New Library Display Library Liaison Program O'Brian Series added to Walkover Collection Conference Attendance New and Notable Previous Issues

Info	What's new in the Law Library . . .
	November 2001

New Display in Library Reading Room A new exhibit, "Gems of the Seattle University Law Library," now occupies the display cases in the Dolliver Reading Room on the fourth floor of the library. The volumes on exhibit tell a story about a famous British case, or describe an incident that shaped U.S. history. Some of the books on display played an important role in the development of international law while others were antecedents to the research tools we now take for granted. Satisfy your curiosity. Come view the exhibit "Gems of the Seattle University Law Library" which will remain on view through December. Return to top

Library Liaison Program Initiated The library has recently instituted a formalized liaison program for faculty that is designed to foster greater contact between faculty and the librarians. Each faculty member has been assigned a librarian liaison who will monitor the faculty member's instructional and scholarly needs and serve as the faculty member's primary contact person within the library. Library liaison services include: Scholarly Support For faculty using Research Assistants for writing/research projects, we can work with the RA to make sure that he/she is researching effectively by working with suggested resources, providing tailored strategies, or conducting retrospective bibliographic searching. Current Awareness To aid faculty in keeping abreast of developments in particular areas, electronic clip searches can be created which cover new developments. Additionally, we can run preemption checks to see if others have published on a particular topic of interest. We can also scan the worldwide bibliography to inform faculty of important new literature and forthcoming publications. Collection Resources If faculty are contemplating a new course offering, we can review our collection in that area and make suggestions for additions to the collection in both electronic and print formats. We can also keep faculty apprised of new materials added to the collection. Instructional Support A mix of resources can be used to support faculty instructional needs. Web or paper based resource guides can be prepared that are tailored to specific classes. The library research guides, called Starting Points, are on the Library's web page. We provide point-of-need instruction for students who might require more one-on-one time to learn about research resources. Students embarking on independent study projects or preparing papers or essays for an advanced topics seminar can often benefit from an appointment with a librarian to review research resources and strategies. Additionally, the library provides in-class or in-library lectures and demonstrations on research techniques and materials tailored to specific courses or topics. In sum, the goal of the law library's liaison program is to assist faculty with their scholarly research and teaching endeavors. So far, the response from faculty has been very positive. Faculty requests for many of the above services, including research in preparation for new courses, electronic current awareness services, and in-class lectures, have increased significantly. If there are any other services we can offer please let us know. Return to top

O'Brian Series Added to the Walkover Collection Professor Andy Walkover, who died of cancer in 1988, was a much loved and admired member of the University of Puget Sound School of Law faculty. Last November, our library had the pleasure of hosting the rededication of the Andrew M. Walkover Collection, a collection composed of books that Prof. Walkover had recommended to his friends or that his friends thought that Andy would have liked. As the one-year anniversary draws near, we are pleased to announce the newest addition to this wonderfully eclectic collection. In keeping with Andy's enjoyment of C. S. Forester's novels detailing the life and career of Horatio Hornblower, we have selected Patrick O'Brian's 20 volume series of Napoleonic-era sea stories as this year's addition to the collection. Although still unknown to many, O'Brian's works were described by the New York Times Book Review in 1991 as "the best historical novels ever written." Since his death last year, O'Brian's writing style has often been compared to that of Jane Austin, another of Andy's favorite authors. The series traces the lives of two strong, yet very different characters, Jack Aubrey, a boisterous career Royal Naval officer, and his friend, Stephen Maturin, the mysterious ship's physician. Known for his attention to detail, O'Brian chronicled the dangerous life of the 19th-century sailor, while at the same time exploring the psychological interplay between his two main characters. In 1992 an article in the Washington Post examined O'Brian's theme of one man's relationship with another, stating, "[T]he Aubrey/Maturin series far beyond any episodic chronicle, ebbs and flows with the timeless tide of character and the human heart." The Walkover Collection is located to the left as you enter the library's main entrance (2nd foor). We hope that this addition to the collection will provide many hours of enjoyment to everyone. Return to top

Conference Attendance Jane Grossman, Nancy Minton, Charlotte Parsons, and Susan Kezele attended the annual Northwest Innovative Users Group Conference at the University of Portland on Oct. 8-9. Sessions attended included WebOPAC management, automating database maintenance, image linking, exporting/manipulating data, and forums on acquisitions/serials, circulation, and cataloging in Millennium. Millennium is the web- and client-server based upgrade to Innovative Interfaces, our integrated library database. The law library will be migrating to the Millennium upgrade in early 2002. Return to top

"New and Notable" Library Materials Check out the New and Notable page to see new resources we think might be of particular interest to our users. The page includes synopses, information on the authors, and links to available reviews of the titles shown above. Return to top

Newsletter written by law library staff. Questions? Comments? Please contact Brendan Starkey, editor.