by Sam Wiggins, Europe Chapter, Legal Division

When I finished my library traineeship in a law firm at the end of August 2010, I thought that I had a good understanding of the skill set required to forge a career in the sector. I started my Masters qualification a month later, and continued to consciously think about the tasks required of a professional law librarian, and how best to learn about them during the year (MA qualifications in the UK are an intensive 12 months).

A little over 3 months in, I started to think more abstractly about the profession and its future; more specifically where new professionals fit into the picture. The world of the information professional is fast moving, and the tangible skills we possess need to be constantly updated, but it will be ideas that provide the means to stay ahead of users’ expectations. I fully appreciate that a solid skill set is a must; but it is the less tangible ideas that will shape how these are implemented in the future.

As a new professional I have less practical experience than most, and my perceptions of what the profession can offer to its users are still being formulated, but I do not look on this as a disadvantage. In fact, be prepared to challenge yourself whenever your perceptions of the profession become static, as it instantly stunts the opportunity for creativity, passion and the possibility of moving forward. Occasionally ideas can result in suggestions that may seem implausible at first, but often they can be implemented with a little time and thought. As a new professional, the challenge is to check this sense of aspiration against practicality, without diminishing these ideas. Aims will occasionally need to be scaled down to match solutions that can be realised, but those ideas can still be the start of something. It can be as small as questioning an established practice, or providing a sense of enthusiasm that filters throughout a team inspiring others.

When I enter my first professional post in September, I will lack the experience of other members of the team, but hope to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the table. Being Future Ready is therefore not only about the organisation itself but the people within it. And my suggestion as to what you can do to be future ready? Ask a young member of the team how they perceive issues. Encourage them to come out of their shell. The current crop of new professionals will become future leaders and managers; why not start to nurture them now, passing on that experience, blending it with the enthusiasm we have? Who knows, something magical might come out of that two way dialogue.

Samuel Wiggins is currently studying for his MA Librarianship at the University of Sheffield and upon graduation will take up the position of Information Officer for a London law firm. He can be found on Twitter (@LibWig)and writes a blog at libwig.wordpress.com.

by Bacilio Mendez, New York Chapter, Legal Division

When I began library school, dare I say, in earnest, I had grand notions of one day being either a performing or visual arts librarian/archivist–it just made sense; I had majored in modern dance at Oberlin College and, at the time, was working as a junior fashion editor at JCK Magazine. I thought that I had found my niche.

So there I was, chugging along, half-way through the graduate degree program at Pratt Institute’s School of Information and Library Science (SILS), minding my own business, when the magazine job which I was incredibly thankful to have landed, as it helped fund one-third of my degree, suddenly wanted to send me abroad to scout the latest in watch and jewelry trends at BASELWORLD – The Watch and Jewelry Show. I was ecstatic! (Who wouldn’t be?) But with the time difference, phenomenal jet-lag, and a tight editorial deadline looming, I completely missed my registration time for the following semester.

On my way back stateside, I recall sitting in a Swiss airport and thinking I could always sweet-talk my way into “something better,” as I nonchalantly registered for Contemporary Issues in Law Librarianship. I clicked “add” simply to have the hours necessary to qualify as a full-time student so that I could get my financial aid and didn’t give the class a second thought.

Later on, when it became clear that I was not going to be able to “drop” the class and that I was stuck, I figured that I would keep my head down, grit my teeth, try to do my best, and deal with getting my first mediocre grade in graduate school. Once the class got going, however, I never gave the performing/visual arts a second thought. I could get more into my conversion, but I digress. I have another story to tell.

The first library conference that I attended was a requirement for students in Contemporary Issues in Law Librarianship and just happened to be held on the campus of a very prestigious law school that shall remain nameless. It was my second year of study at Pratt SILS and, as I hinted at earlier, I had only just discovered law librarianship as a career path. I had stumbled into law librarianship, but wanted to fully immerse myself so I went to this conference wide eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to take feverish notes.

I was astounded by how knowledgeable every speaker at the conference seemed, how long every panel title was, and within minutes was convinced that I had found “my people.” That is, until the last session of the last day.

The Director [hereinafter, TD], of the law library of the prestigious law school, was schedule to give a talk on library security, which I thought would focus on loss prevention, but ended up turning into TD spouting on about the greatness of the prestigious law school’s prestigious library. I forgave the posturing and puffery as simply what library director’s tend to do, but after a few minutes I found that TD was not one of my people, was someone that I would never count among my people, and even considered nominating TD to be brought before the council that I knew in my heart of hearts must exist simply to strip librarians who have lost their way of their library cards.

I actually found myself wanting to hiss during TD’s lengthy speech because of the air that TD took when speaking about the “homeless issue” that the prestigious law school had and how the worst part of TD’s job was “dealing with” said “homeless issue.” At one point, TD even went into great detail about how offended he was by one homeless “patron’s” odor [I would like to point out that TD actually made "air quotes" around the word "patron" several times when speaking so they are used in the previous sentence to demonstrate TD's disdain, not my personal feelings for homeless patrons.] and how happy TD was when the winter months “shooed the problem away to a local shelter.” What I would have given for a tomato at that very moment.

Now, as I have made exceedingly clear, this conference was being held on the campus of a prestigious law school. At this point, you may, as I was, be asking yourself: “If this is such a prestigious law school, such a hallowed institution, how does a homeless person get into the law library to begin with?” A brilliant question…which went unasked. I, myself, was both too unnerved and too aware of how “inappropriate” it would be to call out TD, on their own campus. To this day I regret not seizing the opportunity, but thankfully there were enough comrades in arms giving me knowing, and calming, sideways glances for me to know that TD was to be pitied more than vilified.

To further compound my annoyance, TD actually answered the very question that was giving me an ulcer. TD pointed out that part of the prestigious library’s brilliant security plan was that no one could gain entry to the library without being a current student, faculty member, or the holder of an alumni id card which carries a substantial yearly maintenance fee.

I was livid, but still held my tongue. Instead, I wrote on the panel comment card something like the following: “Perhaps TD should be more concerned that graduates of your prestigious law school are HOMELESS and less concerned with ‘library security.’ My guess is that homeless patrons would rather not smell, be characterized as the worst part of anyone’s job, or BE HOMELESS AT ALL. A little compassion and empathy would go a long way on both sides of this equation!”

Having since worked alongside pro se litigants at both the King’s County Supreme Court Law Library of the New York State Unified Court System and the Law Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. I think back on TD’s talk on “library security” quite often and I laugh because TD’s short talk taught me more lessons than any graduate school class could ever hope to impart.

I learned that:

• the job of a law librarian–public access, academic, and corporate alike–must be viewed as equal parts librarian, social worker, and therapist (or hair stylist, if you prefer).
• compassion and empathy are often more useful, and perhaps more often employed, than knowledge of the law and that when that is forgotten it is time to no longer be a law librarian.
• law librarianship is not for the faint of the heart, for those that need constant praise, or for the TDs of the world.
• law librarianship should be left to those more like Aisha A. Harvey, Chip Ward, Linda Tashbook, and Joshua Jackson.
• I have to be more fiercely protective of the patrons I serve than the profession itself because without them there is no profession.
• to be Future Ready, we must all realize that the problem is not the homeless.

Bacilio Mendez II is a graduate of Pratt Institute’s School of Information and Library Science where he served the King’s County Supreme Court Law Library of the New York State Unified Court System as the 2010 Nathan R. Sobel Law Library Fellow. Bacilio currently attends New York Law School, is the sitting Chair of both the SLA-NY & SLA Legal Division Diversity Committees, and is also Co-Chair of the SLA GLBT Issues Caucus.

by Kama Siegel, Oregon Chapter, Solo Librarians Division

Without being overly derivative of all of the posters who have come before me, I’m going to discuss many of the themes you’ve heard throughout the life of this blog. Except that I’m going to apply it to recent events in my own professional life by making it into a story. Don’t worry, though, the themes will be easy to spot.

Once upon a time, I was content — if a teeny bit bored — at my position as a law librarian at a mid-sized firm. Particularly in this economy, in the extremely competitive city of Portland, Oregon, I counted myself lucky to have a job at all. But I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to be a law librarian for the rest of my career.

Someone close to me has a position in a small company whose mission and structure I admire very much. After a few years, I decided I wanted to also work at this company, so I set about figuring out how. (Theme #1: be proactive!) I had met the president of the company a few times at non-work events, and had actually gone in and spoken to a few staff members about how to maximize their use of social media. (Theme #2: show them your “extra” — thanks, Thomas Friedman!)

Then a setback: they didn’t think they’d have money in the budget to hire me until the beginning of 2012. (Theme #3: be flexible!) I dug into my duties at the law firm with renewed vigor (Theme #4: give your very best service to your patrons!) and waited to hear from the other company. A few weeks later, I got a call from the CFO, asking me if I’d like to come in and talk to him about a different project, one for which I had very little experience. (Theme #3 again.)

Long story short, I was able to convince the CFO that I could without a doubt do this extra project about which I knew next to nothing (Theme #6: be confident! Also, Theme #7: step outside your comfort zone!). Successful completion of the project will subsequently make me indispensable to the company, and we will live happily ever after (Theme #8: be optimistic!).

The purpose of this post is not to toot my own horn about my new position, but rather to illustrate that taking on an opportunity that drops into your lap = future ready. Being willing — note that I do not use the word “unafraid” — to dive into unfamiliar territory = future ready. Knowing you can machete your way through that territory = future ready. And in my case, plunging my career into glorious chaos = future ready (Theme #9: blaze your own trail!)

Kama Siegel is the President of the Oregon chapter. She recently left her stable, cushy, 16-year career in the legal field to plunge headlong into the unknown at Alta Planning & Design in Portland, Oregon.

Karen Sawatzky, Librarian, Tapper Cuddy LLP, Winnipeg, MB

Reposted with permission from Slaw.

Everyone’s talking about the future. From LegalTech New York, where the closing keynote was the practice of law in 2020, to IT’s role in the library of the future, and SLA’s FutureReady365 blog. It’s interesting to be reading about predictions on where our profession may be going. One document I came across a while ago was the Association of Research Libraries’ 2030 Scenarios : A User Guide for Research Libraries. I started reading it (it’s 92 pages!) to see if it had any application for a law firm library.

Can you imagine the world in 2030? I can’t, but the ARL Scenarios do. It’s not quite the future that I would like to see, but then, is the present what anyone predicted 20 years ago? The scenarios envision a world where researchers are free agents, and universities scramble for funding. (Hmm…how is that different from today, at least the second part?) There are four scenarios presented: Research Entrepreneurs, Reuse and Recycle, Disciplines in Charge, and Global Followers. Each one outlines a particular day in the life of a star researcher, Hannah Chen. The world is described slightly differently in each scenario, but varies on the theme that government funding of universities will dry up, mainly due to declining tax revenues, universities will seek more partnerships with businesses, and both students and faculty will be competing for meaningful positions.

So what are the strategic implications of these scenarios? Scenario 1: Research Entrepreneurs, resonated the most with me. Note the following strategic question that arose:

How do we begin now to develop the library professional of the future – a highly capable and credible service provider who can work directly with researchers with data preparation and curation capabilities? What skills are we currently developing in our library professionals that may not be valued in the future? (p. 39)

Replace “researcher” with “lawyer”, and we’re already at this scenario, at least regarding data preparation and curation capabilities (think compiling case law on a point of law, and determining which resources have the authority to be used to develop an argument). As to the skills we’re currently developing that may not be valued in the future – how about some of the audiovisual equipment training! All kidding aside, most of the skills I have are transferable across many occupations, and even something as library-specific as cataloguing can be useful in cross-training to write computer languages.

So how does this relate to the law firm library of the future? I’ve been thinking a lot about the physical space necessary to define the library of the near future, say in the next five years or so. My current space is fairly traditional – lots of shelving for (mostly) reporting series that are no longer collected, and a small work area. I haven’t quite figured out what is the best use of the space if I had the opportunity to renovate. Should there be more social areas, equipped with comfortable chairs and tables, to encourage use of the library as a place to meet and discuss? Or should it be a quiet area, where lawyers can review the resources they need without being disturbed? My personal preference is to see the space become more conducive to conversation – kind of like the lawyers’ lounge without the bar.

There have been a number of discussions of law library space recently. I especially enjoyed Louis Mirando’s posts, Rebuilding a Law School Library. Any ideas on what the future holds for law libraries? Will private firms outsource part or all of them? Or will it be a competitive advantage to house your own knowledge management team? What skills will we need? What does 2030 look like to you?

Karen Sawatzky is a law librarian at a business law firm in Winnipeg, MB. She is passionate about marketing and personal brand building.