HEARSAY News from KU’s Wheat Law Library | Fall 2014
IN THIS
ISSUE Reaching international students Reflections from the Faculty Senate president Staff notes
Visit Us Green Hall 1535 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045 lawref@ku.edu law.ku.edu/library
DIRECTOR’S CORNER A recent law school project created space for students on moot court teams. To make room for the moot court office, the Wheat Law Library recently “repurposed” room 300A. The room was previously the home of various library staff, study and research activities, and a large microfiche collection. Most recently it housed the legal history collection and interdisciplinary monographs donated to the library by Professor Emeritus Francis Heller. Professor Lou Mulligan, director of the Shook, Hardy & Bacon Center for Excellence in Advocacy, facilitated the creation of the moot court office. The dedicated space is important to students and faculty involved in moot court activities. I benefited from using the office as I prepared and coached a moot court team last spring for the Thurgood Marshall Moot Court competition. In the past, moot court activities were dispersed throughout the law school. Professor Pam Keller, who heads the moot court program, noted the benefits of having a space for moot court activities. “It’s been helpful to have our own space to more conveniently work on briefs and hold oral argument practice rounds. It provides a central place for Council members to meet, share ideas and get to know each other better. Stronger friendships lead to stronger teams — and can take a little pain out of all the hard work.” The legal history collection was moved to room 200F. It is now closer to the technical services and processing area. The new location is more secure and has better climate control and no light filtering into the room, which preserves the rare books in the collection. This change in spaces and places was a win-win for everyone! Upon completion of the processing of the documents and materials donated by Professor Paul Wilson, the library will add materials related to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case and some of the personal
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papers, teaching materials, photographs and other artifacts related to the life of Professor Wilson. The legal history collection is a work in progress, and we look forward to preserving other important items for future generations. In conjunction with the legal history collection, the Wheat Law Library also serves as an in-house archive for the law school. We now have trained staff with expertise in museum studies and history, assisting us in curating, collecting and organizing the archive. The archive is located in room 212, in the technical services and processing area of the library. You can read about new staff and students who have joined us at the Wheat Law Library in this newsletter. Please join me in welcoming them to the law school community! See you in the library. Joyce McCray Pearson Library Director
Library welcomes new staff members Lindsey Collins, Faculty Services Senior Researcher, earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature and biology at Drury University. She served as managing director for a youth arts nonprofit in her hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas, before moving to Kansas City and earning a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of MissouriKansas City. After working in nonprofit stewardship and development, she came to KU Law, graduating in May 2014. She is a die-hard Chiefs fan and loves living in the heart of Kansas City with her wife, Teresa, and their rescued basset hound, Bella.
Melissa Doebele, Library Assistant, began working at the Washburn University library while pursuing her bachelor’s degree. That position led to a full-time job at Washburn’s law library, a master’s degree in Library Science from Emporia State University, and a cataloguing librarian position at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Doebele returned to Kansas to pursue her graduate degree in museum studies at KU. Melissa does reference and technical services work and looks forward to using her museum studies background to update the library’s displays.
Meet our 2014-15 new student workers Thomas Hiatt is a 3L from Shawnee, Kansas. Thomas received his undergraduate degree in political science and history from KU. In spite of his great career prospects with a political science and history degree (namely asking people if they want fries with that), Thomas decided to go to law school.
Diamond Stacey is a 2L from Lawrence. She completed her undergraduate degree in history and women’s studies at Washington State University. Diamond enjoys traveling and has lived on both coasts of the United States. She has a beloved cat named Mo.
Malcolm Jackson, 2L, grew up in Washington, D.C. He received his undergraduate degree in political science and American studies from Hobart & William Smith Colleges. While at Hobart, Malcolm was a four-time rock, paper, scissors champion. He credits his success to a bold, yet revolutionary strategy of only using rock.
Chris Teters is a 2L with a Computer Science degree from KU. He is involved with Student Bar Association, American Constitution Society, Traffic Court and the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy. Chris plans to pursue a career in prosecution or technology policymaking.
Sadie Shillieto is completing her master’s degree in art history. Her professional background is in museum collections management. Sadie draws upon her knowledge of art history and museum collections to organize the KU Law history archives.
Jason Vigil is a 2L from Las Cruces, New Mexico. He holds degrees in criminal justice and philosophy from New Mexico State University. Since there’s really not a job market for Jedi or superheroes, Jason figured criminal law was his best bet.
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Reaching international students By Allison Reeve, Cataloging & Technical Services Librarian This summer I presented the poster, “Overcoming Service Barriers: Effectively Meeting the Needs of International Law Students” at the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Annual Meeting and Conference in San Antonio, Texas. This was an opportunity to continue collaborations and idea sharing with colleagues and showcase KU Wheat Law Library’s commitment to programs and services for international students. It was great to talk with other librarians about how they engage their international populations. I came away with the idea for a library-only international student orientation, which, thanks to our partner Tonda Hill in Admissions, was implemented this fall.
The poster proved a great strategy in organizing my thoughts on how we have created and implemented various programs and services. First we must identify the core questions:
great at it. Not only can we provide bibliographic instruction and database training, we also help the Academic Resource Program by stewarding and circulating their collection of reference materials. You can learn more about the poster and my research project at http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/dspace/ handle/1808/14786.
• Who are the international students? • What are the strengths they bring to KU Law? • What is their background in library use and interaction? • What projects do they work on that can be supported through library involvement?
I had my poster printed on fabric by Spoonflower.com. The costs were low, and the anxiety of shipping and potential damage was alleviated by the ability to fold the poster into my carry-on. Though I believe I was the only presenter who hemmed her research. AALL allows quite a bit of space for each poster: 4 feet by 8 feet. I was able to fit not only all of my pertinent points, but a beautiful global Jayhawk as well. If you’re interested in hearing more about the library’s international programs or how you might also utilize fabric printing for your needs, please be in touch.
After working to address those main questions through brief surveys, informal conversations, and reading about other experiences, we can begin to identify barriers. We match librarian skills to information needs and barriers to service. For example, some international students may not be familiar with American legal research, but law librarians are
Overcoming Service Barriers : Effectively Meeting the Needs of International Law Students Research Goals
Provide quality experiences Support quality legal education programs Student success Utilize current library resources and skills
Understanding International Students:
Motivated Educated Experts in their fields and home countries Goal-oriented
Barriers
Solutions/ Services
Language & culture, stress & anxiety; students report not using the library because they do not know who to contact nor what is offered
Orientation Handbook LibGuide
Skills employed:
Instruction Instructional materials
Previous knowledge
Which services will result? What skills do we possess to meet the needs? What resources can we employ?
Methods for Discovery and Understanding
Literature and program reviews Faculty Survey Student Survey Informative dialogue
Challenges in Discovery and Understanding
Few survey responses
American legal research, writing & resources; students report using the library mostly for writing and research; faculty report the need for increased English writing support
Students and Advisors Academic Resources Program Graduate Studies Main campus libraries Others
Materials in Academic Resources Program 1st year coursework
Cataloging Circulation Bibliographic instruction
More students in the library Support for new library services Fosters quality experience Supports quality program and attracts more students
International Dissertation Writing Fellow
Campus connections Research Instruction
Programs of Legal Study:
Vendor relations
JD
Supervising
2-year JD
Metadata
LLM
Scholarly Communications
SJD
Limited required library interaction Misunderstandings of library services and skills
Increased use of library services
KU Writing Center
Skills employed:
Collection development
Preparation for international practice
Space
Career preparation
Database training
Dissertation formatting & submission
Research instruction
Academic Resources Program
Skills employed:
How do we discover the barriers? What are the reported and perceived needs?
Making Connections:
Web content and management
Questions:
Mutual Benefits:
Acknowledgements:
Allison Reeve, Librarian, University of Kansas Wheat Law Library
I first thank Wheat Law Library staff, past and present, who provide these services to all students, domestic and international, in a seamless and professional manner and who also support my endeavors: Joyce Pearson, Christopher Steadham, W. Blake Wilson, Pamela Crawford, Jeff Montgomery, Michael Obermeier, and Ashly Basgall, who worked with me to initiate many of these activities. Also, our colleagues in the Academic Resources Program, specifically Betsy Six; International Dissertation Writing Fellow, Chris Keyser; Director of International Programs, Raj Bhala; Registrar, Vicki Palmer; and various campus colleagues. Most importantly I acknowledge all of the international students attending KU School of Law who enrich our programs and my own day-to-day work. This presentation was made financially possible by the University of Kansas School of Law. For continued discussion please contact me at 785-864-9272; acreeve@ku.edu
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OUR MISSION
Above: Students gather at KU Law’s 2013 International Student Orientation, offered by the Wheat Law Library. Cover photo: Mücahit Aydin poses with his faculty advisor, Professor Webb Hecker, before the successful defense of his Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) dissertation. Aydin is one of many international KU Law students who have used the Wheat Law Library’s resources to conduct legal research.
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 Policies & Hours Food & Drink Library collections, equipment and furnishings need to serve current and future users. Snacks and beverages (in capped containers) may be consumed away from library collections, computers and equipment. Dispose of trash in appropriate containers. Report any spills you cannot clean up to library staff.
Overdue and Lost Items
There is no grace period for checked-out items. Item type
Fee
Reserve items
$1/hr per item, max. $20/item
Recalled items
$2/day or partial day, max. $20/item
30 days overdue
Replacement cost of item, $20 fee, $20 recall fine (when applicable)
31 - 60 days overdue
Recall fine forgiven for items returned in good condition
Over 60 days overdue
Replacement cost forgiven for items returned in good condition
Regular Hours (Aug 27 - Oct 10) Mon - Thur 7:30 am - 11 pm Friday 7:30 am - 5 pm Saturday 9 am - 5 pm Sunday 10 am - 11 pm
Fall Recess Hours (Oct 11 - 13) Saturday 9 am - 5 pm Sunday 10 am - 5 pm Monday 8 am - 5 pm
Regular Hours (Oct 14 - Nov 24) Mon - Thur 7:30 am - 11 pm Friday 7:30 am - 5 pm Saturday 9 am - 5 pm Sunday 10 am - 11 pm Wheat Law Library | Hearsay
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Many happy returns
By Chris Steadham, Wheat Law Library Associate Director I initially balked when Professor Pearson asked me to author a brief Hearsay column based upon my recent experiences serving as the 2013-14 KU Faculty Senate President. Much ink has already been devoted to the contentious issues that animated the University Governance landscape last year and, truth be told, I have enjoyed returning to a quiet civilian life within the friendly confines of Green Hall. However, I eventually surrendered and agreed to write a few words about this challenging but ultimately rewarding journey through the world of shared governance and higher education politics. The controversial Kansas Board of Regents social media policy, enacted last year despite considerable resistance from faculty and staff across the state, stands out as the defining issue of my time in office. The emergence of this imbroglio was obviously unexpected, so last year was something of a crash course on the topic as I worked to coordinate a unified response to a policy that many believe has a chilling effect on the freedom of expression. Although the policy currently remains on the books, I am proud of the Senate’s strong affirmation of free speech and academic freedom. We found unity with the senates of our sister institutions on this issue, and I was also encouraged to see some of our own internal fault lines dissolve as we joined together on an issue that seemed to resonate universally. Given the national visibility of the social media policy saga, it would be easy to mistakenly overlook all of the other aspects of the position that were incredible in their own right. On a weekly basis, I participated in discussions on a variety of multi-faceted issues that had no easy answers yet
upcoming events Board of Governors Meeting Homecoming Reception / Class Dinners Sept. 26-27, 2014 Kansas Law Review Symposium Oct. 24, 2014 Barber Emerson Bluebook Relays Oct. 31, 2014
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demanded strong and thoughtful leadership. I also gained a new understanding of just how complex an organism an international research university is, along with a renewed appreciation for the amazing contributions that so many people make each day to ensure we all succeed together. During my time as president, I witnessed some amazing examples of just how powerful communication and good faith collaboration can be. Working in a law library, it is often easy to bury yourself in books and papers and lose sight of the people and relationships that make all of the work worth it in the first place. In the end, I am a bit relieved to return to my familiar surroundings, but I will always carry that lesson with me. That, and don’t ever post anything on Facebook or Twitter.
Wheat Law Library Staff Joyce A. McCray Pearson Director & Associate Professor Christopher Steadham Associate Director Pam Crawford Head of Public Services W. Blake Wilson Head of Instructional & Research Services Jeff Montgomery Circulation & Serials Department Manager Allison Reeve Cataloging & Technical Services Librarian Lindsey Collins Faculty Services Senior Researcher Melissa Doebele Library Assistant