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[firstname], Foreign and Int'l Law SIS volunteers needed

Roger Skalbeck - noemail@llsdc.org — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:55:23 GMT

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Hello [firstname],

This message is being sent through the LLSDC website intended for all Foreign and International SIS members. Is there anybody in the SIS who is interested in helping chair or co-chair the Foreign and International SIS? Alternately, is there somebody willing to set up one or more programs for the coming year?

Hearing from other board members, the Foreign and International SIS has not been very active in recent months and years. Possibly that's fine with members, but I want to make an effort to help develop activities and foster communication if there's interest.

As a member of the Foreign and International SIS, each of you paid dues to LLSDC. These dues are made available to each SIS to cover programming and related costs.

Please contact me if you're interested in helping run the SIS or its activities. If any of you feel that there's not a continuing need to sustain a separate SIS focused on Foreign and International topics, contact me directly.

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to a productive year. Expect an LLSDC-wide newsletter update on upcoming activities and news later this month.

Take care,

Roger V. Skalbeck
Presient, LLSDC 2010-2011

Associate Law Librarian
Georgetown Law Library

Stay up to date with our RSS feeds.

12-Aug-11 2:55 PM

[firstname] [lastname], ILL Leadership volunteer needed

Roger Skalbeck - noemail@llsdc.org — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:42:58 GMT

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Hello [firstname],

I'm sending this letter to what is hopefully all registered members of LLSDC's Interlibrary Loan SIS. We have found one volunteer to help chair the SIS for the current year, and he's looking for a co-chair or another volunteer to help coordinate events and activities this year.

Steven Shearer, Interlibrary Loan/Circulation Coordinator, Steptoe and Johnson, is willing to chair or co-chair the ILL SIS. Please contact Steven if you're interested in helping run this active and important SIS. His email is: SShearer@steptoe.com

If you're unable to help chair but you have ideas for things to do this year, I'm sure Steven would appreciate the suggestions and any offer to help.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer, and look forward to an update on activities in the next LLSDC newsletter I'll send out later this month.

Take care,

- Roger V. Skalbeck
President, LLSDC, 2011-2012

Associate Law Librarian
Georgetown Law Library

12-Aug-11 2:42 PM

The 2010-2011 Year

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Thanks to the candidates in this years election, and congratulations to the newly elected board members. The Closing Reception will be on May 18 at the CUA Law School, with special guest speaker, Jon Garcia of ABC News. We are grateful to Westlaw for their generous sponsorship of this event.

I am grateful to the many volunteers who have made this year a success. We are fortunate to have so many talented, energetic, and dedicated people as members of the Society.

11-May-11 1:00 PM

Events for May 2011

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:00:00 GMT

The Town Hall meeting was a great success. More than 40 members joined the Board and AALL Board Member Donna Williams for a review of LLSDC and AALL over the past year.

This year’s election will be held from April 15 through May 9. You will receive an email with voting information. For a list of candidates and their biographies, visit the Election Committee’s web site.

Our Closing Reception will be held in the latter half of May. We will welcome new board members, and pass the gavel to President-Elect Sara Sampson. Watch the web site and listserv for further details.

12-Apr-11 3:00 PM

Looking Ahead to April

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Looking to attend the AALL annual meeting this year? AALL has provided LLSDC with grant funds to pay the registration fee for one of our members. April 1 is the deadline for applying for this scholarship, and for all other LLSDC scholarships. More information is available on the Scholarships Committee web page.

On April 4, Jenner & Block will host our annual Town Hall Meeting. This is your chance to meet the current board and learn more about how LLSDC functions. Our guest speaker is AALL Board Member Donna Williams, who will update us on AALL events and issues.

The annual LLSDC election will begin in April. Please watch the web site and your email for information about candidates and voting.

19-Mar-11 12:00 PM

Training and Education Programs

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 20:00:00 GMT

In our continuing effort to respond to the needs of our members, LLSDC has added a third training session on FDsys, the new online database for government documents, hosted by the Government Printing Office. Per GPO rules, training sessions can be held only at depository libraries. Our thanks go out to the staffs at Georgetown’s Law Library, George Washington’s Gelman Library, and American University’s Law Library for hosting these sessions. If you haven’t attended already, your next chance is on March 9 at American University’s Pence Law Library.

Also in March, the Legal Research Institutes will be offered at Georgetown’s Law Library. Day One covers primary and secondary sources. Day Two covers more advanced topics. Space is limited for this popular program, so register today.

19-Feb-11 2:00 PM

Events in January 2011

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:00:00 GMT

January promises to be a busy month for LLSDC with several terrific programs planned. This year’s Sandy Peterson lecture features Arnold P. Lutzker, who is an expert on copyright and licensing issues facing libraries. The Private Law Libraries SIS is sponsoring a training session for FDSys, the Federal Digital System that is replacing GPO Access. The Federal Law Libraries SIS is hosting Q&A with FLICC/FEDLINK Executive Director, Blane Dessy. All of these programs are open to all members. Check our calendar for additional events and programs.

15-Jan-11 12:00 PM

Nominations and Elections

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:00:00 GMT

The mid-term elections may be over, but LLSDC elections are just getting started. We are looking for volunteers to work on the Nominations Committee or to run for office. The Nominations Committee prepares the slate of candidates for the 2011 election. Candidates are needed for the following positions:

Vice President / President Elect (3 year term)
Assistant Treasurer / Treasurer (2 year term)
Corresponding Secretary (2 year term)
Board Member at Large (2 year term)

Usually individuals nominated for these positions have, through previous SIS or committee work, established their potential for senior leadership. Self nominations are welcome! Please contact Corresponding Secretary Matt Braun (mbra@loc.gov or 202-707-3190) to work on the committee, run for office, or if you have any questions.

13-Nov-10 12:00 PM

Keeping Up with LLSDC

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:00:00 GMT

Want to be notified when new content is added to llsdc.org? Subscribe to RSS feeds for the most recent LLSDC calendar events, job postings, articles, and more. A list of all available feeds is located on the membership homepage. You can subscribe to all of the feeds, or just a few. Just click the link for RSS Feeds on the left-side menu bar.

You can also follow LLSDC activities and issues of interest to law librarians by following our Twitter feed, or joining us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

13-Oct-10 2:00 PM

ALL-SIS Picnic

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:00:00 GMT

This annual event for members of the Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section takes place on November 3 at the George Washington University Law School. Come and kick off the new year with your colleagues. More information is available on the calendar.

13-Oct-10 2:00 PM

Opening Reception

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:00:00 GMT

The Opening Reception will be on Wednesday, September 22, from 5:30 to 7:30, at Bryan Cave. Additional information and registration is available online (http://www.llsdc.org/en/cev/264). Please come and meet the new board, SIS presidents, and committee and focus group chairs. Thank you to Lexis-Nexis for sponsoring this event.

15-Sep-10 11:00 AM

Volunteers Needed

Christine Ciambella - noemail@llsdc.org — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:00:00 GMT

We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill

LLSDC runs on the strength of its many dedicated volunteers. Please consider joining your fellow members and supporting the many programs and services that we provide. Most volunteers agree that you will get more from the experience than you give.

Volunteers are most urgently needed for the following SISs and Committees, but other opportunities exist. For more information, please contact Christine Ciambella, LLSDC President, at christine.ciambella@gmail.com

Arrangements Committee - planning membership-wide events throughout the year. Tasks include finding event locations, coordinating with vendors, managing registration, and other duties. Contact committee chair, Pamela Lipscomb.
Education Committee - planning education programs. Tasks include choosing program topics, finding speakers, and managing the events. Contact committee chair, Todd Venie.
Law Library Lights - be a part of this award-winning publication by working on articles and assisting with advertising and administrative duties. We would also like someone with MS Publisher experience to work on the layout and graphic design. Contact editor, Ripple Weistling.
ILL-SIS - planning programs and managing resources that librarians use to assist one another in locating information. Contact SIS president, Renee Talley-Cuthbert.
Academic SIS - planning programs and events of interest to librarians working in law school libraries. Contact SIS president, Mary Kate Hunter.
Private Law Libraries SIS - assist with planning programs and events of interest to librarians working in private law libraries. Contact SIS president, Margaret Bartlett.

13-Aug-10 10:00 AM

2010 Federal Law Librarians' Conference

Jennifer McMahan - noemail@llsdc.org — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:00:00 GMT

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!

27-Apr-10 4:00 PM

LLSDC Dues Help for Unemployed Members

Frances Brillantine - noemail@llsdc.org — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:00:00 GMT

To help in these tough times, LLSDC is offering a discounted membership rate for current LLSDC members who are recently unemployed. The discounted membership appears as an "Active" membership but is billed at the student rate ($25 instead of $50). The discounted rate is good through May 31, 2011. Unemployed LLSDC members should contact Frances Brillantine (brillantine@law.edu) to sign up.

16-Apr-10 6:00 AM

Bloomberg Law Brown Bag

Margaret M. Bartlett - noemail@llsdc.org — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

On March 18th, Bloomberg Law hosted the LLSDC's monthly Brown Bag Meeting at the Bloomberg Washington News Bureau.

The presentation topic covered Bloomberg Law,(www.bloomberglaw.com) the newly released research platform designed for law firms and inhouse counsel. Led by Product Manager, Michael Montalto the topic focused on the capability and functionality of Dockets on Bloomberg Law. This includes integrated dockets from news, search and litigation profiles. Shawn Meehan, a Risk & Compliance Legal Analyst with Bloomberg Law discussed plans for expanding and enhancing the legislative and regulatory functionality and content.

Finally, Bloomberg Law offered trial licenses to all of the attendees who were interested in arranging onsite training and research assistance.

29-Mar-10 11:00 AM

Federal SIS and Legislative SIS program on "Lost Laws"

Jennifer McMahan - noemail@llsdc.org — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

The LLSDC Legislative SIS and Federal SIS co-hosted a very successful program on February 23rd called: "Lost Laws: What We Can't Find in the United States Code." The brown bag lunch program conducted by Will Tress, Law Library Director and Assistant Professor at the University of Baltimore and held at Troutman Sanders, was attended by 33 people. Professor Tress gave an excellent discussion on conducting official and essential research on the U.S. Code for federal statutory law research. He focused on finding laws hidden in notes and appendices that the average researcher may not look at. It was a very informative and well-received program.

9-Mar-10 11:00 AM

Franklin Square Group hosts speaker from Questel

Jennifer McMahan - noemail@llsdc.org — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:00:00 GMT

The Franklin Square group hosted a lunch at Paul Hastings on February 4th. The guest speaker was Victoria Barnes from Questel-Digipat. Questal is a database service focused on international patent and trademark information (but not copyright information) and it features databases covering 85 patent and trademark authorities around the world. It can be searched by various languages, by invention-specific family, and by numerous other categories. If you would like a copy of the PowerPoint that was sent to attendees, please contact Ann Green (agreen@sonnenschein.com) or Scott Larson (SLarson@bdlaw.com).

12-Feb-10 4:00 PM

Federal Librarians SIS Co-Sponsors Talk with Roberta Shaffer

Jennifer McMahan - noemail@llsdc.org — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:00 GMT

The LLSDC Federal SIS and the Federal Library and Information Center Committee’s (FLICC) Human Resources Working co-sponsored a Learning @ Lunch talk on November 5, 2009. The guest speaker was Roberta Shaffer, Law Librarian of Congress. The topic of the session was competencies needed by Federal Law Librarians in today's workplace.

Ms. Shaffer started the discussion on competencies by tracing the development of the GS pay system from its inception in the early 1950s to its present and future evolution into a new system based on performance. The original GS system, static and based on the premise of vertical mobility within the work environment, does not adequately encompass the skills of today's librarians. We’re now working in a dynamic environment and need to utilize an ever-increasing number of skills. These skill sets or competencies cannot be adequately measured by the old GS grading scales. The term "complexitivity" would be appropriate to define these competencies. Complexitivity, defined as a dynamic system, influenced and impacted by constantly changing forces, describes the role of today's librarian.

In looking at the future of the profession, FLICC developed the Federal Librarian Competencies to define the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform successfully as a federal librarian. The Federal Librarian Competencies, which can be found on the FLICC Web page (http://www.loc.gov/flicc/publications/Lib_Compt/Lib_Compt_Oct2008.pdf), although not yet officially recognized by OPM, have been successfully used by a number of Federal librarians in classifying positions, writing position descriptions, and negotiating for classification changes.

The discussion of both the history of the federal pay system and the FLICC competencies was thought-provoking, as Ms. Shaffer challenged the group to think about how our roles have changed and how they will continue to change in the future.

28-Jan-10 9:00 AM

Joint Spring Workshop

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:45:00 GMT

Save the date for the

2010 Joint Spring Workshop:

360º Marketing: Selling Libraries to both Users and Decision-Makers

Date: April 27, 2010

Time: 8:30am – 4:00pm

Location:

Library of Congress Mumford Room in the Madison Building

Featured Speaker:

Katya Andresen, Author of "Robin Hood Marketing: stealing corporate savvy to sell just causes"

Joint Spring Workshop Grants

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:00:00 GMT

I am pleased to announce that the LLSDC Scholarship and Grants Committee is offering up to 5 grants for the upcoming Legal Research Institute. Because the Institute is in March we have a special deadline for applications for this program. All applications must be submitted to me by noon on February 5.

Applications are available at http://www.llsdc.org/en/cms/?78

They can be e-mailed to me at shererjm@state.gov or faxed to 202-647-2971.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Joan Sherer

202-647-1146

shererjm@state.gov

27-Jan-10 1:00 PM