VALL Spring Meeting, April 8, 2016

The Spring Meeting and changeover of officers will be on April 8, 2016, at Washington & Lee Law School in Lexington, Virginia.

Click here for a preliminary program:  Spring Meeting Progam

More details to follow!

AALL name change vote

The proposal to change the name of American Association of Law Libraries to the Association for Legal Information has failed by a vote of 1998 (80.11 percent) opposed, to 496 (19.89 percent) in favor. A record number of members voted on this proposal, with 59.51 percent casting a ballot.

VLA Council Meeting highlights from January 29, 2016

Submitted by Terry Long, VALL Liaison

·         The VLA annual conference was a success.

·         The cost to post on Jobline has increased from $75 to $100. This increase will help keep the dues at the current level.

·         VLA is in a strong financial position as have a healthy reserve fund.

·         Lisa Varga, Executive Director, wants VLA to push for a license plate promoting libraries. She explained the process to council. She said a member of the General Assembly would have to introduce the bill next year after a commitment had been made to purchase the plate by at least 450 constituents. It is a good way to raise the profile of libraries.

·         Legislative agenda is on VLA’s web site.

o   They are asking for an increase in state aid. The Governor’s budget does not increase state aid. With the governor asking for an increase to the education budget, VLA is asking for the increase to state aid because of the effectiveness of the summer reading program in the public libraries.

o   Of interest is HB 336 concerning a parent’s right to access their child’s library record. This currently is addressed by local practice.

·         VLA Paraprofessional Forum will be held in at the Doubletree Hotel in Williamsburg on May 2^nd.

·         The 2016 VLA meeting will be held at the Homestead resort in Hot Springs, October 26-28.

o   The opportunity to propose programs is open until April 15^th.

o   West Virginia librarians will be invited to attend at VLA member rates.

o    Mixers will take the place of the traditional Thursday evening All Conference Social. The mixers may be centered around foods but there has also been suggestions for a knitters mixer, and one for people interested in board games,

·         The number one thing VLA members ask for is that the membership directory be made available on the website. It is currently a work-in-progress.

Ben on Jeopardy!

Yes, that's right -- VALL's own Ben Almoite will be a contestant on Jeopardy! this Thursday, January 14, so don't forget to tune in and cheer Ben on!

How does one get to be on Jeopardy!? Other than the obvious ... be really, really good in trivia. Ben took the Jeopardy! Adult Online Test in January, 2014, and had to wait an entire year before he received an email inviting him to an in-person audition in DC in March 2015.

"During that audition, they took my picture and I took another timed 50-question test. Then, on camera I got to play a mock game of the show, and was interviewd," Ben said.

After the interview, he was placed into Jeopardy's contestant pool, which meant that he could get a call to appear on the show within the next 18 months. For Ben that call came eight months later in November, 2015. And in December 2015 Ben flew to Los Angeles to tape the show.

Ben prepared by watching as many Jeopardy! shows as possible. "I played along with the games, practicing ringing in to answer using the Jeopardy! pen I got at the audition," he said.

"I also read several books written by former Jeopardy! champions, including Brainiac by Ken Jennings, and Prisoner of Trebekistan by Bob Harris. Finally, I tried to review a few subjects in which I felt I was not particularly well-versed."

The most nerve wrecking part for Ben was waiting for the show to begin, and the most fun part was, of course, playing the game. Everything is done in real time so the episodes are all really shot in thirty minutes.

"For me, it felt surreal. My whole taping experience was a blur. I remember being on stage and playing the game, having my picture taken with Alex, talking to him briefly during my interview, and then trading handshakes at the end of it all," Ben said.

Being on Jeopardy! was one of the most memorable experiences of Ben's life. Let's tune in on Thursday and cheer Ben on!

Message from the President

Hello, VALL members and Happy New Year!  As 2015 has now come and gone I would like to take a moment to thank all VALL members for a great year for our organization and look forward to many more milestones and achievements.

After a very enjoyable lunch at AALL in Philadelphia, VALL members gathered again in Richmond for a joint meeting with VLA.   At the joint meeting VALL member presented four sessions that were all well attended by conference goers:

·         Joyce Manna Janto, University of Richmond School of Law Library, Workplace Privacy: A Reality or an Oxymoron?

·         Caroline Osborne, Washington and Lee University School of Law, Privacy, Archives & the Digital Age

·         Stephanie Miller, Washington and Lee University School of Law, Managing Online Presence for Students and Professionals

·         Terry Long,

VALL members also hosted a table at the conference exhibit hall with much success.  We created many opportunities to talk about VALL and law librarianship with other librarians across Virginia.

VALL members at VLA also met for a lovely dinner together at the Baker’s Crust in Richmond.  Thanks to everyone who attended! 

It is that time of year for nominations again.  Candidates are needed to fill three positions on the Executive Board: Vice President/President-Elect, and two-year terms for Treasurer and Director.  The Vice President must be a member of AALL.  Any VALL member may serve as Treasurer or Director regardless of AALL membership status.  Please contact Amy Wharton at aaw7mh@virginia.edu to nominate yourself or a fellow VALL member as a candidate.

Our next VALL meeting will be in Lexington, VA at Washington and Lee on Friday April 8, 2015.   I hope to see you all here this spring! 

Stephanie

In and Around VAll

It is that time again to bid farewell to a long-time VALL member who is retiring; welcome a new member into our midst; and send good wishes to those who have moved into new positions. Please see below on updates from VALL institutions.

From Gail Warren at the Virginia State Law Library:

On behalf of the Virginia State Law Library, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the newest member of our staff, David Knight.

David joined the law library staff in late October, filling the vacancy created when Ben Almoite left to become the manager of the Henrico Municipal Government & Law Library.

David is no stranger to most of you -- he comes to our library from the Norfolk Law Library, where he worked for over eight years, providing service to attorneys, local court staff and the general public.  Before his transition to law librarianship, he worked for the Newport News Public Library System for seven years, earning his M.S.L.I.S. from Catholic University of America in 2004 (while working full time).  

Prior to working in libraries, David managed an independent music store. While at home, he listens to and reads about music, watches the three major sports, and spends time with his wife, Maggie, an instructional technology coach, at their home in Williamsburg.

David will be spending much of his time at the reference desk; his new position also means he is responsible for maintaining the serials in our online library system (journals and loose-leaf services), managing the library’s book binding needs and document delivery services accounting, and assisting Terry with cataloging.

From Donna Bausch at the Norfolk Public Law Library:

Norfolk's legal community has been blessed with an abundance of law library riches.  Starting with a strong tradition of service put into practice by Jean Holcomb and Evelyn Campbell in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Norfolk Law Library has benefited from the contributions of stellar law library professionals.  

David Knight's eight years of exemplary service have been bookended by those of Larry Story.  As many of you know, Larry went to the National Center for State Courts and Virginia Beach Public Library after leaving Norfolk Law Library in 2007, and has recently returned to our staff to sustain the tradition of responsive service to which we continue to aspire. 

Bill Magee and his colleagues at Regent Law serve as an invaluable local resource to which we turn with regularity.  The same goes for Laurie Claywell, Nancy Loewenberg, Jean Tancredi and Cathe Gooding just to name a few in South Hampton Roads who help us cobble together what it takes to get our customers what they need to do their jobs. 

Norfolk's legal community also greatly benefits from the cooperation and collaboration of VALL members in law libraries near and far, as we seek to meet the research needs of our diverse customer base. It takes a VALL village! 

Whether we call ourselves law librarians or legal information professionals, it's results that count.   If our customers continue to call on us and rely on us to meet their legal research needs, we are doing our job.

Because of the dedication and determination of law librarians like Larry and David, Norfolk Law Library will continue to serve our community proudly in the years ahead, as we prepare for a long-awaited move to a new courthouse. 

This is a good time of year to thank the VALL Village and resolve to continue to strengthen the ties that bind law librarians together in common cause.

From Christian & Barton, LLP:

Michelle Wilson is the new librarian at C&B and takes over from longtime VALL member, Jane Bowe, who is retiring (happy retirement, Jane!)

Michelle has a BA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and a JD from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan. Prior to coming to C&B she has been running her own business providing legal practice project management and support services. She was also faculty at VCU teaching paralegal studies and was program director of legal studies (and adjunct faculty) at Bryant & Stratton. 

Michelle lives in the Forest Hills area with her husband and 8-year -old son. We are very happy to have her!