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It's AALL Election Time
The polls open on November 1 to cast your ballot for AALL President-Elect, Secretary, and Executive Board members.
You will receive an email ballot on November 1 with your individual login information. Polls will be open for one month. Please check out the candidates' biographies and statements and exercise your right to vote in your Association.
Three PLL members, Katherine Coolidge, Tina Dumas, and Sarah Mauldin are standing for election.
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FROM THE CHAIR
by Jean P. O'Grady, DLA Piper, Washington, DC
As I pointed out in my last column, the name of our Special Interest Section is focused on our relationship to a place called a "library" and does not focus on our members as a professional group worthy of our own attention and recognition. Yes librarians as a profession are historically focused on service to others, but have we completely lost sight of our own needs? I can't help but think of the FAA safety instruction which we get each time we fly. If the cabin depressurizes an oxygen mask will appear. We are told to "Put on your own mask before attempting to help others." In other words, if you become disabled, you are useless to those around you. I think it is a fair analogy to suggest we are all flying in a profession and working for institutions that are in various stages of decompression. Now is the time to put some focus on ourselves in order to be better able to serve our institutions both now and in the future.
PLL gives two awards each year, one for a newer member and one for a more seasoned member: The PLL Emerging Leader award is designed to recognize a member in the early stages of his/her career who has already made significant contributions to the Private Law Libraries SIS and shows outstanding potential for continued service and leadership within the SIS and the profession. The Service to PLL award is designed to recognize a member who has provided significant service to the Private Law Libraries SIS.
What do these two awards have in common? They are both awards that focus on contributions to PLL. That is not a bad thing, it is simply not enough. Do our members not contribute to our law firms? Are not those contributions worthy of recognition? Would not law firm related awards be more meaningful to our law firm leadership? It is no secret that lawyers and law firms are highly competitive. How often have you seen an initiative take fire because another law firm was recognized as being "the first or the best or the most" by some metric?
By comparison the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) has a raft of "Distinguished Peer Awards."
- IT Professional of the Year
- KM Professional of the Year
- Leadership Award
- Litigation Support Professionals of the Year
- Technology Advocacy Professional of the Year Award
- Young Professional of the Year Award
- Innovative Project of the Year
- Innovative Law Firm of the Year
Add to this the Magazine article and White Paper of the Year award. I must note that PLL member and former PLL Chair, Steve Lastres won the 2013 White Paper of the Year Award.
Could we not have peer recognition awards for research solutions, technology initiatives, portal design, workflow design, research training programs, PR campaigns, competitive intelligence solutions, pro bono project, big data solutions, blogging, writing, stereotype image breaking, glass ceiling smashing?..... add your ideas here.
I know exactly what the stumbling block will be once we develop these awards. We will have to shed all humility and nominate ourselves for consideration. Most of us have no way of knowing what our colleagues have accomplished. So let's take a deep breath and think the unthinkable... its time to brag about what you do!
I have asked Cameron Gowan to be the Chair of our Awards committee and to develop new opportunities for us to celebrate, recognize and yes even brag about ourselves!
Please email me or Cameron if you have ideas to suggest or wish to be part of the Awards committee. |
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A Big Thank You
Thanks to everyone who submitted a proposal for the 2014 AALL Annual Meeting in San Antonio. We especially thank Jennifer Berman and Scott Bailey, PLL Education Co-Chairs, for their hard work helping our members draft, edit, and submit outstanding program proposals. |
Update to the Model Law Firm Copyright Policy
The AALL Copyright Committee, led by PLL Members Patricia Barbone and Kevin Miles, is creating a task force to review and update the Model Law Firm Copyright Policy. The policy was last updated in 2007. The Committee is interested in having PLL members join the task force or provide comments about the current policy. If you are interested, please reach out to Patricia or Kevin. |
ProQuest Dialog Responds to PLL-IP Members' Concerns re Migration
In recent months IP professionals have been voicing their concerns in a variety of forums about the demise of "legacy" Dialog. Issues include the loss of files (copyrights, trademarks, Piers, D&B, etc.) changes in functionality (e.g. the Expand command), and questions about new subscription models. The PLL-IP Caucus conducted some informal polling among its membership and presented the results to ProQuest Dialog (PQD).
ProQuest Dialog was very appreciative for all the feedback and questions shared by members in the survey. In my role as Chair of the IP Caucus I spoke with representatives from PQD about the survey results and can report that they are being responsive and proactive to our feedback. PQD assured me their goal is to ensure responsiveness with transparency and confidentiality. They have determined the best course of action is to schedule one-on-one conversations with their customers. Your account manager will be reaching directly out to you soon to schedule a time to meet. |
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Memorial
MARY KATHERINE "KATIE" McDONALD
We are sad to report that PLL-SIS member Katie McDonald, of the Philadelphia Office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, passed away on September 2nd. She had been with the firm for more than two years and was a key member of the global Competitive Intelligence Team. Before joining Morgan, Katie worked as a Research Librarian at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP, and served as a Director-at-large on the Executive Board of the Greater Philadelphia Law Library Association.
Katie grew up in the Philadelphia area, attended the University of Delaware as an undergraduate, and earned her Masters' Degree in Library Science from Drexel University. Her varied interests included camping, the outdoors, music, and the Philadelphia Phillies. Katie was an avid reader and writer, and was a News Editor with Main Line Life Newspaper before pursuing law librarianship.
Katie was known as a thoughtful, down-to-earth, and generous person, with a bright and winning smile. She will be sorely missed not only by family, friends, and her colleagues from Morgan and GPLLA, but by all who knew her. |
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Welcome New Member
Colleen Cable, Profit Recovery Partners, Kansas City, MO |
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