INFO • Seattle University Law Library • August 2008 Newsletter

Law School Archives Update

The Seattle University Law Library has made significant progress in establishing an institutional archive this summer by inventorying its holdings and obtaining copies of key documents held by other institutions. Under the direction of Reference Librarian Robert Menanteaux, volunteer Julia Vinson inventoried the library’s holdings of historical material, including student newspapers, early law school publications, photographs, slides, and correspondence. This team also located and copied relevant material from the holdings of the Tacoma Public Library.

In addition to gathering materials from the Tacoma Public Library, we also sought access to materials held at the University of Puget Sound. The institutional archive of the University of Puget Sound has a rich collection of documents about the law school. After extensive negotiations, the University of Puget Sound agreed to allow the photocopying and/or digitization of nearly all documents related to the law school. Librarians Bob Menanteaux and Stephanie Wilson are currently copying and scanning this material for our institutional archive.

Obtaining copies of the material held by the University of Puget Sound will provide a solid foundation for our institutional archive. Materials include documents about the law school’s formation, early catalogs, faculty meeting minutes, law school dedication, first ABA inspection reports, building fund raising materials, architectural drawings, board of visitor correspondence and reports, and much more.

In February, the law library participated in the “A Day in the Life of the Law Library Community” photo contest. 129 photos were entered from law libraries across the country. This year, the law library won honors in three different categories. "At the Speed of Reference" placed first in the Librarians as Teachers and Trainers category. Additionally, "Preparing the Asynchronous Lecture" placed second in the Librarians as Trailblazers in New Technology category, and "Warhol Inspired Law Librarians" placed third in the Artistry of Librarianship category. All photos were taken and submitted by Reference Librarian Tina Ching and Circulation Assistant Supervisor Charity Braceros.

The photos were framed and on display at the Public Relations Showcase in the Exhibit Hall at the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon. The contest winners were also featured in the July 2008 issue of AALL Spectrum and will be used for future AALL publications and brochures.

Dominique Bourg, the law library’s Administrative Assistant, has received five years of full funding to attend the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Dominique, who graduated from Seattle University in 2006 with a B.A. in English literature (with minors in philosophy and women’s studies) will be working towards her PhD in English Literature. Her specific area of interest is postcolonial and postmodern British fiction. During her first year of PhD studies, Dominique will work as a project assistant, and the next four as a teaching assistant. When she graduates, she plans to become a professor at a smaller liberal arts university like Seattle University. We wish her the best and hope that someday, she will return to Seattle University as a professor!

A joint production by law librarians from the Seattle University Law Library and the University of Washington Gallagher Law Library, Bridge the Gap is a program designed to give students a refresher course on key research skills needed for summer legal employment. This year marked the 13th annual Bridge the Legal Research Gap program. As in previous years, the program was presented twice in order to best accommodate the two law school schedules. This year had almost 200 attendees from law schools across the country. Subjects covered included Administrative Law Research, Legislative History and Lawyers’ Practice Materials. Tina Ching, Bob Menanteaux, Kerry Fitz-Gerald, and Barbara Swatt Engstrom presented.

One of the most popular programs was a panel discussion with SU alumni David Ko (’06), Jake Bernstein (’07) and Dan Crowner (’05) on Legal Research in the Real World. The panelists discussed how they use their research skills in their day to day practice. David Ko is clerking for the Honorable Ricardo S. Martinez in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, Jake Bernstein is the primary lawyer for the newly created Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution Program in the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office, and Dan Crowner is a first year associate with Patterson Buchanan Fobes Leitch & Kalzer, Inc., P.S.

The Seattle University Law Library has expanded its offerings to the Congressional Record through Hein Online. We now have access to the U.S. Congressional Documents Collection featuring the bound and daily versions of Congressional Record and its three predecessor titles (Annals of Congress (1789-1824), Register of Debates (1824-1837) and Congressional Globe (1833-1873). The U.S. Congressional Documents Collection can be found on our databases by title listing under Hein Online. For assistance, contact your library liaison or the reference desk: lawreference@seattleu.edu (x4225).

Circulation Assistant Supervisor Charity Braceros and Reference Librarian Tina Ching each received grants to attend the 101st American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting held from July 12-15 in Portland, Oregon. Charity received her grant from the Law Librarians of Puget Sound (LLOPS). Tina received a grant from the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL).

Cataloger Nancy Minton received a continuing education grant from the Washington Library Association (WLA) to attend the Oregon Library Association/Washington Library Association (OLA/WLA) joint conference last April in Vancouver, Washington.

Conferences and Workshops

AALL
On July 12-15, several of the law librarians and library staff attended the 101st American Association of Law Libraries annual meeting in Portland, Oregon. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Energize, Explore, Evolve.” More than 66 sessions were given on such topics as the Library’s Role in Educating Lawyers, the Workings of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Electronic Titles and the Library Catalog, Beer and the Law, and Harry Potter and the Law. Kelly Kunsch was a featured author at CALI's "Meet the Authors" booth, having recently published a CALI lesson on Washington Legal Research. Additionally, Tina Ching coordinated and moderated a session on Oregon’s Initiative and Referendum Law. Prior to the meeting, Tina wrote for a blog about the meeting for AALL. When you next meet one of the attendees, take a moment to see if they are energized or evolved.

SLA
Barbara Swatt Engstrom attended the Special Libraries Association (SLA) conference, which was held on June 16-18 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. SLA brings together librarians who work at corporate, government, academic or other specialized libraries. The program highlights included a discussion of disinformation in the media by Brooks Jackson, founder (in conjunction with the Annenberg Foundation) of FactCheck.org, a preview of the Washington State Library’s digital preservation program for state agency documents as well as sessions on knowledge mapping and environmental law research in China by the founder of chinadialogue.net.