Hearsay | Fall 2020

HEARSAY News from KU’s Wheat Law Library | Fall 2020

THIS ISSUE Being a law librarian in a time of quarantine

Brenna Truhe joins library staff

New carpet installed on three floors of library

Green Hall | 1535 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045-7608 law.ku.edu/library lawref@ku.edu

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DIRECTOR’S CORNER Where to begin? It has, to borrow a phrase, “been a minute” since an issue of Hearsay last graced your inbox.

By my rough calculations, despite what your calendar says, approximately three to five “COVID years” have elapsed since the publication of our last issue. During that time, we have all taken an unexpected crash course in various subjects such as mask fashion, Zoom etiquette and the considerable risks of cutting hair with little to no experience in the field. We have also unavoidably wrestled with many momentous issues of a most serious nature. These issues run the gamut from the role of science and information literacy, to the painful but quite necessary discourse unfolding on the topic of historic inequities and the pursuit of racial justice. However, we have also been busy working to ensure the new academic year will be a successful undertaking for KU Law and the Wheat Law Library. Thus, while taking stock of our collective and individual 2020 journeys is perhaps unavoidably the de facto theme for this new issue of our newsletter, we also hope to share some insights regarding more traditional pursuits as well.

In this issue we are so pleased to welcome our new, or perhaps at this point relatively new, Technical Services Manager, Brenna Truhe. Joining us not long before the pandemic upended the normal rhythms of Green Hall, Brenna has been a valued contributor even as normal workflows were disrupted just as she was getting acclimated. In addition to processing and cataloging library acquisitions, among other things, Brenna serves as a PLC for law faculty, works at the Circulation and Reference Desk on a regular basis, and collaborates on the curation of our rare and historical legal materials. Her aptitude for these varied responsibilities is grounded in significant experience in the field of law librarianship, as evidenced by her prior position with our friends at the Kansas Supreme Court Law Library in Topeka.

Perhaps most importantly, Brenna has tackled all of the unprecedented developments of 2020 with extraordinary grace under fire and dedication to our mission to serve the information needs of the KU Law community. I hope you will enjoy learning more about Brenna in her introductory

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contribution to this issue, and that you might take a moment to offer her a warm virtual or socially distanced welcome.

The balance of this issue offers a mix of the familiar along with content best described as decidedly 2020 in nature.

Circulation & Serials Departments Manager Jeff Montgomery delivers nostalgia for the carefree days of the 2019 Bluebook Relays, including both the joy of the victors and the palpable excitement of all who participated in this far from socially distanced event. Meanwhile, Assistant Director Pam Crawford muses on all of the new signs, reflecting myriad new policies and procedures, that are now found throughout the library and the rest of the building. Suffice it to say that her insightful observations belie her Herculean effort this summer to aid in the development of library protocols and initiatives designed for the “new normal.” Returning to the topic of the “before time,” Library Assistant Melissa Doebele reminds us that the library has recently undergone renovations worthy of celebration – specifically the carpet that has quite effectively spruced up floors 3, 4 and 5. Thanks are due to all of the many folks that made this project possible and, while the carpet presently looks much as it did when it was first installed, we look forward to familiar trails being worn as the current and future law students of KU navigate the pathways of their research. Assistant Director Blake Wilson returns to the transformed landscape of remote learning and the technology instruction that provides critical support for both students and faculty members. Blake recounts some of the many roles he has played, and explains some of the many technologies he has mastered, during his time providing essential services that exemplify many of the skills and competencies required of the modern law librarian.

As for your humble library director, I have found myself in awe of the resiliency of my colleagues in the law library, marveling at our ability to roll with the challenges and keep our focus on the things that really matter. Not a day passes without a moment that spurs me to observe once again that our library staff is truly remarkable in both skill and dedication. Along with the many logistical projects we have undertaken, I have also been pleased to achieve some goals in terms of the accelerating shift toward electronic resources while also realizing some cost efficiencies that should pay dividends for the researchers of KU Law. Working with instructional support initiatives, various service and scholarship projects, and also envisioning how my spring Advanced Legal Research

course will function in this new era have represented a welcome return to some more traditional endeavors. Finally, I should note that my previous reflection upon the rewards of serving as treasurer for the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries (MAALL) quickly turned to renewed excitement as I was recently elected to serve as Vice-President/President-Elect for this wonderful organization. I look forward to soon sharing more news about the amazing work being done by law librarians, both here at the Wheat Law Library and at our peer institutions throughout the Midwest. There is little doubt that much of what lies ahead, whether in terms of MAALL or KU, will surprise us to some degree and we will once again improvise and rise to the challenge. Though we must approach these challenges with a serious mindset, I still find ample room for optimism as we look to the future. In my experience, law librarians are well positioned to gather, organize, evaluate,

synthesize, and disseminate whatever information will be relevant to the task at hand. I can assure you that we will continue to do just that, to the very best of our ability.

In conclusion, we continue to look forward to seeing you in the law library. Whether that takes the form of a socially distanced conversation behind masks, or through any number of virtual interactions, we are always excited to connect our patrons with the information they need. I invite you to reach out if you have suggestions or questions regarding how we can best accomplish that goal.

Christopher L. Steadham, JD, MLIM Wheat Law Library Director

(From left) Melissa Doebele, Brenna Truhe, Christopher Steadham, Blake Wilson, Pam Crawford and Jeff Montgomery.

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Six Feet Under team crowned as 2019 Bluebook Relays champions Jeff Montgomery Circulation/Serials Departments Manager Another raucous edition of the Barber Emerson Bluebook Relays enlivened Green Hall over the lunch hour on Oct. 25, 2019.

Organized by the law library’s own Jeff Montgomery and sponsored by the Lawrence law firm Barber Emerson L.C., the 30th annual Bluebook Relays were a smashing success. The 2019 title was ultimately captured by Cara Beck’s (L’20) Six Feet Under team, which joins a long line of proud Bluebook Relays champions.

The Relays are a special and cherished tradition for KU Law that provides 1Ls with a brief respite from memo writing and puts their newly acquired legal citations skills to the test. Each small section competes with a team of 10 members, including one Bluebook “expert.” Usually held around Halloween, the Relays also feature outrageous costumes and spirited but friendly competition. Denise Dantzler’s (L’20) team, Torts Illustrated, won the 2019 Spirit Award.

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Cara Beck’s Six Feet Under team (top) won the 2019 Bluebook Relays, while Denise Dantzler’s team, Torts Illustrated, captured the coveted Spirit Award.

New at KU: Brenna Truhe joins library staff Brenna Truhe Technical Services Manager Maybe you’ve seen me around Green Hall, maybe not. I started at the Wheat Law Library as the Technical Services Manager this past December during the first week of finals. Since then, we have had winter break and a spring break that lasted five months.

Unlike most of the other faculty and staff in the building, I am much more accustomed to an empty building than a building full of students. Nevertheless, you can find me this semester at the reference desk on Thursday afternoons happily unlocking study rooms, stapling and hole punching your materials, locating books and a smattering of other things. I’m so glad to see and meet new *masked* faces.

Now, a little bit about me …

Assistant Melissa Doebele on projects related to the Legal History Collection.

I attended Southwestern College inWinfield, Kansas where I earned my B.A. in English literature and minors in psychology and leadership. Nowadays though you can find me in 210 managing acquisitions, processing new books and maintaining our online catalog. I also work on assessing and processing donations to the library. Additionally, I work with Library

Pre-pandemic, I would have told you that it’s tricky to catch me in any one place while I’m not at the library. I enjoy traveling, backpacking and traveling to go backpacking. My at home hobbies have received much more attention lately; I’m crocheting, sewing, cooking and taking pictures of my diva cat at an almost but not quite alarming rate. I’m glad to be back on campus this semester.

I am no stranger to historical collections. As a graduate student at Emporia State University, I worked in the Center for Great Plains Studies where I inventoried and cataloged original research pertaining to the first families of Chase County, Kansas - a robust cattle town which eventually earned it a spot on the railroad. I could go on, but I won’t. If you were wondering how I ended up in a law library, that started in Emporia, too. I worked in a local law firm scheduling, filing and doing about a hundred other things including light legal research. Upon graduation from ESU with my Master’s in Library Science, I moved to Topeka where I worked at the Kansas Supreme Court Law Library as a reference and cataloging librarian assisting the Justices, attorneys and public patrons. Now, I’m here at KU Law.

UPCOMING EVENTS Reunion Classes Virtual Happy Hour October 1, 2020 Kansas Law Review Symposium October 16, 2020 Winter break December 19, 2020 - January 24, 2021 Spring semester begins January 25, 2021

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Magic carpet ride Melissa Doebele Library Assistant Sometimes it seems like we should be referring to the period before the pandemic as, “In the before time … in the long, long ago.” Although the previous winter break was actually only a few months ago, it feels like much more time has passed. During the weeks between the fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters, new carpet was installed in the library on floors 3, 4 and 5.

While the carpet installers agreed to move the furniture in the area in which they working, they would not move bookshelves full of books. Library staff needed to figure out a way to not only move the books off of the shelves, but also determine the best places to store the books during the time the carpet installation was taking place.

With a multitude of borrowed book carts to use for our project, we were able to move everything in a fairly quick and efficient manner. On the third floor, we moved the Casad, Heller, Logan and Coggins Collections. We also moved items from the Academic Resources shelves and a large group of Federal Reporters. On the fourth floor, books were moved out of the Optican and Head Collections. Books and journals needed to be taken out of the International Faculty Publications Display, and fragile items were removed from the International Display Case, which houses materials received as gifts.

On the fifth floor, several shelves of journals were moved.

The book trucks were housed in vacant offices, study rooms, and even between ranges in the stacks.

Before

Special thanks to Dean Stephen Mazza, Associate Dean Crystal Mai, and all of the carpet installers for making this improvement to the library possible. A very special thanks to Annie Brazil, Student Assistant in Technical Services, who loaded up many of the carts, pushed them to the storage areas, and put materials back in their original places when the carpet installation was completed.

After

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International & Comparative Law Program | Fourth floor of Wheat Law Library

During construction

After

Fifth floor of Wheat Law Library

Before

After

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Technology Officiant: Law librarianship in a time of quarantine Blake Wilson Assistant Director for Instructional & Faculty Services On Thursday, March 12, 2020, it was confirmed that Spring Break would be extended. Faculty were to use this time to prepare for the movement online. For the library, it was a time to help faculty with this move. I was asked to instruct faculty on the use of educational technology so they may shift their in-person classrooms into the virtual realm. I had four days to prepare. Not a problem. I have always had a knack for tech. My Master’s is in Information Science and Learning Technologies, after all. As a matter of fact, librarians have always been the experts in marrying people to their needs, be it a book or a bit of computer software, and we at the Wheat Law Library are no exception.

We decided the best way to go about this move was to focus training on a handful of technologies to which we all share access and those that are supported by the University of Kansas.

• Blackboard is a tool that allows faculty to add

resources for students to access online. Powerpoint,

video, audio, animation and other applications are

created outside of Blackboard and added into

Blackboard courses for students to enhance teaching

and learning efforts.

• Kaltura Media provides faculty and students with

options to create video content in a variety of

Blackboard tools, such as the discussion board, blogs,

journals and other tools. Quick videos can be created

using Kaltura’s Express Capture. However, we asked

that faculty download the desktop application,

Kaltura Capture. I even asked the students in my

Advanced Legal Research course to use Kaltura to

create their final presentations. Although Kaltura

Capture is fairly intuitive to use, it only works for

asynchronous (meaning non-live) teaching.

• MediaHub: Everyone with a KU email, login and

password has dedicated server space designed

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specifically to store and present multimedia such as

audio, video and images. Content created using

Kaltura or Zoom (discussed below) will automatically

be stored with the user’s MediaHub and can be

accessed through the MediaHub site or through Blackboard.

• Zoom is a cloud-based video communications app

that allows you to set up virtual video and audio

conferencing, webinars, live chats, screen-sharing and

other collaborative capabilities. Zoom can be used

for synchronous (“live”) instruction and, with its

record feature, also allows for asynchronous learning.

Normally, the recordings made in Zoom would be

stored in Zoom’s cloud. However, as a KU user, those

recordings are stored in KU’s MediaHub, making it

easy to share through Blackboard.

With a dedicated team of librarians, IT, administrative assistants and support personnel, the quick transition online proved to be relatively painless.

With the spring semester in place, no time was wasted planning for fall. I jumped at the opportunity to sit in on the committees that were to meet all summer. I wanted to be on top of any changes to technology and library services. As it turns out, the bulk of the work came down to logistical questions which others on the committees handled with amazing strength and grace. Technology needs came down to integrating Zoom into the classroom and experimentation with different classroom modalities, which I was happy to take part in.

One of the library’s main focal points came down to providing study space for students while maintaining all state, county and university health guidelines. Although spacing study carrels did not require any special technology, assigning them did. To do so, I created a Microsoft Form to gather student information and extrapolate need. I then used Excel to assign the study carrels.

• Microsoft Forms is an online survey creator and is

part of Office 365. It allows users to create surveys

and quizzes with automatic marking. The data can

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then be exported to Microsoft Excel. In the spring of 2020, KU finished its integration into Microsoft’s Office 365.

This made scheduling and assigning carrels a simple task.

By using Mail Merge, I was able to inform students of their assignment quickly and easily.

With KU’s move to Microsoft Office 365, we decided to do a soft roll out of Microsoft Teams by asking all student organizations to conduct business via Teams and many of our clinics integrated Teams into the curriculum.

• Microsoft Teams is a communication and collaboration platform that combines chat, meetings, file storage, and application integration.

The service integrates with the Office 365 and OneDrive, both of which KU faculty and students have access to. We held back on instructing faculty on Teams for the spring semester.

To help prepare students, the first-year Lawyering Skills faculty decided to move some discussions to Teams. Yours truly was asked to give a short presentation showing how to download and use the app. While I had become quite proficient using Blackboard and Zoom, Teams was brand new to me. Luckily KU Educational Tech offers a Teach the Teachers course on Teams and, as stated earlier, I have a knack for educational technology. Offering a 30 minute how-to on their final day of Boot Camp proved to be no problem. And, as a faculty advisor for the Mindfulness in Law Society, I have been able to dig deeper into Teams to discover its strengths and weaknesses.

Historically, the librarian’s job has been to help meet the needs of the patron with the use of the information contained within the walls of the library. As technology developed and changed, so did the librarian. As this year has shown, it may be wise to view the librarian as a sort of information and technology matchmaker. And if that matchmaking sticks, we are also happy to be seen as officiant.

The new “normal” Pam Crawford Assistant Director for Public and Technical Services Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.

Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind. Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign? * Okay, I am showing my age here, but this song pops into my mind each time I enter Green Hall these days.

There are signs on the front doors, in the hallways, on the stairs … everywhere.

There is a perfectly good reason for the signs. We are all creatures of habit and “new” can be hard to do. The signs are necessary reminders of what is different and, in some cases, mandatory.

After years of laughing and chatting in the halls, sharing study tables, and lounging in the first floor commons between classes, we now need to practice social distancing and wear masks both inside the law school and outside on campus.

Classrooms that held 100 or more people can now hold one third as many people after reconfiguring the spaces. Study rooms in the library are limited to one person at a time. Online meetings, hybrid classes, and virtual “office hours” have become the norm. There are even large white tents on the east side lawn complete with electricity and Wi-Fi for those that want to study outdoors.

In the library, there are “up only” and “down only” stairways.

Hand sanitizer stations and surface-cleaner wipes are located throughout so tabletops, printers, keyboards, door handles, and elevator buttons can be cleaned frequently during our open hours. Our library hours themselves have changed, shortened to provide more time for the cleaning staff to disinfect.

We know the changes are in place to help keep us all safe.

We truly appreciate the thoughtful decisions made by our administrators, deans, faculty, student government and others, so we can continue providing excellent library services and a safe environment for our alumni, students, faculty and staff. * Song lyrics by Les Emmerson. Signs lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc. Wheat Law Library | Hearsay

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Library staff directory OUR MISSION

Christopher L. Steadham Director csteadham@ku.edu 785-864-9242

Pam Crawford Assistant Director, Public & Technical Services pcraw4d@ku.edu 785-864-9264

Melissa Doebele Library Assistant mdoebele@ku.edu 785-864-3360

Jeff Montgomery Circulation & Serials Department Manager jmontgom@ku.edu 785-864-9252

As the largest and oldest law library in Kansas, the Wheat Law Library is an integral part of the School of Law. It serves the law school and university community in legal and interdisciplinary scholarly pursuits and provides attorneys, judges, and the general public with access to legal information. Key components of this mission include collecting and preserving Kansas, national, and international legal documents, teaching legal information literacy, and serving as a legal information gateway by providing access to sources beyond the scope of the physical collection.

LIBRARY HOURS August 19 - November 24, 2020 Mon - Thur 7:45 am - 9:30 pm Friday 7:45 am - 5 pm Saturday 9 am - 7 pm Sunday 12 pm - 9:30 pm

Produced by the Office of Communications at the University of Kansas School of Law,

Brenna Truhe Technical Services Manager brtuhe@ku.edu 785-864-3168

W. Blake Wilson Assistant Director Instructional & Faculty Services wilsonwb@ku.edu 785-864-9253

2020. The University of Kansas is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.

Photos: Ashley Golledge, KU Marketing Communications, Melissa Doebele and Michele Rutledge.

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