will endure for decades. Animated conversations recount everything from the challenges of Socratic questioning and summer internships to the Jayhawks’ latest improbable victory on the football field. Our engaged and dedicated law school community inspires us each day and reminds us that our work in the law library provides important support for students and faculty who are pursuing lofty goals and undertaking challenging projects.
While our mission of supporting scholarly pursuits remains unchanged, we have many recent developments to share with our readers in this issue of Hearsay. Longtime Circulation & Serials Manager Jeff Montgomery, renowned by generations of law students as a friend at the front desk, retired this summer after more than 46 years of dedicated service. We wish Jeff an enjoyable retirement and thank him for his many contributions, including the Barber Emerson Bluebook Relays that have become a cherished tradition at KU Law. We also wish a fond farewell to Brenna Truhe as she pursues a promising new opportunity as a firm law librarian. Brenna served admirably as technical services manager since 2019 and resiliently guided our technical services efforts through the tumultuous times of the pandemic. We wish Brenna well and thank her for the expertise and collegiality she contributed throughout her time at the Wheat Law Library.
As we move forward this year, we are pleased to welcome Laura Maloney as our newly hired circulation & serials manager. Laura is a KU graduate who brings valuable experience, a dedicated approach to student services, and a lifelong appreciation of libraries to the position. We hope you will enjoy getting to know more about Laura, who is also currently pursuing an MLS with Emporia State University, in this issue and that you will extend her a warm welcome to KU Law.
This issue of our newsletter also offers a chance to learn more about Melissa Doebele, who was recently promoted to the Technical Services Manager position. Melissa has been a valuable member of our team for many years and now has expanded responsibilities that correspond perfectly with the expertise and experience refined in her previous role as library assistant. Brief “Q & A” highlight features with both Melissa and Laura can be found in the pages that follow.
Additional features you can find in this issue include an insightful article from Assistant Director Pam Crawford on the camp libraries of World War I and World War II, along with an update on the first-year legal research program from Assistant Director Blake Wilson. We hope these articles provide an enjoyable change of pace from case law and statutes, and that they offer insight into some of the initiatives underway this year in the Wheat Law Library. While there is considerable change detailed here, our dedication to service and collaboration is unwavering. This is largely a reflection of our remarkable staff members and their consistent commitment to supporting the information needs of our primary patron group. As always, we look forward to seeing you in the library and working to achieve our shared goal of research excellence with the renewed sense of purpose that accompanies the new academic year.
Christopher L. Steadham, JD, MLIM Wheat Law Library Director
For those who are unfamiliar with the way we have taught the research portion of the Lawyering Skills course, allow me to give a short breakdown. Each section of roughly 20 students was assigned a law librarian. That librarian would meet with the students on the third floor of the Wheat Law Library and conduct a type of lab. We would introduce the students to legal research concepts and show them how to use the books. These labs would continue for roughly five weeks, alternating between book assignments and online assignments. When the pandemic hit, we moved toward a strictly online model with the “labs” being more like a group office hour. As I wrote about in the fall 2021 issue of Hearsay (“Hybrid model of teaching legal research is here to stay”), teaching a more online focused approach proved to work.
This semester we find ourselves with a higher than normal first-year student enrollment. With the retirement of one of the key librarians in our research team, we decided to revisit, once again, how we teach research. The first obvious move was to replace the in-library labs with a classroom. Or rather, two classrooms, dividing the firstyear students roughly in half. Again, we would rely on the online learning platform Core Knowledge for Lawyers and its corresponding text “Legal Research Demystified” by Eric Voigt, and instructions in book research would require a lighter touch since grading weekly assignments from 135 students would prove to be too much.
With the academics comfortably handled, the question next came down to what I feel is the true strength of our research class: connecting with the students. Assigning small groups of students to a librarian allowed for a level of professional intimacy that can be hard to emulate in a large class. But there are some ways to connect with students even in larger classes.
What made the small section labs so effective was personalization. To do this in a larger class, we need to become acquainted with as many students as possible. Odds are you won’t get to know each student, and that’s okay. The point is that you are putting yourself out there as someone who is approachable. The best way to do this is to arrive early and chat with students, ideally without you standing at the front of the room. When students ask you a question, check the seating chart for their name
and use it. If you don’t have a seating chart or it’s not in front of you, don’t be afraid to ask the students’ names. Also, if possible, move closer to them when answering the question, or simply make eye contact. I know I tend to answer each question as if it’s a lecture being presented to the entire class. But shifting focus toward the individual who asked can go a long way to making the class feel more comfortable and personal. We encourage students to ask questions in class or during office hours. I suggest my students download Microsoft Teams and message me whenever they need assistance.
Promote active learning and class participation: Kahoot!
One suggestion from the author of “Legal Research Demystified,” Eric Voigt, is to use Kahoot!. Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform, used as educational technology in schools and other educational institutions. Its learning games, “kahoots,” are user-generated, multiple-choice quizzes that can be accessed via a web browser or the Kahoot! app. As such it is a great way to engage the students, promote participation and create an energy shift in the classroom. It is a simple way to use interactive lectures. I even recommend having students form small Kahoot! groups, having them work together. With these and other modifications in place, we are optimistic that students will gain the essential skills and foundational knowledge needed to succeed in summer employment and upper-level courses. As with all aspects of legal education, this course will continue to evolve in the future as we continually evaluate best practices and work to improve the student experience.
In 1917, American Library Association (ALA) established the Committee on Mobilization and War Service Plans (later the War Service Committee). The program, known as the “Library War Service,” was directed by Herbert Putnam, Library of Congress, and later by Carl H. Milam. In 1942, the “Victory Book Campaign” continued to send millions of books and periodicals to American troops. The following article offers a brief look into both wartime programs.
The Library War Service established 36 “camp libraries” at training camps and military bases. The Service also funded 1,100 library workers to staff camp libraries and military hospitals. The camp libraries were simple wooden buildings which supplied space for 10,000 volumes and about 200 readers. National campaigns supplied books, magazines and board games to the training camps, hospitals and small military encampments both here and abroad.
The libraries were a place for soldiers to gather and enjoy a touch of home and civilization. In Kansas, the Camp Funston librarian reported sacks of magazines arriving at the rate of 20 sacks per week in October, growing to five times that number within months. Library War Service books were not just used for entertainment and diversion. They also held information required for effective military operations and helped prepare soldiers socially and intellectually for life after the war.
During both World War I and World War II, camp libraries were set up everywhere at military bases in the U.S. and Europe. The camp libraries were originally established by the ALA but at the end of WW I the ALA transferred control to the war department. More than 1,000 librarians volunteered to travel overseas to care for the libraries during WW I and the numbers increased during WW II.
During WWII’s Victory Book Campaign the ALA, along with the Red Cross and USO, sent 17 million books and periodicals to American troops. Thousands of volunteers across the country sorted and shipped the donations. Those donations were used to supply U.S. military libraries. All books on ciphers, explosives, and invisible ink were to be removed from libraries. Anyone who requested such materials had their name put on a list to give to the FBI for
ALAquestioning.sentmore than 10 million books to the armed services camps during the Victory Book Campaign between 194243. The reading materials were sent to the Army, Navy, American Red Cross, POWs, and the Japanese-American internment camps in the United States.
American camp libraries offered a center for public information and technical education. In Louisiana, servicemen used the library to increase their knowledge of mathematics and economics. A Servicemen’s Center, run by volunteers in the Chicago Public Library, was extremely popular with their collection of over 5,000 books. Other libraries catered
War II a group of archivists, librarians, and scholars went abroad to collect books and documents to help the cause. Books collected included enemy texts. They followed the advancing armies to discover and obtain records, and they seized Nazi materials from schools and
became available, individual requests for books came in from every grade of military service. The work of the mailing department was first continued by two people, Mr. Stevenson and a clerk. However, they soon discovered a need for a whole roomful of clerks, typists, and trained librarians to manage the onslaught of requests!
The value of these libraries was immeasurable. They were there for both soldiers and civilians alike, a true testament to the constant need for libraries.
While most camp librarians were volunteers, others were paid a small salary—$1,200 a year in addition to subsistence, an amount less than a second lieutenant receives. A paid assistant was provided with subsistence and similar provisions are made for janitor service and volunteers’ expenses. The total cost was about $250 per month for each camp library. More men were needed for this Camp Library service since the employment of women was not allowed by the War Department rules. However, women were allowed to do library-related volunteer work.
The camp librarian uniforms for women consisted of a skirt suit of “forest green” wool, with four pockets on the coat, a fabric belt, and a seam down the center of the skirt. The men librarians wore uniforms in the same style as the women: a coat with four pockets, breeches, leggings and coat belt of tan leather.
Looking back at the nationwide support for American troops in the two world wars, we see Americans in all walks of life making patriotic contributions and sacrifices — including librarians!
to the visiting troops by supplying music and local tourist
I am currently reading Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of ObservationsHallucinations,Humiliations,Altercations,and by Craig Ferguson. Ferguson hosted “The Late Late Show” from 2005 to 2014. Since it was on at 11:30 at night, I really didn’t see much of it until I was able to watch episodes through the magic of YouTube. I love his very left field, oddball sense of humor. I listened to Ferguson read the audiobook of his first memoir American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot. While the first book dealt with his childhood, career exploits, and reasons the native Scotsman decided to become an American citizen, Riding the Elephant covers broad topics like religion, politics, love and parenthood through the lens of personal essays and humorous anecdotes.
Blake Wilson is currently reading The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett. While he has read Good Omens authored by Pratchett and The Sandman author Neil Gaiman, this is the first stand-alone work by Pratchett that Blake has read. With so many of his friends talking about the Discworld series, of which The Color of Magic is the first book, Blake decided to see what all the fuss was about. He remarked how it reminds him of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, which Blake enjoyed in his younger years. His advice for anyone looking for their next book adventure: “If you are at a loss for things to read, try finding a series to dive into. This way you know that there’s a book waiting for you.”
Laura Maloney is currently reading two books. The first is The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. Laura chose it because it combines two of her favorite things–murder mysteries and ghost stories. The book jumps back and forth between the 1980s and the present. Calling it a “fun and easy read,” Laura commented that “It’s hard to go wrong with a murder mystery set in a haunted old motel.” She hopes to read more by the author in
the future. The other book Laura is perusing is Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park by Lee H. Whittlesey. While not normally a non-fiction reader, this book was a recommendation from a podcast Laura enjoys called “National Park After Dark,” which covers crimes and other unusual happenings in national parks both in America as well as around the world. The book made Laura realize that national parks are dangerous places that deserve respect. She also mentioned that the best advice she’s read in the book so far is, “Don’t literally set your child on top of a wild buffalo for a photo opportunity.”
Pam Crawford is currently reading The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken. Though a work of fiction, the plot centers around real Ukrainian historical events, past and present. Pam commented that she is enjoying the connections made between modern-day families and their ancestors, going on to say, “Their traditions are strong and family ties cross the decades.” The author could not have anticipated that her debut work would be published while a war was happening in the country about which she was writing. Some of the proceeds from the sale of the book are going to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Chris Steadham is currently reading Academic Law Libraries within the Changing Landscape of Legal Education: A Primer for Deans and Provosts edited by Michelle M. Wu, Scott B. Pagel, and Joan S. Howland. Chris had read articles by some of the chapter authors in this book and his admiration for their work is one of the reasons he chose this volume. He also mentioned that the subject matter is relevant to what he does every day at the library. While Chris considers this book “mandatory reading” for law library directors, he has enjoyed the insights this text provides and is making notes for future reference regarding challenges he believes the library and its staff will encounter in the months and years ahead. Even though this book has proven very useful for his library work, Chris hopes to read something different next time. “A healthy mix of fiction and non-fiction, on a wide variety of topics, is necessary for everyone – especially law librarians.”
Sitting in my chair at the circulation desk in the Wheat Law Library affords me an excellent vantage point for watching (and hearing) the comings and goings of the students at Green Hall. I started working at the law library as the new circulation and serials manager at the beginning of July. Now that the students have returned for the fall semester, I am in a whole new world of activity.
Before starting at the law library, I worked remotely for two years in my home due to the pandemic. Being an introvert, I always thought that I had found my happy place by being given the luxury of working from home. However, as the years went on, I found it began to get quite dispiriting. Staring at my computer in my home alone all day with my only human interactions taking
place over Zoom began to get old. Yet honestly, I was nervous to return to the world of “live” humans when I got my new position at the Wheat Law Library. As it turns out, my anxieties were almost immediately extinguished. The faculty, staff, and students have been most welcoming and
start of fall semester has been busy, and I still have a lot to learn, I am greatly enjoying talking to and helping the students with their needs. I did not realize how much I missed having a chat, a laugh, or a discussion in person. I am eager to learn more about law libraries and make connections with the students and others as my time at Green Hall continues.
Christopher Steadham Wheat Law Library Director Laura ourthetowhyandtowithSteadhamDirector&asWheatrecentlyMaloneyjoinedtheLawLibraryournewcirculationserialsmanager.ChrissatdownLaurarecentlyasksomequestionsshowourreaderswearesoexcitedhaveheronboardasnewestmemberofstaff.
You recently began pursuit of an MLS at ESU. Can you tell us a little about why you are interested in librarianship as a career?
There are a multitude of reasons why librarianship interests me as a career. On a basic level, the library has always been one of my favorite places. Since I was a child, I found great joy and comfort among the stacks, with a wealth of entertainment at my fingertips. Not to mention I could check out whatever I wanted, for free! I’ve always been a big reader, and the library provided me with endless amounts of materials to consume. Not only do libraries provide entertainment, but they foster learning and give access to information. Nostalgia for the libraries of my childhood aside, I see libraries as places that promote education and protect freedom of information, and that is something that is very important to me. People have a right to information, and libraries are one of the only places that allow anyone to access it, free of charge. In general, libraries are one of the few remaining places that people can go just exist without the implication to spend money. I chose to get my MLS and pursue librarianship because I want to have a career that combines helping others learn, providing access to information, and being part of an educational community. Plus, I own a lot of cardigans!
Have you found your position in the law library to be a good complement to your classes?
I have! I’m able to put some of the abstract concepts that I’m learning about in my classes into real life use at the library. It’s also been helpful in reverse situations, where I
may need to visit a library for an assignment, it’s very easy to do that when I already work in one! Having the real life library experiences has been very valuable when it comes to my library classes.
You hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts from KU and you previously held positions at Watson Library and the KU Center for Research. What have been some highlights of your time as a Jayhawk?
I’ve jumped around a lot before coming to work at the Wheat Law Library. I got my undergrad at KU, then moved away for a few years where I worked various library and retail jobs. When I moved back, I got a fulltime job at KU as a library assistant in the cataloging department at Watson Library. After that, I worked at KU Center for Research as an administrative associate. I learned that I really missed the library world, so I applied to the MLS program at Emporia State University, got accepted, and then got hired at the Wheat Law Library a month after starting on my MLS! I have been working at KU for about five years now. My favorite thing about being a Jayhawk is the community. Between leaving undergrad and coming back to KU as a full-time employee, I found that I missed the hustle and bustle of campus. I love the energy that campus gives off, and I find the KU community to be a place that I really fit in.
Tell us a little bit about your role at the Wheat Law Library. What aspects have been enjoyable? What have some of the challenges been so far?
As the circulation and serials manager, I work at the circulation desk in the mornings, then the afternoons are spent in my office doing various “behind the scenes” library tasks or working on things in the stacks. So far, the biggest challenge has been familiarizing myself with law materials. I have a library background, but I do not have much knowledge of the law. So, the law materials have been a bit of a learning curve for me. The most enjoyable aspects have been the people. I had been working from home for 2.5 years prior to starting at the law library, and I forgot how nice it is to have the simple little moments with others. Smiling and exchanging a “good morning” with others really brightens my day. The students are a pleasure to work with, and I am enjoying being able to help them with their library needs.
We are pleased to announce that Melissa Doebele was recently promoted to the role of technical services manager. Her new position encompasses a wide range responsibilitiesof ranging from cataloging to acquisitions. To mark the occasion, Director Chris recentlySteadhamposedsome
questions to highlight Melissa’s important contributions to the library and law school.
Can you share a little bit about your new role with our readers who might not know much about library technical services?
Technical services is, in a nutshell, all of the things that happen in a library that the public doesn’t usually see. However, what we do helps library patrons access the resources they need for whatever task they are working to complete. People who work in technical services add information to the library catalog, label and barcode books, process invoices, order supplies, make sure electronic resources are accessible, contact vendors, keep statistics, and so much more.
You have worked at the Wheat Law Library since 2014 and hold two masters degrees (both an MLS and an MA in Museum Studies). What do you enjoy most about working in the field of librarianship?
The very first job I ever had was in a library when I worked as a student assistant at Mabee Library at Washburn University. It felt like a good fit right away. I was able to interact with the public while at the front desk and also got to see what goes on behind the scenes when I was shelving materials in the stacks or interacting with the librarians. I’ve been an avid reader since childhood. My mom frequently took my brother and me to the public library in Silver Lake (the small town in Kansas where I grew up). Libraries have always been a place where I felt comfortable.
I currently supervise a student assistant and we will soon add a new library assistant as well. One of my goals is to work with the new serials and circulation manager to make sure everything is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Every year I set a goal of improving the timeliness of projects that I work on as well as gaining additional skills. I think now I will have the additional responsibility of helping the assistants in our department achieve their own skills as well as making sure they feel comfortable in the library. Bluebook Relays Law Review Symposium
Justin Shock (2L)
From Atlanta, Georgia
From Grimes, Iowa
From Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Anshul Banga (2L)
He still has a splinter stuck in his pinky finger.
The best part of Green Hall is that you can experience any season in a day. Craving cold? Go to 107. Need to break a sweat? Go up and down the stairs or neglect the assigned reading before a cold call.
Abigail Taylor (2L)
From Appleton, Wisconsin
One of her hobbies is growing lemon trees, she hopes to make lots of lemonade!
Jade Kearney (2L)
From Kansas City, Missouri
She read over 180 books last year.
Emily Gay (2L)
She has an extra bone in her foot.
From Gideon, Missouri
He has met four U.S. presidents.
From Colby, Kansas
She loves asking people what aquatic animal they are.
From Edwards, Colorado
She has a dog named Captain.
From Topeka, Kansas
My quote and general theme for 3L is “In my bag like the fries at the bottom.”
From Olathe, Kansas
Ever since watching Shrek the Third as a kid, he has dreamed of becoming a prosecutor.
From Omaha, Nebraska
She enjoys traveling and is always planning her next trip.
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.
August 25 - November 22, 2022
Mon - Thur 7:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
EXAM HOURS
November 26 - December 16
Mon - Fri 7:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Produced by the Office of Communications at the University of Kansas School of Law, 2022. The University of Kansas is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.
