booksthat might never see the light of day againwas a staggering $50,000 per year.

When I took over as library director inFebruary 2003, I put getting those boxes re-integrated into our collection at the top of themoving to-do list. Before the August 2003 date,however, volunteers had been trekking over tothe storage facility to sort books as those to bekept and those to be recycled. The latter tasknecessitated handling more than 7,000 boxes atan average weight of 30-50 pounds apiece.

for the Supreme Court of Ohio

Opening up from the circulation area is the gallery. It is hometo four display cases holding rare books, comfortable couchesand chairs, and lamps. It will include various murals depictingthe history of the legal system.

Any library move is usually a messy affair—not

something that one would consider pretty. It

involves a lot of planning, work, adaptation, and,

more likely than not, frayed nerves and hair-trigger tempers.

New Digs Law library’s move to beautiful rehabbed building not a pretty affair

© 2005 Ken Kozlowski


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We kept everything that we had actuallyused and other things of a historical nature.One Saturday in August we (or rather themoving company) moved a few thousandboxes back to the library, where they werehoused until we moved to our new facilityin January and February.

Conflict with VendorsNext came the fun part. We had contractedwith one company to handle the shelvingjob and another to move the books. Inretrospect, this was a big mistake. It waseasy enough when books were moved tobrand new shelves at the new place, butwhen books had to be moved, stored, andthen placed on the rebuilt shelves, thesituation got hairy.

We experienced a lot of fightingbetween the two companies, each blamingthe other for delays. We saw a flurry ofactivity at the beginning of January, butthen entered a sluggish period wherenothing seemed to get done. I thought the books would all be moved and shelvedbefore the February 13-16 move, but thatturned out to be wishful thinking. We hadthousands of volumes that never even madeit over by the weekend of the main moveand trickled in during the remainder ofFebruary and March.

The company that moved the bookshad also contracted to reintegrate thematerial from the storage boxes. I thoughtthe company’s bid price and time estimatewas grossly underestimated and jumped on it. And although we gave the companyexact locations and shelf footage for each and every publication in a box, the company chose to disregard our recom-mendations and consequently had to re-doa lot of its work. I personally gave color-coded plans for the floors to the person incharge of the book move but constantly hadto be on the prowl for mistakes.

Finally, as the cold of February movedinto the promise of spring, I informed ourmove coordinator that it was time for themoving company to go and that our staffwould finish up anything still amiss. As aresult, the move continued to impact libraryoperations for the rest of 2004, as we sortedthings out—literally and figuratively.

The New SpaceAside from shelving, the move was fairly easy,since we received almost all new furniture.The design called for library administrativeand technical services offices to be located onthe 10th floor, one floor below the mainlibrary entrance. The showcase of the libraryis the 11th floor. A main elevator bank opensto the floor, and those heading to floors 12-15 must use a separate elevator. One-waytraffic to and from that elevator bank forceseveryone entering and leaving the library topass by the circulation desk.

We opted not to spend the money andstaff time on a tattletape system in ourlibrary. Opening up from the circulation areais the gallery. It is home to four display casesholding some of our rare books, comfortablecouches and chairs, and lamps, and it will bethe future home of various murals depictingthe history of the legal system.

The gallery funnels visitors and researchersto our two-story reading room with itscollection of Ohio materials, exquisite studytables, brass desk lights, mahogany blinds, andadditional murals depicting the history of theprinted book. It is a fantastic place to settle into for serious research. The 11th floor is alsohome to a discrete rare books room that wewill attempt to utilize more fully in thecoming months. There is also a separatereserve room off the circulation area.

Massive carrels dot the library’s environs,spaced far enough apart in most instances so

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patrons will not be distracted by each other.We offer seven public computer terminalson floors 11-14, free access to various Web-based databases, and an additional terminalthat is located on a podium-type stand thatfunctions as a kiosk OPAC.

The 11th floor holds our Ohiocollection, federal materials, and theregional reporters. The 12th floor offersgovernment documents and state materialsother than Ohio, as well as an A/V roomchock full of archival microforms. Floor 13gives way to our treatise collection, and the14th floor is all periodicals, while the 15thfloor is our catch-all floor. Bound copies ofSupreme Court of Ohio records and briefs,international materials, and some of themore esoteric parts (every library has someof those) of our collection are just some of the residents of the top floor.

Despite the challenges of moving, the Ohio Judicial Center in downtownColumbus is a beautiful facility. Ourbuilding is a rehab project of an historicaledifice. The restoration work performed by the contractor and sub-contractors is amazing to behold. The picturesaccompanying this article cannot do itjustice. I invite all AALL members to visitour new home and see it in person. You will not be disappointed. �

Ken Kozlowski ([email protected]) is director of the Supreme Court ofOhio Law Library in Columbus.

View of the back of the Supreme Court of Ohio courtroom. Attorneys enter through this door.

by Ken KozlowskiPhotos courtesy of the Supreme Court of Ohio.


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Let the Sun Shine InJenkins Law Library now a destination, not a book warehouse

The Jenkins Law Library in Philadelphia is

America’s first law library, but it does not

have a permanent home. As a result, the

library has moved seven times in its 203-year history.

For the past 35 years it has occupied space in office

buildings. When the library’s lease recently expired,

it offered the opportunity to renovate Jenkins’

library space into a destination.

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Two years prior to the expiration of our lease, the library engaged an outsideconsultant to conduct focus groups amongthe library’s various users and staff to findout what they liked and disliked about theexisting facility and what they would like to see in a newly renovated facility. Thisproved to be a valuable tool for two reasons:it confirmed ideas that our staff thoughtwould improve the library, and it gave thosewho participated in the focus groups a sensethat they had input into their new library.

We then began working with ourarchitects and designers. They conductedprogramming exercises with the staff andbegan the planning. The office leasingmarket in a large city is competitive, and we engaged a real estate leasing company to investigate prospective spaces. Six spacesindicated an interest, and our currentlandlord came back with the best offer. The landlord even included a generousrenovation allowance to update the libraryas part of the deal. This was an opportunityfor Jenkins to reconfigure its space toaccommodate the wishes of the focusgroups and what we believe 21st centurylibraries should be.

The architectural team beganincorporating our ideas into a floor plan,and during a period of a few months wecreated our ideal plan, taking into accountour renovation allowance. Initial bids came back from contractors, ranging from$700,000 to $900,000 more than ourallowance. We went back to the drawingboard, eliminated extras, and went out for a second round of bids that ranged from $180,000 to $450,000 more than theallowance. We felt comfortable selecting thelowest bidder; it was the company that builtour space 20 years ago.

Jenkins’ original space aged well. After the renovation was complete, two ofthe library’s stack areas remained in theiroriginal places. The remaining areas werereconfigured to incorporate what we believeour visitors want when they come toJenkins and what we need to fulfill ourmission. They include a large reading room with comfortable furnishings, easily accessible stack areas for a growingcollection, and a place to store prioreditions of treatises that the practicing bar rely on us to maintain. We now

by Regina Smith


Jenkins Law Library’s mission was to include a large readingroom with comfortable furnishings, easily accessible stack areas fora growing collection, and a place to store prior editions of treatisesthat the practicing bar relies on the library to maintain.

© 2005 Regina Smith

www.visual-technology.com


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Deal BreakersOne of our requirements was to have areading room that incorporated a referencedesk, computer hexes, an area where we couldbegin library tours, and a comfortable seatingarea. Most importantly, we wanted light tostream through the room. This wasaccomplished by raising the ceiling in themain reading room to 12 feet. One wall servesas a gallery for some of the library’s portraits,and a comfortable reading area adjoins a built-in bookcase that houses leisure reading.

We wanted the staff to be as closetogether as possible, because they have beenworking in teams for the past 10 years. The library’s presence on the Web is veryimportant, as are the indexing and onlinedatabase projects that are part of what weoffer our members. Almost every staffperson is involved in these projects. Wereconfigured the information technologyand technical services areas, as well as theWeb department, and moved the collections


department so that they are all located in onearea. Managers occupy offices, and remainingstaff occupy cubicles. Tables for impromptumeetings are scattered throughout this area.Natural light in staff work areas was also arequirement. Staff is located near windows sothat even the ones who are in the rear of thisspace see natural light.

We eliminated two stack areas, the areawhere we kept our treatises, and our closedstacks. We merged the treatises with ourreporters and weeded the collection. Thissection is now in LC call number orderwith periodicals at the end of the section.The state materials remain in their originalarea. We installed compact shelving tohouse our closed stacks in the rear of thetechnical services area and leased anadditional 1,700 square feet of space in astorage area in our building for which wepay a substantially reduced rental rate. This reallocation of space made our newconference center possible.

Compromises Unfortunately, the reference and documentdelivery departments remain in the interior.But now that the reference desk is located in the reading room, staff is able to readilyaccess natural light. The same is true for the circulation, membership, and outreachdepartments. They are all adjacent to thenewly reconfigured reading room. An etchedglass divider separates circulation from themain reading room, which allows light toflow through to the library’s entryway. It alsoenables librarians at the reference desk toobserve what is happening at circulation incase it becomes busy or there is a problem.

Instead of a separate entrance and exit,we now have one set of glass doors andpanels. Opposite the front desk are theportraits of our benefactors, Mr. and Mrs.Jenkins, and between them one gets aglimpse of our newest and most appreciatedamenity—the Jenkins Café.

Since we have opened the entire space to visitors, we have received wonderfulfeedback. The café has become a huge hit,and visitors are delighted that they now have a place to plug in their computers, nomatter which carrel or table they are using.They also like the fact that they know whatthe weather is when they leave, since theynow have a view. �

Regina Smith ([email protected]) is director of the Jenkins Law Library inPhiladelphia. This recent renovation is theproduct of Jenkins’ entire staff, who enduredlots of noise, dust, and disruption for sixmonths.

Opposite the front desk are portraits of the library’s benefactors, Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins. Between them one gets a glimpse of the newestand most appreciated amenity—the Jenkins Café.

One of the library’s requirements was to have areading room that incorporated a reference

desk, computer hexes, an area to begin librarytours, and comfortable seating.

have a conference center consisting of amultipurpose room in which to hold classes, social functions, and author talks; acomputer learning center with 20 terminalsfor hands-on instruction; a large and smallconference room for break-out groups or forrental; and a café that is a gathering placefor our visitors. We envision our library as a destination rather than a place that is strictly a research facility or a bookwarehouse.

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It is only natural (and even clever)that many people combine avacation with the AALL Annual

Meeting. If you have never visited thegreat state of Texas, the San AntonioConference stands as a wonderfulopportunity to see what the Lone Star State has to offer. You will not be disappointed.

Texas offers an abundance ofnatural beauty, historic landmarks, andcultural attractions near San Antoniothat you can enjoy without travelingfar. For easy planning, I’ve includedthe distance between each point ofinterest and the city. The mileage iscalculated from travel Web sitewww.Mapquest.com, whereas thepopulation figure for each locale isbased on the 2003 State Travel Guide,

published by the Texas Department ofTransportation. Also included is a Website for each attraction, which offersdetailed descriptions and informationon the directions, hours of operation,admissions, and more.

© 2005 Robert Hu

Beyond San AntonioGet a taste of the Lone Star State with quick road trips from the Annual Meeting

Special to Austin are the hundreds of musicians andlively music bars around town, offering blues, country,rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, and any other style of music. Thisbrings the city the honorary title of the Live MusicCapital of the World. Photo courtesy of the AustinConvention & Visitors Bureau.

by Robert Hu

SAC

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Photo/Tim

Thom

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We Need You Volunteer in San Antonio

Join the wonderful group ofdedicated people volunteering theirtime to help make the 2005 AALLAnnual Meeting in San Antonio asuccess.

The Annual Meeting LocalAdvisory Committee needsvolunteers for a variety of activitiesat the Annual Meeting. Meet newpeople and reconnect with oldfriends while working at theregistration desk. Scoop stories andwrite articles for The AALLamoNews, the daily conferencenewspaper. Collect tickets and seatpeople at the Association Luncheonand Closing Banquet. Or if you planto be in San Antonio early, help stuffthe conference tote bags on Friday,July 15, or set-up booths and visitwith attendees’ children at theFamily Social Hour on Saturday,July 16.

Volunteers make the conferencerun smoothly—and they have fun.Be among the first 100 to completethe volunteer form (link below) andjoin us at the “Howl at the Moon”for a conference opening HappyHour (details to follow). But even to non-“Howlers,” mucho gracias for signing up!

For volunteer opportunities atthe San Antonio AALL AnnualMeeting, complete the volunteerform available on the localarrangements Web site at www.stcl.edu/aall/volunteer_form.htm. Orfax or mail the completed VolunteerOpportunities Registration Form from the Annual MeetingPreliminary Program by June 8 to:

Caren Luckie, Volunteer Co-Chair

Jackson Walker LLP1401 McKinney, Suite 1900Houston, TX 77010713/752-4479Fax: 713/752-4221E-mail: [email protected]

Kerrville Distance: 66 mileswww.kerrvilletexascvb.com

Nestled in the rugged hills andsurrounded by picturesque green valleys andclear streams, Kerrville (population 20,425)offers a combination of natural beauty,history, art, and entertainment. The mostfamous attraction in town is probably theNational Center for American WesternArt (1550 Bandera Highway). Home of the Cowboy Artists of America, the center features a wonderful showcase forcontemporary cowboy artists, such as JoeBeeler, James Boren, and Melvin Warren.The National Center draws thousands ofvisitors to Kerrville each year, according tostate tourism statistics.

Other major points of interest includethe Hill Country Museum, Kerr Arts andCultural Center, Riverside Nature Center,and Kerrville-Schreiner State Park.

FredericksburgDistance: 71 mileswww.fredericksburg-texas.com

Fredericksburg (population 8,911),founded in 1846 by German immigrants, is a charming city situated in the greenmountains. The town has many olderbuildings that retain traditional Germanstyles, and several of them constitute theNational Historic District. When visitorscome, they may hear German spokenoccasionally and observe old customs. Theywill enjoy the city’s natural beauty, Europeanatmosphere, historic landmarks, museums,art centers, wineries, parks, and famousbreads and pastries.

A major attraction of Fredericksburg isthe National Museum of the Pacific War,or Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site (304E. Main Street), which includes the restored

Natural Bridge Caverns andNatural Bridge Wildlife Ranch Distance: 8 mileswww.naturalbridgecaverns.com andwww.nbwildliferanchtx.com

These two great attractions just outsideof San Antonio’s city limits should not bemissed. The Natural Bridge Caverns (26515Natural Bridge Caverns Road, Schertz) is agrand underground cavern of fantastic rockformations. It is said to be the largest cavernin Texas.

The other is the Natural Bridge WildlifeRanch (located next to the Natural BridgeCaverns). Called a Texas-style African safari,this property offers hundreds of acres ofscenic ranch land and more than 50 speciesof animals from all over the world, whichyou can watch roam in natural settingswhile you drive through the safari.

New Braunfels Distance: 32 mileswww.nbcham.org/website/index.asp or www.newbraunfels.com

New Braunfels (population 36,494) wasfounded in 1845 by German settlers and isheavily influenced by German tradition,culture, and language. Such influence is still evident in the community’s lifestyletoday. Famous for tasty sausages and breads,the city is also known for Schlitterbahn(305 W. Austin), the largest wateramusement park in Texas, where children(and adults) will enjoy water slides, pools,hot tubs, and water playgrounds.

Another major landmark in NewBraunfels is Gruene (1202 Gruene Road).Pronounced “green,” Gruene is a historicvillage established by German immigrantsmore than 100 years ago and is nowdesignated as a historic town by the state ofTexas. Here you will experience old homes,shops, art galleries, wineries, ice creamparlors, and Texas’ oldest dance hall, GrueneHall. Many local residents come here todance the weekend away.

In addition to Schlitterbahn andGruene, New Braunfels supplies plenty ofunique museums, art centers, beautifulgardens, and scenic parks. All will keep youentertained throughout the day and night.

One of the biggest underground chambers in all of Texas isfound on the North Cavern Tour in the Natural BridgeCaverns. Photo courtesy Natural Bridge Caverns.


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Nimitz Steamboat Hotel, life-size exhibitsfrom the Pacific battles against the Japanese,a Garden of Peace, and a collection ofartifacts in the Pacific War settings.

Other tourist destinations include the Pioneer Memorial Library,Fredericksburg Herb Farm, OberhofWinery and Wine Cellars, and Lady BirdJohnson Municipal Park.

Austin Distance: 80 mileswww.austintexas.org/index.php

Austin (population 656,562) isdefinitely a place worth visiting, if time isnot an issue. As the capital of Texas, Austinis among the most scenic cities in the statewith numerous historic, cultural, andeducational attractions for visitors. Specialto Austin are the hundreds of musicians andlively music bars around town, offeringblues, country, rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, and anyother style of music. This brings the city thehonorary title of the Live Music Capital ofthe World.

While tourist attractions are too manyto list, a handful of places stand out: theState Capitol, the LBJ Presidential Libraryand Museum, University of Texas atAustin (check out the exquisite Tarlton LawLibrary), Lady Bird Johnson WildflowerCenter, and the Warehouse District.

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Hundreds of feet below this natural bridge formation is amajestic world of awesome and towering formations knownas Natural Bridge Caverns. Photo courtesy Natural BridgeCaverns.

One of the most-visited sites in Houston is the NASA/JohnsonSpace Center, where visitors can experience first hand the nation’sspace adventures.

Photos courtesy the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Corpus Christi Distance: 144 mileswww.corpuschristi-tx-cvb.org

Further from San Antonio and alongthe Padre Island National Seashore insidethe Gulf of Mexico is Corpus Christi(population 271,855), a beautiful city withmile-long beaches and palm trees. Freshseafood is plentiful around the town. Manyvisitors come to enjoy the beaches and theseafood, and two places worth a visit inparticular are the Texas State Aquarium(2710 N. Shoreline Boulevard), and theUSS Lexington Museum (2914 N.Shoreline Boulevard), a retired aircraftcarrier serving as a floating naval museum.

Houston Distance 197 mileswww.houston-guide.com

Houston (population1,953,631) is the largest city inTexas and the fourth largest inthe country. Although best

known for its leading oil and gas companies(remember Enron?), the city also hasplentiful cultural, scientific, and educationalinstitutions and attractions.

One of the most-visited sites is theNASA/Johnson Space Center (2106 NASARoad 1), where visitors can experience firsthand the nation’s space adventures. Anotherpoint of interest is the Houston Zoo (1513N. MacGregor), which is one of the best inthe state, offering many species of animalsin a nice environment.

Still want more ideas about travels aroundSan Antonio and the Lone Star State? Visitwww.TravelTex.com, the official travel Website sponsored by the Office of the Governor’s

Economic Development and Tourism. Inaddition to getting a lot of information aboutTexas travel, you can also order free maps andtravel guides from the site. �

Robert Hu ([email protected]) is theassociate director of the Texas Tech UniversitySchool of Law Library in Lubbock.

Texas offers an

abundance of

natural beauty,

historic landmarks, and

cultural attractions near

San Antonio that

you can enjoy

without traveling

far.

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Children will have fun visiting the SanAntonio Botanical Gardens.SACVB Photo/Tim Thompson


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newschapter


Eight-Week MALLResearch Institute DrawsAttorneys, Students,Librarians, ParalegalsThe Minnesota Association of LawLibraries’ (MALL) Legal ResearchInstitute (LRI) continues to drawattorneys, students, law librarians,paralegals, and public librarians to itsweekly sessions in legal methodology. The eight-week institute finishes in Mayand teaches techniques in finding andeffectively using legal resources.

The final sessions in the successful seriesare “Researching Intellectual Property forLitigation and Prosecution,” presented byHope Porter, head law librarian at Merchantand Gould PC, and Paul Lacey, intellectualproperty law attorney at the law office ofPaul E. Lacy; “Tips and Tricks for FindingCompany Information on the Web,”presented by Shawn Swearingen, researchlibrarian at Faegre and Benson LLP; and“Top Free Legal Research Sites on theInternet and How to Use Them,” presentedby Vicente E. Garces, reference andcollection development librarian at theUniversity of Minnesota Law Library.

by Diane D’Angelo

MALLapplauds itspresenters and theLRI Committee

for another valuableoutreach to its local

legal community. Foradditional information

about the institute, please visitwww.aallnet.org/chapter/mall/lri_2005.htm.

Spring Brings SNELLA Scholarshipsand Legal Research Class The Southern New England Law LibrarianAssociation (SNELLA) held its annualholiday dinner on January 5 at Eli’s onWhitney Restaurant in Hamden,Connecticut. New members attendingincluded Vince Valvo, editor of theConnecticut Law Tribune, and Ellen Walshof Thomson West in Boston.

At the board meeting immediatelypreceding the dinner, Maggie Hobden,law librarian at Bingham McCutchen inHartford, was appointed interim secretary tocomplete the term of Janet Zigadto, whohad resigned. Janis Fusaris, referencelibrarian at University of ConnecticutSchool of Law Library, has joined theSNELLA Scholarship Committee.

SNELLA is proud to announce TheBarbara Karp Memorial Scholarship Fund.Scholarships from this fund will be awardedfor attendance at SNELLA educationworkshops and/or the SNELLA LegalBibliography Course. Barbara BresnahanKarp was active in SNELLA for more than20 years. She worked as a law librarian atthe Connecticut Attorney General’s Office;the law firm of Tarlow and Levy inFarmington, Connecticut; and theLegislative Library at Connecticut StateCapitol. Before coming to the Hartford area,she was a law librarian at Perkins Coie inSeattle.

The SNELLA Legal Research Class washeld on November 12, 2004, at SacredHeart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.Eleven students attended the all-day course,which was taught by Larry Cheeseman,Lawson Ward, and Janet Zigadto. The classwill be offered again in April at Kelly Dryeand Warren in Stamford, Connecticut. �

Diane D’Angelo, Suffolk University LawLibrary, 120 Tremont Street, Boston, MA02108-4977 • 617/573-8608 • fax:617/723-3164 • [email protected].

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Session I: Monday, July 18, 2:30-4 p.m.Session II: Tuesday, July 19, 2:15-3:15 p.m.

Members’ Open Forum: Tuesday, July 19, 3:15-3:45 p.m.

Agenda Business Meeting Session IMonday, July 182:30 - 4 p.m.Victoria K. Trotta, President, Presiding

1. Call to Order Victoria K. Trotta2. Introductions Victoria K. Trotta3. Adoption of the Standing Rules Victoria K. Trotta4. Adoption of the Agenda for Both Sessions Victoria K. Trotta5. Approval of the Minutes from the 2004 Business Meeting Catherine Lemann, Secretary6. Report on Elections Catherine Lemann7. Introduction of Newly Elected Board Members Victoria K. Trotta8. Memorials Victoria K. Trotta9. President’s Report Victoria K. Trotta10. Remarks: President of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries11. Remarks: President of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians12. Remarks: President of the International Association of Law Libraries13. Resolutions Victoria K. Trotta14. New Business Victoria K. Trotta15. Announcements Victoria K. Trotta16. Recess

Business Meeting Session IITuesday, July 192:15 - 3:15 p.m.Victoria K. Trotta, President, Presiding

1. Call to Order Victoria K. Trotta2. Introductions Victoria K. Trotta3. President’s Certificates of Appreciation Victoria K. Trotta4. Treasurer’s Report Joyce Manna Janto5. Executive Director’s Report Susan E. Fox6. Washington Affairs Representative’s Report Robert L. Oakley7. Vice President’s Remarks Claire M. Germain8. Unfinished Business Victoria K. Trotta9. New Business Victoria K. Trotta10. Announcements Victoria K. Trotta11. Adjournment Victoria K. Trotta

Members’ Open ForumTuesday, July 193:15 - 3:45 p.m.

A Members’ Open Forum will be held immediately at the conclusion of the second session of the Business Meeting. The Open Forumprovides members with an opportunity to raise questions and discuss issues without following the requirements imposed by parliamentaryprocedures. Action may not be taken during the Open Forum. However, issues may be raised and referred to the president for further action.

American Association of Law Libraries 2005 Business Meeting

San Antonio, Texas


announcements


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Mentoring CommitteePromotes MentoringProject Are you a new law librarianlooking for guidance? Or are you anexperienced law librarian interested inmeeting and advising those who are new tothe profession? Are you looking to move toanother type of law library or need helpadvancing in your career? The AALLMentoring Committee invites you to becomeinvolved in a mentoring relationship.

Mentoring relationships are available forlibrarians in all types of law libraries. Since itis up to the individuals to decide how longto continue their mentoring relationships,previous participants are welcome to reapplyfor new matchs. The committee will work inconjunction with Academic Law Libraries;Private Law Libraries; and State, Court, andCounty Law Libraries Special InterestSections to provide the best matches possiblethrough one centralized channel.

Those who apply by May 2 will beguaranteed a match in time for the AALLAnnual Meeting. Applications are availableat: www.aallnet.org/committee/mentoring/mentor_project.html.

Last but not least, registration for theConference of Newer Law Librarians is now available through AALLNET atwww.aallnet.org/events/05_registration.asp.

Submitted by Jennifer Murray.

AALLNET Advisory Committee’sNew Web Site and Workshops at Annual MeetingThe AALLNET Advisory Committee Website is now available at www.aallnet.org/committee/aac. The site will be used by thecommittee to provide news and informationabout committee activities and the AnnualMeeting workshops, make available handoutsfrom the workshops, and much more.

The committee’s Web site will notreplace AALLNET’s site support pages,(www.aallnet.org/support/support.asp),where you can still find technical infor-mation for AALLNET-hosted Web sites.

Final preparations are now under wayfor the Webmaster and Discussion ForumManagers Workshops. Invitations to theworkshops were sent to all AALLNETWebmasters and discussion forum managersin March. Please RSVP by June 10 toreserve your place.

Caucus, chapter, committee, and SISleaders: even if your AALL group has not yet selected a new Webmaster or forum

manager for2005-06, pleasereserve your spacenow. Once the

new person isselected, he or she

should contact RaquelOrtiz at rmortiz@bu.

edu.Submitted by Raquel Ortiz.

Centennial Committee Ready toKick-off the CelebrationThe Centennial Celebration Committeeconsiders itself the cheerleading squad,getting everybody whooped up for AALL’syear-long birthday festivities. We’re ready torun out onto the field with our pompons in San Antonio for the big kick-off. So we’recounting on all of the SISs, chapters, andindividual members to get in the game. The Annual Meeting presents the idealopportunity to get the year’s centennialactivities lined up. Here’s the game plan:

1. Right now, before coming to SanAntonio, look at the terrific CentennialCelebration Web site put together by ourWebmaster Diane Murley—with expertassistance from Frank Houdek—to getideas for projects and events. You’ll find the AALL Chronology, chapter and SIS

histories, a bibliography of articles on AALLhistory, and lots of information about whatis in the AALL Archives. The ResearchAgenda, drafted by Houdek, offers a longlist of potential topics for aspiring authorsand program planners. The CentennialToolkits, assembled by Richard Amelungand Karl Gruben, suggest ways that SISs,chapters, and individual libraries can getinvolved in the centennial. Details areprovided for holding events for libraryschool students, conducting oral historyprojects, and running contests.

newsby Therese Clarkecommittee


2. Put two centennial-relatededucational programs, both moderated byAALL’s history impresario Houdek, on your San Antonio schedule. On Sundayafternoon from 2:45-4 p.m., a group of old timers will gather to reminisce in “Now Serving at the Centennial Cantina:Margaritas, Nachos and AALL History.”Winding things up on Wednesday from 3-3:30 p.m. will be the Legal History andRare Books Special Interest Section’sprogram coordinated by Robert Mead,“Values, Video and Vignettes: Using VideoOral History Techniques to Document theUnwritten Histories of AALL,” featuringJohn Pedini.

3. Visit the Centennial CelebrationCommittee’s table in the AALL ActivitiesArea of the Exhibit Hall. You’ll be able tospot committee members wearing 1906-erachapeaus. They’ll have items from AALLhistory on display and will offer up adviceon ways to contribute to the celebration.

4. When you meet with your SISs andchapters, volunteer to head up or help withtheir centennial projects and activities.Many already have plans underway and willbe glad to have you on board. Be ready tocontribute ideas for program proposals forthe 2006 St. Louis meeting—particularlyones involving both the history and future

of AALL and our profession. Urge your SISsand chapters to take advantage of the VIPprogram that helps your group bring ourpartners from other parts of the legal,library, and government sectors to share theAnnual Meeting with us. Writing yourprogram proposals to include the VIPs asspeakers or panelists will make them doublyattractive.

5. Consider “auditioning” for the AALLCentennial Variety Show. This one-hourevent—show time yet to be determined—will feature musical acts and comedy

(continued on page 35)


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ALL-SIS in San AntonioAs you register for the San

Antonio Meeting, please indicateif you plan to attend the followingAcademic Law Libraries SpecialInterest Section (ALL-SIS) events:• ALL-SIS Breakfast and Business

Meeting, sponsored by LexisNexis, on Sunday, July 17, from 7-9 a.m.

• CONALL Program at St. Mary’sUniversity School of Law on Tuesday,July 19, from 5:15-6:15 p.m.

• ALL-SIS Reception and Awards,sponsored by West, at St. Mary’sUniversity School of Law and hosted bythe Sarita Kenedy East Law Librarystaff, on Tuesday, July 19, from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Sending us your RSVPs for these freeevents is critical in helping to plan and cateraccurately. Thank you for your help.

For those of you interested in providinghigh-quality faculty services in academic lawlibraries and participating in the FacultyServices Roundtable in San Antonio, it is not too late to join ALL-FSR, the FacultyServices Roundtable List on AALLNET athttp://share.aallnet.org/read/all_forums.

The ALL-SIS Executive Boardconference call minutes are now availableonline at www.aallnet.org/sis/allsis/meetings/execboard/minutes021105.pdf.

Submitted by Carole L. Hinchcliff.

CS-SIS’s Fun-Filled Annual Meeting EventsIn addition to our roster of exciting programs,the Computing Services Special InterestSection (CS-SIS) plans a full schedule. We’llget things off to a rollicking start with theTS/OBS/RIPS/CS-SIS Joint Reception onSaturday, July 16, from 6-7:30 p.m. Our CS-SIS Business Meeting will take place onSunday, July 17, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Be surenot to miss it, since in addition to conductingbusiness and catching up with one another,we’ll offer some fantastic giveaways.

Lest you go into CS-SIS withdrawal, thevery next day, Monday, July 18, we have ourbreakfast meeting from 7-8:45 a.m. We have agreat speaker lined up, so rise and shine earlyfor good food and good company. We’re onceagain holding down the cost of the breakfastto $10 for members, with the SIS subsidizingthe rest. Be sure and sign up for the breakfastwhen you register for the Annual Meeting.

We have our first roundtable of themeeting on Monday, July 18, from 10:15-11:30 a.m. This is our roundtable on Web

by Don Arndt

design andmaintenance andalways features agood discussion.Several CS-SIS-

sponsored programproposals grew out

of the discussions wehad last year.

Our second roundtable is a new topic on instructional technology.This roundtable takes place on Tuesday, July19, from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., so bring yourlunch and join the discussion.

Finally, don’t forget about planning fornext year. The CS-SIS Program Committeemeeting takes place on July 18 from 5:15-6:15 p.m. All CS-SIS members are welcometo attend. Your ideas for next year’s programsare needed.

Submitted by Susan Boland.

PLL-SIS NewsMany private law librarians enthusiasticallyembraced the idea of a Take YourAdministrator to Lunch Day. While this was not an official Private Law LibrariesSpecial Interest Section (PLL-SIS) function,it was suggested by many participants thatNational Library Week, or some other weekin April, would be an appropriate time.Speaking from personal experience, myadministrator was somewhat puzzled by the suggestion, but flattered. Overall theexperience was positive and reinforced theimportance of our position and the addedvalue we bring to our firms and our clients.

PLL-SIS is also enthusiastic about theupcoming AALL Centennial. We haveappointed a committee and are lookingforward to joining with other SISs inlaunching the centennial year at the AnnualMeeting. If any of our members have brightideas, visit our Web site and contact anymember of this committee.

The PLL-SIS has been invited to send anExecutive Committee member to the SpecialLibraries Association (SLA) convention inToronto. Caren Luckie, PLL-SIS treasurer,will be our representative and will do usproud. PLL-SIS wants to encouragerelationships with the SLA legal section.Linda Defendeifer, our SLA committee chair,and Judy Harris, of SLA, are workingtogether to create some programs of interestto all librarians—firm, corporate, or academic.

Private law librarians have planned manyprograms for San Antonio for their peers,which will be of interest to other librariansas well. Check out “Marketing/Smarketing”or “The Guide to Fair Business Practices.”In a rapidly changing environment, part of

strategizing is cooperation with other SISsand organizations. PLL-SIS wants to be inthe forefront of this movement.

Submitted by Sue Johnson.

TS-SIS Set for San Antonio SuccessThe Technical Services Special InterestSection (TS-SIS) has a full agenda plannedfor the AALL Annual Meeting in SanAntonio, July 16-20.

We’re sponsoring a two-day pre-conference workshop: “Effective SubjectCataloging with LCSH (Library of CongressSubject Headings).”

The following TS-SIS-sponsored or co-sponsored programs will be offeredduring the course of the meeting: • “Preservation Surveys by the Book:

Seven Librarians Strategize Ways toAdd Value to Their Collections,”Sunday, July 17, 2:45-4 p.m.

• “Roy Tennant on the Top Trends in Library Systems,” Sunday, July 17,4:15-5:15 p.m.

• “Room at the Top: Strategy Tips fromthe Hiring Squad,” Tuesday, July 19,10:15-11:30 a.m.

• “What Is a Core Collection Anymore?”Tuesday, July 19, 4-5 p.m.

Also, please mark your calendars for thefollowing meetings and events. On Sunday,July 17, from 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. the TS-SISForum: “Easy Does It: EDI Made Simple,”TS-SIS Heads of Technical ServicesRoundtable, and TS-SIS Web Site AdvisoryRoundtable will all be held, followed by theTS-SIS Business Meeting from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Monday, July 18, at 7 a.m., “red-eye”meetings are scheduled for the AcquisitionsCommittee, the Cataloging andClassification Committee, and thePreservation Committee. These will befollowed by three more TS-SIS programs:“Who’s Counting? Who Cares? Revisitingthe ABA Statistics Issue” from 9-10 a.m.,“Strategize and FRBRize Your OPAC” from9-9:30 a.m., and “Electronic ResourcesManagement” from 9:45-11:30 a.m.

Other Monday events include thePreservation and Binding Roundtable from10:15-11:30 a.m. and the first New LawCatalogers Roundtable from 5:15-6:15 p.m.If you’re a new cataloger, or even just sortanew, please plan to attend.

On Tuesday the TSLL Board and theHeads of Cataloging in Large Law Librarieswill share the coveted 7 a.m. slot. Later in the day the Program/Education Committee,Joint Research Roundtable, AcquisitionsRoundtable, and Cataloging andClassification Issues Roundtable will convene.

sectionspecial interest


(continued on page 35)


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New LibrariansStephen M. Donweber is thenew reference and electronicservices librarian at BostonUniversity’s Pappas Law Library. He recently earned an MLIS at RutgersUniversity’s School of Communication,Information, and Library Science and holdsa JD from Villanova University. Donweberwas the reference librarian intern atUniversity of Pennsylvania’s Van Pelt Libraryfrom January 2004 until March 2005.

New Places and ResponsibilitiesChristine Demetros has joined the staff ofthe H. Douglas Barclay Law Library,Syracuse University College of Law asreference/student services librarian. She holdsher JD from Pace University and her MLSfrom Long Island University. Demetros waspreviously reference librarian and head ofpublic services at the Arthur W. DiamondLaw Library of Columbia Law School, andshe practiced law with the law offices of

by Sarah Mauldin

Todd J. Krounerin Chappaquaand New York. In her newlycreated position,

Demetros willfocus on library

services specificallygeared to the needs of

law students.

Professional ActivitiesAALL Executive Board Member MerleSlyhoff, document delivery and auxiliaryservices librarian and lecturer-in-law at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, received the MartaLange/CQ Press Award. The award, establishedin 1996 by the Association of College andResearch Libraries (ACRL) Law and PoliticalScience Section (LPSS), honors an academic or law librarian who has made distinguishedcontributions to bibliography and informationservice in law or political science. �

Sarah Mauldin, Lionel Sawyer andCollins, 300 S. Fourth Street, Suite 1700, Las Vegas, NV 89101 • 702/383-8988 • fax:702/383-8845 • [email protected].

newsmembership


committee news - continued from page 32

sketches relating to the topic of lawlibrarianship and performed by lawlibrarians. Individuals, chapters, SISs, andother groups are encouraged to submitproposals for acts. Ideas for proposals so far include a parody of the song, “WichitaLineman” (“I’m a Law Librarian for theCounty …”), a take off of Mel Brooks’ The2000 Year Old Man (“The 100 Year OldLaw Librarian”), and a reprise of the verypopular firm librarian’s rendition of “CellBlock Tango” from Chicago performed at

LLAGNY’s 65th Anniversary Variety Show(“And Then I Killed Him ...”).

The Variety Show Subcommittee hasreserved a conference room from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 16, in the MarriottRiverwalk so that persons interested inparticipating in the event can meet to discusstheir ideas. All you need to propose an act is acreative, original idea and a commitment toproducing a practiced, polished act in a year’stime. We hope to showcase the talents ofgeographically diverse law librarians employed

in different settings. Questions aboutsubmitting a proposal may be sent to Kelly Browne at [email protected].

Questions about the centennialcelebration may be sent to committee chairCarol Billings at [email protected]. �

Submitted by Carol Billings.Therese A. Clarke, Northern Illinois

University College of Law, David C. ShapiroMemorial Law Library, DeKalb, IL 60115 • 815/753-9497 • fax: 815/753-9499 •[email protected].

special interest section - continued from page 34

Wednesday the Management IssuesRoundtable gets 7 a.m. honors, and the SerialsCommittee is scheduled to meet at noon.

More information is available online atwww.aallnet.org/events and in the AnnualMeeting Preliminary Program. When youreceive your final program at registration,please be sure to check the alphabeticalindex under “TS-SIS” for a complete list ofdates and times of TS-sponsored programs,meetings, and roundtables.

For TS-SIS members unable to attendthe meeting in San Antonio, Chris Tarr hasvolunteered to organize on-site electronicreporting via the TS-SIS electronicdiscussion forum ([email protected]) for up-to-the-minute breaking news on programsand activities of interest to our members.

Finally, it’s high time for us to think ofprogram ideas for the 2006 Annual Meetingin St. Louis. If you have an idea for aprogram, or are willing to put together a

proposal or serve as a program coordinator,please contact Karen Douglas [email protected]. �

Submitted by Cindy May.Don Arndt, University of Toledo, Law

Center, Mail Stop 508, Toledo, OH 43606-3390 • 419/530-2945 • fax: 419/530-5121• [email protected].

“I did itfor thecamaraderieandprofessionalgrowth.”

—Steve Donweber

YOUWhy Did

Join AALL?


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View from California Western School of LawLibrary in San Diego. Submitted by BarbaraGlennan, electronic services librarian.

View from the University ofNew Mexico School of LawLibrary in Albuquerque.Submitted by Ron Wheeler,head of faculty and publicservices/lecturer. Photo byDiego Romero.


Share Your ViewpointAALL Spectrum would like to publishyour thoughts and comments. We arelooking for short submissions aboutAALL and about the profession. Theideal submission will be a paragraph orless and certainly shorter than a letterto the editor. Please send submissionsto AALL Spectrum Editorial DirectorPaul Healey at [email protected] to AALL Director of PublicationsJulia O’Donnell at [email protected].

Do You Have a Beautiful Viewfrom Your Law Library?Many law libraries have interesting ordramatic views of cityscapes, mountainranges, or beautiful vistas. If your lawlibrary has a great view, this is yourchance to share it with AALL.

In order to be publishable, picturesmust be of relatively high quality.While we can work with a print,digital submissions are better. Digitalsubmissions must be high-resolution(300 dpi). When scanning photos, setthe scanner at high-resolution/printquality/300 dpi. When taking pictureswith a digital camera, make sure thatthe camera is set to take the largestphoto possible.

Depending on the number ofsubmissions received, we will publishone or two photos in each issue of Spectrum and post them onAALLNET at www.aallnet.org/view/view_month.asp. Photos will bepublished on a first-come, first-servebasis. Publication of a submittedphoto is not guaranteed. If you havequestions about submitting photos,please contact AALL Director ofPublications Julia O’Donnell [email protected].

views and viewpointsAALL Member Thoughts, Comments, and Anecdotes


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Ellen Strbak, CRIV ChairAdministrative Office of the U.S. [email protected]

The CRIV SheetRichard Vaughan, Subcommittee

Chair and EditorIndiana University School of Law [email protected]

Carmen Brigandi, Assistant EditorCalifornia Western School of Law [email protected]

Ellen Strbak

Annual Meeting SubcommitteeJ. Craig Garrett, ChairAspen [email protected]

Kevin Butterfield Thomas Gaylord Ellen Strbak

Contents

Editor’s Corner 2

From the Chair 2

The Demise of a Book Vendor: One Library’s Experience 3

Collaborative Acquisition of Electronic Resources 4

EDI and Customer Satisfaction 6

A Salute to Great Customer Service Reps 7

Book Dummies: Useful or Obsolete? 8

SSRN and bepress: A Comparison 9

Notes of Interest 11

Request for Assistance Form 12

CRIV Tools SubcommitteeThomas Gaylord, ChairChicago-Kent College of Law [email protected]

Beth DiFelice Craig Garrett Gail McCain

CRIVPage SubcommitteePaul Seeman, ChairUniversity of Connecticut

School of Law [email protected]

Kevin Butterfield Beth DiFeliceMary Lou Wilker

New Product AwardSubcommitteeBeth DiFelice, ChairArizona State University Ross-Blakley

Law [email protected]

Gail McCain Marcia Zubrow

Publisher CommunicationSubcommitteeEllen Strbak, ChairAdministrative Office of the U.S. [email protected]

Thomas Gaylord Lawrence Meyer

Site Visits SubcommitteeLawrence Meyer, ChairLaw Library for San Bernardino [email protected]

Carmen Brigandi Gail McCain Ellen Strbak Marcia Zubrow

CRIV Web Sitewww.aallnet.org/committee/criv

AALLCRIV_May 4/14/05 10:00 AM Page 1

Welcome to the last issue of The CRIV Sheet beforethe AALL Annual Conference in San Antonio.Publishing deadlines prevent us from publicizing all the acquisitions-related activities you will find at the Conference, but we do highlight a few in thisissue. Be sure to check your program and look forannouncements on relevant online discussion forums.

This issue starts with a piece by Jane Woldow, whichdescribes the nightmare her law library faced whenone of its main book vendors ceased operation. Jane’s candor and honest description of the events,combined with her “What Does This Mean for YourLibrary?” section, make this a must-read for alllibrarians involved in the acquisitions process. TracyThompson, director of the New England Law LibraryConsortium, follows next with an informative lookinto the world of consortium purchases of electronicresources. This profile of a unique type of vendor will, I’m confident, be of interest to all our readers.

Melody Lembke of the Los Angeles County LawLibrary gives us a preview of a San Antonio programin her article titled “EDI and Customer Satisfaction.”As Melody points out, the lack of electronic dataexchange capabilities by legal publishers/vendorscontinues to increase the workload of libraries, while preventing those same publishers/vendors from being paid in the timely manner they wouldprefer. Speaking of customer satisfaction, Maureen

O’Riordan, from Koley Jessen PC in Omaha, reportson some of her trials as a solo librarian in theMidwest—far from the land of local customer servicerepresentatives. Maureen notes the value of goodcustomer service representatives and even lists a fewof the qualities that she feels are essential for anaward-winning representative.

Assistant Editor Carmen Brigandi is next with herlook at a library tool that many of us may haveforgotten about—book dummies. From the low-techworld of book dummies, we jump to the high-techworld of electronic publications in the University ofSt. Thomas’ Margie Axtmann’s comparison of SSRNand bepress. And finally we conclude with a few“Notes of Interest,” including an announcement abouta program in San Antonio.

This marks my last issue as editor. As I confidentlypass the baton over to Carmen, who will edit volume28, I need to thank a few people. Margie Axtmannand Ellen Strbak served as chairs of the committeeduring my tenure as editor and were always quick toassist me whenever I needed help. Likewise, Carmenand Lucy Moss, my two assistant editors, werefantastic and deserving of more credit than just theirtitles. Julia O’Donnell, AALL director of publications,has been great to work with and enormously helpful.Thanks must also go to all our readers who let meknow when I was doing the job right and wrong.

The CRIV Sheet Vol. 27 No. 3 May 2005

Editor’s Corner

2

Indiana University School of Law Library, BloomingtonRichard Vaughan

The other day, I suddenly realized that we are nearingthe end of our 2004/2005 year. The year has justflown by! This issue of The CRIV Sheet completesanother volume filled with interesting, informative,and thought-provoking articles. I would like to extendmany thanks to all The CRIV Sheet contributors and a special thank you to Dick Vaughan, editor, and Carmen Brigandi, assistant editor, for all of their hard work in bringing these issues to us.

The CRIV has been focused on several activities thisyear. The New Product Award Subcommittee reviewednominations for a number of new legal informationproducts and forwarded a recommendation to AALL’sAwards Committee. The CRIV Tools Subcommitteecontinues to work on updating sections of the CRIV Tools section on the CRIVPage (check it out atwww.aallnet.org/committee/criv/resources/tools). Please let us know of any comments or suggestionsyou might have. And, CRIV members continue tomonitor discussion lists to keep abreast of the issues we

face as law librarians, help to represent issues to legalpublishers, and advocate for fair business practices.

The CRIV continues to work with the Fair BusinessPractices Implementation Task Force to promote andpublicize the AALL Guide to Fair Business Practicesfor Legal Publishers (www.aallnet.org/products/pub_fair_practices.asp). Find out more at the 2005 AnnualMeeting by attending our co-sponsored program titled“‘The Guide to Fair Business Practices’: Where Do We Go from Here?” (Program F-4). The future of theGuide and its continued use by librarians and the legalpublishing community will be explored.

Looking to the future, it is clear that rapidly changingpublication practices and shrinking library fundingcontinue to challenge law librarians and legalinformation publishers and vendors. We need tocontinue to work together, and the CRIV stands ready tofacilitate these discussions. We look forward to gatheringat the 2005 Annual Meeting. See you in San Antonio!

From the ChairAdministrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Washington, D.C.Ellen Strbak


The CRIV Sheet Vol. 27 No. 3 May 2005 3

The Demise of a Book Vendor: One Library’s ExperienceJulien and Virginia Cornell Library, Vermont Law School, South RoyaltonJane Woldow

What happens when one of your key book vendorscloses without warning? The Julien and VirginiaCornell Library at the Vermont Law School recentlyaddressed this problem when our primary supplier for hard-to-find books and books published abroadabruptly closed its doors. Our first news of the FranklinBook Company closure came from a September 28,2004, posting to the Acqnet online discussion forum.The posting said, “Reliable sources report that FranklinBook Company has ceased doing business.”

Our first reaction to the rumor was denial. How couldthis be true? Why haven’t we heard about this fromthe company? Could this be a joke? But it wasn’t April1. We thought, “This can’t be true because Franklin isone of our favorite suppliers for firm orders, and wejust finished transferring 70 standing orders to themlast week!” The rumor was especially problematic for us because Franklin was our main source formonographs published outside the United States.

Instead of panicking we decided to wait and see what developed. We tried contacting various people at Franklin for information but never received aresponse, suggesting that the rumor was true.Surprisingly, during the next few weeks, we foundminimal activity about the closure on the Acqnet and Law-Acq online discussion forums. We hoped toreceive some formal notification from Franklin, butnothing emerged. Even though the rumor gainedveracity by the day, we were reluctant to start anyintensive reorganization of orders until we confirmedthat it was necessary.

Finding New Vendors?Despite the questions and our hopes of a simpleresolution, we decided to research alternative vendorsso we would be prepared for the worst. Fortunately,we found an easy solution for the standing orders.One of our main standing orders vendors, William S.Hein and Company, reported that it could handle oursubscriptions. This appealed to us because we havebeen extremely satisfied with Hein’s past service.

Finding an alternative vendor for firm orders wasmore complicated. After reviewing notes fromprevious conferences and searching the Web(including ACQWEB) for ideas, we contacted somelibrarians with larger collections of foreign legalmaterials for their suggestions. We also posted ageneral query to a few online discussion forums togenerate as many alternatives as possible. Numeroussuggestions from the general and direct queries were received, which helped us significantly narrowthe investigation for replacement vendors.

New Information Leads to a Preliminary PlanOn October 6, 2004, the former president of Franklininformed the library community, through the Acqnetforum, that the closure was true. Even though we hadno official notice, switching vendors was becoming a reality. Information about the closure had been sosparse that receiving anything else from the companyseemed unlikely. We generated a list of open firmorders from Franklin and determined that half ofthem could be filled by one of our existing vendors.Accordingly, we transferred those orders.

During the next week, we examined our options anddevised a plan to fill our ordering needs through newvendors. On October 13, 2004, just after the plan wasdecided, the Acqnet forum posted a notice that CouttsLibrary Services was available to take over Franklin’sopen orders and accounts. This news was promisingbut also frustrating because we had just devised aplan that did not involve Coutts. Had we followed ourown advice and waited for the situation to develop,we would have avoided the work and confusion ofrevising our premature plan. Even though it had onlybeen two weeks, the uncertainty and discomfort ofthe situation was evidently weighing on us.

The Revised PlanAfter speaking with Franklin’s former president, who was now affiliated with Coutts, my colleaguesand I agreed on a revised course of action. First, wetransferred the remaining open firm orders to Coutts.Coutts won our initial business by honoring ourformer contract with Franklin for current and futureorders. Unlike the other vendors under consideration,Coutts offered us the same blanket discount for firmand standing orders that Franklin had provided.

Since we were already changing our vendor accountsto accommodate the Franklin closure, we also openedtrial accounts with a few other firm order vendors to compare their services. Because our institution isexpanding its curriculum in some areas of foreignlaw, we contemplated using multiple specialtyvendors in addition to, or in place of, a generalvendor like Coutts for monographs published outsidethe United States. Our goal is to settle on a vendor(s)that can fill our orders and provide a high level ofcustomer service.

We declined Coutts’ offer for the standing ordersbecause we felt strongly about having oursubscriptions with one of our existing vendors,William S. Hein and Company, with whom we havean established positive relationship. The risk ofincreased labor and more upheaval resulting fromanother serials vendor mishap was not worth the


blanket discount. This decision was also influenced by the fact that we only have one person orderingand processing serials in our library.

The OutcomeThe Franklin closure caused us to test our vendors fortheir limits and abilities as well as modify our use ofexisting vendors. We replaced Franklin with Couttsand increased our use of other vendors, such asBlackwell. For example, we discovered that Blackwellhas improved its service in previously problematicareas, which is desirable because Blackwell offers anexcellent consortial discount, and we will save timeby expanding our bulk ordering capabilities.

Our arrangement with Franklin had been appealingbecause the company provided one-stop shopping forall of our hard-to-find orders and materials publishedabroad. By diversifying our vendor pool, we nowhave a wider range of vendors that can fill ourspecific ordering niches. This approach somewhatcomplicates our procedures because now we initiatemore transactions. However, we benefit by receivingthe goods quicker once the orders are placed with aspecialty vendor. We further benefit by having moreoverlap among vendors’ abilities. So, if one closesabruptly, the negative effect would be less than whenwe relied solely on Franklin.

During the next year, we will determine which newvendors, besides Coutts, are best for us. So far wehave been satisfied with our new Eastview, MaryMartin, and Harrassowitz accounts. These specialtyvendors provide materials from Russia, India andAsia, and Continental Western Europe respectively. It will take some time before our library has a clearunderstanding of how well the alternate vendorshandle the orders we previously steered towardFranklin. Ultimately, we will settle on vendors thatsatisfactorily fill all of our ordering needs. And wehope that our acquisitions workflow will be enhanced,rather than hindered, by our changes.

What Does This Mean for Your Library?We hope that your library will never face a similarsituation. However, if one of your vendors closeswithout warning, keep these tips in mind.

• Avoid rash reactions. Do not waste labor andmental stress unnecessarily. See how the situationdevelops in the short term. The company maymake arrangements for its former customers.However, be aware that these arrangements maynot provide the best solution for your library.Allowing adequate time before reacting to theclosure may also save you and your colleaguesfrom making multiple changes to associatedlibrary records.

• Develop a rough plan for action. Brainstormingor generating ideas gives you a feel for youroptions and can maximize your library’s sense of control about this unforeseen turn of events.

• Identify orders or subscriptions that needimmediate attention. Make temporaryarrangements for receiving these items throughan alternate vendor.

• Identify the characteristics most desirable aboutthe vendor you are losing. These qualities willhelp you identify and find suitable replacementvendors. For example, among other things, welooked for vendors that sent invoices with thegoods and also invoiced in U.S. dollars.

• Take the initiative to evaluate and adjust yourexisting vendor lineup. The closure could createan opportunity to enhance your vendor pool. Evenif the closed company makes arrangements for itsformer customers, explore other vendors so yourlibrary gets the best resolution in the long term.

• Ask other librarians for vendor recommendations.But keep in mind that various aspects of theirsituations may not apply to your library.


NELLCO MISSION STATEMENT: To provide efficientand effective access to legal resources by cooperatingin a full range of resource sharing services thatsupport the objectives of the individual law librariesof the member institutions and the group as a whole.

The New England Law Library Consortium (NELLCO)was established in 1983 as a means for memberlibraries to avoid cost through collaboration. In thoseearly days the cost avoidance came in large partthrough reciprocal interlibrary loan agreements. Thoseagreements are still in place today and continue as a

source of savings for the 25 full members of NELLCO.But the electronic information boom of the last 15 yearscreated new opportunities for library collaboration.

NELLCO, like many other library consortia, was well positioned in the mid-’90s to exploit thoseopportunities and provide additional savings tomembers. NELLCO members collaborate on a widerange of activities that enable them to shareresources, avoid cost, and minimize risk (see Tracy L.Thompson’s “Library Consortia in the 21st Century:Beyond the Buying Club,” 15 Trends in Law Library

Collaborative Acquisition of Electronic ResourcesNew England Law Library Consortium, Keene, New HampshireTracy L. Thompson



Management and Technology 1 (2004)). Today,however, the collaborative acquisition of electronicresources is the consortium’s most visible andtangible cost-saving activity.

The ProcessNELLCO facilitates members’ acquisition of e-resourcesfrom start to finish. Despite the dizzying array ofpricing, access, and licensing models that informationvendors present, the process that NELLCO employs isfairly straightforward. First we determine whether theresource lends itself to a consortium offer. If so, weestablish a trial for access by all members. During thetrial period we work with the vendor on the terms ofthe license agreement. Finally, we license the resourceand set up the billing and renewal arrangements. As you consider this process carefully, you will beginto recognize the intangible benefits of participation in the consortium, manifested primarily in thepreservation of human resources at member libraries.

An information resource may come to the consortiumas a potential trial in any number of ways: a membermay recommend something, a publisher/vendor may contact us, or we may seek out an informationprovider. In order for a resource to make sense as a potential consortium offer, it must meet some loose criteria. First, it must be of specific interest tolaw libraries and not a more general resource orsomething only tangentially law related. A resourcewith limited appeal is better handled at the locallevel, and often more general resources are acquiredby the university or main campus library. Not allNELLCO members are academic libraries, and not allacademic library members have a parent institution.However, as a general rule, a resource that is suitablefor consortium consideration should have law librarypatrons as its target user population. The cost/benefitanalysis falls short for both the information providerand for NELLCO when this threshold criterion isn’tmet. In the end, the vendor doesn’t get the benefit ofa quantity sale, and the consortium’s resources arenot well spent when there isn’t a good fit between theresource and the membership.

A second test relates to a resource’s authenticationmode. Any resource that doesn’t offer IP authenticationwill be judged more critically as a potential for a trial. Many information providers offer a choice ofpassword or IP authentication, and some membersprefer to manage passwords and limit patron accessto particular resources. Authentication standards will continue to evolve, but IP is our current goldstandard. We constantly scan the horizon for the next optimal authentication solution.

Finally, an electronic resource that isn’t Web-based(e.g., CD-Rom) must have some compelling contentfor us to consider it for a consortium offer. This has

occurred in the not-too-distant past with the EnglishReports on CD-Rom through Jutastat.

Trial PeriodOnce the decision has been made to establish a trialof an e-resource, all of the key information, as well as a user name and password, are distributed to themembership via e-mail. Typically, the pricing modelfor any resource is established prior to launching thetrial. Pricing models vary greatly from one vendor tothe next. Some models include a flat rate discount perlibrary, a tiered pricing model based on participation,pricing based on full-time equivalents, pricing basedon simultaneous users or shared simultaneous users,and consortium-wide pricing.

Some publishers, however, may seek feedback fromthe consortium to help them develop a consortiumpricing model where none exists. In those instancesthe final pricing is determined during the trial. A linkto the trial, along with pricing information, FAQsabout each trial, and any other relevant informationthat the vendor wishes to distribute is posted on the NELLCO Web site (www.nellco.org). Trials areestablished for 60 days when possible.

Another underused opportunity for collaborationexists in this process. Each trial includes a link formembers to write an evaluation of the resource. Oncean evaluation is submitted, any member can access it for assistance with acquisition decisions. This is anexcellent tool for sharing staff or faculty expertiseand could be a great resource for members if it wereused more consistently. As more e-resources come tomarket, libraries will need to be more selective, andsharing our knowledge can only help in that regard.

During the course of the trial, the terms of the licenseagreement are negotiated. NELLCO’s standard licenseagreement (www.nellco.org/index.cfm?page=licensing)was revised in July 2004 by the Standing LicensingCommittee, and our goal is to employ that licensewhenever possible. Usually there is a process ofnegotiation that results in a final license unique to theresource at hand. Most vendors will permit the licenseto be signed at the consortium level on behalf of the member libraries. The license will include anaddendum listing all of the libraries represented by the license. In some instances the information providerrequires that each library sign a separate licenseagreement. In those cases an approved license will bedistributed to members for their local execution.

Establishing access for members to licensed resourcesalso requires IP information management. EachNELLCO member library is charged with maintainingcurrent IP information in the NELLCO database viathe NELLCO Web site. NELLCO is then able to provideinformation vendors with up-to-date IP informationfor members and avoid service lapses.


Billing and Renewal CycleOnce the license and access issues are settled, thebilling and renewal cycle is established. One of thebenefits of consortium collaboration for informationproviders is the simplified billing and renewal processthat it provides. All NELLCO resources are on asynchronized schedule, with most renewing on eitherJanuary 1 or July 1. If we establish the license offcycle, we will prorate the cost to put the renewal ontrack. In most cases the vendor bills NELLCO ratherthan each licensee. There are instances where this isnot feasible and the vendor bills the licensee directly,especially with very expensive resources for whichNELLCO is unable to float the payment on behalf ofmultiple licensees.

NELLCO pays the information provider and bills theexact cost back to the members. NELLCO passes alongto members the full discount negotiated on everyresource. Member dues provide the necessary funding

for the consortium’s administration so no mark-upsare necessary. The information provider now has asingle point of contact for any billing or renewalissues, and the members have a single point ofcontact for multiple resources.

In a recent discussion about NELLCO and the futureof the consortium, I was asked about the potentialsavings that members could realize throughconsortium acquisitions. Given the complexities of the pricing models and the difficulty of ascertaininglist prices, calculating real savings is not the simpletask one might imagine. And when you factor in the intangibles, it becomes downright impossible toname a bottom line figure. But it should be clear toanyone involved in the acquisition or distribution ofelectronic resources that a great deal of the workloadcan be redistributed in the consortium environmentand the needs of all of the parties can be well met.


EDI and Customer SatisfactionLos Angeles County Law LibraryMelody Lembke

Library lingo is full of abbreviations. One of mycurrent favorites is RSS (Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary), which I like to think of as the 21st century SDI (Selective Dissemination ofInformation). Do you know what the abbreviation EDI means? If I had my way, everyone working withlegal publishers would use it in every conversation.As in, “When did you say you would be deliveringmy invoices via EDI?” “I’d love to order that book,but you won’t accept my EDI order.” Or even better,“Sorry I won’t be able to buy that book from youuntil you deliver the invoice via EDI.”

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the computer-to-computer process that allows the exchange ofinformation (called messages) using national andinternational telecommunication systems. Your legalpublisher can send you a message that your libraryacquisitions system can interpret and load. Thereverse is true as well. Why is this important? Mystaff has often heard me joke that I have yet to see a PC that saved a tree or saved my library any labor.Here’s an opportunity for technology to improve ourprocesses. Labor savings is one reason to use EDI, aswell as improved recordkeeping and communicationson both sides of the message.

Take out the Middle ManOur computers should be talking to each otherwithout us having to re-key information. Many of ususe EDI with vendors to place orders, receive invoices,and place claims. Is there a major legal publisher (ourbusiness partners) using EDI with libraries? No.

I remember about five years ago talking to a newhead of customer service at one of the large legalpublishers. He was amazed at how “technologicallybackward” the legal publishing industry is. He hadcome from the manufacturing sector where companiestold their suppliers that if they didn’t use EDI forordering and invoicing, no sale. You and I must havethe legal publications that our professors and patronswant. We know that we can’t say, “Sorry I won’t beable to buy that book from you until you deliver theinvoice via EDI.” So what can we do?

One of the principles delineated in the AALL Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers(www.aallnet.org/products/pub_fair_practices.asp) is“Principle 4: Customer Satisfaction.” Its first twostatements include the following,“… improve productsand service” and “… provide customers with readyand convenient access to information through avariety of channels.”

Although EDI is not mentioned specifically, myinterpretation of these guidelines is that we shouldexpect our legal publishers to try and deliver servicesthat meet their customers’ needs. My most pressingneed as a purchaser of legal materials is to receiveinvoices via EDI. Why? As we all know, a majority of law materials is received on a continuing basis.Have you ever counted how many invoices your staffrecorded and approved during a month? Multipleinvoices equal lots of labor. At the same time thelegal publishers expect us to pay our bills in a timelymanner. Timeliness is one of the publishers’ incentives



to use EDI. If the legal publishers want satisfiedcustomers in the 21st century, I think it’s time theywere expected to use 21st century methods.

It is our responsibility to make sure that the legalpublishers know what we need. The number oneresponse I’ve received from legal publishers is that noone has asked for EDI. If you talk to anyone from alegal publisher, whether it’s a salesperson, in-house

customer service, or the accounting department that is after you for a delayed payment, please mentionEDI. If you want to learn more about EDI and how itworks, please attend the Technical Services SpecialInterest Section forum in San Antonio called “EasyDoes It: EDI Made Simple!” on Sunday, July 17 at11:45 a.m. Check the Annual Meeting PreliminaryProgram for more details.

A tribute is due to those customer servicerepresentatives out there who remain helpful andpositive even though they often find themselvescaught between troubled clients and their sometimesout-of-touch publisher employers. Odds are that whenthe phone rings, they are not expecting good newsbut rather word of a problem that needs fixing. The customer service reps can also find themselves on the receiving end of any latent hostilities createdby misunderstood or frustrating practices of thepublisher. Many are everyday heroes who do the best they can, in spite of their employers.

As a solo librarian with a part-time assistant, I havequickly learned the value of a great customer servicerep. My position is fast paced and interesting,constantly swinging from a variety of administrativework to research projects to everything in-between.Good dependable customer service from publisher repsis critical. I have not always worked for a Midwesternmid-sized law firm. Previously I have held a variety of librarian/researcher positions in New York. Six ofthose 14 years were spent at a large international law firm with a staff of librarians doing reference and technical services. The firm was the land of freepromotional gifts, including slinkies, umbrellas, mugs,bags, stress balls, and notepads. The vendors seemedto have limitless budgets, and customer service repsseemed to be available at every turn.

Things are different here in Omaha. I began thisposition in 2001 as the first librarian in a quickly-expanding law firm. At that time, most of the firm’saccount reps resided in the same city as locallyrepresented publishers like BNA, CCH, West, andMatthew Bender. Now almost four years later, most of the firm’s reps are not even in the same time zone.Currently all but one of our accounts have beentransferred to reps in Illinois, Minnesota, New York,and Ohio, even though the former reps still residelocally. Although I have been able to meet a couple ofthe long-distance reps in person and have been veryfortunate with those assigned to the firm, I remainbaffled by this constant reassignment of rep territories.

Ditch the Paper for a PersonAnother baffling practice of publishers that frustrateslibraries is the repetitious bombardment ofpromotional catalogs and flyers. Time and money is wasted sorting and reviewing the materials as we watch publication costs increase steadily andsignificantly each year. In less than six months Ireceived enough catalogs and flyers from one of themajor publishers to fill a box that originally held 10reams of photocopy paper. Publishers do not alwaysappear to understand that such waste and cost istransparent to its customers and will influence ourpurchasing decisions as well as our dealings with theirrepresentatives. That same amount of effort might bebetter invested in greater customer service support.

Throughout my varied employment I have learnedthat not all accounts are created equal. Publishing is a business, after all, and the bigger-budgetestablishments will be pursued more aggressively andoffered different opportunities. In addition, a smartrep on a big account is going to try and keep thataccount by also remembering that the bigger thebudget, the bigger the client expectations andrewards. Larger institutions and firms are also able to send more librarians to the various nationalconventions and seminars to meet one on one withcompany representatives.

Although vendors and publishers spend a lot of moneyon their many marketing events and promotions, it is stillthe customer service representative who often makes thedifference by the quality of service he or she personallyprovides. For those librarians not working with a biggerbudget, not in close proximity to the publishers and the customer service reps, and not able to get to theconventions, either because of lack of resources orinability to get time away, it can be especially frustrating.

Need for a New Award?I am in search of a way to honor good reps, whileencouraging and rewarding excellent serviceregardless of budget. Here’s a thought. What if AALLsponsored an annual award for the best customerservice representative? The membership could be

A Salute to Great Customer Service RepsKoley Jessen PC, OmahaMaureen O’Riordan


categorized by the budget size (e.g., small, mid-sized,and large), and there would be a winner for eachcategory. Members could nominate favorite reps for theannual contest with statements regarding who wentbeyond the call of duty to serve the client. Submissionscould describe single incidents when a rep worked amiracle or could describe consistently excellent service.Kickbacks disguised as service are not allowed.Submissions would be judged, and the winners of theAALL Customer Service Reps of the Year Award wouldbe honored at the AALL Conference.

There are countless qualities that librarians hope forfrom their reps, but here are just a few possibilities toconsider:

• responds promptly to e-mails and telephone calls;

• knows your account and keeps excellent records,eliminating the need to be reminded of previoustransactions and details;

• suggests ways to cut costs, such as avoidingshipping charges if applicable, and advises ofspecial discount offers for existing publicationsand subscriptions—not just new ones;

• handles problems and issues instead offorwarding you to the appropriate department;

• speaks with the appropriate librarian orpurchasing representative without trying to sell directly to the attorneys or faculty;

• keeps aware of the goings-on of his or her own company; and

• maintains a friendly, positive attitude.

A word of warning—there is the likelihood that yourfavorite rep will be promoted and no longer handleyour account after winning the coveted AALL award.My appreciation for the work of one of our reps wasthe inspiration for this salute to customer service.Soon after I began writing this article, that rep called to tell me that her territory had been changed.Her new accounts are closer to home, they havebigger budgets, and she would be earning moremoney. I am glad that her excellent service to ourfirm is being rewarded, but I have not yet beenassigned a new rep. Currently I am at the mercy ofthe publisher’s general pool of customer serviceassistants at the end of the toll-free telephonenumber. They have been extremely helpful andefficient but it is just not the same.

Perhaps the award idea needs a little tweaking, butthe acknowledgement and encouragement of excellentcustomer service certainly cannot hurt.


Book Dummies: Useful or Obsolete?California Western School of Law Library, San DiegoCarmen Brigandi

Recently I posed a question to the Law-Acq onlinediscussion forum concerning the use of book dummiesin un-classed periodical collections, where thearrangement is alphabetical. I was looking forinformation regarding who used them, in whatcapacity they were being used, and if anyone didaway with the entire process. I also wanted to findout if the library had experienced an American BarAssociation (ABA) inspection since discontinuingusage of the book dummies and if discontinuing thepractice raised any concerns. Below is a summary of the responses, followed by an explanation of howthe question arose in our library.

To begin it might be helpful to analyze the changesthat have occurred when researching the legalperiodical literature. In the past, because of lack ofindexing for many titles, a patron would oftenapproach the literature by topically researchingseveral titles that covered a certain legal area, such as criminology, estate planning, or taxation. Havingthe entire run of a title all together regardless of titlechanges was advantageous, since many times the onlyjournal indexing was within the bound volumes of

the title. In this instance, the use of book dummieshelped the patron find the journal he needed nomatter what the title.

Now, with online indexing, catalogs, and access tojournals, the patron most often accesses journals with a particular citation in hand, therefore eliminatingthe need for a continuous run of a particular title all in one place. Legal periodicals can be arrangedalphabetically by title whenever the title changes. So,since the indexing sources send the patron directly tothe title, having the book dummy seems redundant.

Surprisingly, many libraries still use the book dummy.Responses indicated that many libraries still use themfor title changes where the numbering of the volumesis continued. If the numbering restarts, it is considereda new title and a book dummy is not needed. Somelibraries put the dummy at the end of the old title andat the beginning of the new title, whereas otherlibraries just create a dummy for the end of the oldtitle. (In the latter instance, it would seem to me that itwould confuse the patron if a title doesn’t start withvolume one. The patron would be left wondering whathappened to the beginning of the run.)



The consensus in many libraries was that bookdummies were not needed for minor title changes,such as Detroit Law Review to Detroit Law Journal.Among the reasons given for continuing use ofdummies for title changes was when you purchased a bound run from a jobber. The jobber binds the longrun under the “long running” title, which may be anearlier or later title depending on at what point the runwas bound. The patron could then depend on the bookdummy to locate the volume needed within the run.

Those responding from libraries that no longer usedummies felt that the periodical collection was nolonger a browsing collection, so dummies were notneeded. They felt linking notes in the online catalogwas sufficient to cover the title changes. Some alsomentioned that space consideration played a part intheir decision. Those reporting indicated that patronsdidn’t seem to notice the lack of dummies. Those whohad an ABA inspection since discontinuing dummiessaid that it raised no concerns.

I received some responses with other interesting ways ofusing book dummies. Some were used for the oversizedvolume or when you believe the patron was led to theshelves from a source other than the online catalog.Some used the book dummy for a special collection,such as reference, and some used the book dummy toindicate that the journal was now online and includedthe URL on the book dummy. (This could open a can ofworms if the URL changes, but that’s for another day.)In another instance the dummy was used to show thatthe title has migrated to e-journals or microforms.

Here at California Western, in addition to title changes,we use book dummies for several different situations.One is the JSTOR collection. We created book dummiesfor each title and referred the patron to the URL, aswell as to our virtual library site. We also use dummieswhen older volumes in a set are sent to storage.

Another use is for our popular video and DVDcollection. We started to collect videos and DVDs that feature either courtroom themes or legal issues.The items are stored in reserve, but we created bookdummies with the tape box covers and placed thedummies in a browsing area. Patrons can pull the

dummy and walk it over to the reserve desk to checkthe item out—just like your corner video store. Thedummy is held in reserve until the item is returnedand then re-shelved.

Why Ask the Question?While California Western had always catalogedchanges of title as new bibliographic titles, we hadcontinued, until the mid-’90s, to keep title changesthat continued numbering together on the shelvesunder the latest title. A book dummy was used todirect the patron and staff to shelving location.(Beginning around 1995, we began to shelve the titlesas cataloged with each title under its title at the time,linking the title changes with book dummies.)

In late 2004, we were able to hire temporary staff towork on special projects. One of the projects was torearrange the periodical collection so that all periodicalswere shelved alphabetically under the cataloged title.For the reasons stated above, we felt patrons would bebetter served by an alphabetical arrangement that moreclearly matched citation practice. This change wouldmake many of our existing dummies obsolete andnecessitate new dummies for the title changes. Our staff discussions as to the value of the dummies didn’tlead to a clear consensus, so we thought it might be informative to find out whether other librariescontinued to use book dummies for title changes.

After reflecting on the results of my inquiries, whatdid we decide? Well, we will continue to use the book dummies for title changes and add copiouslinking notes to the bibliographic record. We feel that, while their usefulness has diminished somewhat,book dummies can be helpful to patrons who haveinaccurate citations, are dealing with titles that arenot indexed, or are indeed browsing.

Old habits die hard, but embracing the new seems to be working hand in hand with the old. Generallybook dummies are here to stay, at least in manylibraries, including ours. What did you expect from a librarian? We just want to make sure our patronslocate the materials they seek. User friendly is the key here, as well as offering as many access points as necessary to get the job done.

The last decade has seen an increase in literaturedevoted to the crisis in scholarly communication,both in terms of the scholarly publishing modelsestablished in various disciplines and in terms of the pricing of scholarly journals. The Association of Research Libraries’ Scholarly Publishing andAcademic Resources Coalition (SPARC) was

established in 1997 to promote fundamental changesin the system and culture of scholarly communicationand to encourage cost-effective alternatives to high-priced commercial journals.

Although many law journals are produced by lawschools and sold at relatively inexpensive subscription

SSRN and bepress: A ComparisonUniversity of St. Thomas Schoenecker Law Library, MinneapolisMargie Axtmann


prices, the traditional model of scholarly publicationin student-run law reviews has room for improvement.Two Web-based research services have emerged as the leaders in today’s dynamic legal scholarshipenvironment: the Social Science Research Network’sLegal Scholarship Network and The BerkeleyElectronic Press law journals. Both services responddirectly to the SPARC challenge.

SSRNThe Social Science Research Network (SSRN) wasstarted to provide scholars with a way to share theirresearch and writing in advance of the review andpublication process. Although its parent company is a privately held corporation, it operates as acollaborative effort of academic scholars who volunteertheir services as editors. SSRN provides nine researchnetworks in areas such as law, business, economics,accounting, finance, and management; each network isdirected by one or more academics in a related field.

Several of the SSRN networks would be of interest tolaw libraries, but the Legal Scholarship Network (LSN) is the one most directly relevant to law library usersand legal scholars. It contains a wide variety of legalsubject matter journals, research paper series,professional announcements, and job postings.Individuals can subscribe to LSN; libraries and otherinstitutions can obtain a site license. Each SSRNnetwork’s site license is priced separately and is basedon the number of users that sign up for the service.Throughout the subscription period, the institution’sfaculty, staff, and students can sign up for passwordaccess to the network. When a site license is up forrenewal, SSRN provides the library with a list ofsubscribers to verify. The number of users determines theprice structure for renewing the subscription. Librariesinterested in obtaining site licenses for LSN or any SSRNnetwork must contact SSRN for pricing information.

SSRN serves multiple purposes for libraries andresearchers. First, each subject network is a library of working papers and published articles contributedby scholars worldwide. The library includes anabstract database and a collection of full-text papers.All articles in the SSRN library have an abstract that includes title, author contact and affiliationinformation, publication history, and availability of full text. Clicking on the author’s name in theabstract provides additional information about theauthor, including a list of all abstracts and full-textdocuments in the SSRN system. The electronic papercollection contains more than 60,000 working papersavailable for downloading in Adobe PortableDocument Format (PDF). In some instances SSRN hasentered into partnerships with other publishers and a separate fee is required for access to full text. Thelibrary’s search engine provides access by author,

title, and any words that appear in the text of theabstract. SSRN also provides a list of top 50 authorsand top 10 downloaded papers.

SSRN’s second purpose is to provide scholars with an easy method of distributing their research andworking papers prior to formal publication. Authorssubmit papers to the SSRN library in PDF, supplyingan abstract, contact information, journal citation (foraccepted and forthcoming papers), and informationthat allows the paper to be classified for the relevantSSRN journals. There are clear step-by-step instructions,including guidelines on text preparation andconversion to PDF.

SSRN and LSN also provide an e-mail notificationservice for subscribers. Users can subscribe to all orselected subject matter journals and research papers.The Web site is somewhat cumbersome to navigate forthis purpose, but it is possible to customize personalsubscriptions to particular subject areas or titles.

SSRN has a Partners in Publishing program thatprovides publishers with an opportunity to includeabstracts of their works in the abstract database. Theprogram includes a large number of law school andbar association journals.

bepressThe Berkeley Electronic Press (bepress) was founded byacademics to create a more efficient scholarly publishingmodel. Bepress strives to provide scholars with theopportunity to lead innovation in publishing, lowercosts, and reduce barriers to access. Bepress journals areavailable in four journal groupings: economics, business,and marketing; political science and current affairs;science, technology, and medicine; and law.

Bepress law journals include Global Jurist,International Commentary on Evidence, Muslim WorldJournal of Human Rights, and the Journals of LegalScholarship family (Issues in Legal Scholarship andTheoretical Inquiries in Law). Personal subscriptions are available for $35 per journal. Institutionalsubscriptions are available by site license; annual ratesfor the separate law journals range from $150 to $225.Bepress continues to expand its list of journals andwelcomes proposals for new titles.

Subscribers can search all bepress publications with a simple keyword search or a more advanced searchby author, title, subject area, and individual journal.Each article contains a complete abstract and a linkto the full text in PDF. Subscribers can sign up toreceive e-mail notifications (called “bealert”) fromspecific bepress journals when new articles arepublished. E-mail alerts can also be customized forspecific subject content, and the user can select thefrequency with which to receive them.




Notes of Interest

Bepress journals are refereed, with a goal of rapidpeer review and high quality. Authors submit articlesfor individual bepress journals along with abstracts,keywords, co-author information, and contact details.An Authors and Reviewers Bank helps to streamlinethe process. Authors who have received timelyreviews of their submissions agree to pay back theirdebt by providing the same service for other authors.The average review time is approximately 60 days.

The Berkeley Electronic Press works with institutionalpartners to create digital repositories of scholarlyinformation. One such repository is with the NewEngland Law Library Consortium (NELLCO). The NELLCOLegal Repository contains working papers, colloquia, and lecture series from NELLCO member law schools. The bealert customized e-mail service is availablethrough the NELLCO repository Web site for these papers.

In SumThe Social Science Research Network and The BerkeleyElectronic Press have similar missions (improvingscholarly communication and publication), but theyoffer different services for both authors and libraries.While SSRN primarily provides a mechanism forauthors to share their research in advance of formalpublication elsewhere, bepress publishes originalarticles in its own electronic journals. Both models areimportant alternatives to traditional publishing, andthe quality of the two services has been enhanced by

the competition for authors and subscribers. While theemphasis is on scholarly communication for legaleducation, private law libraries also would do well toconsider the advantages offered by the scope of thesubject content and the variety of publication formats.SSRN and bepress are forward-looking enterprisesthat continue to improve, and the future of scholarlypublishing looks brighter because of their vision.

Additional InformationSocial Science Research Network (SSRN)www.ssrn.comEstablished: 1994Ownership: Social Science Electronic Publishing Inc.

(independent)Chairman: Michael C. JensenPresident: Gregory J. Gordon

The Berkeley Electronic Press (bepress)www.bepress.comEstablished: 1999Ownership: IndependentCo-CEOs: Aaron Edlin and Robert Cooter

Disclaimer: Factual information was derived mainlyfrom the literature and Web sites of the two services,but the author takes full responsibility for any errors.Readers are encouraged to learn more about theseservices by examining the FAQ pages on each Web site and by obtaining trial subscriptions.

CRIV Sponsored Program in San Antonio:“The Guide to Fair Business Practices”:Where Do We Go from Here?CRIV and the Fair Business Practices ImplementationTask Force will sponsor a program at the AnnualMeeting in San Antonio about the AALL Guide toFair Business Practices for Legal Publishers. Duringthis session, panel members Frank Houdek, Kay Todd, and Margaret Axtmann will discuss the futureof the Guide to Fair Business Practices and its use in building relationships between libraries andinformation vendors. The session will explore how to best utilize the Guide in negotiations andrelationships and how to implement the Guide inorder to hold vendors accountable. The program isscheduled for Tuesday, July 19 from 9-10 a.m. Itsalpha-numeric designation is F-4. Check your AnnualMeeting Preliminary Program for more details.—Kevin Butterfield, College of William and Mary

CRIV Tools UpdateRest assured that the CRIV Tools Subcommittee hasbeen working to update some of the more important

elements of the CRIV Tools resources (www.aallnet.org/committee/criv/resources/tools), many of whichhave now been dormant for a couple of years. Afterprioritizing the necessity for updates (and performingthe oft-daunting task of securing volunteers), thework is now under way. Special thanks go to BethDiFelice, of Arizona State’s Ross-Blakley Law Library,and Gail McCain, of Toledo’s Fuller and Henry Ltd.,who have been working diligently to update theVendor Contact Information Grid and the Checklist forthe Negotiation of Internet Subscriptions, respectively.

The subcommittee hopes to have both resources updatedby July 16. In addition, we will strive to update theDivested Titles List. Time permitting, we would also like to make any updates, if necessary, to the LegalPublishers List. If you have any requests, comments, or suggestions (Do you feel our priorities are out ofwhack? Do you have any essential information thatwould aid us in our endeavors? Is there a new CRIVTool that would be a helpful resource?), please feel freeto e-mail Tom Gaylord at [email protected].—Tom Gaylord, Chicago-Kent College of Law Library



Note: Prior to filing a request for assistance, individuals are expected to have made a reasonable attempt toresolve the issue at hand. To avoid duplication of effort, please provide a complete account of your efforts tocommunicate with the vendor. Copies of notes from conversations with the vendor are helpful.

Date: __________________________________________________________________________________

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Please send this form and supporting documentation to:Ellen StrbakCRIV Publisher Communication SubcommitteeAdministrative Office of the U.S. CourtsOne Columbus Circle, N.E.Washington, D.C. 20544 Fax: 202/[email protected]

You may also complete this form online at:www.aallnet.org/committee/criv/publisher_communication/requestform.htm

Request for Assistance: Committee on Relations withInformation Vendors


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