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 SANDALL News
September 2017 Volume 20 Issue 1
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President's Column
Lisa Foster
Welcome to the beginning of another SANDALL year! As an academic librarian, I love the fall semester when we welcome a new group of students to our school. There is a lot of positive energy that comes with a new academic year. The new SANDALL year also brings us great energy and many things to look forward to. Your new Vice President Marianne Sterna has hit the ground running, planning events that I know you will want to attend. Be on the lookout for more information about upcoming events from Marianne.
SANDALL has recently achieved a membership milestone -we currently have over 90 members! Thank you to our newest members Steven Fleisher, Erin Grimes and Daniel Guttierez, Jr. for joining and helping us to achieve that milestone. I look forward to meeting you in the near future, and I encourage you to consider getting actively involved in our organization (see our web pages for committees and volunteer). As a smaller AALL Chapter, maintaining our membership level is extremely important. Members who did not join recently will be receiving a membership renewal notice from Treasurer Christine Mathias in the near future. Please act quickly to renew when you receive that notice to help us maintain our strong membership.
Speaking of membership, one of my intentions for this year is to bring a proposal to the annual business meeting to approve a modest increase in our membership dues. Our dues are low compared to those of other similar chapters, and even a few dollars more from each member would make a difference in keeping our chapter financially sound. The issue of a possible dues increase received a generally positive response in our most recent member survey. More information about the amount of any proposed increase and when it would be effective will be provided once the Board has had a chance to discuss this and take a vote.
What are your goals for this SANDALL year? It is not too early to be planning for conferences or professional development activities, especially if you plan to apply for a grant from AALL or SANDALL. It would be great to have a strong showing from SANDALL again at the AALL Annual Meeting and Conference which will be held in Baltimore, MD July 14-17, 2018, featuring the theme “From Knowledge to Action.” The Special Libraries Association 2018 conference will also be held in Baltimore, from June 9-13, 2018. Events happening closer to home will include SANDALL’s Winter Institute and the SCALL Institute in spring 2018. Keep watching your email for more details about these events.
Let’s go out and have a great year, and if there is anything that I can do to help you make the most of your SANDALL membership, please feel free to get in touch at lfoster@tjsl.edu.
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In this Issue:
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Programming Planner
Marianne Sterna
SANDALL Vice President
Mark your calendars for this year’s programs. I welcome any suggestions about venues and topics for future events: Marianne.Sterna@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Upcoming events in formation:
October 2017. UT Newsroom, tour and discussion of archives.
November 2017. Noon hour with SANDALL founder, June Macleod, and Mary Lynn Hyde. “SANDALL beginnings and a vision for SANDALL’s future.” |
October noon hour lunch and learn – Events, Changes, and Trends in Our Public Libraries
Current director of San Diego County Library, Migell Acosta, will join us for the noon hour to discuss trends in public libraries and approaches he is taking to improve technological infrastructure, employ library innovation, enhance the physical spaces, and champion security issues at all levels. Mr. Acosta has been a leader in libraries for over 20 years.
RSVP by Tuesday, Sept. 19th, https://SANDALL.eventbee.com/event?eid=148956473.
Lunch: CEB will generously sponsor our Pizza lunch. Thank you, Suzanne!BYOD or vending machines are nearby.
When: Wednesday, September 20, 2017. Noon – 1:00 pm.
Where: Waterfront Park, CAC, 1600 Pacific Hwy, Bayside I Conference room (LL), San Diego, CA 92101
Parking: Parking validation will be provided via email. Parking garage is located at the corner of Cedar & Kettner with the entrance to the garage off Kettner.
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AALL 2017: Forgo the Status Quo
Emily Ngo, Public Services Librarian at Thomas Jefferson School of Law
I was fortunate to receive the SANDALL grant to attend my very first AALL Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas this year. I had heard so many good things about this conference that I was ecstatic for the opportunity to attend.
I started with the Conference for Newer Law Librarians (CONELL) which was an unforgettable experience. CONELL allowed me to meet so many bright and enthusiastic law librarians from all over the country, who are also embarking on their law librarianship careers too. The program included a “Marketplace” where I was able to meet with different AALL chapters to network with people working in my professional areas of interest. I also participated in “Speed Networking”, where I traveled around the room to meet and talk to all of my fellow CONELL attendees. In addition to these refreshing activities, CONELL also arranged for a bus tour that took us throughout Austin to see famous sites like the beautiful state capitol building, the historic Driskill hotel, and the lively 6th street music scene.
The AALL program itself was vastly immense and informative. The keynote speaker, Bryan Stevenson delivered an inspirational talk on our current criminal justice system. His talk reminded me of the importance of a law librarian’s and an attorney’s role in the accessibility of justice and information to those who desperately need it. I left feeling moved and invigorated about my profession and like a good librarian, I quickly placed a hold on his book, Just Mercy with the San Diego Public Library (which I am currently reading)!
I spent the remainder of the conference attending stellar programs directly relative to my job responsibilities like “Social Media Use in Law Libraries” and “Attorney Research Skills: Continuing the Conversation Between Law Firm and Academic Law Librarians”. These programs gave me insightful and innovative ideas on how to better connect with the students and faculty and ultimately improve my outreach and services.
In addition to providing educational programming, AALL offered a plethora of networking opportunities. From the SANDALL & SCALL reception to the huge exhibit hall breaks, I was able to return to San Diego with abundant knowledge as well as business cards! Attending CONELL and AALL this summer was a profoundly amazing professional development opportunity for which I am extremely grateful for. It allowed for me to meet friendly law librarians with whom I will undoubtedly keep in touch with for a very long time. I look forward to the next opportunity to attend AALL to reconnect with all the fabulous people I met in Austin.
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More Pictures from AALL!
Submitted by Ian Kipnes
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Member News
Our SANDALL Treasurer Christine Mathias has been hired as the Faculty Services Librarian at University of San Diego Legal Research center. Christine formerly worked for San Diego Law Library as the User Experience Librarian. Congratulations to Christine on her new position!
Do you have any news that you would like to share in our next newsletter? Let us know at mabernathy@sandiego.edu.
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Between the Shelves:
one librarian’s tale of adventure
Anna Russell, 9th Circuit Court Librarian, Anchorage Branch
Friends and Colleagues! For those who may not know, I took a job with the 9th Circuit US Courts Library as the Anchorage Branch Librarian this past summer after working at the University of San Diego since 2011. Some wanted to know if I survived the move! Here’s what I tell people:
You learn many things about yourself when you move.
Number 1: you learn or are reminded that moving sucks no matter what or how you prepare.
Number 2: change is hard no matter how cool the change is.
Number 3: if you were not a good Facebook-er to begin with, moving won’t make you better at using Facebook to keep in touch.
I arrived in Anchorage, Alaska on August 2 so technically I have been moved now for seven-ish weeks. Having personal knowledge, I can safely and wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Alaska. It is a beautiful area of the country and this will, like San Diego, be a great spot to live. Now, it is true that I haven’t experienced every month of weather Alaska has to offer so my knowledge has some developing to do for the months of November through April (full disclosure here). For some folks, Alaska may be a great unknown. It is a vast territory, bigger than California, Montana and Texas combined. I am providing some photos of the nearby landscape I regularly see. I should mention that Anchorage has the Pacific Ocean to the West, mountain ranges to the East and South with farming communities to the North. I work downtown in one of two Federal Buildings. There’s a story there, but I am still learning it. Alaska was a federal territory until it barely beat Hawaii to become the 49th state in 1959. It is an unusually young place with a long history pre-statehood. Many, including myself, have wondered how regular amenities work. Where do you get groceries? Do they have this or that? I can happily report that Anchorage does have this and that. The Safeway grocer has many locations in Anchorage. I was surprised to see both a Costco and a Sam’s club in Anchorage, having thought there was some rule against both in the same city. Apparently, Anchorage is the site of one of the first Costco locations. Malls, furniture stores, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and so on all abound. In some respects, I find many similarities between Anchorage and San Diego (sans palm trees).
I have also noticed a couple differences with regards to trash, cell phones and the Internet. Because of physical constraints, recycling is minimal, in fact, you must pay to have recycle pick-up and only for specific items. Trash itself is a quarterly fee. Internet is easily twice as expensive. And there are hidden taxes for cell phone service. Gasoline and food cost much the same as in San Diego.
In my new role as a 9th Circuit US Courts Branch Librarian, I am finding that every aspect of librarianship is useful to me. There is much to learn but like many law library locations, it is a great work environment. Please reach out to me if you plan to visit Alaska! I will be sure to let you know in turn when I am back in San Diego. My email is anna_russell@lb9.uscourts.gov.
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Large International Law Donation Benefits SDLL and the San Diego Community
The San Diego Law Library (SDLL) is the recipient of a donation of important International Law books and materials donated by Professor Emeritus, William Slomanson, of Thomas Jefferson School of Law. These books are now cataloged and ready for use by library users and library members. This donation forges yet another tie between Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the regional legal community. SDLL’s Koha library catalog has all of these materials defined and searchable as the Slomanson International Law Collection (using the advanced search limiter) at https://catalog.sandiegolawlibrary.org.
Professor Slomanson developed this collection of 1300+ items to support his teaching and writing on the topic of international law. Slomanson is the author of a textbook titled Fundamental Perspectives on International Law (6th edition), has lectured/taught international law courses in 20 countries, and has written extensively on a variety of international law topics. Professor Slomanson was a Visiting Professor on the Pristina University Faculty in Kosovo for many years.
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Professor Emeritus, William Slomanson, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Many of the most unique items in the collection relate to his work and experiences in Kosovo as well as his tenure teaching international law to the United Nations Sixth Committee (legal) at the U.N. in New York. He has traveled the world gathering these unique materials and SDLL is very fortunate to have received works that will benefit researchers for many years to come.
Article submitted by Laurel Moran, Head of Core Operations, San Diego Law Library
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Membership Dues
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Membership dues for the 2017-2018 year are due by October 23, 2017.
Membership Application/Renewal form: http://www.sandallnet.org/join. You can either submit the form online and pay with PayPal or print out the form and mail it with a check to:
Christine Mathias
SANDALL Treasurer
Pardee Legal Research Center
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
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SANDALL
(San Diego Area Law Libraries)
2016-2016 Annual Report to AALL
SANDALL completed its 19th year in July 2017 and held 7 events in 2016-2017. The 2017 Winter Institute, “Library Safety and Security: Protecting Our People and Resources,” was attended by library and archives professionals from Southern California libraries. It included a visit from Keith Ann Stiverson, Past President of AALL Executive Board. The annual December holiday party was held at Solare Ristorante at Liberty Station.
The Archives Committee continued work on electronic access to the archive through Omeka. All issues from July 1998 through May 2008 of the SANDALL newsletters have been digitized. They are also continuing to collect SANDALL materials for the archive.
SANDALL CONNECT continues to meet with monthly breakfast meetings for members and students to network and socialize. The Employment Committee continues to research and compile legal and non-legal library and information science employment opportunities that may be of interest to SANDALL members, culminating in a weekly list of current opportunities shared with the SANDALL listserv.
The Social Responsibility Committee was dissolved due to lack of attendance at events and due to the chair position being vacant. Past President worked on creating a space in Google Drive for the SANDALL Board and Committee documents as an update to the SANDALL wiki previously used.
The SANDALL Board approved the Government Relations Committee protocol for advocating jointly with SCALL and NOCALL. The three CA chapters have begun regular teleconferences throughout the year to monitor relevant legislation.
SANDALL provided a grant to one member for the AALL 2017 Annual Meeting. The Public Relations Committee produced the membership directory for the 2017 Annual Business Meeting. The logos and descriptions on all social media were updated for consistency. The committee is currently working on a social media policy to effectively market SANDALL online.
The Membership Committee compiled a list of organizations with law librarians located in San Diego that are not currently participating in SANDALL and solicited potential new SANDALL members. The Treasurer reorganized the SANDALL membership spreadsheet.
SANDALL News continues to thrive electronically using the online marketing service, Mail Chimp. This year we averaged a 34.06% open rate over five newsletter issues. SANDALL News currently boasts a readership list of 159 members.
The May election brought a new Vice President and Secretary:
- 2017-2018 Officers: Lisa Foster, President; Marianne Sterna, Vice President; Laurel Moran, Secretary; Christine Mathias, Treasurer; Dr. Michele A. L. Villagran, Past President
- 2016-2017 Officers: Dr. Michele A. L. Villagran, President; Lisa Foster, Vice President; Laurel Moran, Secretary; Derek Antler, Treasurer; Michele Knapp, Past President
At the June Business Meeting, SANDALL welcomed new members and officers and gave thanks to dedicated members for their service: Michele Knapp and Derek Antler. The fundraising raffle took place at the June annual business meeting. Jan Hedlun received the Newsletter Article of the Year Award for her January 2017 submission about the “San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library Tour.”
Dr. Michele A. L. Villagran
SANDALL President, 2016-2017
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Did you receive this newsletter twice?
If you currently receive SANDALL News at more than one email address or would like to make changes to your current email address, please contact Melissa Abernathy at mabernathy@sandiego.edu.
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Please Send All Newsletter Requests to:
Melissa Abernathy
Foreign & International Law Reference Librarian
Pardee Legal Research Center, University of San Diego
mabernathy@sandiego.edu (619) 260-4734
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