Around this time every summer, I look forward to the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Libraries. This year is no exception. Although the 2020 conference is virtual, it offers a robust mix of professional development and engagement opportunities, interactions with vendors, a chance to renew friendships and meet new people, celebrations of colleagues’ achievements and honors, and much more. You surely have these same experiences – a professional gathering that educates, challenges, informs, and refreshes you.
As I complete some pre-reading and review the schedule to make sure I’ve registered for all the sessions I plan to attend, I’m also taking a moment to reflect on the law librarians who’ve made my work life easier and my library management and service to legal professionals better by giving me a helping hand one way or another over the past year. If your organization has one law librarian on staff, know that they are supported by a strong, responsive profession which, in turn, has tangible and intangible benefits to your business. Here are a few examples of the benefits of my networking experience locally and nationally:
- Developments in the legal publishing world – personal experience with new products and features, workarounds, alternatives and product comparisons, tips and tricks
- Interlibrary loan or document delivery of resources for one-time needs
- Conference sessions, workshops, and webinars on a wide range of topics to deepen knowledge or explore a new area
- Trusted confidants who listen with empathy and share perspectives and suggestions
- Group problem-solving, whether a situation involves a challenging issue with a vendor, a technical difficulty, or workplace dynamics
- Standards and data for everything from professional competencies to vendor relations to salaries and budgets
- Advocacy on issues like public access to government information and working with publishers
- Toolkits with sample policies, procedures, research guides, and teaching and training resources
Information professionals have many talents from research to organization to tech skills to management. Resourcefulness is on that skills list and the intentional development and use of professional networks can lighten the occasional workload.
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