Cornell Law Library Annual Report July 2002-June 2003

Highlights

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Faculty Services

• Faculty Workshop on the Future of Cornell Law Library. In December, Claire Germain made a presentation to the law faculty on the future of Cornell Law Library. She emphasized that in the evolving digital age, the physical library becomes even more important, as a shared commons and the place that brings communities together. The Library recently made the Reading Room available to law students 24/7, with great success. Students can reserve research carrels on several floors for various projects. Wireless access through the library allows students to bring their laptops and connect to the Internet, cut and paste information into their word-processing, check their emails, from most parts of the library and of the law school. She also emphasized the importance of human capital, and the expanding role of the lawyer-librarians in teaching legal research skills to law students who are overloaded with information and need help evaluating the quality and authenticity of information on web sites. Finally, she stressed the unique and distinguished resources and services of Cornell Law Library. http//:www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/claire1.html

• Faculty Workshop on Electronic Journals and Faculty Scholarship Repository. In April, at

the Friday Faculty Luncheon, Pat Court and Jean Pajerek presented the latest on electronic journals and a new project designed to put Cornell law faculty scholarship on the Internet. As the project manager, Jean Pajerek started the NELLCO (New England Law Libraries Consortium) Legal Scholarship Repository, including the organization of the structure of the site, solicitation of content from the faculty, presentation to faculty, and ongoing administration of the site.

• East Asia Program. Charlotte Bynum prepared several web guides on researching the laws of

Korea, Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and Taiwan. She and Claire Germain met with Professor Annelise Riles, new Law/Anthropology Faculty, about the expansion of the East Asia law collection. Charlie Finger joined them for a preliminary meeting with Wason Library subject bibliographers Fred Kotas for Japan, and Thomas Hahn for China, to explore cooperation for the acquisition and storage of materials in the vernacular.

• GALS Project Unveiled at Open House.

Sasha Skenderija created the software for a database project directed by Professor Kathy Stone. GALS (Globalization and Labor Standards) is a web database of abstracts of law review articles on international labor standards, written by her research assistant, together with a monthly newsletter available via email. The Library held an Open House in November in the Reading Room, to celebrate the unveiling of this new, cooperative venture.

Professor Claire Germain, Professor Katherine Stone, Dr. Sasha Skenderija • Research Assistance to Faculty. The librarians provided extensive research assistance to

faculty, including coordinating research and setting up websites for conferences; last-minute assistance with effort to educate legislators on corporate ethics legislation; training faculty research assistants for their work updating treatises; providing cross disciplinary research materials for Law and Psychology students on the CourseInfo page; helping a faculty become familiar with international environmental law resources; and suggesting additions for treaty-related website.

Cover: Staff Excursion. As a team-building group exercise, the law library staff took a bus trip to Corning and visited the Corning Glass Museum and Library in June.

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Awards

• AALL/West 2003 Excellence in

Marketing Award for Best Public Relations Tool Kit. The Law Library won this national award based on its outreach activities to students, faculty and staff. The “tool kit” included Law Library Guides, open houses, online newsletters, brochures, presentations to faculty, “Sail into Summer” materials, Research Assistant training, Annual Report, and InSITE. The award, consisting of a plaque and cash award, was presented at the AALL annual meeting in Seattle in July, 2003.

• Partnership with U.S. Small Business Administration. Jean Callihan received a certificate of

appreciation for her work in assisting the SBA with the NY portion of Businesslaw.gov. • Service Awards. Elizabeth Hand (25 years), Patricia Jones (20 years), and Elizabeth Teskey (10

years) were recognized for their years of service at Cornell, during the Law School luncheon in June 2002, as well as at a CUL luncheon in November 2002. Janet Gillespie (25 years), Sue Hills (20 years), and Laura Robert (15 years) were recognized in June 2003 at the Law School luncheon.

Law Library in the News

• Cornell Law Library was mentioned in Judge Martoche’s article on the life of General Donovan,

“Donovan: More to Remember,” in 6 Western New York Heritage 4, 15 (Spring 2003). Donovan-Jackson Project. In July 2002, Judge Sal Martoche (N.Y. Sup. Ct.), Greg Peterson and Rolly Kidder (both from Justice Jackson Center, Jamestown N.Y.), Prof. Michael Salter (Univ. Central Lancashire), Henry and Ellen Korn, John Lauricella, and Claire Germain met to share information on General Donovan and Justice Jackson, and pursue various possibilities to sponsor events and scholarship on these two men. Judge Sal Martoche published two articles detailing the life and accomplishments of General Donovan in “Lest We Forget: William J. Donovan, “ in 6 Western New York Heritage 4 (Winter 2003) and “Donovan: More to Remember,” in 6 Western New York Heritage 4 (Spring 2003).

• The Law Library Rare Book Room and Reading Room were featured in the June 2003 History

Channel Documentary on the life of Sam Leibowitz ‘15, that included interviews of Professor Faust Rossi and former Associate Dean Al Neimeth ‘52.

• Sasha Skenderija's article and interview about digital initiatives at Cornell Law Library and Cornell University Library in the main Czech library and info science magazine IKAROS are available at: • Budovani digitani budoucnosti na Cornellu [Building Digital Future at Cornell]. Ikaros: the

electronic magazine on digital society, July 2002.

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• Digitalní budoucnost [The Digital Future]. Interview with S. Skenderija. Ikaros: the electronic magazine on digital society, July 2002.

• The Hein Company features two pictures of Cornell Law Library on the home page of

Heinonline.org, a larger database of retrospective law journals. • The Law Library was thanked for hosting the IALL Website in "President's Report" at

International Journal of Legal Information, the Official Journal of the International Association of Law Libraries (IJLI), vol. 31 / No. 1 / Spring 2003.

• It was also recognized for hosting the newsletter of an ASIL group, in "Message From the

Chair" at ASIL UN 21 Interest Group Newsletter, ISSUE #28: May 2003.

Student Services • Summer Legal Research Survey. In September, for the first time, the Law Library conducted a

survey of law students' summer legal research experience, to gauge the type of research done by summer associates, and how the research was performed. One hundred and thirty-three 2d and 3d year law students responded. The survey results confirmed that the majority of students worked for law firms, were required to perform research often, and had access to commercial databases. The survey also showed that books AND computers were essential research tools, and that students are interested in increasing their legal research skills through instruction. The most common summer research topic was corporate and business law (45%), which included securities, bankruptcy, banking, antitrust, and taxation. Other topics researched by a substantial percentage of students were employment law, civil procedure, and criminal law. Not surprisingly, the research subjects that students expressed interest in learning more about are online sources, corporate and securities research, New York legal research, and international law. The results will be used in the Law Library’s strategic planning.

Survey Highlights: 61% worked in law firms. 77% were required to perform research often. 47% did most of their research on computers. 48% used both books and computers. 3% used mostly books. 68% had access to Lexis. 81% had access to Westlaw. 54% did not use any other databases beyond Lexis and Westlaw. 39% used other online databases. 77% did not use any CD-ROM products. 74% are interested in more research instruction.

• Reading Room Access 24/7. In response to law student requests for study space after hours and

during the weekend, and with the collaboration of the Law School Facilities Department, a swipe-card was installed on the central door of the Reading Room, and alarms on the three doors. The computers were secured with cables, and the students alerted to the need not to prop the doors open. Students have expressed great satisfaction with this enhanced study space. Better quality light bulbs were installed in the fall, since the room is lit on a continuous basis.

• Improvement of Study Facilities. In the fall, the increased number of JSD students led to requests for study space. The Library worked hard to accommodate them in the Basement level, with a creative combination of small rooms and research carrels.

• Library Liaison with Cornell Law Student Association (CLSA). Janet Gillespie was appointed

Library liaison with CLSA, to discuss how the Library can even better meet the research and other needs of law students, e.g., improvement of the lighting and heat in the facility, more instruction programs, cell phone use, the popular student carrel reservation system, etc.

• Law School Journals. To improve communication among the Law Review, ILJ, and JLPP, the

librarian liaisons to each journal successfully coordinated law journal orientation for the first time in August 2002. By combining instruction sessions on library services and online researching, and

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continuing individual presentations to the journals on cite checking and library resources, the Law Library efficiently and effectively met the needs of the editors and new staff members

• Customized Research Appointments with students consisted of one hour personalized

consultation with one of the JD librarians, focusing on the student’s upcoming summer clerkship needs.

• Summer Research Assistants. The major work at the law school in the summer is extensive

researching and writing by our faculty, who employ numerous law students as research assistants. Librarian liaisons work closely with the research assistants throughout the summer, to introduce them to the tools and databases they will need and to help direct their research strategy. The Library presents an Orientation session at the beginning of the summer, which includes Computer Lab, Human Resources, and Library information they will all need. A summer newsletter for research assistants keeps them in touch with the library services, including Lexis and Westlaw training sessions and their liaison contacts.

Legal Research Instruction Programs

• Orientation Week, Fall 2002. A key staff member, Pat Court, was on family and sick leave for several weeks, leading to extra work for other staff taking over her duties at a very busy time of the year. • LL.M. Orientation. Charlotte Bynum coordinated the LLM orientation program

and library tours: a lecture to LLMs. on U.S. legal research (Claire) was followed by hands-on sessions (Charlotte) and Lexis/Westlaw training.

• Orientation Week for First Years and LLMs: The Law Library organized over 20 library tours, including the Rare Book Room.

• Legal Research Part of Legal Methods, Fall 2002. Jean Callihan and Charlie Finger coordinated

the Legal Research part of Legal Methods (spending much time dividing up all first-years into small groups of ten, for 2.5 weeks of intensive legal research training). Because of the overload of students, and the need for one extra small section, one legal research instructor–Jean Callihan–had to teach two sections, rather than one. Two visiting law librarians were hired, one week each, to teach the two sections that Pat Court was assigned to teach, Pat McDermott and Lynn Hartke, from St. Louis University School of Law.

• Legal Research Part of Legal Methods, Spring 2003. The January Intersession brought first

year students back for intensive research instruction on Westlaw and on Law Reviews and Indexes. Librarians taught 36 sessions in the computer lab that week, building on the tools and strategies learned in the intensive October sessions.

Public Services Activities

8,550 reference questions answered 24,586 materials checked out, renewed, or used in the building 1,486 items retrieved from Rare Book Room and Cage

185 one hour instruction sessions provided to 2,601 students

35 tours given to 305 participants 634 Interlibrary loan items borrowed from other libraries

949 Interlibrary loan items lent to other libraries

495 Books and photocopies provided to faculty from Law Library and other campus libraries

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• “Sail into Summer” Training. The Law Library conducted the annual Sail into Summer activities

in April 2003 to prepare students for summer employment. Four lunch and learn legal research videos were shown, Pat Court gave a legal research review session, and research appointments with individual students were held to answer research questions about specific jurisdictions and subject areas that students would face over the summer.

• Advanced Legal Research. All the JD librarians participated in teaching the 3 credit course

during the spring semester and advised 2 or 3 assigned students on their research papers. This seminar, now in its fifth year, is team taught by Claire Germain, Pat Court, Charlotte Bynum, Jean Callihan, Brandy Kreisler, and Charlie Finger. Always a well-subscribed course, students write a major paper focusing on the materials and methods for researching a narrow area of the law that is of particular interest to them. Lectures and hands-on computer instruction teach cutting-edge research techniques to prepare students for practice in the law office of the future, in U.S., international, and foreign law, as well as multidisciplinary research.

• Classroom Research Instruction. Librarian liaisons present research instruction in classes

where students write major research papers, introducing them to the online and print resources specific to their area. Pat Court taught research in two new law school classes: Ethical Issues in Criminal Practice, and Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic, Charlotte Bynum taught a session in European Union Law.

• Virtual Reference. The Law Library participated in a pilot chat reference program during the 2002-

03 academic year with 18 academic and public law library members of NELLCO. Jean Callihan served on the Task Force that developed the program. Reference librarian volunteers staffed Cornell Law Library’s assigned chat sessions.

Publications

• Four issues of the Law Library Newsletter were published in print and online–2 each semester. • The Cornell Law Library Guide was updated and distributed to new students. • InSITE entered its seventh year, with 20 issues published, edited by Jean Pajerek. • New brochures were created by Jean Callihan for the Rogers Collection, Sail into Summer events,

and Services for Students. • Two online summer newsletters for faculty research assistants were published by Pat Court.

Budget, Planning, and Collection

• Annual Law Library Retreat and Law Library Plan. In July 2002, the library staff (Chet Warzynski, facilitator) reviewed the mission and goals of the Law Library, in light of Dean Teitelbaum’s vision for the Law School, and University Librarian Sarah Thomas’ CUL Masterplan. A small group of staff fleshed out the objectives and strategies, the Plan was discussed and approved by the entire staff, and approved by the Dean and University Librarian. It operates within the currently approved budget and staffing levels, and is the blueprint for staff action.

• CUL Budget Cuts and Workforce Planning Project. The Law Library is actively participating in

the CUL review of all library operations leading toward more efficiency. The Law Library appreciates the opportunity for CUL to learn more about the specific operations, organization, and service requirements of a special library, such as the Law Library, which has a focused constituency, law faculty and students, and is part of a professional school, fully integrated into its life and programs, with high and personalized service expectations. On a percentage basis, the Law Library currently spends more on library materials and less on personnel than CUL. The Law Library staff is smaller in 2003 than it was in 1974, in spite of providing more services and supporting more Law School programs, as well as a larger student body and faculty. These data show that the Law Library is an efficient and lean organization, and this should be taken into consideration if overall budget cuts are implemented.

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• Balanced Budget. The Law Library balanced its budget, thanks to careful selection of new materials. In an effort to conserve resources, the Law Library canceled copy 2 of Federal Reporter, Federal Supplement, Federal Rules Decisions, and copy 2 of all the regional reporters. This will conserve space and funding since the material is readily available in alternate electronic sources. An evaluation of loose-leaf services was begun, which resulted in the cancellation of some titles and the addition of one title, to meet better the needs of our faculty and students.

• The Law Library acquired online access to Worldtradelaw.net and ADRworld.net. • Jean Pajerek developed a new Acquisitions List, in three parts: (1) List of “K” (Law) cataloged

books in all CUL libraries, (2) a list of new serials in the Law Library, and (3) one for new non-K titles in the Law Library. Produced weekly, it is distributed to interested faculty.

• CIS (Congressional Information Service) Cataloging Data Loaded in Online Catalog. After

much effort by Jean Pajerek and Charlie Finger, and collaboration with CUL Central Cataloging Services, some 37,700 titles of congressional hearings, reports, and documents were loaded in the online catalog, which makes them available to researchers.

• Several steps were taken to improve the efficiency and streamline Library operations: EDI

(Electronic Data Interchange) ordering and invoicing; the implementation of new Anglo-American cataloging rules for E-publications; the continuation of the creation of Serials check in patterns; and the cataloging of E-journals. The foreign language monograph backlog was reduced to approximately 100 titles.

• Hypertext links were added to scanned monographic tables-of-contents purchased from Index

Master for hundreds of bibliographic records. • Federal Government Depository Program increasingly online via the web. The Library

processes fewer physical pieces but has access for our users to a greater number of documents on the Internet.

Outreach Activities

• William & Adele Rogers Event at Law School Advisory Council. In September, the William & Adele Rogers commemoration during the Law School Advisory Council meeting, included a reception and exhibit in the Willard Straight Room. Claire Germain made welcoming remarks. Jean Callihan prepared a brochure, and an exhibit, with several display cases in the Reading Room and in the Rare Book Room. Craig Daigle, Ph.D. student at George Washington, was invited to spend one week in the Law School in early August, to provide information and captions for the exhibit. He also attended the event and provided useful information to the guests. The brochure was the result of a collaborative effort with

Acquisitions & Cataloging Activities 40,532 Titles cataloged 2,604 print titles 37,823 microforms 13 serials microforms 9 audiovisual 83 computer files 133 Serials titles added for a total of 6,636 501,308 Total Print Volumes on June 30, 2003 665,004 Total Volumes and Volume Equivalents

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CUL archivists, who are cataloging and storing some of the artifacts in the University Archives. • CLE at Law Alumni Reunion. In June, the library staff taught a successful CLE course on Legal

Ethics, and provided a guided tour of the Rare Book Room, featuring the Donovan Nuremberg trial transcripts collection, Scottsboro Boys Trials materials, and memorabilia from former Secretary of State William Rogers ’37.

• Library Open House for Law School Staff. In December, the Law Library invited the Law School

staff to look at some of the treasures of the Law Library, including 19th century Trials, the Rogers collection, rare books and the Nuremberg trial transcripts. Over 58 staff attended, with enthusiastic feedback.

• Lexis and Westlaw Instruction for Law School Development Office staff. The Library helped

the staff pull in some important information on some hidden prospects through Lexis and Westlaw searching.

Gifts and Endowments

• Several special funds were instrumental in enhancing the library collection: the Sheppard A.

Guryan '67 Law Library Endowment, for the acquisition of books and related materials on the History of Jurisprudence and American Legal Thought, and the Jack Clarke '52 Comparative Law Book Fund, for foreign, comparative, and international law materials. Additional contributions were made by the Mervis family to the Judge Alfred J. Loew Memorial Fund, and to the Harry Bitner Research Fellows Program by his family.

• Rare Book Donations. Alan Moscowitz ‘39 gave Kinne, Asa, The Most Important Parts of Kent’s

Commentaries, Reduced to Questions and Answers (NY, NY Gould, Banks & Co.; NY, NY Collins, Keese & Co.; Philadelphia, PA Thomas, Cowpertwhalte & Co., 3d ed., 1843). Jay Waks ‘71 gave an 11-volume set of Lord Campbell’s The Lives of the Lord Chancellors, Chief Justices of England, and Lives of Lord Lyndhurst and Lord Brougham.

Staff

• Staffing Changes. The Law Library is a careful steward of its resources and adjusts its staffing on

the basis of evolving needs in a rapidly changing information landscape. During fiscal year 2002-03, a cataloging position was ceased, and authorization granted to transition this position into a professional JD-MLS position to enhance the Law Library’s instruction programs. A new librarian was hired in June, Matt Morrison, to start on August 18, 2003.

• Improvement of Facilities. A new reference desk was installed. The Public Services Workroom

was renovated, with new carpet, and new furniture necessitated by changes in workflow and increasing document delivery business. This was a great morale booster. A new reference librarian office was built in Room 340.

• Adopt a Family Program. Thanks to staff initiative, the Law Library adopted a family for the

Holidays. • Elizabeth Teskey continued to steer the United Way Campaign for CUL.

Special Guests

Beatrice Maresi, niece of George Cornell, Professor Claire M. Germain, Edward Cornell Law Librarian, May 24, 2003.

Law Library Staff members Elizabeth Teskey and Nancy More with Mr. and Mrs. Robert & Linda Dunn, Reunion, June 2003.

Professor Risa Lieberwitz, ILR, Janet Reno, '60, and Professor Claire Germain, visit to the Rare Book Room, February 6, 2003.