Novalawcity

Getting to Know the LLTC: Mary Paige Smith

 
How long have you worked at the Law Library and Technology Center?  This month, I celebrated my 18^th anniversary here!

Where did you work before you came here?  I’ve worked as a librarian at the University of Baltimore Law Library, and at the Eisenhower Library, Johns Hopkins University. Before I got my Master of Library Science degree, I worked as a library assistant at the Eisenhower Library, and at the Perkins Library of Duke University. My very first job out of college was with the IRS!

What do you do at the LLTC?  My title is Associate Director for Technical Services. Technical Services (or Collection Services, as it is sometimes known) is the department in the LLTC which is responsible for ordering, receiving, paying for, cataloging and processing all library materials. This includes print and electronic books, journals, audio and video materials, and microforms, as well as reference databases such as Hein Online, Lexis and Westlaw. Our department creates up-to-date information about the LLTC’s collections in the University Libraries’ online catalog, NovaCat. In addition to these responsibilities, I provide in-person, telephone and online chat reference assistance to information-seekers near and far!

What your favorite part of your job? As a librarian, I get paid to do what I love to do: satisfy my intellectual curiosity, and help people at the same time!

What is your most memorable contribution on the job?  In 2004, the Law Center hosted a symposium called Centuries of Commerce : Law, Trade, Spain and the Americas. My part in the activities around the symposium consisted of helping to mount a display of rare books and manuscripts, on loan from the Barcelona Bar Association.  In collaboration with the Bar Association’s Rare Books Librarian, I translated descriptions of each item on display, which were compiled in an exhibit catalog. The exhibit featured bilingual self-guided  audio tours, and I also translated the scripts for the tour, which were recorded by the first class of students in NSU’s dual degree program with the University of Barcelona.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? Reading goes without saying, right? I love listening to many different kinds of music, especially classical and jazz. I also watch old movies whenever I can. My favorite outdoor sport is snorkeling, which I do as often as I possible in our beautiful Florida Keys!

 What do you like to read best? Fiction! My favorite novel for the past few years has been The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.  For beach reading, Alexander McCall Smith tops my list.

What is your favorite meal? I love tapas, especially tortilla española  and gambas al ajillo.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with students? Don’t be shy about asking questions! Everyone in the library is here to help you get the most out of your law school experience, and we do that best when you let us know what you need.

Getting to Know LLTC: Eric Young

1.  Where did you grow up?

  I grew up in Middletown, Ohio.  Middletown is about 40 miles north of Cincinnati, Ohio and 30 miles south of Dayton, Ohio.  My parents were both college professors at Miami University in Ohio, so I also spent a lot of my time running around the town of Oxford, Ohio.

2.  What you did you begin working for the LLTC? 

I began at the LLTC as Assistant Dean for Law Library & Technology Services and Assistant Professor of Law in January 2010.

3.  Where did you work prior to the LLTC? 

I've been around quite a bit.  My first professional librarian job as Reference Librarian at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University.  I worked there for a number years progressing to the Assistant Director for Technology Services.  I also worked a start-up, for-profit law school in far western Kentucky that, unfortunately, shuttered its doors.  I also worked in private practice as a commercial litigator with a large (for Dayton, Ohio) law firm, as a federal judical law clerk, as an attorney for the Social Security Administration, and as an attorney for an insurance defense firm.  Back in my early 20's I managed a Domino's Pizza near my hometown. 

 

4.  What do I do at the LLTC? 

As noted above, I am the Assistant Dean for Law Library & Technology Services and Assistant Professor of Law.  In this capacity, I manage approximately 25 employees and direct the Law Center's library and technology efforts.

5.  What do you like best about your job? 

Meetings.  I realize that is hard to believe, but I actually love meetings and committee work.  I also enjoy working with my colleagues on the Law Center faculty and the other Law Center administrators as well as working with the other staff members of the LLTC.  The Law Center is blessed with a great group of employees and everyday I look forward to coming to work.

6.  What is your proudest accomplishment on the job? 

As a manager, my proudest accomplishments are the accomplishments of my staff.  When a staff member accomplishes something and is proud of the work he or she did, I'm proud too.  I'm also very proud of the efforts I've made since my arrival working with so many others to push through the new classroom technology upgrades.  The Law Center needed these upgrades and I'm very proud to have played my part in making the upgrades happen.

7.  What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 

I enjoy spending time with my partner of 10 years Heath as well as our two dogs, Tank and Piper, and our three cats, Spike, Ms. Meepers, and Grumpy.  Heath and I have a number of TV shows we like to watch together.  I own a 1957 red Ford Thunderbird that I enjoy tooling around in on the weekends. 

8.  Favorite food? 

I'm not a picky eater - I like everything except coconut.

9.  Favorite book? 

I enjoy reading a lot different stuff.  As a teenager, I read every horror and science fantasy book I could get my hands on, and I still enjoy picking something up in those genres every once in while to read.  It is tough for me to point to one single book.  Lately, I've enjoyed the author Patrick McGrath.  If you decided to pick up one of his books, start with his first The Grotesque.  I also enjoy all things David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs. 

10.  Is there any particular advice you would like to share with students? 

In my opinion, law school is largely about time management.  If you are willing to manage your time wisely, with a lot of it put aside for class preparation and study, you will do just fine.  Don't get behind.

QR Codes! (or what is that funny looking bar code thingee?)

Over the next couple of m onths, you will see QR Codes appearing next to the names of librarians, faculty, and at the ends of stacks to provide additional information of who we are and how best to use resources.  

QR Codes (short for Quick Response Code) direct you to websites, videos, or other content using your mobile phone and its camera.  

QR Codes were originally created for inventory, but their appearance and ability to encode more data than a traditional barcode has lead to them being used in creative ways.

A separate application is necessary to read them on most mobile phones.

To install a QR Code reader (and get in on the fun!), go to your phone's app store just as you would for any other application (The App Store, Android Market, Blackberry App World, etc.) or visit one of the following URLs on your phone:

i-nigma reader

• Browse to http://www.i-nigma.mobi/ 

mobiletag

• Visit http://m.mobiletag.com

neoreader

• Visit http://getneoreader.com/

QuickMark

• Please use your app store

ScanLife

• Visit http://www.2dscan.com/

UpCode

• Visit http://www.upcode.fi/

BeeTagg

• Visit http://getbeetagg.com/

Kaywa

• Visit http://reader.kaywa.com/

 

Student Information Literacy: Reality and and Possibilities

Are today’s college students prepared to be “digital citizens”? Do they have the tools they need to find, evaluate, and use information in today’s wired world? A Northwestern University suggests not, and a white paper offers some minimum standards for information literacy.

A recent study shows that while college students may be able to find information online, they are not very good at figuring out what information is reliable and authoritative. The study was released by the Communications Studies department at Northwestern University (the press release at http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2010/07/Google.html; the article that reports the study is at http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/view/636/423). The students in the study relied on commercial search engines like Google, and could not distinguish useful, unbiased websites from biased ones. For example,  the students confuse search rankings with authoritativeness (higher rankings meaning better websites), and they assume that an “.org” web address gives a web site authority (when any organization, even a well-known neo-Nazi group, can get an “.org”  address).

A recent white paper addressed this gap in information literacy. While it does not present solutions to the problem of digital literacy, it does propose some minimum standards that librarians and other educators can rely on. Titled “Basic 21st Century Technology, Information & Communication Skills for Successful Citizens,” (http://www.tblc.org/DigitalSkillsChecklist.pdf), it was written by Paul Alford, the Learning Services Manager for the Citrus County (Florida) library system. The ambitious list suggests skills in three areas, Digital Skills, Information Resource Skills, and Communication & Cognitive Skills, that are necessary for people to be fully prepared to address their own information needs. The list builds on basic skills to support more complex ones. It outlines the sills necessary to make important decisions, learn for themselves, and be engaged with society and government--very important for the law student and lawyer.

Bob Berring on Reference

Shepard Broad LLTC's Own Rob Hudson Assumes Interim Directorship

It's a pleasure to announce that Rob Hudson, LLTC Head of Public Services, will become Interim Director on June 5, when our current Director, Lisa Smith-Butler, leaves to become associate dean for Library and Information Technology at Charleston School of Law. 

Rob received his M.A. at the University of California, his J.D. at Valparaiso and his M.L.S  at the University of British Columbia.  Rob regularly teaches International Legal Research Skills and has an impressive array of publications to his credit.  He is also a regular contributor to this blog. 

Your Law Library @ Sharklink

Nova Southeastern University's Sharklink portal just went live.  The Law Library & Technology Center has created a Sharklink tab containing quick links to our resources, library information, and ways to contact us.  Faculty and students can subscribe to the tab on the bottom of the "Home" page after you sign in.  Subscribing will create an additional tab at the top of your page that you can easily access anytime you need it.

Remember 1984? Of Course Not

Nova's Law Library and Technology Center was a signatory on a letter to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), protesting the decision not to preserve a digital snapshot of public federal websites as they will appear at the end of the Bush administration.  Such snapshots, or harvests, were conducted at the end of the Clinton administration and also at the end of the first Bush term in 2004.  In an internal memo to federal agencies, the NARA claimed that archives in the private sector would provide an adequate history of federal agency websites and that NARA's efforts were better expended elsewhere.

Nova's Law Library and Technology Center joined an eclectic list of signatories, including the
American Conservative Defense Alliance, the Association of Research Libraries, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of  the Press, in signing a letter authored by OpenTheGovernment.org.  The letter points out that the government websites are public records, and that the work of private archivists, while laudatory, cannot be counted on to remain available without restrictions in perpetuity.  The websites are clearly of great historical importance, and thus should be maintained by an agency that is accountable to the public. 

Law Library exam time info

Special hours for reading days and exams
Beginning Friday November 30 through Monday December 17, the library will be open daily from 7am to 1am so you can study late. Please be extra mindful of the need for quiet during this stressful time.

(Note that the day after Thanksgiving, Friday November 23, the library will only be open 9am to 5pm, with no librarian on duty.  You can always check special library hours at our website.)

Study Rooms
In order to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to use the study rooms, no renewals will be allowed from now until the end of the semester.  After turning in your room, you will have to wait 15 minutes to check out another room.

Released exams
Past exams from many professors are available as study aids.  Access them here - you will need to enter your NOVA_LAW\username and password to access the list.

Exam taking
There are many books in the library that can give you good strategies for taking law exams.  A sample:

• Burkhart, Ann, How to Study Law and Take Exams in a Nutshell (1996.) Reserve KF 283. B87 1996
• Delaney, John, How to Do Your Best on Law School Exams (2001.) Study Skills Guide KF 283 .D46
• Dernbach, John C., Writing Essay Exams to Succeed (Not Just Survive) (2007.) Reserve KF  283. D47 2007
• Dernbach, John C., A Practical Guide to Writing Law School Essay Exams (2001.) Reserve KF 283. D47 2001
• Fischl, Richard M., Paul, Jeremy, Getting to Maybe:  How to Excel on Law School Exams (1999.) KF 283 .F57
• Henderson, William D., Speed as a Variable on the LSAT and Law School Exams (2004.) KF 285 .H46
• Whitebread, Charles H., The Eight Secrets of Top Exam Performance in Law School:  An Easy-to-Use, Step-by-Step Program for Achieving Great Grades (1995)  Study Skills Guide KF 283 .W48

Doing your studying off campus or just want some quick tips?  Check out some of the links rounded up in this previous post.

Goodwin Symposium update and Gay American Heroes exhibit

A reminder that our next Goodwin Symposium speaker, author/activist/political consultant David Mixner, will give his public lecture this Thursday October 25 at 6pm in the large lecture hall with a reception to follow in the atrium.

Professor Niedwiecki, one of this year's faculty chairs for the symposium, notes:

Mixner is likely to speak on a wide range of issues, including the role politics plays in LGBT issues and defining morality, HIV/AIDS issues, and the history of the gay rights movement.  He is known to be an engaging speaker who has been a leading activist in the fight for LGBT equality.

In addition, Professor Niedwiecki has announced that NSU Law will be one of the first law schools to host the Gay American Heroes exhibit, a national memorial "to honor LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people who have been murdered because of their sexual orientation or gender identity." 

Visit the library later this week to view the exhibit.  Read more about it at the Miami Herald Gay South Florida blog or the Gay American Heroes Foundation website.