VALL Lunch at AALL

Take a break from conference activities to meet up with fellow VALL members for lunch at McCormick & Schmick's on July 20, from 12 - 2 pm. The registration form is available here VALL 2015 Lunch Registration and also on the VALL wiki.

Farewell, Robert!

Robert Davis from Prince William County Public Law Library will be retiring at the end of the month after 19 years in public law librarianship.

Robert began his career in the county’s planning and zoning department but was laid off within six months of hire. “Last hired, first fired,” Robert said.

He was fortunate to be hired by the public library system because of his experience in libraries from having worked at Morehouse College’s Trevor Arnette Library during his undergraduate school days.  He was hired on condition that he take reference courses at the Catholic University of America’s School of Library and Information Science.

“I did and I liked it enough to pursue and obtain a Master’s in Library and Information Science,” Robert said. Immediately after that he was hired as the law librarian for the Circuit Court of Prince William County. Robert believes that his law degree from Howard University and his MLIS from the Catholic University of America helped him get the job. “They were getting a two-for-one deal.”

Robert remembers the late Bobbie Denny, law librarian of the Fairfax Public Law Library, encouraging him to join VALL. He served on several committees including the nominating committee and recently, the strategic planning committee.

He was able to attend several VALL meetings but was not as actively involved as he would have liked to have been.  His professional activities were not supported by the powers that be. And Robert also felt he did not have anything to contribute to VALL, but he has since learned otherwise.

“If I have any wisdom to pass on it is in two words:  presence and perseverance!  Make your presence known.  Whether a big or small fish, I learned my training and desire to serve endowed me with skills that are useful each and every day that I am here in the trenches.  I also learned that I must persevere and stand in the power those skills and education equipped me with.  Presence and perseverance enable me to serve to the best of my ability in spite of budget cuts, shrinking civil filing fees, and whatever may come up from time-to-time.  It took me a long time to learn but I now know I am not less than and neither is this position nor this profession, “ Robert said.

He also remembers the people in VALL who inspired him. “I want to thank those folks who unknowingly encouraged and supported me.  Gail Zwirner, Donna Bausch, and the late Bobbie Denny were the ones I looked up to, and tried to follow in serving as a law librarian.  They, I'm sure, did not know that.  But I did,” he said.

 “Other stalwarts who always supported and encouraged me were Evelyn Campbell, Frosty Owen, Terry Long, Isabel Paul, Tom Pulver, Patti Petroccione, and Christine Hall.” 

Robert is also grateful to the members of VALL. “For whenever the cavalry was needed all of you responded.  I will forever be thankful for having been a member and having served with you.”

VALL wishes Robert well and hopes he enjoys all the activities he is looking forward to doing – lying in a hammock under a gentle breeze,  taking leisurely rides on his bicycle, hiking trails and swimming in cool waters. Good luck, Robert!

2015 AALL Award Recipients

Congratulations to the following VALL members: Timothy Coggins (Marian Gould Gallagher Distinguished Service Award); James Heller (Hall of Fame) and Donna Bausch (Volunteer Service Award)!

VALL Grant Recipients!

Congratulations to Suzanne Corriell (4th Circuit Law Library) and Kathleen Klepfer (University of Richmond Law School Library) for being awarded VALL grants to AALL! We look forward to reading about their experiences at AALL in Philadelphia.

VALL Spring Meeting 2015

The Spring meeting is always an exciting one because it marks the changing of the guard -- saying farewell to an outgoing president and welcoming the incoming one. About 30 VALLers met at the picturesque University of Virginia Law School to listen to a panel of academic law librarians discuss how they "Prep to Practice" and another panel of law firm and court librarians share their experiences "In Practice."

Andrew Christensen from Washington and Lee School of Law, and Fred Dingledy from William & Mary Law School

Eric Kistler from Liberty University of Law and Alexis Fetzer from University of Richmond School of Law

Attendees taking a break and using the opportunity to catch up

Greg Stoner finding a zen place before his panel discussion

"In Practice" panelists of Greg Stoner from McGuireWoods, Jane Baugh from Woods Rogers and Ben Almoite from Virginia State Law Library

Incoming president, Stephanie Miller thanking outgoing president, Ben Almoite

Yes, the gavel has been passed but Ben gets to keep this one

The new board: Meldon Jenkins-Jones (Director), Patty Petroccione (VP/PE), Stephanie Miller (President) and Ben Almoite (past president)

There was cake for long time VALL member Gail Zwirner who has retired. Aloha, Gail, enjoy Hawaii and all the places you travel!

President's Farewell Message

Hello, VALL members! 

I am looking forward to seeing you at the Spring Meeting at the UVA School of Law in a few days. But before then, I just want to take this time to say a few words about what is coming up for VALL this year:

VALL Strategic Plan

The executive board has officially approved the VALL Strategic Plan. A copy of the five-year plan is now available at our wiki’s “About VALL” page (http://vall.pbworks.com/w/page/7198013/About%20VALL). And also under the About VALL tab on VALLTalk. Big thanks to the Strategic Planning Committee for all of its hard work in putting the plan together!

VALL at AALL 2015

For those of you going to AALL in Philadelphia in July, be on the lookout for information on our annual VALL lunch at the AALL annual meeting. It’s always a good time during the national conference to get together with fellow VALL members for a bite and break some bread.

Joint VALL-VLA Fall Meeting

The joint VALL-VLA Fall Meeting is scheduled to take place October 21-23 at the Richmond Marriott. There is still time to send the Program Committee a proposal. Go to https://vla.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&mcid=form_185506 to submit your proposal. The deadline for submissions is April 15.

As more information about the Fall Meeting becomes available (programs, registration, fees, etc.) we will be sure to let you know.

Farewell

Since my term as president is shortly coming to an end, this will be my “farewell” message. I can’t believe how quickly the past two years have flown by! I remember getting the call from Evelyn Campbell (Chair of the Nominating Committee at the time) like it was yesterday, asking if I wanted to serve VALL as vice president/president elect. It has truly been a great ride these past couple of years.

To my colleagues in the executive board - Stephanie, Chris, Linda, Patty, Andrew, Amy and Evelyn: Thank you for your support and hard work in helping make VALL run so smoothly and efficiently. To all our committee chairs and members: thank you for your willingness to serve above and beyond the call of duty. All of you helped make my job that much easier!

Finally, to VALL members: thank you for your membership and participation in the association. VALL does not thrive without all of your dedication and volunteerism. Without you, our association would not be as strong and healthy as it currently is.

Thank you for allowing me to represent you as president during the past year. It has truly been a pleasure. Moving forward, I have the utmost faith in Stephanie Miller and Patty Petroccione as they take over as president and vice president/president elect, respectively. With their leadership, I know VALL will continue to be an active and successful association.

Here is to an even bigger 2015-2016 year for VALL!

Best regards,

Ben Almoite

Retiring after a Career Spanning 42 Years

by Timothy Coggins & Kathleen Klepfer

Gail Zwirner, head of access services in the University of Richmond Law Library, will retire on April 3, 2015. Gail has provided exemplary reference and research assistance to the law school’s faculty, students, and other users since 1998, when she joined the law library as a reference and research services librarian.  She was promoted to a new position as head of access services, where she combined supervision and management of the circulation desk, reserves, interlibrary borrowing and lending, and other duties to her role as a reference librarian and teacher.  Since she joined the law library, Gail taught legal research in the first-year curriculum. 

Gail began her career as a librarian for law firms specializing in energy transportation.  That role took her all over the country from Washington to Alaska, Florida, Kansas, and Pennsylvania before returning to D.C. An opportunity to join Hunton & Williams as a librarian brought her, along with her late husband who also worked in the energy business, to Richmond. After 25 years as a librarian in several law firms, Gail decided that it was time to join the academic law library world, and her Richmond law library colleagues are very happy that she made that decision. 
 
Professionally, Gail’s service is extensive.  She was, and continues to be, an incredible contributor to VALL, including her service as president of the chapter.  Gail is also on the board of the Richmond Public Library and has been a member of numerous library association committees. She developed and manages a relationship between law librarians and the editor of Virginia Lawyer to publish at least one article about legal research or a related topic in every issue of the Virginia Lawyer.  She played an instrumental role in the creation of the Virginia Administrative Code when she worked with attorneys, law librarians and others to persuade the General Assembly that Virginia needed a codified version of its administrative rules and regulations.  Gail’s knowledge of Virginia primary and secondary law publications is unsurpassed. She serves as the general editor of Virginia CLE’s Guide to Legal Research in Virginia, the most comprehensive resource published about Virginia legal research, and she authored several chapters in the most recent edition of that research guide.
 
Associate Dean for Library and Information Services Timothy L. Coggins stated recently, “Gail’s retirement leaves a real void at the law library.  She’s been phenomenal, serving as an important advisor, mentor and friend to faculty, students, librarians and others here and making so many valuable contributions to the law library and its users over the years.  We will miss her tremendously.”

After retirement, Gail will continue, not surprisingly, to serve libraries and their users.  She’s a member of the Richmond Public Library Board and will become chair of that board in July 2015. 

Best wishes, Gail, from all your VALL colleagues.

Below are pictures from Gail's retirement party at the University of Richmond Law Library on 

March 31, 2015.