Friday, April 17, 2020

7:45-9:30am-Breakfast and Keynote Speaker

Jerry Mitchell, Investigative Journalist, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting

From Simon & Schuster:

“For almost two decades, investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell doggedly pursued the Klansmen responsible for some of the most notorious murders of the civil rights movement. This book is his amazing story. Thanks to him, and to courageous prosecutors, witnesses, and FBI agents, justice finally prevailed.” —John Grisham, author of The Guardians

On June 21, 1964, more than twenty Klansmen murdered three civil rights workers. The killings, in what would become known as the “Mississippi Burning” case, were among the most brazen acts of violence during the civil rights movement. And even though the killers’ identities, including the sheriff’s deputy, were an open secret, no one was charged with murder in the months and years that followed.

It took forty-one years before the mastermind was brought to trial and finally convicted for the three innocent lives he took. If there is one man who helped pave the way for justice, it is investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell.

In Race Against Time, Mitchell takes readers on the twisting, pulse-racing road that led to the reopening of four of the most infamous killings from the days of the civil rights movement, decades after the fact. His work played a central role in bringing killers to justice for the assassination of Medgar Evers, the firebombing of Vernon Dahmer, the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham, and the Mississippi Burning case. Mitchell reveals how he unearthed secret documents, found long-lost suspects and witnesses, building up evidence strong enough to take on the Klan. He takes us into every harrowing scene along the way, as when Mitchell goes into the lion’s den, meeting one-on-one with the very murderers he is seeking to catch. His efforts have put four leading Klansmen behind bars, years after they thought they had gotten away with murder.

Race Against Time is an astonishing, courageous story capturing a historic race for justice, as the past is uncovered, clue by clue, and long-ignored evils are brought into the light. This is a landmark book and essential reading for all Americans.

9:45-10:30am-Session A

Teaching Track: The Science of Material Design

Appropriately designed course materials (i.e., PowerPoints, handouts, etc.) can help boost students’ long-term retention of the material(s) they are learning in legal research courses; conversely, inappropriately designed course materials create an additional burden on students’ cognitive load limits. This program will explain the cognitive science surrounding dual coding—how the brain encodes written versus visual information and how that helps with retrieval—and other science-backed strategies related to graphic design. Panelists will then give examples of effective PowerPoints, visuals, and handouts that follow the science of graphic design.

• Franklin L. Runge, Head of User Services, Washington and Lee University School of Law Library
• Jennifer Mart-Rice, Head of Collection Services, Washington and Lee University School of Law Library
• Alyson Drake, Assistant Director for Operations & Education Programs and Director of the Excellence in Legal Research Program, Texas Tech University School of Law Library

Service Track: Open Students’ Minds (without Opening their Wallets): Write a D.I.Y. Open-Source Textbook!

This program will present the nuts and bolts of authoring an open-source legal research textbook — everything from platform choice and topic to deciding on the scope of the topic and how often to update. We will also discuss why these textbooks are valuable, the benefits of co-authorship, the challenges of an interactive textbook, as well as what we wish we’d known before undertaking our projects.

• Beau Steenken, Instructional Services Librarian and Associate Professor of Legal Research, University of Kentucky, J. David Rosenberg College of Law Library
• Tina Brooks, Electronic Services Librarian and Associate Professor of Legal Research, University of Kentucky, J. David Rosenberg College of Law Library
• Amy Taylor, Clinical Services and Research Librarian, University of Georgia School of Law, Alexander Campbell King Law Library

Diversity Track: Foundational Legal English for ESL Students

First-year ESL law students face a considerable disadvantage when compared to their native English-speaking peers. Foreign and international students consistently encounter obstacles to their learning due to the language barrier. In order to level the competitive playing field, several universities offer summer English programs for incoming law school students. This panel will discuss key resources and learning materials pivotal to library collections that can assist law librarians in developing similar programs, seminars, or short courses aimed at strengthening ESL students’ English language skills and helping them to further understand and engage with their law school course materials.

• Dr. Susan McGee, ESL Instructor/Advisor, Jackson State University, JSG Global – English As Second Language Institute  
• Tarica LaBossiere, Assistant Public Defender, Broward County Office of the Public Defender

10:45-11:30am-Session B

Teaching Track: Let’s Go Full TiLT! Transparency in Teaching for Student Success

Research demonstrates that employing transparent design in instruction greatly improves students’ achievement in learning outcomes. This is even more profound for underrepresented and first-generation students. Transparency in Teaching and Learning (TiLT) is an instructional design methodology that focuses on how and why students learn course content, concepts, and skills, and how they will use that learning in their lives beyond school. This presentation will introduce participants to TiLT concepts and provide participants with practice in TiLTing their own instruction.

• Thomas “TJ” Striepe, Associate Director of Research Services, University of Georgia School of Law, Alexander Campbell King Law Library
• Anne Burnett, Foreign and International Law Librarian, University of Georgia School of Law, Alexander Campbell King Law Library

 

Service Track: Southern University Law Center--Affordable Learning Initiative

Southern University Law Center (SULC), recognizing the need to make legal education more affordable for our students especially as it relates to textbook cost, embarked on a project to make eTextbooks available for our law students beginning with the Fall 2019 entering class. The main goal of the initiative was to ensure all students had their books for the first day of class. The focus of the presentation is on the implementation process and the lessons that we learned during the process.

• Angela P. Mason, Assistant Director for Public Services, Southern University Law Center, Oliver B. Spellman Law Library                               
• Elizabeth Outler, Assistant Director for Technical Services, Southern University Law Center, Oliver B. Spellman Law Library
• Adrienne Shields, Associate Director of Library Services and Adjunct Professor, Southern University Law Center, Oliver B. Spellman Law Library
• Phebe E. Huderson-Poydras, Director of Library Services, Southern University Law Center, Oliver B. Spellman Law Library

Diversity Track: Know the Recognize the Signs, Learn the Actions, Serve as a Lifeline

What we know – one in four people will be affected by mental health disorders at some point in their lives. While treatment is available, nearly two-thirds of people with known mental disorder never seek help. Stigma, discrimination, and neglect prevent people from seeking treatment. We prepare for crisis situations of all stripes (fire, flood, active shooter) but, how are we addressing the greatest threat to our safety? Learn about steps we can take as library professionals to prepare for people affected by mental disorders, recognize the signs of imminent danger, and serve a lifeline for our patrons and our staff.

• Zanada Joyner, Senior Reference Librarian, NCCU School of Law Library
• Matthew Neely, Reference Librarian, NCCU School of Law Library
• Cassandra Patterson, Reference and Outreach Librarian, Georgia State University School of Law Library

11:45am-12:45pm-Lunch/Update from AALL Representative

Jason Sowards, Law Librarian & Director, Nevada Supreme Court

1:00-1:45pm-Session C

Teaching Track: Service Learning in the Legal Research Classroom

This program will discuss the pedagogical benefits of incorporating a service-learning component into first-year or upper-level legal research courses, including increased tolerance for and commitment to diversity, empathy for others, commitment to engaged citizenship, and increased cognitive skills. The presenter will present two models of how she incorporated service-learning components into research courses--one first-year skills course and one upper-level skills course--and provide tips for implementing a service-learning component into a legal research course.

• Alyson Drake, Assistant Director for Operations & Education Programs and Director of the Excellence in Legal Research Program, Texas Tech University School of Law Library

Service Track: Student Research Assistants: Bridging the Gaps in Training and Supervision

This program will review three ways law librarians at Vanderbilt University interact with student research assistants: 1) hiring and overseeing library RAs; 2) training student RAs hired by a faculty member, and; 3) directly overseeing and working with student RAs on a particular project for a faculty member. It will highlight some common intergenerational differences between law librarians and law students and review some different strategies for developing good working relationships, no matter the arrangement. Throughout the program, participants will be encouraged to share their experiences and strategies with one another.

• Meredith Capps, Foreign and International Law Librarian and Head of Faculty Services, Vanderbilt University Law School, Alyne Queener Massey Law Library
• Sarah Dunaway, Research Services Librarian and Lecturer in Law, Vanderbilt University Law School, Alyne Queener Massey Law Library
• Mariah Ford, Research Services Librarian and Lecturer in Law, Vanderbilt University Law School, Alyne Queener Massey Law Library

Diversity Track: You Can Teach an Older Dog New Tricks; Tips for Intergenerational Engagement in an Academic Setting.

Non-traditional students are enrolling for the first time or returning to start second and third careers. Non-traditional students bring both work and life experience and with them to the academy. However, this may not be enough to overcome the rigors of law school. Law school requires a different set of skills that non-traditional students need help learning. They may need help interacting with younger colleagues, developing study plans, and acquiring technology skills. This program will provide information and tips on the best practices for libraries to develop intergenerational engagement programs, webinars, and outreach activities in the library setting.

• Beth Parker, Associate Director of Operations & Collections and Adjunct Professor of Law, Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law, Panza Maurer Law Library
• Tarica LaBossiere, Assistant Public Defender, Broward County Office of the Public Defender

2:00-2:45pm-Session D

Teaching Track: What the Japanese, the Swedes, and the Minimalists Can Teach Us About Instruction

Using the philosophies of a number of popular organizing schemes, the speaker will summarize the lessons to be learned and applied to our instructional efforts. Everyone has heard of KonMari, Swedish Death Cleaning, and New Minimalism. These programs do have lessons to teach us about improving the effectiveness of our instruction. The presenter will discuss the rewards of downsizing, including our 'ideas' files, lesson plans, and exercises. The goal is a form of organization that makes our instructional efforts run more smoothly and allows us to focus on the essentials. There will also be an online guide with tips and suggestions.

• Sharon Bradley, Digital and Scholarly Resources Librarian, Mercer University School of Law, Furman Smith Law Library

Service Track: Leaping and learning: Lessons Learned When Moving Forward with a New System

Library systems support the complex tasks of acquiring, describing, and providing access to materials and services. The decision to move to a new system is often balanced by gains and losses. Panelists will discuss their experiences and lessons learned while migrating to a new library system.

• Carol Collins, Head of Technical Services, University of Tennessee College of Law, Joel A. Katz Law Library
• Allison Fentress, Librarian, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
• Edward T. Hart, Assistant Dean for the Law Library and Assistant Professor, UNT Dallas College of Law Library
• Jennifer Mart-Rice, Head of Collection Services, Washington and Lee University School of Law Library

Diversity Track: A Call to Action: The Fineman & Pappas Law Libraries on Community, and Equity & Access

Law libraries have an equity and access problem, and the Fineman & Pappas Law Libraries is no exception. Over the past two years, our community has changed in ways that caused us to reflect on our spaces and services, and we discovered our training and services did not measure up to who we purported to be. This presentation will discuss our initiatives over the past two years as we worked to solve these problems and our strategic goals for the future. It will cover our missteps, costs, and plan of action, and help others identify areas where they can improve and how.

• Anna Lawless-Collins, Associate Director for Systems & Collection Services, Boston University School of Law, Fineman and Pappas Law Libraries 
• Ellen Frentzen, Associate Director for Administration & Access Services, Boston University School of Law, Fineman and Pappas Law Libraries
• Shira Megerman, Senior Legal Information Librarian, Boston University School of Law, Fineman and Pappas Law Libraries
• Brian Flaherty, Instructional Services Librarian, Boston University School of Law, Fineman and Pappas Law Libraries

3:00-3:45pm- Session E

Teaching Track: Hindsight is 20/20: Is it all Review in Advanced Legal Research?

Legal research instruction is inconsistent across law schools. Some schools have a rigorous 1L research program. In others, basic legal research is a small component of a legal writing course with librarians teaching 'advanced' research classes that might more accurately be called 'basic.' So what should an Advanced Legal Research class cover? The basics? More specialized research? And what is the purpose of ALR? To give law students the skills needed to work the reference desk? Or to work effectively as a first-year or summer associate?

• Kat Klepfer, Research & Access Services Librarian, Florida State University College of Law, The Research Center
• Joyce Manna Janto, Deputy Director, University of Richmond School of Law, William Taylor Muse Law Library

Ted Talks

Cultivating a Culture of Mindfulness in the Law Library and Beyond

How to implement a Mindfulness program at your institution - challenges and rewards.

• Heather J.E. Simmons, Associate Director for Instruction and Access Services, University of Georgia School of Law, Alexander Campbell King Law Library

Re-envisioning Student Research Services

How do we reach students who no longer come to the reference desk or ask questions via an online service? We implemented a new service in 2018 and expanded it in 2019 to work directly with our legal clinics, law journals, and faculty research assistants to expose members to advanced legal research skills. This program will review initial results and ideas for improving and expanding our service in 2020.

• Anne Hudson, Senior Faculty Research Librarian, DePaul University College of Law, Vincent G. Rinn Law Library

Reframing Libguides: An Organism of Agora

LibGuides are an underutilized CMS that has the power to create a virtual agora. This author argues that most LibGuides are static 2D documents, whereas LibGuides can be dynamic, 3D organisms that can exponentially foster knowledge and community (e.g., open-source) beyond the constraints of physical space-only libraries. This can be done by exploiting more technological features (e.g., media, formatting, blogs), and re-framing cataloging/metadata. Creating cataloging/metadata that focuses on effective, efficient retrieval and anticipating patron needs can create a topical blueprint, and a virtual 24/7 librarian for patrons to parse through infoglut and come to librarians with more focused questions.

• Julie Kang, M.L.I.S. student, Simmons University, School of Library and Information Science

Diversity Track: What's Rank Got to Do With It?

Are rankings necessary for law libraries? Are we at risk of creating “cookie-cutter” law libraries for the sake of comparison and rankings? Once academic law libraries have met ABA standard 606 on core collections, specifically, along with general standards on library and information resources, any other measure for ranking potentially forces libraries into a narrow definition of success. This program will explore the impact ranking has on a law library’s ability to support projects which enhance diversity and inclusion. Participants will discuss different ways law libraries can meet the needs of its law school population, in support of the ABA standards, without worrying about ranking.

• Nichelle J. Perry, Law Library Director and Assistant Professor of Law, NCCU School of Law Library
• Kristina J. Alayan, Law Library Director and Assistant Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law Library
• Itunu Sofidiya, Reference Librarian and Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Edward Bennett Williams Law Library