Volume 6 No.3, February 2002 (ISSN 1084-9068)
Table of Contents
Words from the Editor
Mila Rush
Happy New Year to all!
In this column, I will discuss three items pertaining to Caucus activities plus an additional item that is directly relevant to our group.
Business Meeting in Orlando: I’m pretty sure that we will have a business meeting this coming July. What I do not know is the time of the meeting. I requested two time slots from AALL Headquarters. They are: Tuesday 5:15 to 6:15 P.M. and Wednesday 7:45 to 8:45 A.M. Please make a note on your calendar and plan to attend.
As I want to prepare, print, and make copies of an agenda before we get to Orlando, please think of business items that you want the Caucus to undertake during the meeting and send them to me. I will send out a reminder through the listserv as we get closer to July.
AALLC Banquet: Many of you have enjoyed the camaraderie and food at the annual AALLC dinners and lunches over the past years. We would like to continue this tradition by getting together for an informal dinner/lunch outside the daily conference schedule.
At last meeting, Jonathan Franklin called for volunteers to help organize this year’s AALLC dinner/lunch meeting in Orlando. With that meeting only five months away, we are still looking for a volunteer(s). In view of this, I am issuing a second call. I hope someone willing to arrange this event will contact me. It is now easier to make arrangement for a lot of things, thanks to the World Wide Web. Not only have restaurants jumped on the Web site bandwagon, but there are numberous efforts towards the creation of comprehensive restaurant sites, with reviews to boot. If you have any questions or comments about this, please feel free to offer your thoughts. They will be greatly appreciated.
Nominations Committee: The Nominations Committee is now fully staffed. I had planned to get this settled sooner; however, it took longer than I expected. The committee includes Kai-Yun Chiu (Library Company of the Baltimore Bar), Robert Haibin Hu (Texas Tech), and Jonathan Franklin (U of Washington), who had agreed earlier to chair this committee.
As some of you know the nomination for President-elect has carried with it the responsibility of program planning. Having the nominations determined only weeks before the Annual Meeting, leaves hardly any time for the nominee and his/her committee to prepare and carry out program topics, and to develop and submit a proposal to the AAMPC. As a consequence, we are behind in getting a proposal forwarded to the Association.
The Nominations Committee needs to start working fairly soon to find a nominee. Fortunately, the Committee has only one position to fill this year, and that is the President-elect. (Secretaries and Treasurers serve two-year terms).
We will discuss this problem during the next business meeting by reviewing the process and timing. Hopefully, we will consider alternatives and decide on a more permanent solution. So, in the meantime please think of possible alternatives.
Merritt Fund: Are you aware of the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund? This is a special trust fund that provides "aid to librarians who face:
- "workplace discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, age, disability, or place of national origin;
- "unfair employment practices;
- "professional and personal adversity due to their defense of intellectual freedom."
This Fund has been in existence for thirty years. It’s Board of Trustees seeks help to spread the word about the Fund so that the Fund may "directly assist librarians in need."
The Fund’s Web site is http://www.merrittfund.org ; e-mail address merritt@ala.org; and phone 800-545-2433, press 1, then ext. 4226.
Career Paths to Law Librarianship
Jessie Tam
It all began many years ago when I was a student assistant working in the cataloging department at the Hong Kong Baptist University Library. I was thoroughly amazed by how the catalogers organized, catalogued and accessed the library collection. This experience led me to pursue a library science degree at Florida State University (FSU). While in library school, I worked in the cataloging department at the FSU Law Library, performing a variety of cataloging tasks. Upon receiving my library degree, I joined FSU Law Library as a cataloging assistant, a position that gave me a thorough understanding of basic and online cataloging. Wishing to broaden my experience in library technical services, I moved on after a few years to another position in the library as an acquisitions assistant. There I used my knowledge in authority control to design several acquisitions databases.
After working at FSU Law Library for seven years, I moved to Mississippi and landed a job as a cataloger at a small college library, Alcorn State University Library. This position offered me a career opportunity unavailable at a law library -- cataloguing a variety of subject matters. I especially enjoyed cataloguing the juvenile and children collection for the local community and students at the Education Department. Finding Mississippi a little too quiet, I moved once more to Pittsburgh where I am now the Cataloging Librarian at the University of Pittsburgh Barco Law Library. In a small library setting with just a few librarians in technical services, I actively participate in the general management of our tech services department. As a result, I am informed of the latest developments in acquisitions and serials management as well as cataloguing.
Having worked in various libraries, for more years than I care to remember, I still find my job challenging and find I have many new things to learn: second generation ILS (Integrated Library System) and its ongoing upgrades; budget and staff cuts; personnel changes; legal reference questions; cataloging electronic resources; new cataloging rules and standards; software applications, etc. What an enjoyable roller-coaster ride it has been for me!
Mon Yin Lung
I wish I could say that being a law librarian was the goal of my life when I was young. But truth be told, I did not even know there was such a profession when I was a history major in Hong Kong. Like most good things in my life, law librarianship just kind of happened. The key was: how I handled each situation.
One day in 1982 when I was serving as the Social Sciences and Law Cataloger at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) general library, I was given the opportunity to fill a temporary reference position at the law library. It would not be easy because I never did reference work before. My only knowledge of legal material were books I cataloged for the Law Library over the past four years. In addition, I had become a mother to a very energetic little boy. On the one hand, taking this offer meant that I would need to invest a lot of extra time and effort into educating myself and I would have to do this all in a very short time in order to meet the challenges that I would face for the next ten months. Yet, On the other hand, this type of position could open up future professional opportunities. Who knows what would happen from this experience?
I did indeed take the offer and subsequently spent the following weekdays learning everything about the law library. At night I tried to memorizeFundamentals of Legal Research as fast as possible. After the first week I was officially on reference for twenty hours a week. At the beginning, half of the time I did not understand for what people were asking. It was not that I did not know the answers; I had difficulty with the various ways people posted the questions. Nonetheless, I was fortunate in two aspects. First, if I made a mistake or did not know the answer, I could apologize with a smile and try again. Second and more important, I found a wonderful trainer/mentor in my then-supervisor Shelley Dowling. Shelley has been encouraging and patient since the day I met her. To be sure, working at UMKC law library not only changed my career path but also gave me one of my good friends. In order to improve my performance, I made it a standard practice to 1) study a small section of the library collection when I was not on reference duty; and 2) to read newspapers, both local and national, every day to follow anything even remotely related to law. Soon, I no longer felt unsure when I faced questions from patrons or interacted with the staff.
About five or six months later, University of Kansas Law Library had an opening for a cataloging/reference librarian. Again I faced a tough decision: did I want to commute for further professional developments, or did I want to go back to UMKC general library doing what I did before? I chose change not only because of the career potential but also because after the interview I liked what I saw: a smaller library with a lot of personal touch. Also, I really liked KU Law Library director Peter Schanck, who was such a gentle scholar. When he came to Kansas City for a second lunch with me, I was sold. The eighty-miles-a-day commuting, I took it as golden opportunity for me to be by myself. How many working mothers can have such a luxury?
I served as the head of cataloging for three years. KU Law has a great system for reference service: every librarian provides reference service for eight to ten hours each week. This actually was light compared to what I had at UMKC, and the amount of reference questions were not as intensive. I thus had the opportunity to read some reference books regularly when I was on duty. I also had the good fortune to learn from Fritz Snyder, our then-reference librarian and the best reference person I ever met. Peter was very kind to share most of the law school and library operation information with the professional staff. Early on, I learned so much about running the library. When KU Law School sent a delegation to China in the Fall of 1985, I went along as the interpreter. The experience helped me secure tenure early the next year. At the end of 1986, KU Law Library reorganized and I became the head of technical services and documents librarian. I still carried the same load of reference work, but was really happy to utilize my specialty in government documents —I had received a specialist certificate in documents from University of Wisconsin years ago. I also became active with AALL and SWALL. It was not easy as my second child, a little girl, came shortly after I returned from China. Nonetheless, I found my busy schedule was rewarding. Little did I know that it was also a good preparation for something later in my life.
In 1992 the position of public services librarian at KU Law Library became vacant. After six years as the head of technical services and documents, I felt that I could move on. I asked for a transfer and became the public services person. I took on more reference hours, and was in charge of circulation, interlibrary loan and library displays. This was a great experience. I never did library display before but was I glad to have such an opportunity to show off my training in history! This duty also provided great motivation to learn about different aspects of the law school. Everything was just fabulous for a while.
But the more time I spent at the reference desk, the more I wanted a law school education. How could I serve the students well if I did not walk their path? How could I really comprehend their needs and requests if I was never in their shoes? The relationship between a law student and librarian is not limited to asking and answering questions. The relationship also is part of the student’s legal education. On the other hand, law had always been fascinating to me: the organization of human affairs, would it not be like history, my old love? What would be a better way to learn of America, my adopted country? Is the American legal system the best humankind can offer? I also had my personal considerations: could I bear to handle the same tasks everyday for the next fifteen or twenty years until I retire? Should I expand my intellectual horizon, now that my little boy was going to college and my little girl was a student in middle school? With legal training I could take on different responsibilities at work. At the least I could answer questions from pro se litigants with full confidence. Beginning in December 1996, I served as the interim director of our library for ten months. This experience gave me the confidence that I could do it, too. I was lucky: first Frank Bae, one of the AALLC’s charter members, strongly lobbied for me. If I ever had any doubt in pursuing a J.D., Frank made it all disappear. Second, my husband’s daily support has been wonderful: he took on grocery shopping and cooking every day for the last three years. (Frankly, spousal support is a must if a married person with kids wants to pursue a degree.) The kids, after declaring that this was my mid-life crisis, were very kind when I did not bring home the same grades I had always demanded from them. The law faculty’s support and encouragement was really nice. My director Joyce Pearson gave me the flexibility I needed to arrange my office hours and the reference schedule. Without this support I would not be able to pull off my studies. Other library folks—my other family—were so sweet and considerate that I can never thank them enough. Meanwhile I have given up interlibrary loan but am still responsible for the overall reference and circulation operations. Law school was and still is no easy matter to me. Even with my legal research experience, I still need more time to study than native speakers do. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the help and encouragement I have received. I am also glad to have my experience as a working mother earlier: the experiences of juggling duties and running on five hours sleep a day are very much applicable.
I started law school in 1998 with a full-time workload. I am graduating this May. I jumped over many hurdles and still face a few more. In general, I have enjoyed the challenges and made many friends with fellow classmates! At this point I do not know what kind of changes I will face. But I can assure you that whatever challenges come my way I am ready to meet them head on—with my new knowledge and new skills, no less.
Introduction to Asian American Librarians Organizations
Asian/Pacific American Librarinas Association (http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/projects/resources/apala/index.html)
- Founded in 1980, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) was incorporated in Illinois in 1981 and formally affiliated with the American Library Association (ALA) in 1982. A predecessor of APALA, the Asian American Librarians Caucus (AALC), was organized in 1975 as a discussion group of the ALA Office for Library Outreach Services reflecting the interest in library services to minority communities and professional support of librarians of minority ancestry that prevailed in the ALA in the 1960s and 70s. APALA and AALC before it, were organized/founded by librarians of diverse Asian/Pacific ancestries committed to working together toward a common goal: to create an organization that would address the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian/Pacific American communities.
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The Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) (http://www.whiteclouds.com/cala/calaintr.htm)
The Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) was formed in 1983 by the merger of the Chinese-American Librarians Association (established in Chicago in 1973) and the Chinese Librarians Association (established at Stanford University in 1974). As part of the merger agreement, the name Chinese American Librarians Association became the English language name of the combined organization, while the Chinese name of the Chinese Librarians Association, (hua ren tu shu guan yuan xie hui), became CALA's official Chinese name.
Today, CALA has members in six chapters throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.
CALA is an active affiliate of the American Library Association ( ALA ) and a member of the Council of National Library and Information Associations (CNLIA).
In 1988, CALA established sister relations with the Library Association of Central Governments Units and Scientific Research Networks of Beijing, and with the Library Association of China in Taipei. CALA also exchanges publications with the East Asian Library Resources Group of Australia and many others.
Korean American Librarians Association (KALA) ( http://www.apanet.org/friends/kala.html)
The Korean-American Librarians Association (KALA) was founded in Los Angeles on September 30, 1983 by a group of Korean-American Librarians working at various types of libraries in southern California.
Since then, KALA has had a number of activities, programs, and seminars for librarians to enhance professional knowledge and for the public to promote library services. KALA has members nationwide and published its Membership Directory in 1991, 1993 and 1997, and a Directory of Korean Language Collections in the Greater Los Angeles Area in 1994. To encourage more Korean-Americans to enter the profession of librarianship to provide library services, the Association also awarded scholarships to Korean-American library school students.
Membership News
Robert Hu is currently working on a book, Research Guide to Chinese Patent and practice.The book is both a reference and bibliography on Chinese patent law and patent information. It will be published by William Hein & Co. in February. Also , Robert is presently serving an one-year term as President of Lubbock Area Libraries Association (LALA) in Texas. Members of LALA are people who work in academic, public, school and private libraries in Lubbock County, Texas.
AALL Minority Leadership Development Award
The AALL Diversity Committee is seeking nominations for a new award that gives minorities an opportunity to cultivate their leadership potential within AALL and the law library community at large.
The Minority Leadership Development Award was created last year to ensure that AALL's leadership remains vital, relevant and representative of the Association's diverse membership. Thus, the winner will be chosen based on how well the applicant's professional interests, goals and education demonstrate his or her leadership potential in the Association and the profession.
The recipient of the award will receive $1,500 for travel, lodging and registration expenses to attend the AALL Annual Meeting; team up with an experienced AALL leader, who will serve as the recipient's mentor; and serve on an AALL committee.
"The award winner, in addition to being able to take advantage of the varied educational program offerings and networking, will have the unique opportunity to hone leadership skills and create powerful connections within AALL and the larger law library community, ably assisted by his or her mentor," said Anne McDonald, chair of the Diversity Committee. "In presenting this award, AALL ensures that there will be a constant supply of future leaders able to attract members of minority groups to the profession, ensuring that law librarianship and AALL membership reflects the diversity of society, in fulfillment of one of the goals of the AALL Strategic Plan."
Applications are due April 1. The AALL Diversity and Grants Committees will select a winner by June 1.
For more information about the Minority Leadership Award, including an application form, please visithttp://www.aallnet.org/about/award_mlda.asp .
Words from the Editor
The Editorial Advisory Committee and the Editorial Committee have recently convened and decided to officially change the frequency of Asian Law Link from quarterly to three times a year. Asian Law Link , will from now on be published in February, June, and October. The Committees concur that by publishing three issues, rather than four, will still fully represent Caucus activities without compromise. AALLC is a small group and most of its activities occur in conjunction with and around the annual meeting. Hence, this decision will help the Caucus focus more directly on communicating before, after and between the annual meeting.
To contact the editor, please send email to Pin-Sheng Hsiao .
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