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AALLSpectrum
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 / VOLUME 25, NUMBER 1
HOW LAW LIBRARIES
RESPONDED TO
COVID-19
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EDITOR’S NOTE
COVID-19: THE
NEW FRONTIER
OF LAW LIBRARIANSHIP
W
elcome to this special issue of AALL Spectrum, dedicated to the impact of
COVID-19 on the profession and how legal information professionals quickly
adapted to an all-virtual service environment to support faculty, judges, lawyers,
students, and other patrons. While the transition was sudden and difficult, AALL,
vendors, and our professional colleagues provided critical support through webinars,
coffee chats, online resources, and one-on-one conversations that helped us chart a
path to success in this new virtual frontier to continue providing all of the valuable
services our patrons expect of us.
Unfortunately, this pandemic continues to editor, I am very proud to announce the debut
challenge us as a profession, and by the time of a new column called “Voices Across the
you read this issue, many of us will have been Spectrum,” dedicated to reflections of diversity
working remotely for over four months and are and inclusion in our community. While AALL
now implementing plans for yet another “new Spectrum has previously published an occasional
normal” as we slowly return to our law schools, article on the topic, this column will provide an
court houses, and law firms this fall, despite the opportunity to keep the conversation front and
rise of COVID-related deaths and infections center in every issue. Read the first column on
in many parts of the U.S. In order to support page 41.
our community in these unprecedented times, If we want to make further progress in
AALL is creating an expanded “COVID-19 anti-racism, diversity, and equality practices, pol-
Community Forum” so that members can share icies, and initiatives, we must be better educated
best practices, post questions, and obtain answers and engage in dialogue that leads to an aware-
to pressing concerns. (Access the community ness of our biases—biases that everyone has the
at bit.ly/AALLCovidforum.) And don’t forget power to change.
to reach out to the AALL Spectrum Editorial
Board (bit.ly/AALLspecsub) if you or your insti-
tution have new insights about delivering library
services in this new COVID-19 frontier.
AALL Spectrum has always strived to provide
members with the best professional expert
advice, and to serve as a vehicle for discussing Steven A. Lastres
the most important issues of our times. As salastres@debevoise.com
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 1
INSIDE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
12
Littler Mendelson’s response to COVID-19 questions.
BoK DOMAINS KEY
Professionalism +
Leadership At Every Level
FEATURES
Research + Analysis
12 20
Information Management NOVEL RESPONSES: HELPING LAW GLOBAL COVID-19 RESEARCH
Teaching + Training FIRMS ANSWER CLIENTS’ COVID-19 EFFORTS
Marketing + Outreach QUESTIONS Law librarians and the Law Library of
Management + Business Littler Mendelson’s novel responses to the Congress lead the way in their response
Acumen
coronavirus crisis. to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BY CYNTHIA BROWN & ALLISON BY MARCELO RODRIGUEZ,
REEVE DAVIS XAVIER BEAUCHAMP-TREMBLAY
& LUIS ACOSTA
16 ACADEMIC LAW LIBRARIES & THE
EARLY DAYS OF THE COVID-19
Cover image Image © Istockphoto.com/Vertigo3d
PANDEMIC
How Vanderbilt University Law Library
and UC Berkeley Law Library reworked
procedures and services to preserve their IN EVERY ISSUE
missions. Editor’s Note 1
BY CLANITRA STEWART NEJDL President’s Message 5
& EDNA LEWIS Shelf Life 48
2 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORG
30 39 41 46
Open Educational Resources Repositories Talking Tech Voices Across the Spectrum Reference Desk
UP FRONT 34 STRATEGIES FOR REDESIGNING
LIBRARY RESEARCH TRAINING
PROGRAMS
How Suffolk University Law School
7 TRENDING
AALL 2020 Virtual Conference—by the
librarians revamped their First-Year
Summer Internship Program and
numbers. designed a survey to further improve it.
BY ANA DELGADO, GREG EWING & LIZA
8 MEMBER PROFILE
Meet Kelly Leong, Head of Reference
ROSENOF
at Fordham University Law Library in
New York.
TECHNOLOGY
9 NEWS & NOTES
AALL Executive Board/Business Meeting
actions, 2020 AALL Champions, and
important 2020-2021 dates.
39 TALKING TECH
Disaster planning and the virtual law
library.
BY FAYE JONES
LEADERSHIP
COMMUNITY
24 LEADER PROFILE
Emily R. Florio discusses her goals for the
coming year, how COVID-19 has impacted
her professionally, and how she stays 41 VOICES ACROSS THE SPECTRUM
How law libraries can help tell the Black
engaged within the profession. Lives Matter movement’s story.
BY PHEBE E. HUDERSON-POYDRAS &
28 ASK A DIRECTOR
What questions do you ask yourself
RONALD E. WHEELER
when assessing the diversity and
inclusion opportunities within your 44 PERSPECTIVES
A Black American immigrant’s
organization? Advice from Femi perseverance in the face of racial
Cadmus and R. Martin Witt. injustice.
BY ERROL ADAMS
EDUCATION
BUSINESS EDGE
30 OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
REPOSITORIES FOR CASEBOOKS
& TEXTBOOKS 46 REFERENCE DESK
Staying connected while working
Examining key issues for students, remotely.
faculty, and law librarians. BY MARIBEL NASH & SCOTT VANDERLIN
BY KAYLA REED & KAREN SHEPHARD
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 3
AALLSpectrum
105 West Adams Street, Suite 3300, Chicago, Illinois 60603 This publication is provided for informational and educational purposes only.
www.aallnet.org | 312.939.4764
The American Association of Law Libraries does not assume, and expressly
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR disclaims, any responsibility for the statements advanced by the contributors
Vani Ungapen to, and the advertisers in, the Association’s publication. Editorial views do not
EDITOR ne essarily represent the offi ial position of the sso iation or of its offi ers
Steven A. Lastres
directors, staff, or representatives. All advertising copy is subject to editorial
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS approval. The Association does not endorse or make any guarantee with re-
Heather Haemker
spect to any products or services mentioned or advertised in the publication.
COPY EDITOR
Timothy Johnson
All content copyright 2020 by the American Association of Law Libraries, except
DESIGN
Feldcomm
where otherwise expressly indicated. Except where otherwise express-
ly provided, the author of each item in this issue has granted permission for
AALL SPECTRUM EDITORIAL BOARD
Kristina J. Alayan • Cynthia L. Brown • Tina S. Ching • Elaine M. Egan
copies of that item to be made for classroom use or for any other educational
Karin Johnsrud • Clanitra Stewart Nejdl • Marcelo Rodriguez purpose, provided that (1) copies are distributed at or below cost, (2) author
and AALL Spectrum are i entifie an proper noti e of opyright is affi e
AALL EXECUTIVE BOARD LEADERSHIP
to each copy. For items in which it holds copyright, the American Association
Emily R. Florio, President
Diane Rodriguez, Vice President
of Law Libraries grants permission for copies to be made for classroom
Cornell H. Winston, Treasurer use or for any other educational purpose under the same conditions.
Mary Jenkins, Secretary
ADVERTISING
Bill Spilman | Innovative Media Solutions
309.483.6467 | bill@innovativemediasolutions.com
SUBSCRIBE
AALL Spectrum is a benefit of membership in the meri an sso iation of
Law Libraries. Nonmembers may subscribe to AALL Spectrum for $75 per year.
PUBLICATION
AALL Spectrum (ISSN: 1089–8689) is published six times per year by the
American Association of Law Libraries. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, Illinois, and
a itional mailing offi es : en a ress hanges to
AALL Spectrum, 105 W. Adams St. Ste. 3300, Chicago, IL 60603-6225.
RETIRING?
CONTINUE YOUR LEGACY & SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE
BECOME A SUSTAINING MEMBER
KNOW
If retirement is in your near future,
future and you want to stay SOMEONE
connected to your friends and colleagues as well as the ABOUT TO RETIRE?
legal community, consider the AALL Sustaining Member The Sustaining
option. For a one-time renewal rate of $425* continue Member benefit
enjoying all the benefits of membership: makes a great
retirement gift!
• Networking
• Publications
• Leadership Opportunities DID YOU KNOW?
• Advocacy AALL’s Encore Caucus
was created as a way for retired
members to continue to collaborate
with members of the legal infor-
* Does not include SIS memberships mation profession, share common
interests, and further personal and
professional activities.
Learn more at
bit.ly/AALLencore.
learn more at
bit.ly/AALLsustainingmember
4 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORG
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
MOVING FORWARD
TOGETHER WHILE
PHYSICALLY APART
W
e are in unprecedented times with the significant uncertainties of when
this forced separation will end, and when our lives will be back to (what we
thought of as) normal. From the nationwide uprising over police brutality and
systemic racism to the worldwide pandemic, these ongoing events make us
rethink our day-to-day lives and roles within our communities and the world. As
resilient, adaptable, and strategic law librarians and legal information profession-
als, we have once again stepped up our role as information stewards and adapted
to our new realities, including our fully remote working model and departments.
In this issue of AALL Spectrum, we learn how the continued impact of COVID-19 and racial
our colleagues in law firms, academic, and gov- inequities.
ernment law libraries quickly sprang to action As we enter the second year of our Strategic
to address the needs of their institutions at the Plan—focusing on the three pillars of Talent,
onset of COVID-19. Since March 2020, I have Engagement, and Alliances—we make progress
regularly reached out to colleagues and friends toward our goals and objectives. We also incor-
to hear how they are coping within their teams, porate a focus of coping during a pandemic, and
with vendor discussions, and a number of issues a vigorously heartfelt emphasis on social justice.
that were not on our minds five months ago. I While we do not know how much longer we will
am someone who relies on others during chal- be physically apart, there is comfort in knowing
lenging personal and professional times, and I we are together in this shared experience.
am so thankful for everyone I’ve met through I look forward to serving you and being
my years with the American Association of Law together (physically and virtually) in the coming
Libraries (AALL). While I truly missed gathering year. Be safe and well.
in person at the AALL Annual Meeting, I always P.S. Kudos to our members and headquarters
felt reassured knowing everyone was just a text, staff for AALL’s first Virtual Conference! Our
email, web chat, or phone call away. adaptability as legal information professionals
One of AALL’s greatest strengths is our truly showed in our ability to adjust to a new
vocal, engaged, and passionate membership. format, while also providing exemplary pro-
As AALL’s executive board, we listen, observe, gramming that was both professional and of the
engage, and act on what we learn. As you will moment. Thank you to everyone who contrib-
see in this issue, this includes the debut of a new uted through presenting, coordinating, moderat-
column, Voices Across the Spectrum, which ing, or otherwise engaging throughout the course
builds upon our recent Coffee Chats centered of the conference.
on anti-racism (“Giving Voice to What Weighs
Upon Us” and “Continuing the Conversation
about Inclusion in the Profession”). In our Ask a
Director column, we learn how these directors
review diversity and inclusion opportunities
within their organizations. Throughout the
coming year, we will continue offering avenues
for our members to reflect and engage on both Emily R. Florio
shared and unique experiences dealing with emily.florio@hoganlovells.com
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 5
RENEW
YOUR 2020 AALL MEMBERSHIP
ANNUAL MEETING
REGISTRATION
• Discount on the EDUCATION
premier educational • Free access to
and networking event monthly webinars.
for legal information $720 Value
professionals.
$300 Value
$270
LEADERSHIP
Intensive learning
experiences through: NETWORKING
• The Management Institute • Unparalleled
• Leadership Academy connections to
• Innovation Bootcamp colleagues and
• Competitive Intelligence
Series (Competitive
Annual AALL peers.
Intelligence Foundations and Membership Dues Invaluable
CI Strategies & Analysis).
$400+ Value
OTHER BENEFITS PUBLICATIONS
• AALL2go recorded webinars Access to:
• CALI Lessons • AALL Spectrum
• Advocacy for the profession • Law Library Journal
• Grant and scholarship • AALL Biennial Salary Survey &
opportunities Organizational Characteristics
• Career resources • AALL State of the
• Mentoring Profession 2019
$300+ Value $400+ Value
$2,120+
TOTAL VALUE
DON’T MISS OUT ON ALL
THE BENEFITS YOUR AALL
MEMBERSHIP PROVIDES
ONLINE
bit.ly/AALLrenew20
PHONE
312.205.8022
UP FRONT
TRENDING
AALL 2020 VIRTUAL
CONFERENCE
The global pandemic meant that we couldn’t
convene in New Orleans as planned. In spite of
this, 1,245 law librarians and legal information
professionals from across the country and globe
were able to gather virtually for AALL’s first
Virtual Conference to learn from peers and
partners in the legal information field. Conference
registrants now have on-demand access to more
than 40 educational sessions at bit.ly/AALLAM20.
1,245
TOP 3 MOST-ATTENDED LIVESTREAM SESSIONS*
¡ egal thi s in the se of rtifi ial ntelligen e
¡ Diversity & Inclusion Committee Symposium: Women in
the Law: A Conversation with ABA President Martinez
and Louisiana Chief Justice Johnson (sponsored by
LexisNexis)
¡ What the Japanese, the Swedes, and the Minimalists
Can Teach Us About Legal Instruction
ATTENDEES: MEMBERS AND NONMEMBERS
7COUNTRIES
MOST-VIEWED PRERECORDED SESSIONS*
¡ Legal Information from U.S. Territories: What a
Conundrum!
¡ Improving Access to Law and Justice in Communities
ATTENDEES REPRESENTING 7 COUNTRIES AND 2 TERRITORIES Around the World
ACROSS 13 TIME ZONES
¡ Open-Source Alternatives to Digital Commons
40 20
+ NEW ORLEANS-INSPIRED DISHES AT HOME
MORE THAN 40 20 EXHIBITING
EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS COMPANIES, OFFERING Beignets for Shrimp and cheesy Red beans
breakfast from grits from and rice from
9 EXHIBITOR EDUCATION
@MeredithKostal @LibrarianMorgan @mak506
SESSIONS
*Data as of July 28, 2020.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 7
UP FRONT
MEMBER PROFILE
VANTAGE
POINT
FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR
JOB? Continual learning. My job
is not rote. Each day I am pre-
sented with new challenges and
opportunities to learn something
new about libraries, the law, a
student, a colleague, or a faculty
member.
KELLY LEONG
3 HEAD OF REFERENCE
3 FORDHAM UNIVERSITY LAW LIBRARY
3 THE MALONEY LIBRARY
3 NEW YORK, NY
WHAT INSPIRES YOU MOST? Helping others.
It pushes me to continually improve myself
through questioning my beliefs. In the library it
pushes me to continually assess our programs
to ensure we are helping as many of our com-
munity members as possible. There is nothing
more rewarding than observing a student’s FAVORITE QUOTE?
expression when their research is successful. “The great enemy of
communication is the
illusion of it.”
–William H. Whyte.
IF YOU WROTE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY,
WHAT WOULD ITS TITLE BE AND WHY?
Where Are We Moving This Time: A Story of Multiple
Cross-Country Moves. I’ve moved across the coun-
try three times, plus one additional cross-country
adventure. Each trip was a great opportunity to
see the vastness and diversity of the American
landscape and eat a lot of regional cuisine. A SKILL YOU’D LIKE TO LEARN?
Plumbing. It sounds odd, but as
I’ve learned from experience,
it takes a special touch, and if
something goes wrong, there is
water everywhere. I can change
SUPERPOWER YOU WISH a light s it h an feel onfi-
YOU HAD AND WHY? dent replacing a roof shingle,
Teleportation. Travel has but plumbing is whole different
always been near and animal.
dear to my heart and
teleportation would allow
me to see the world.
8 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORGNEWS & NOTES
AALL Executive Board Actions
2020-2021 CALENDAR
The AALL Executive Board met vir- SEPTEMBER 2020
tually July 9 and 10, just prior to the
start of AALL’s Virtual Conference 09-30 AALL CI Strategies & Analysis
“Unmasking Our Potential.” During four-week virtual course
the meeting, the Executive Board con-
sidered a number of agenda items and OCTOBER 2020
approved the following:
3 The minutes from the April 2-3, 01 AALL Executive Board election
opens
2020, April 23, 2020, and May 20,
2020 Executive Board Meetings 15-23 Mid-America Association of
3 The appointments of: Law Libraries Virtual Annual
Chapter Meeting
¡ Joseph Lawson, Deputy Director,
Harris County Law Library, 31 AALL Executive Board election
Houston, Texas, to serve as the closes
3 Revisions to the charge of the
Chair of the 2022 Annual Meeting
Economic Status of Law Librarians
Program Committee (AMPC) NOVEMBER 2020
Committee to further research the
¡ Susan Nevelow Mart, Associate possibility to add zip codes to the
05 AALL Fall Finance & Budget
Professor and Director of the Law 2023 edition of the AALL Salary Survey Committee Meeting
Library, University of Colorado
3 Revisions to the charge and purpose
Law School William A. Wise Law 06-07 AALL Executive Board Fall
of the Awards Committee that the
Library, Boulder, Colorado, to serve Meeting
Committee maintains oversight and
as the Chair of the Annual Meeting
coordination of the Marian Gould
Local Arrangements Committee for
Gallagher Distinguished Service APRIL 2021
the 2022 AALL Annual Meeting in
Award, Joseph L. Andrews Legal
Denver, Colorado
Literature Award, and the Hall of 08-09 AALL Executive Board Spring
3 The revised description and nomi- Fame; all other AALL awards are Meeting
nation forms for the Marian Gould managed by award juries and select
Gallagher Distinguished Service committees
JULY 2021
Award and the Hall of Fame Award
The Executive Board tabled the
3 The AALL operating budget for following: 16 AALL Executive Board Summer
the fiscal year 2020-2021 beginning Meeting
3 Revisions to the description for the
October 1, 2020
Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature 17-20 114th AALL Annual Meeting
3 The 2019-2020 AALL Strategic Award requesting the Awards & Conference, Cleveland, OH
Directions Action Plan update Committee to further clarify the
description
3 The creation of the Business and
Corporate Research Instruction Revisions to the Economic Status of
••••
3
Caucus Law Librarians Committee charge QUICK LINKS
to review the Salary Survey’s cur-
3 The creation of the Black Law AALL ANNUAL MEETING
rent vendor, as this will be tasked to
Librarians Special Interest Section bit.ly/AALL2021
AALL Headquarters for the 2023
(BLL-SIS)
AALL Salary Survey AALL EDUCATION
3 Accept and take under advisement bit.ly/AALLeducation
the recommendations of the Law The Executive Board book and related
Librarianship as a Career Guidance materials are available on AALLNET
Review Special Committee final report at bit.ly/AALLboard0720.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 9UP FRONT
NEWS & NOTES
General Business Meeting Actions
The General Business Meeting was Newly Elected AALL Board October 31, 2020. Read more about
held virtually July 17 during the 2020 Immediately following Winston’s pre- the candidates at bit.ly/AALLvote2021
AALL Virtual Conference. The sentation, AALL Executive Board and view their statements at bit.ly/
meeting kicked off with reports from Secretary Luis Acosta introduced AALLbios2021.
AALL President Michelle Cosby and the newly elected Executive Board View the reports of AALL Executive
President-elect Emily R. Florio. The Members: Director, Vani Ungapen, and AALL
update included a recap of the Director of Government Relations,
Association’s work this past year. 3 Vice President/President-elect
Emily Feltren, at bit.ly/AM20AALL.
Diane Rodriguez
Resolutions Members Open Forum
3 Secretary
Two resolutions were approved by The Members Open Forum directly
Mary Jenkins
members during the General Business followed the General Business Meeting.
Meeting. View the full text of the reso- 3 Executive Board Members Shira Megerman, senior legal infor-
lutions at bit.ly/AM20resolutions. Susan David deMaine & mation librarian at Boston University,
3 Resolution for a Pipeline Program to Stacy Etheredge served as moderator for the Members
Improve Racial and Ethnic Diversity Open Forum. During this year’s Forum,
in the Law Librarian Profession Continuing on the board will be: members discussed a variety of issues
from diversity and inclusion to pri-
Resolution to Improve Racial and 3 President
3 vacy concerns over digitizing AALL’s
Ethnic Diversity in AALL & the Law Emily R. Florio
archives, the effects of canceling the
Librarian Profession 3 Immediate Past President in-person AALL Annual Meeting, to
Please consult AALL’s resolution Michelle Cosby providing closed captioning resources
guidelines for next steps at bit.ly/ for future virtual meetings and webi-
3 Treasurer
AALLguidelines. nars. Thank you to everyone who par-
Cornell H. Winston
ticipated in the Forum.
Following the Association highlights, 3 Executive Board Members
Emily M. Janoski-Haehlen, June A recording of both the General
AALL Executive Board Treasurer Business Meeting and Members Open
Cornell H. Winston presented his Hsiao Liebert, Karen Selden, and
Forum is available on AALLNET at
treasurer’s report to the membership Jason R. Sowards bit.ly/AALL20GenBusiness.
regarding the Association’s financial
statement for the 2019 fiscal year. To Acosta also introduced the candidates
view the entire report, visit bit.ly/ for the 2021 Executive Board elec-
MJ20Treasurer. tion. The election will be open to
all members from October 1 to
Statement of Ownership organization authorized to mail at special Average, 3,983; Actual, 3,963. Paid and/or
and Management rates (Section 423-12, Domestic Mail Manual), requested circulation: not applicable (i.e., no
AALL Spectrum, publication No. 1089-8689, the p rpose f n tion an nonprofit stat s sales through dealers and carriers, street
is published bimonthly (2021-2022 [January/ of this organization and the exempt status vendors, and counter sales). Mail subscrip-
February, March/April, May/June, July/ for federal income tax purposes have not tion: Average, 3,584; Actual, 3,656. Free
August, September/October, November/ changed during the preceding 12 months. distribution by mail, carrier or other means,
December]) by the American Association of samples, complimentary and other free
Law Libraries, 105 W. Adams St. Ste. 3300, copies: Average, 25; Actual, 25. Total distri-
Chicago, IL 60603-6225. Annual subscription Extent and Nature of Circulation bution: Average, 3,969; Actual, 3,763. Copies
price, $75. American Association of Law erage fig res enote the a erage n m- not istrib te : offi e se lefto er na -
Libraries, Vani Ungapen, executive director, ber of copies printed each issue during the counted, spoiled after printing: Average, 300;
owner, and publisher; Steven A. Lastres, pre e ing months t al fig res enote Actual, 300. Returns from news agents: not
editor; Heather Haemker, managing editor. actual number of copies of single issues applicable. Total (sum previous two entries):
Periodical-class postage paid at Chicago, p blishe nearest to filing ate: g st Average, 3,996; Actual, 4,063 Percentage
llinois rinte in the s a nonprofit 5, 2020. Total number of copies printed: paid: Average, 98%; Actual, 93.98%.
10 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORGMEMBER-GET-A-MEMBER PROGRAM
AALL Champions /Membership Update
AALL Champions are ambassadors to ¡ Dan Miller
the legal information profession and to
ENRICH OTHERS +
AALL. Thank you to our champions.*
¡ Alicia M. Pappas ENRICH YOURSELF
¡ Charles A. Pipins II
You know that we are stronger, smarter, and
¡ Beth Adelman ¡ Holly M. Riccio more successful together. Help create an
¡ Jamie J. Baker ¡ Kathleen Richman even more vibrant Association—invite your
peers, colleagues, and staff to join AALL—
¡ Patricia E. Barbone ¡ Diane M. Rodriguez
through the AALL Member-Get-a-Member
¡ Marcia R. Bell ¡ Maureen Rossi (MGAM) Program.
¡ Michael G. Bernier ¡ Karen Selden
¡ Justin Brownstone ¡ Jeffrey A. Sewell For each member recruited receive:
¡ Joanne Camejo ¡ Keith Ann Stiverson › A $15 Amazon gift card
¡ Daniel Warren Cardwell ¡ Jonathan C. Stock After three members recruited, receive:
¡ Kathy Carlson ¡ Maryruth Storer › A MGAM lapel pin
¡ Miriam D. Childs ¡ Gretchen Van Dam All recruiters receive website recognition:
¡ Michelle Cosby ¡ Ed Walters › MGAM Leaderboard
¡ Joseph A. Custer ¡ Christopher Walunas › My Communities MGAM
digital badge
¡ Andre Davison ¡ Gail Warren
¡ John Joseph DiGilio ¡ Steve Wasserman
learn more at bit.ly/AALL-mgam
¡ Amy J. Eaton ¡ Jean M. Wenger
¡ Stacy Etheredge ¡ Deborah Wiesehan
¡ Emily R. Florio ¡ Jean L. Willis
¡ Krista Ford
¡ Amy Latalladi-Fulton Learn More about becoming an AALL
Champion at bit.ly/AALLchampion
¡ Eugene M. Giudice
¡ Edward T. Hart *AALL Champions as of June 18, 2020.
Members who became champions
¡ Penny A. Hazelton
after June 18 will be recognized in next
¡ Joseph P. Hinger year’s September/October issue of
¡ Mary Jenkins AALL Spectrum.
¡ Tunisia Johnson
¡ Catherine Lemann
¡ June Hsiao Liebert
¡ Mike Martinez Jr.
¡ John Mayer
¡ Lawrence R. Meyer
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 11NOVEL RESPONSES:
HELPING LAW FIRMS ANSWER CLIENTS’
COVID-19
QUESTIONS
LITTLER MENDELSON’S NOVEL RESPONSES
TO THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
BY CYNTHIA BROWN & ALLISON REEVE DAVIS
12 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORGThe onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought Littler
Mendelson, a management-side labor and employment
law firm, an unprecedented number of advice and
counseling requests from clients. This work typically
requires a client to speak directly with a shareholder who
is an experienced attorney in a narrow area of law, and it
does not initially sound like an opportunity for the library
or a research team to assist. Indeed, client questions
into novel areas of law rarely require heavy research,
but rather rely on the experience and knowledge of the
attorney. Littler’s first coronavirus question came in late
December and was handled directly by a workplace safety
attorney. In the early days of the pandemic, the library was
not contacted with questions other than the occasional
request to direct an attorney to the firm’s newly created
Coronavirus Task Force.
B
y late February, however, and transitioning from workplace safety
the volume of direct issues to leaves of absence and compli-
client inquiries was begin- ance issues and matching the client’s
ning to overwhelm the need with the most focused subject-mat-
shareholders. Library ter expert (SME) was critical.
leadership was invited by
the Chief Knowledge Officer to a stra- Getting the Library Involved
tegic planning meeting to address the With these issues in mind during the
increased volume and urgent nature of early stages of the strategic planning,
these requests. Following this meeting, library leadership offered to match the
the needs of the Task Force attorneys skills inherent in the research depart-
were quickly matched with the unique ment with the needs of the Task Force.
skills of the firm’s librarians and legal There was an immediate need to track
information professionals. Littler’s incoming questions, assign the appro-
Knowledge Desk and Knowledge priate SME, and balance workloads
Management Department were offered among the Task Force members. In
as key partners to meeting pressing reviewing questions the Task Force
client needs. received, it became clear that exist-
As client inquiries and concerns ing firm work product could assist in
increased daily, the majority of their answering many of the repeated client
questions raised novel issues. A decen- requests. As documents were both
tralized response process can sometimes identified and created, the information
lead to incongruous answers and to the was categorized, curated, and stored for
frequent “reinvention of the wheel.” future use and easy accessibility. The
Providing consistency in the advice Task Force needed better communica-
and counsel provided was paramount. tion tools to share lessons learned with
The original Task Force grew expo- the firm, and there was both a need and
nentially as new areas of employment opportunity to issue-spot and identify
law were implicated in the situation, trends to enable the firm to provide
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 13proactive advice to clients. Finally, as
the virus continued to spread, local,
state, federal, and international laws
were changing literally by the hour. The
Littler Knowledge Desk and knowl-
edge management (KM) department
set up detailed monitoring of news
and legal updates to keep the firm and
clients informed. Each of these issues
presented unique challenges and risks,
but information professionals are well
versed in averting such risks. We collect
questions, answers, build repositories,
and, with frequently needed informa-
tion, create novel databases or tools for
reuse. Applying these skills to provide
much needed service to the Task Force
proved invaluable.
Littler’s Knowledge Desk collabo-
rated with KM attorneys and the KM
Innovations team to build an internal
SharePoint page of COVID-19-related
resources structured with Littler’s tax-
onomy. These foundational resources
BEST PRACTICES
provided a cataloging system that would
be ready for the next wave of arriving
Responding to New Opportunities materials supporting client counsel, as
the pandemic and its employment law
implications continued to evolve.
3 Stay involved in the strategic vision 3 Build a culture that embraces new
Tackling the Problem
of your organization to identify opportunities.
The Knowledge Desk reviewed each
potential opportunities.
3 Identify champions in the library that incoming request, sending toolkits,
3 Look for opportunities; don’t wait for will lead the team in new initiatives. providing curated information, and as
them to come to you. needed, escalating questions to Littler
3 Don’t wait for perfection or be afraid
attorneys for further review, response,
3 Speak up and offer your skills, knowl- to fail; improvements can be made
or triage. The Knowledge Desk team
edge, and tools. down the road.
offered expertise in tracking requests
3 Find examples of previous successes 3 Ensure that your team gets recogni- using already established systems in
to prove your idea, and share them tion for their work. ServiceNow (a digital workflow man-
with management. agement system), populating tickets
3 Promote your successes.
directly from questions emailed to the
3 Embrace the idea that you can make
Task Force, and creating new ticket
a change at any level in your organi-
request categories. By utilizing existing
zation. You don’t have to be a direc-
tracking tools, analytics were provided
tor to share new ideas. Image © Istockphoto.com/ Who_I_am/benjamin lourenço
to manage the workload and provide
insight for future planning purposes.
Initially, workflows and procedures
changed nearly every day as attorneys
and legal information professionals
adapted to the influx of requests and
new partnerships. Librarians worked
tirelessly to keep up with demand and
create a fluid process, which resulted in
a strong partnership with a single point
of contact for attorneys.
14 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORGFurther helping to align the Task
Force with the ever-evolving response
to the pandemic and workplace compli- Examples of trackers created and maintained by the KM team
ance challenges, the KM team created include all federal, state, and local employment laws, regulations,
a repository in the document man-
and ordinances; state and local business closures executive orders;
agement system (DMS) and applied
our taxonomy for efficient findability. state-mandated industry-specific guidance; court responses; and
As new tracking reports, documents, eventually, state reopening plans.
memos, and guidance were created,
librarians and KM attorneys worked
closely with other attorneys to organize
their content into marketable toolkits this reporting allow for analytics, reve- few weeks, even when the answer to
and other client deliverables. As the nue tracking, and improved workflow, some questions was “I don’t know,” or
Knowledge Management depart- but shareholders are able to send clients “We’ll find out tomorrow.” The skills of
ment is the research front line for our updated information as the pandemic legal information professionals proved
50-state surveys and legal trackers, continues to evolve. necessary for the success of such a large
additional COVID-19-related executive Within two weeks of developing undertaking. Librarians help, respond,
orders tracking was led by this team. the Task Force, client information organize, and create. They observe,
Partnering with the attorney-authors requests for COVID-19 skyrocketed track, analyze, and report. Littler’s
of the new COVID-related guides and 230 percent, and through the months Knowledge Desk applied these funda-
toolkits meant Littler’s taxonomy and of March, April, and May, Littler’s mental skills to the Task Force response
cataloging system would be applied to Knowledge Desk received over 5,000 and continues to provide expertise as
centralize, organize, and streamline virus-related questions. Littler’s projects evolve, new litigation trends
the creation and maintenance of the Knowledge Desk involvement allowed emerge, and firm leadership again looks
COVID-19 response materials. attorneys to spend their time handling to the library to evaluate critical deci-
Examples of trackers created and the more sophisticated nuances and sions about the business of the firm.
maintained by the KM team include concerns of clients while the library
all federal, state, and local employment made materials and answers to the READ
laws, regulations, and ordinances; state most commonly asked questions read- AALL’s COVID-19 Resources and
and local business closures executive ily available. Information page at bit.ly/AALLCOVID19.
orders; state-mandated industry-specific
guidance; court responses; and eventu- The Aftermath
Information Management
ally, state reopening plans. Librarians Littler’s Knowledge Desk response has
Management + Business Acumen
curated and distributed COVID-specific been praised by firm management for
news to our attorneys. This was done in its integral role in the success of the
addition to the multiple 50-state surveys COVID-19 Task Force. Not every day
© 2020 BY CYNTHIA BROWN
that the KM team already maintained was easy, however. The world—science,
pre-COVID to advise our clients as they policy, work environments—was chang-
navigated the ever-changing landscape ing daily. At the same moment that the
of labor and employment laws. Task Force was ramping up responses
to clients, the firm’s workforce began CYNTHIA BROWN
Senior Director, Research Services
Taking a Closer Look working remotely. When remote work Littler Mendelson, P.C.
The ticketing system allowed the firm initially began at Littler, each depart- Fresno, CA
to track all COVID-19 client requests ment was asked to identify critical staff, cbrown@littler.com
and report on how many questions the who were then given the ability to work
library answered utilizing prepared from home. With the dramatic increase
© 2020 BY ALLISON C. REEVE DAVIS
resources and the number of inquiries in demand and the excellent work from
escalated to Littler attorneys and SMEs. the Knowledge Desk, firm leadership
The library also worked with the infor- quickly recognized the need to increase
mation technology (IT) department the library’s remote workforce. The
to add new document tracking into library team was one of the first depart- ALLISON C. REEVE DAVIS
Library Manager
ServiceNow, and began to tag each ments to receive additional laptops, Littler Mendelson, P.C.
document sent to clients. This tagging bringing all available staff back online. Kansas City, MO
has allowed the library to report the Opportunities are rarely convenient, AReeve@littler.com
number of client-facing toolkits and but the work ethic of the library team
packets clients purchased. Not only does shined through the urgency of the first
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 15ACADEMIC LAW LIBRARIES & THE
EARLY DAYS OF THE
COVID-19
PANDEMIC
BY CLANITRA STEWART NEJDL & EDNA LEWIS
16 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORGHow Vanderbilt University
Law Library and
UC Berkeley Law Library
reworked procedures
and services to preserve
their missions.
C
oronavirus disease The COVID-19 pandemic has sig- online. Zoom has been used to pro-
(COVID-19) and its nificantly changed how the Law Library vide recorded material to replace the
effects have dramatically has functioned. Physical access to the in-person lectures that were originally
changed the way that Law Library ceased on March 24, planned. Synchronous Zoom consul-
institutions and organiza- 2020. This was later than the originally tations were scheduled as needed to
tions function worldwide. scheduled date for closure of March address student questions.
Concerns about transmitting the dis- 20, 2020. However, students requested
ease have led to widespread changes in additional time to access the printers, Reference and Research Services
the provision of services and resources so Law Library Director Larry Reeves Traditionally, the Massey Law Library
to the public. Like other entities, law accommodated this request by opening provides in-person, telephone, and
libraries have had to make significant the Law Library to students himself email reference and research assistance
adjustments to safely meet the needs on March 23, 2020. Although physical to the Law School. COVID-19 made it
of their users. Academic law libraries, access has not returned as of July 2020, impossible to continue in-person refer-
for example, have had to creatively the services and resources provided ence and research services during the
rework their procedures and services to continue. Thus far, three major areas rest of spring 2020, but services were
support law schools’ efforts to preserve of Law Library activity have been still provided remotely. In fact, to more
their missions during the pandemic. affected by the pandemic: legal research quickly respond to user needs during
This article provides an overview of instruction; provision of reference and the closure, the Law Library imple-
how two academic law libraries—the research services; and access to Law mented a live chat reference service
Massey Law Library at Vanderbilt Library resources. using LibChat from Springshare. This
University and the UC Berkeley Law service is available from 9:00 AM to
Library—navigated the early days of Legal Research Instruction 5:00 PM each weekday and has allowed
the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the first changes to Law Library the Law School community to receive
services at the beginning of the pan- help more quickly. It is likely that online
Initial Responses to COVID-19: demic was the modification of legal chat reference will continue for the
Massey Law Library at Vanderbilt research instruction. In-person classes foreseeable future, even after the Law
University across the university were canceled on Library reopens.
The Alyne Queener Massey Law March 11, 2020. Online instruction Law students and faculty have also
Library serves the faculty and students began on March 16, 2020. For both 1L sought more extensive real-time assis-
of Vanderbilt Law School. The Law and upper-level legal research instruc- tance. It is not unusual for students to
Library director and six full-time law tion, this meant speedily adjusting class request Zoom conferences to discuss
librarians provide support to 557 JD components for online implementation. questions. Law faculty have traditionally
students, 72 LLM students, 50 full- For spring 2020, there were five 1L contacted law librarians via email for
time faculty members, 91 non-full-time legal research class sessions scheduled, assistance and that has continued even
faculty members, and five academic the last of which was to be held the with the addition of live chat reference.
journals. Students regularly use the week of April 6, 2020. Law librarians However, law librarians do provide
Law Library as a place for study and quickly made changes to the session so Zoom consultations with faculty mem-
quiet gathering. Members of the it would work virtually. For upper-level bers as needed. For example, Zoom
public are also allowed access during legal research instruction, multiple class consultations were instrumental in
limited hours. sessions had to be revamped to be held helping address many faculty members’
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 17the Law Library stopped physically
staffing the reference desk and pro-
viding in-person student reference
RESEARCH GUIDES appointments, instead offering chat
reference and Zoom appointments. On
These research guides provide answers to ¡ “Law Library FAQ,” bit.ly/SO20FAQ March 16, 2020, the Law Library was
the most common library-related ques- still open to students when Alameda
¡ “Law Library Interlibrary Loan,”
tions, walk users through the process of County announced that effective at
bit.ly/SO20loan
requesting electronic materials, explain midnight the county would move to
the changes to the Interlibrary Loan pro- ¡ “Lawyer Professional Development,” shelter in place.
cess, and highlight some COVID-19 issues bit.ly/SO20prodev (provides students With the Law School’s physical
and resources, respectively. with information on available continu- closure, the Law Library shifted to
ing legal education and professional a remote services model. The Law
¡ “Accessing Law Library Materials
development opportunities, as some
Online,” bit.ly/SO20Remote Library quickly produced a LibGuide
students have had their summer jobs
¡ “COVID-19 and Racism: Legislative postponed and need information about
entitled “Law Library in the Time
Responses,” bit.ly/SO20COVID (tracks activities to aid in their professional of COVID-19: General Shutdown
state and local laws passed to address growth during the hiatus.) Information,” explaining how services
racism and xenophobia since the would work during shutdown (read
pandemic started.) the guide at bit.ly/SO20libguide).
Our “Student Computing Guide”
was modified to add information on
using Zoom and to provide computer
chat support, since the computer lab
questions about their own online Berkeley School of Law (approxi- was inaccessible (read the guide at
instruction. In some cases, Zoom con- mately 1,100 students, 170 faculty, and bit.ly/SO20libguidecomputer). Like
sultations with the law librarians have other instructors), as well as several at Vanderbilt, the shutdown mostly
helped faculty members feel comfort- clinical programs and 13 student-run affected how the Law Library provided
able using the program. journals. As part of one of the state’s legal research instruction, reference
university systems, we are also open and research services, and access to
Law Library Resources to the public. There are 30 people on legal resources.
Of all the initial changes due to our Law Library staff, 10 of whom
COVID-19, perhaps most extensive routinely provide reference services. Legal Research Instruction
were those related to providing and We provide in-person, telephone, and The Zoom course instruction that
expanding Law Library resources. chat reference services. Students can began just prior to the shutdown contin-
Access to print Law Library materials schedule one-on-one focused research ued for the remainder of the semester.
was halted from March 23, 2020, until appointments with reference librarians. Law Library instructors met individu-
June 1, 2020. During that time, the Faculty use an online faculty research ally with students on Zoom as necessary.
Law Library was able to provide elec- request service and an online faculty Michael Levy, associate director and
tronic versions of many print resources. paging service. Librarians also teach Advanced Legal Research instructor,
Additionally, negotiation with vendors two legal research classes—Advanced notes that “every Zoom class session
often resulted in new or expanded Legal Research, and Foreign and was a learning session for instructors,
access to electronic resources on a International Legal Research. Students as we tried to find the most effective
temporary basis. On June 1, 2020, a routinely use the Law Library’s reading and inclusive use of the Zoom platform
book pick-up service was implemented rooms to study, our small study rooms (polls, breakout rooms, chat, live video
to allow students and faculty members to collaborate with other students, and of guest speakers). I would try different
to request print items by completing a our student computer lab for on-site approaches to engage students, but I
form provided in the library catalog. tech assistance and computer work. never knew in advance what would
Image © iStockPhoto.com/loops7/blackred
The item is then routed to a specific The COVID-19 impact on the Law work.” Instructors met during the
pick-up location. This service has School, and in turn the Law Library, semester and throughout the summer
proven to be very popular across the unfolded over a period of weeks in to discuss what worked and how best to
university library system. early March as the crisis in the San build a virtual classroom community to
Francisco Bay Area mounted. In prepare for fall virtual instruction.
Initial Responses to COVID-19: Law accordance with university guidelines,
Library at UC Berkeley Law School all Law School classes moved online Reference and Research Services
The UC Berkeley Law Library serves on March 9, 2020, using the Zoom Despite the physical closure of the Law
faculty, staff, and students of the UC platform. Beginning March 10, 2020, Library, our reference and research
18 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORGservices adapted well to a remote format. electronically, and due to licensing 3 Remote reference services can be
The chat reference service continued restrictions and/or cost, it is not feasi- effective given the abundance of
Monday through Friday during regular ble to provide certain print resources electronic resources available. Still, the
reference desk hours. Students also used electronically.” process lacks the warmth of in-person
our online student reference appoint- The Law Library also reached out consultations;
ments service to schedule individual to the Law School with community
3 Access to casebooks, ebooks, data-
research appointments that the reference building resources during this extraor-
bases, and digital resources carried
librarians set up on Zoom. Since faculty dinary time. Reference librarians
academic law libraries through the
typically request research assistance presented a Zoom research series for
end of the spring semester. Still, some
through our online faculty requests ser- staff on basic legal research topics (e.g.,
portions of the collections exist only
vice, our interaction was relatively unaf- case law, statutes, secondary sources),
in print and cannot easily be replaced
fected, and we responded via email and which included remote access tips. We
electronically; and
Google document sharing. In general, used our “Hot Tips” scrolling fea-
reference librarians were able to assist ture on our website to post ongoing 3 Even though law librarians have
faculty and students effectively using a COVID-19 related news and resources proven their ability to endure through
combination of databases, ebooks, and of interest to the Law School com- tough times, we still miss the law stu-
other electronic resources. Dean Rowan, munity. The Law Library created two dents and faculty, our colleagues, and
director of reference, states, “I think lists based on recommendations from being at our wonderful law libraries.
students might have gotten more from the Law School community: “Gimme
individual Zoom meetings than they did Shelter,” a list of books, audiobooks, READ
from in-person ones, because they had and podcasts, and “Gimme Shelter, AALL’s Academic Law Librarians Special
no choice but to watch how we identified Part 2,” a list of streaming movies and Interest Section My Communities post
and navigated the tools via the screens TV shows that we posted to our web- “4 Student Services Topics in 4 Weeks” at
bit.ly/SO19ALLSIStopics.
we shared with them. It demonstrated site. (View “Gimme Shelter, Part 1” at
the superiority of showing rather than bit.ly/SO20part1 and “Gimme Shelter, AALL’s COVID-19 Resources & Information
telling.” Still, reference librarians missed Part 2” at bit.ly/SO20part2.) Since page at bit.ly/AALLCOVID19.
the easy on-site collaboration with col- we could no longer furnish our typical
leagues, the casual interactions with finals stress busters (e.g., candy, jigsaw
students in the Law Library, and the puzzles, plastic emotional support
Teaching + Training
print research collection. animals), we created and shared with
students a list of virtual “Top 10 Stress
Law Library Resources Busters from the Law Library” (bit.ly/
© 2020 BY CLANITRA STEWART NEJDL
With the closure, all access to print SO20stressbusters).
books and other physical material
ceased. We used our existing cata- Lessons for the Future
log to identify electronic sources for To quote from a classic Monty Python
materials on course reserve, although sketch: “Nobody expects the Spanish CLANITRA STEWART NEJDL
not all were available. Many publish- Inquisition!” Certainly, academic law RESEARCH SERVICES LIBRARIAN
libraries did not expect the changes AND LECTURER IN LAW
ers stepped up to provide temporary Vanderbilt University
access to casebooks through the end of brought about by COVID-19. There Alyne Queener Massey Law Library
spring semester, and the Law Library has been much commiseration about Nashville, TN
the rapid pivot needed to quickly plan clanitra.s.nejdl@vanderbilt.edu
created a “Casebook Access Guide”
for students posted on our website. We for providing exclusively virtual refer-
expanded our efforts to increase our ence and research services, modifying
© 2020 BY EDNA LEWIS
digital collections to support research legal research instruction, and enhanc-
and instruction by purchasing/licensing ing access to databases, ebooks, and
more digital content, as well as relying other resources. The good news for the
on services such as HathiTrust (a col- Massey and UC Berkeley law librarians
laborative effort with our main library). is that this period of learning has sharp- EDNA LEWIS
We modified our library catalog to ened our skills and led to some import- REFERENCE LIBRARIAN
ant realizations: UC Berkeley Law Library
create special electronic collections Berkeley, CA
and to add linking for new electronic 3 Class instruction via Zoom works and elewis@law.berkeley.edu
resources in both our database list and there are many ways to use the plat-
catalog. Yet, as our associate director form to engage students. However,
Marci Hoffman emphasizes, “Many it is not a perfect replacement for
of our print resources are not available in-person instruction;
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 19GLOBAL
COVID-19
RESEARCH EFFORTS
BY MARCELO RODRIGUEZ,
XAVIER BEAUCHAMP-TREMBLAY & LUIS ACOSTA
20 AALL SPECTRUM | WWW.AALLNET.ORGthe overnight transformation of gov-
ernment information into a solely dig-
ital and virtual presence has created a
This pandemic does not know plethora of content curation and acces-
sibility issues—including contradictory,
political borders. From Latin America constantly changing, and at times erro-
and the Caribbean to Canada and neous messaging from governments and
experts—that, ironically, are keeping
the U.S. Law Library of Congress, critical information and insights from
reaching the intended audience.
law librarians lead the way in their
response to COVID-19. The Law Library of Congress’s
Response to COVID-19
The Law Library of Congress, apart
from housing the largest collection of
legal literature in the world, also serves
as the research arm for the United
States Congress in foreign, compara-
Law Librarians Monitoring from El Salvador to Barbados. (Review tive, and international law (FCIL). The
COVID-19 in Latin America and the project at bit.ly/SO20project.) Law Library’s Global Legal Research
the Caribbean Through COVID-19 reports, the librar- Directorate (GLRD) includes a team
From the desire of doing some- ians intend to provide a summary of the of multilingual foreign law specialists
thing useful and productive with current situation in a cluster of coun- trained in the legal systems of for-
the resources at hand, the idea of tries and territories while paying special eign countries who are responsible
monitoring the legal responses to the attention to the impacts on vulnerable for monitoring legal developments
COVID-19 crisis in Latin America and historically ostracized communities, in the jurisdictions assigned to them.
and the Caribbean came to fruition. such as the transgender community, They conduct foreign law research for
Author Marcelo Rodriguez created refugees particularly from Venezuela Congress as well as the judiciary and
the project Law Librarians Monitoring and Haiti, indigenous people, migrants federal agencies, and also provide ref-
COVID-19 in Latin America and the from rural areas, and disadvantaged erence services on foreign law to public
Caribbean because he believes it is socio-economic classes. The members researchers.
important in this moment of global of the project are also in the process While the Law Library has served as
crisis affecting every single one of us of writing a few academic articles and Congress’s FCIL research arm since the
to also be aware of what is happening presentations in various languages mid-twentieth century, COVID-19 pro-
in the rest of our shared continent. (Spanish, Portuguese, and French), with vided a new and compelling reason to
Law librarians have the expertise and the help of local law and academic learn from other countries about public
professional network to strive for a librarians. (View the reports at bit.ly/ health policy and regulation.
more comprehensive and nuanced SO20COVIDreports.)
understanding of the complexities of Besides the reports, the librarians 3 One of the Law Library’s earliest
and possible solutions for this unprec- also aim to give readers a list of sources, projects during the pandemic was a
edented crisis. The project’s working either on the entire region or on specific comparative study of how national
group of librarians includes Michele countries, with hopes that this informa- legislatures were conducting legis-
Villagran, Yasmin Morais, Victoria tion will empower them to follow local lative activities when restrictions on
De La Torre, Abby Dos Santos, Ana information closely. Evaluating sources traveling and in-person gathering was
Delgado, and Ulysses Jaen. They of information and understanding the rendering normal legislative prac-
are all members of the Foreign, impact of how and what information tices impossible. GLRD surveyed 36
Comparative & International Law gets disseminated is at the heart of the jurisdictions throughout the world to
Special Interest Section (FCIL-SIS), project. As law librarians, the project learn about arrangements by national
the Latin American Interest Group, members are interested in both the legislatures to continue their work,
and the Latino Caucus. changes in the legal and governmental such as utilizing videoconferencing,
The project aims to study every responses to the pandemic as well as special voting procedures to reduce
country in the region—from Belize to how those changes are communicated. necessary travel and attendance,
Argentina, from Aruba to Uruguay, At a time when civilians need it most, and other measures. The report,
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | AALL SPECTRUM 21You can also read
