Check out what we’ve been up to the last 12 months with our 2012/2013 annual report. The report includes a message from our director, highlights of our Collections, Information Management, Reference and Research Services, and Access Services departments as well as updates on the professional activities of the staff and of various projects. Some of the features include the visit of Bitner Research Fellow Priya Rai, the return of ever-popular therapy animals, an update on the law school construction project and the award-winning Trial Pamphlets digitization project.

Carissa-Vogel_2We are pleased to introduce you to Carissa Vogel!  Carissa is our new Assistant Director for Research and Instruction and a Lecturer in Law.  She spent several years in practice in California before deciding to become an academic law librarian. She holds an M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington, a J.D. from the University of New Hampshire, and a B.A. from the University of California – Berkeley. Carissa taught first-year legal research courses, legal research for LL.M.students, sections of Advanced Legal Research, and Prepare to Practice sessions on Intellectual Property legal research in her previous position at Columbia Law School. She has been published in several library publications and is an active member of AALL, the American Association of Law Libraries.

Welcome, Carissa!

Femi Cadmus

Congratulations to Femi Cadmus, the Edward Cornell Law Librarian and Associate Dean for Library Services at Cornell Law School, who has been elected to the Executive Board of the American Association of Law Libraries.  AALL is the primary professional organization representing law librarians and related professionals in United States law libraries

Femi’s new role as a leader of AALL complements her interest in the evolving role of the 21st century law library and its administration.  To learn more about her views on this topic, see her recent article (with Julian Aiken and Fred Shapiro), Not Your Parents’ Law Library: A Tale of Two Academic Law Libraries, 16 Green Bag 2d 13 (2012).

We’re pleased to announce the publication of our annual report, Cornell University Law Library: A Year in Review 2011/2012.  It includes a Message from the Director, reports on Collections, Information Management, Reference and Research Services, and Access Services, an in-depth discussion of our digitization of the Trial Pamphlets Collection, and a list of our librarians’ professional activities.  Some of the highlights from the past year that you can learn more about in the annual report include new librarians and staff, a new popular reading collection (both print and online), library materials on the move, added Sunday reference desk staffing, increased circulation of library materials, and a visit from Cornell Companions, a pet visitation program sponsored by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (a picture of the llama is in the annual report).

For graphs, pictures, and more, visit Cornell University Law Library: A Year in Review 2011/2012.

The Law Library will host an open house for 1L’s, LLMs and exchange students tomorrow, Tuesday, August 21, from noon to 2:30pm.  Join us to meet our staff, pick up some swag, and be introduced to a variety of helpful resources and services, including:

  • Lexis, Westlaw & Bloomberg passwords
  • Cool stuff to borrow
  • After Hours Access
  • Rare Book Room
  • Interlibrary Loan & Borrow Direct
  • Upper Level Research Courses
  • Eating Area
  • How to use our catalog
  • Library website & subject-specific databases
  • Where and how to check out course reserves
  • And more!

The Law Library is now accepting job applications for Assistant/Associate Director for Instruction and Research Services and for Faculty Services Librarian.

Title:  Assistant/Associate Director for Research and Instruction

Background: Cornell University is located in scenic Ithaca on a hill above Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.  The town and University offer a unique cosmopolitan and international atmosphere in a beautiful natural setting of waterfalls, gorges, and lakes. The Law School has approximately 620 J.D. students, 75 LL.M. students, 25 J.S.D. students, and 52 full-time faculty, and is the home of the Legal Information Institute.  The Law Library houses over 700,000 volumes and volume equivalents, and disseminates extensive legal information through its web site. The Library promotes a challenging environment which supports the use of new technologies with a tradition of excellent services.  Professionals and support staff work closely with the Law School and the University Library. The Law Library is part of the Cornell University Library (CUL) system, and advancement is through the CUL promotion process.

Position Description:  The Assistant/Associate Director for Research Services and Instruction serves as a member of the administrative committee responsible for Law Library policy and management, and supervises the Head of Reference/Research Services and the Faculty Services Librarian.  The position reports to the Law Library Director and may be filled at the Assistant or Associate level, depending upon candidate’s experience.

Responsibilities: The Assistant/Associate Director for Research Services and Instruction takes a strong leadership role in the development and implementation of policies and services for the reference and instruction sectors of the library.  S/he teaches a variety of courses and workshops, including the research portion of the first year Lawyering course and various research courses for upper level credit; leads the development of assessment tools for the research portion of the Lawyering course; coordinates with the writing faculty and other teaching librarians to design the Lawyering research curriculum; develops new course offerings; coordinates professional development in instruction for teaching librarians; and serves as Instruction Coordinator for the Law Library within the Cornell University Library system.  The individual in this position supervises the Head of Reference/Research Services in the provision of excellent research and reference services to the Law School and University communities; serves on the reference desk; supervises the Faculty Services Librarian and actively participates in the Law Library’s faculty liaison program; assists in maintaining content relevant to reference and instruction on the Law Library website; and participates in Law Library planning committees and task forces. S/he actively engages in campus, regional, and national professional organizations and collaborative activities.

Requirements: M.L.I.S. or equivalent graduate degree; J.D. from ABA accredited school or foreign equivalent; minimum of three years’ experience in a law library; supervisory experience; knowledge of legal research strategies; strong service orientation; demonstrable teaching skills; excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work independently and function in a collegial, teamwork-oriented environment which emphasizes customer service and delivery of exemplary library research and faculty services; creativity and adaptability in the face of competing priorities; demonstrated service to the law librarian profession through professional organizations.

Preferred: Knowledge of and interest in new and emerging technologies; demonstrated experience in developing projects and seeing them through to completion.
Benefits: Competitive in salary, rank, professional development support, and benefits.  Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions (TIAA-CREF and other options).  Professional travel funding available.

Application: Position is available January 1, 2013; however, the start date is negotiable.  To apply, go to: http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, select job category “Librarian,” select job posting 18062 and follow the instructions for online submission. Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three references. Applications will be reviewed as received and the posting will close on August 24, 2012.

For more information, contact Amy Emerson, Assistant Director for Access Services, 607-255-5441, aae25@cornell.edu.

Cornell University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer strongly committed to diversity. We value qualified candidates who can bring to our community a variety of backgrounds and experiences.


Title:  Faculty Services Librarian

Background: Cornell University is located in scenic Ithaca on a hill above Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.  The town and University offer a unique cosmopolitan and international atmosphere in a beautiful natural setting of waterfalls, gorges, and lakes. The Law School has approximately 620 J.D. students, 75 LL.M. students, 25 J.S.D. students, and 52 full-time faculty, and is the home of the Legal Information Institute.  The Law Library houses over 700,000 volumes and disseminates extensive legal information through its web site. The Library promotes a challenging environment which supports the use of new technologies with a tradition of excellent services.  Professionals and support staff work closely with the Law School and the University Library. The Law Library is part of the Cornell University Library (CUL) system, and advancement is through the CUL promotion process.

Benefits:  Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions (TIAA-CREF and other options).  Professional travel funding available.

Responsibilities:  Under the supervision of the Assistant/Associate Director for Research and Instruction, the Faculty Services Librarian is responsible for planning and managing the Law Library’s faculty services program, which includes an active faculty liaison component and a faculty scholarship repository. S/he is responsible for developing and implementing initiatives to promote library services with faculty and for initiating and maintaining communication with faculty members regarding their specific research interests and needs. The Faculty Services librarian also hires, trains, and supervises law student research fellows to provide expert, timely, and consistent legal and non-legal research. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required, as well as a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collegial environment. The Faculty Services Librarian is an instructor in a variety of courses and workshops, including the first year lawyering course and various research courses for upper level credit, depending upon qualifications and interest.  The Faculty Services Librarian participates in library planning committees and task forces and engages in campus, regional, and national professional organizations and collaborative activities, and is expected to be professionally active.

Salary is competitive. Position is available January 1, 2013; however, the start date is negotiable. Applications will be reviewed as received, and the posting will close on August 24, 2012.

Requirements:  J.D. from ABA accredited school and M.L.I.S. or equivalent graduate degree from an ALA-accredited program; strong service orientation; excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work independently and function in a collegial, teamwork-oriented environment which emphasizes customer service and delivery of exemplary library reference and research services.

Preferred:  A minimum of two years professional academic law library or related experience; demonstrated experience coordinating and managing faculty requests; teaching experience; knowledge of and interest in new and emerging technologies; experience with empirical and statistical research and resources.

Application:  To apply for this position go to: http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, search under the job category of Librarians, select job posting 18061 and follow the instructions for online submission. Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three references.

For more information, contact Thomas Mills, Associate Director for Collections and Administration, 607.255.5859, twm26@cornell.edu

Jean Pajerek

Jean Pajerek

Jean Pajerek, the Law Library’s Associate Director for Information Management, is one of the presenters of “Launching into RDA: The New Frontier” at the American Association of Law Libraries conference this weekend.  Jean also prepared “FRBR Meets RDA,” training materials explaining the relationships between the new cataloging standard, Resource Description and Access, and Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records.  “FRBR Meets RDA” has been nationally recognized as among the best freely available RDA training materials by the Library of Congress Program for Cooperative Cataloging’s RDA Training Materials Task Force.  The Task Force’s report recommending Jean’s materials is available at the Library of Congress’s Catalogers Learning Workshop.

At the conference in Boston on Sunday, July 22, at 3:45 p.m., Jean and her co-presenter, Patricia Sayre McCoy of the University of Chicago’s D’Angelo Law Library, will describe the Cornell Law Library’s and the D’Angelo Law Library’s experiences transitioning to the new standard ahead of three national U.S. libraries.  Jean and Pat’s presentation about RDA at last year’s conference is available on YouTube.

Please welcome Dan Blackaby, our new Technology Services Librarian. Dan will be responsible for implementing new technologies, as well as planning, maintaining, and enhancing the library’s web presence.  He will participate in the faculty liaison program, and will also be involved in legal research and instruction.

Dan comes to Cornell from South Texas College of Law in Houston where he worked as a professional librarian in various roles including research, technology, and acquisitions. After earning a B.A. at the University of Houston, he earned his J.D. from Michigan State University, an M.L.I.S. from San Jose State University, and an M.A. in History from California State University, Fullerton. Dan has a rich background in law librarianship, and has worked in different library settings, including the Montana Department of Natural Resources, Microsoft Corporation, the Santa Clara County Counsel, and Western State College of Law. Dan is actively involved with the American Association of Law Libraries, having served as an executive board member for both the Legal History & Rare Books and Computing Services Special Interest Sections.

The Law Library is losing two of its long-time librarians to the lure of retirement. Associate Law Librarian Pat Court and Head of Research and References Services Jean Callihan, who between them have served the Law School for thirty-three years, are both leaving the library this summer.

Read about their contributions to the Law School and their plans for retirement in the Cornell Law School Spotlight.

Jean Callihan                                                                                                                   Pat Court

 

Please welcome our new Digital Resources and Research Services Librarian, Nina Scholtz, who started on April 3Nina Scholtz0.

After earning her J.D. and B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, Nina clerked for the Honorable Lawrence T. Lydick of the United States District Court, Central District of California.  She then practiced in the areas of civil litigation and civil appeals in Los Angeles for fourteen years before obtaining an M.L.I.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles in June 2011.  Prior to coming to Cornell, she taught legal research to international LL.M. and first-year J.D. students at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

In addition to providing reference and research services, Nina will be managing the law library’s digital resources and social media.  She will also be teaching legal research in one of the first-year Lawyering sections this fall.

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