Today we, Future Ready 365 and On Firmer Ground, are posting the same piece to demonstrate the collaboration we both highly value. Both blogs strive to share proactive solutions and innovative ideas to illustrate how to keep information professionals vital, ready for the future and on firmer ground.

by Joan Thomas, Heart of America Chapter, Legal Division

Newsletters are an effective tool to communicate information to users while promoting the library’s value. How do you make a newsletter Future Ready? At Bryan Cave LLP, the library staff struggled to consistently produce office specific newsletters. It became increasingly more difficult to find the time and enthusiasm to create content for subsequent issues. We needed a streamlined collaboration that evenly distributed the work between several offices. We needed to connect with attorneys and staff at offices with no library staff presence. We also wanted to drive users to the library’s page on eCave2, the firm’s Intranet. Our challenge was to determine how we could join forces to collaborate on a firmwide e-newsletter to highlight new subscriptions and interesting legal news.

In early 2010, we formed a committee to organize the work flow, design the template, and determine how to connect the newsletter to the library’s page. We wanted news blurbs that were short bursts of information. We decided to publish the newsletter every 3 weeks. Each reference librarian and library manager is responsible for contributing articles on a rotating basis. The team for each issue consists of three librarians. One of the three librarians serves as the editor. We posted a schedule to eCave2. The schedule ensures that we share responsibility.

Committee members worked with Creative Services to design the template. We wanted the newsletter to look modern and to reflect the firm’s design aesthetic. We wanted the contents inside the body of the email (no more attached PDFs). Our library’s logo is included. The library staff voted to determine the favorite, which we continue to use today.

Finally, how should we connect the newsletter to the library’s page? A Future Ready newsletter should be connected to the library’s online presence. The firm’s Intranet operates on SharePoint. As the library staff experimented with SharePoint in 2009, they started adding news posts to a section of the library’s page which is very similar to an internal blog. This seemed like a natural place to post the articles. During each three week period, the designated authors create content to post to the blog which we named L&RS News. The editor then selects 4-6 articles to include in the newsletter which is distributed to the entire firm. The newsletter includes links back to L&RS News on the library’s page. We named the newsletter in the KNOW which is a natural extension of our Just Say KNOW branding.

Measuring success is an ongoing endeavor. We continue to receive positive comments which sometimes include reference requests. The newsletter increased the library’s profile in offices with no library presence. The library is doing a solid job broadcasting information to our users. Our next Future Ready task is to shift from broadcasting information to initiating conversations with users. What can we do besides face to face communication? We are exploring how to use social media tools to engage with attorneys and staff.

Joan serves as the Manager of Library and Research Services for Bryan Cave LLP’s Kansas City office. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kansas and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Missouri.  She can be found on twitter (@msjoanthomas).

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 Robert Guerrero, Philadelphia Chapter, Legal Division

In 2002, I attended my first SLA Annual Conference in Los Angeles where I took in a session discussing a device fresh to market, the Sony eReader. Much of the debate centered on its shortcomings and deficiencies, and ultimately on its greatest flaw…. it wasn’t a book! Yet, I remember leaving that conference thinking the ebook was something to keep an eye on for The Future.

Hello Future! In April 2011, CNN reported that ebook sales topped paperbacks for the first time in history. All the major book retailers have released their own e-book readers, and those that were late to market (i.e. Borders), fell victim to this tsunami of sea change. But what does this mean for my users in the legal profession? How can I assist them in this great transition? Being ready for the future requires investigation, preparation and (ultimately) implementation.

First, it is important to know what your users are using. For me, I prefer to engage my users in casual conversations in the elevator or by the water cooler. Do you use an ereader? Which kind? What do you think? What are the pluses and minuses? But this may only scratch the surface of potential adopters. I also bring this up during training sessions. This forum allows us to get into more of the technical aspects. But to really conduct a full investigation, a formal survey is the best route. I make it a part of summer and fall associate orientation. Hard data on what tools users are using is gold for preparing for the next step.

It is also important to know if the information your users use and need is available in their preferred format. In the legal industry, electronic book content is growing at an exponential rate. For example, the number of legal ebooks available through Lexis has more than doubled in just the last three months alone! And if the content isn’t yet available, let your publishers know. Will this reduce the amount of print materials required in the library? How does licensing and access work in this new medium? These are questions worth asking and answering. Your users will certainly want to know before fully embracing any new format.

Finally, it is important to know where and how it will be used. Can ebook readers be taken into court? Can these devices replace cumbersome print source materials such as rules, codes, and case notebooks? Before implementation can be realized, many of these questions need to be addressed. But as we move along during this transition from a print to a shared print/electronic medium, many questions remain. Taking the time to investigate and prepare are key to the implementation process and to ensuring that information professionals lead the way as books become more compact, digital and accessible to our users.

Robert Guerrero is the library manager at the law firm of Richards, Layton & Finger in Wilmington, DE, He is the current president of the Philadelphia Chapter of SLA, and a member of the Legal Division and Baseball Caucus. He can be reached at guerrero@rlf.com.

by Jessica King, Kentucky and Philadelphia Chapters, Legal Division

Ever since SLA in June the word, “align” has been stuck in my head. I feel like I’ve heard it in presentations, read it in blog posts and I have been using it more than ever. I’m not sure if it is the case or not but I’m going to credit this to some kind of conference osmosis. Aligning what I do with my firm’s goals establishes myself as an essential resource to my firm and is one way I can be Future Ready.

Recently my firm launched an initiative to establish standardized practices and create more efficiencies in workflow in order to provide better service. To ensure that it doesn’t die the way some (most?) initiatives tend to in law firms, management has worked closely with administrative staff, IT, marketing and the library to create and promote new workflows/ideas. I have learned more about how my firm operates and wishes to operate in the future. With this knowledge, I have also taken the advice of more seasoned law firm librarians and have taken steps to align the initiative, named Practice Excellence^®, with library operations:

1. I use the initiative’s logo in my catalog and in library documents. This is in line with management’s wish to increase signage throughout the firm.
2. I have participated in practice group meetings as a representative of the initiative’s original steering committee.
3. I organized the purchase and distribution of supplemental materials for the firm related to the imitative.
4. I have contributed to marketing materials to be used for internal purposes. I credit this to the good relationship I have with my firm’s marketing department.

I have other projects underway such as keeping a database of related articles to the imitative in our catalog and researching KM trends that relate to the work we are doing. I apply the principles of Practice Excellence^® to tasks I already do, such as training and current awareness, in order to establish the library and myself as a resource during this shift in the firm’s practice. The examples I have listed may seem like small things but it is through small changes such as these that I think we can be Future Ready today. In my case I see what I am doing as a literal definition of Future Ready since I am readying myself and others for my firm’s future. I know my firm appreciates the unique skill set I have applied to the initiative and I believe a greater value is placed on the services I provide. Hopefully my experience will get you thinking about how you can be proactive and align your library, and most importantly yourself, with your organization’s larger goals.

Jessica King is a solo law librarian for Barley Snyder, a firm based in central Pennsylvania.

Tricia Thomas, Georgia Chapter, Legal Division Chair Elect-Elect

The Green movement and measures to be more environmentally conscious have been around for several years. The concept is certainly not a new one. But the Alston & Bird library decided to take a look at our some of our processes and discover ways that we could “green things up” around here. This review has ranged from examining some of our day-to-day processes to giving our physical book collection a closer look.

The Alston & Bird Atlanta office will soon be consolidating operations from two high rises into one.  Currently, the Atlanta library collection exists in a main library and 15 different satellite locations. We are looking to eliminate those satellite libraries and consolidate the Atlanta library collection into a single location, which will likely mean reduced floor space. This possible consolidation means we need to decide which texts are no longer used, out-of-date, or no longer published and eliminate those texts from our collection. For those texts that take up a lot of physical space, we need to consider exclusive online options such as eBooks and online databases. At the moment, we are looking at the possibility of moving several LexisNexis and Law Journal Seminars Press texts over to eBook access only. Of course, this may open up a whole can of pricing and licensing worms, but we feel it’s a move in a more green direction since we’ll be using less paper and space. Plus, moving more resources online gives our attorneys and staff more opportunities to do their legal research remotely. The ability to do more at home, at a client site, or at a professional conference means less commuting into the office resulting in less vehicle emissions polluting our atmosphere.

Another process the Alston & Bird library is looking to change is our Bluebooking and cite checking services. The Alston & Bird library takes pride in our years of experience cite checking briefs, memos, client letters, and other firm work products. For years, when a document has been submitted to the library for cite checking, we have printed that document, penciled in our suggestions and changes, and scanned a copy back to the attorney. Sometimes, we are also printing a copy of a Westcheck report which would identify any negative history associated with the cited cases. Recently, we have started testing a product by Microsoft called OneNote. OneNote has been around for several years but we have found a way to integrate it into our cite checking processes without disrupting any versions of the attorney’s document. OneNote allows us to draw, highlight, type, link other documents, and collaborate with our team members without ever having to print the first piece of paper. Not only is OneNote helping us kill less trees, it’s yet another example of how technology is allowing us to work and collaborate more efficiently in and out of the office.

These are just a couple of examples of how the Alston & Bird library is Future Ready. How is your library preparing for the future?

Tricia Thomas currently serves as the Legal Division’s Chair Elect-Elect. In addition to SLA, Tricia is a long-standing member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), the Atlanta Law Libraries Association (ALLA), and the Southeastern chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries (SEAALL). From 2006 to 2008, Tricia assisted the chair of SLA’s Legal Division by serving on the division’s planning committee for the 2008 annual conference in Seattle, Washington. Most recently, from 2010 to 2011, she served as SLA Legal Division Director. Additionally, Tricia has co-authored several articles on legal research and knowledge management in law firms and has participated in presentations on these topics throughout the United States.

Tricia has worked in law firm libraries for nearly 20 years and serves as the Library Manager for Alston & Bird’s Atlanta office. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oglethorpe University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Valdosta State University.

by John DiGilio, Illinois Chapter, Legal and Leadership & Management Divisions

Collaboration. It is not just a way of working. It’s a state of being and a means of survival. From the rise of empires to the advancement of science and technology, the biggest accomplishments of humankind have oft been the fruit of our working together. Collaboration is the chorus that carries forth the song that promises us tomorrow. To live and learn, prosper and proliferate, is to collaborate at some length or another. John Donne hit the proverbial nail on the head when he said that no man is an island.

Librarians have come to master the art of collaboration through both innovation and necessity. By sharing information, resources, and know-how, we have surmounted many great challenges over the years. Even today, we continue to learn how to reinvent and reinvigorate ourselves, as well as do more with less, through a carefully-crafted series of collaborations. The very existence of this Future Ready 365 blog is a shining testament to what we can accomplish when we work together.

The Legal Division is honored to be featured this week and to be able to collaborate with so many of you in propelling this Association and our profession forward. We are celebrating the success of a new collaboration of our own. We have joined with other organizations from around the world to create a blog to promote the value of law firm librarians in today’s information economy.  On Firmer Ground features the experiences and opinions of law librarians from the United States, Britain, Ireland, Canada, and Scotland in unprecedented unison. FLASH: just after I wrote this, the Organisation of South African Law Libraries (OSALL) signed on to our group! By lifting our voices together, we hope to forge a positive view of who we are and what we do that will carry our profession well into this new millennium.

As you read our posts throughout the week, we encourage you to speak up and get involved. From taking an active role in your local chapters to pitching in with the divisions and caucuses, it is only by working together that we can guarantee a future for this amazing association. We hear the call constantly at our meetings and on our listservs. The challenge is to not let it fall upon deaf ears. The Special Libraries Association has come to be one of the premier organizations for information professionals because of the collaborative hard work and sacrifice of so many of our colleagues and predecessors. The best way for us to show our gratitude is simply to emulate their dedication…their collaboration…and keep it that way for generations to come. Together, we can be truly Future Ready!

Welcome to Legal Division Week on FR365!

John DiGilio is the National Manager of Research Services for Reed Smith, LLP.  He has over 20 years experience in libraries and has written for numerous publications and taught college and graduate courses for attorneys and librarians. He has twice been awarded SLA’s Dana Award recipient. John blogs at iBraryGuy, and follow him via Twitter (@iBraryGuy).