News from UVA's Arthur J. Morris Law Library

The University of Virginia Arthur J. Morris Law Library is undergoing summer renovations, including carpet replacement and a new Reference Desk. You can follow news of the transformation in the Morris Library’s blawg, “MoreUs” (http://uvalaw.typepad.com/library/) and on their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/uvalawlibrary), both launched this spring.

Hunton & Williams Law Library: A Brief Photographic Tour

By Michele Gernhardt

I recently took several photos of the main library in the Richmond office of Hunton & Williams so that our fantastic blogmaster could update the images on the VALLTalk page. I ended up taking quite a few photos, both of the library and its view of the James River and downtown Richmond.

If you'd like to take a little photographic tour of the library, you can do so here: http://vallphotos.shutterfly.com/pictures

I think I might add photos of the satellite libraries we have in the Richmond office in the near future. Enjoy the pictures!

News on former VALLER

Congratulations to Femi Cadmus who will be taking up her appointment in August as the new director of the Cornell University Law Library! Femi is currently the associate director for administration at Yale Law School's Lillian Godman Library.

We are very pleased for Femi and we wish her all the best!

Message from the President

It has been an honor serving as the 2010-2011 Vice President of the Virginia Association of Law Libraries. In coordinating our meetings this past year, each personal interaction with a library professional reinforced my respect for my colleagues and pride in my profession. Everyone I encountered was helpful, responsive and eager to take any steps to make each meeting a success.

It was a privilege working with Past President Anthony Ikwueme and the rest of the 2010-2011 executive board. I hope I can apply all that I have learned this past year to the benefit of VALL.
I know that I still have much to learn. I welcome any guidance and feedback that you are willing to provide to help me continue to develop as a librarian and as President of this organization.

I will work with the executive board, committee chairs and our membership make this year a successful one for VALL. I ask you to be as generous as possible with your limited time and boundless talents and knowledge to accomplish this same end. During my term as President, I intend to focus on organizational leadership, growth and pride. I have outlined my objectives below:

Leadership

Executive Board Meetings: It is my goal to ensure that the executive board is as accessible and responsive as possible. We will hold more frequent executive board meetings, with advance notice to members.

Leadership Handbook: The VALL Leadership Handbook will be updated to account for recent bylaw changes.

Growth

Meetings: I intend to work with the board and the program committee to explore ideas for enhancing future VALL meetings, such as long-term planning for joint meetings as well as for regular VALL meetings.

Membership: I will work closely with our membership chair to reach out to non-members in Virginia law libraries and law schools. I would also like to work with our grants committee to further develop our grants program.

Pride

VALL has existed in one form or another for thirty years. Our members and our organization have accomplished much that is worthy of recognition, celebration and remembrance. In order to preserve the institutional memory of VALL for future generations of Virginia law librarians, I intend to promote several projects in the coming year:

1. The digitization of every issue of the VALL newsletter. Gail Zwirner has entrusted her archives to me for the purpose of scanning them and adding them to the VALL Wiki.
2. Create a list of past executive boards on the VALL Wiki site.
3. Explore ideas for enhancing the “about VALL” portion of the VALL Wiki and updating existing content.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve my fellow law librarians as your 2011-2012 VALL President.

Michele Gernhardt

Farewell to Barbara Baxter!

Retiring Director of Ehrhorn Law Library, Barbara Baxter & Dean Mathew Staver

VALL bids a fond farewell to Barbara and wishes her well in her retirement. Barbara has been a longtime friend to VALL ... hosting VALL meetings and participating in VALL programs. She began her academic career at another start-up law school, Regent University, from 1986-1990.

Barbara recalls that that was interesting because the collection was a gift from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and all the books and microforms were shipped on trucks to Virginia. After her stint at Regent, Barbara became a legal indexer, until a former student from Regent and founding dean of Liberty University, Bruce Green, called her back into law librarianship.

"I work with such a wonderful staff and all of us have become quite close over these past seven years. We daily pray for each other and encourage one another. I will miss that time of fellowship and I will miss each and every one of them," Barbara said.

But she has been thinking and planning her retirement for a year and she will retire at the end of this semester. Barbara's plans may take her to a different country.

"I took a tour of Jordan and Israel this past January and absolutely fell in love with Israel. I plan to return to Israel the end of July for an extended stay. I have a few contacts in Israel but at this moment don’t know where I will be staying or what I will be doing. I am praying for God to open the right doors for opportunities there. I am packing up my belongings and putting everything in storage . . . signs of a true vagabond," Barbara said.

In the meantime Barbara will leave Ehrhorn Law Library in the hands of Anthony Ikwueme who will be acting director of the law library.

"It has been a blessing to work under Prof. Barbara Baxter for the past six years. Barb as she is fondly called takes keen interest in everything that concerns her staff. With her never-ceasing smile, she makes us believe that we can accomplish anything we set our minds on. Her leadership style motivates and fosters individual responsibility, accountability, and superior career opportunities. As our founding Director of Law Library, a position she held for seven years, it will be difficult to match her accomplishments. Barb particularly helped the Law School gain full accreditation in record time. The excellent ABA site team reports about the law library vindicate her sterling leadership qualities. We will miss her and we will continue her tradition of excellence," Tony Ikwueme said.

"I'm not sure how many VALL members realize that Barbara Baxter has been instrumental in getting two of Virginia's law schools off the ground. Without Barbara's labors, the countless eighteen wheelers which brought Oral Roberts University's former law library east to form the core of Regent University Law Library's collection would never have left Oklahoma," recalled Donna Bausch. " Without this library, there would not have been a law school in Virginia Beach. Once the trucks arrived, the work had only begun. It was not until Regent's law library program was fully in place that Barbara left Virginia. Many years later, some of Barbara's former colleagues who were helping Liberty plan a new law school realized that no one but Barbara could lead the law library planning effort. Once more into the breach, Barbara's steady hand helped lead another law school from infancy to stability. It is said that good things come in threes, so don't get too comfortable, Barbara, you never know from whence your next call may come. It's been a pleasure to call you a VALL colleague and friend. All the best in your future endeavors."

VALL wishes Barbara all the best in her new adventures wherever they may take her and hopes that she will keep in touch and keep us updated on her travels and work.

Welcome to Ben Almoite!

Andrea & Ben Almoite at an old lava flow in Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park

VALL welcomes Ben who is the newest librarian at the Virginia State Law Library, a division of the Supreme Court of Virginia, in Richmond.

He was previously a reference librarian with Keller and Heckman LLP in Washington, DC. He is a ‘Navy brat’ who was born in Portsmouth, VA, but grew up in San Diego, CA. After working at the San Diego County Public Law Library, Ben moved to Washington, DC to work and attend The Catholic University of America. While working in Acquisitions at the DuFour Law Library, he earned his Master of Science in Library Science degree. He graduated from CUA in 2009.

He met his wife, Andrea, while in Washington, DC. She is a University of Richmond alumna and is happy to be returning to Richmond. Because of Andrea, Ben visited Richmond a few times prior to moving here. A History major in college, he is aware of Richmond’s rich history and looks forward to exploring and learning more of the area’s past.

Ben lives in the West End of Richmond. In his spare time, Ben likes to play bar trivia (he watches Jeopardy! almost religiously), read on his Kindle, and sing. He misses his band “The Groove” back in California and longs to perform live again. So singing karaoke will have to do for the meantime or perhaps it's time for a "VALL" band.

VALL Membership Renewal

From Chris Vassey

Thank you for your commitment to our Association’s goals of developing and increasing the usefulness and efficiency of law libraries, promoting librarianship and fostering a spirit of cooperation among members of the profession. VALL is the only state-wide association dedicated to the unique needs and interests of law librarians and law librarianship. Through your support, we look forward to a productive and successful 2011-2012.

In the coming year, the association continues its dedication to you, as a law librarian, and to law librarianship through:

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
· Annual meetings
· Membership Directory
· Continuing Education Grants

OUR CONTRIBUTION TO YOU
· Networking opportunities
· Continuing education sessions and seminars
· Access to VALL Blog and wiki
· Publishing opportunities
· Legal reference tools

OUR CONTRIBUTION TO OTHERS
· Lobbying legislators for public law library funding
· Lobbying state officials to improve access to government information
· Providing speakers and educational programs to professional associations outside the field of law
· Representing members at the Virginia Library Association meetings
· Interacting with publishers to address members’ concerns and problems

Your continued membership in VALL insures your participation in these activities and our ability to represent the Association’s interests. Please take a moment today to renew your membership for 2011-2012 via the Membership Form available at the VALL Wiki. Completed forms may be sent to my attention at Chris Vassey, 5711 Harbour Ridge Road, Midlothian, VA 23112.