In April 2010, the Department of Justice, the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court co-hosted the first ever Federal Law Librarians’ Conference. Previously, the Justice Libraries had held internal conferences for the DOJ librarians in 2006 and 2008. Following a discussion at the Federal Law Librarians Caucus meeting at AALL in 2009, it became apparent that the existing conferences held by the major library associations were not meeting the needs of federal law and intelligence librarians. It was then that Blane Dessy, Director of the Justice Libraries, and other federal law librarians decided to expand the 2010 conference to include participants from other federal libraries. A committee from the three host sites spent several months planning a three-day conference that would provide training and professional development opportunities for both librarians and technicians.
The first day of the 2010 conference was held at the Robert F. Kennedy/Main Justice Building and included a number of engaging and informative presentations. Dan Olson, the FBI’s Cryptanalysis Unit Chief gave a talk titled, “Use of Complex Codes & Ciphers by Criminals.” His riveting presentation focused on criminals' use of books and novels to make complex codes and ciphers to secretly communicate with each other. He even led the group in several exercises to demonstrate the process by which criminal codes are cracked by his unit. David Livermore, author of Leading with Cultural Intelligence, introduced the cultural intelligence model, sharing some of the research findings about the successes experienced by individuals and agencies that lead with cultural intelligence and how to apply this information to an organization. Pamela Bruner, a business success coach, presented an interactive Communication Styles Workshop that educated the attendees in how to communicate more effectively with others, including how to get rid of obstacles, like negative emotions, that may impact this process.
We also had several “practitioner” programs on the first day, including “New Gems and Forgotten Favorites - Ready Reference Websites We Love,” presented by USAO librarian Mable HofflerPage, DOJ librarian Jan Oberla, and DEA librarian RoseMary Russo. Justice Librarians Bridget Gilhool and Jennifer McMahan teamed up with USAO librarian June VanWingen for a practical presentation on “Public Records Resources.” In addition, Peggy Tuten, a CIA librarian, shared with attendees information regarding an intelligence tool, called OpenSource.gov, which contains translations and analysis of foreign media. Dennis Feldt, Paul Cantwell, and Maria Walls, from the Justice Libraries staff, provided tips and information on Interlibrary Loan Service and improving access and communications for patrons and staff.
The first day concluded with a reception honoring the 2010 Berrien Award winners. The purpose of the award is to recognize a Department of Justice employee for his/her active and sustained support of the mission and goals of the Department of Justice libraries. John M. Berrien was the Attorney General in 1831 when he was granted $500 for the purchase of books for his office. His purchases were the beginning of the existence of the DOJ Libraries. Two individuals received the award this year, Diane Cochuyt, Human Resources Specialist, Justice Management Division, Human Resources Staff and Daniel Crane-Hirsch, Trial Attorney, Civil Division, Office of Consumer Litigation. The reception also honored those Department employees who contributed to legal scholarship. We were delighted to have Lee Lofthus, Assistant Attorney General for Administration, join us to present the awards to Ms. Cochuyt and Mr. Crane-Hirsch, as well as make remarks recognizing the DOJ authors.
The second day of the conference was held at the Library of Congress. We started the day with futurist Andy Hines who spoke on the topic, “New Dimensions of Consumer Life and What it Means for Law Librarians.” This interactive session featured an overview of research on key changes shaping consumer life and how those changes affect consumer needs and how this impacts libraries. Also on day two, we were very fortunate to hear from Dr. Elizabeth White, Deputy Director and Chief Historian of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions section (formerly Office of Special Investigations). Dr. White’s presentation, “The Role of Historians in the Justice Department’s Pursuit of Nazi Persecutors and Human Rights Violators in the United States,” was one of the highlights of the conference. Her office has been recognized as the world’s most successful law enforcement effort devoted to pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of Nazi crimes in the past 30 years. A key factor in its success has been its use of historians as investigators, not only of Nazi criminals but also of the perpetrators of more recent genocides and crimes against humanity. Following Dr. White, we heard from Dr. Edna Reid who discussed her transition from librarian to FBI analyst. Dr. Reid discussed how and why intelligence analysis is a natural career path for information professionals. The second day concluded with a presentation by Law Library of Congress staff on the library and its special collections items. The day ended with tours of the LC preservation lab or the Folger Library.
The final day, held at the Supreme Court, included a special lecture in the courtroom by the Curator’s staff, followed by a session on “Talented Teams - Harnessing Pitch, Tone, Melody, and Harmony,” presented by Roberta Shaffer, Law Librarian of Congress, and federal law librarian Michele Masias. Using the Three Tenors as an example, the session focused on techniques for maximizing the diversity of talents and insights when working in a group. The conference concluded with a much-anticipated Q & A session with Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Through a series of questions submitted by the attendees, Justice Sotomayor provided some insight into both her work and private life. A warm and engaging speaker, she both entertained and inspired the audience. When asked about people who have influenced her life, she stated that throughout her life there had always been people along the way, including teachers and colleagues, who helped and guided her. She said that when people are “giving” of themselves in this way, it has a great impact on other people, and on the world.
The conference planners are already talking about dates for the 2012 Federal Law and Intelligence Librarians’ Conference, which Justice Libraries’ Director Blane Dessy promises will be “bigger and better” than 2010!
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12-Apr-13
