LLAM Executive Board passes UELMA Resolution

The LLAM Executive Board recently passed a resolution in support of the enactment of the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act in Maryland.  UELMA got some traction here in Maryland but ultimately failed to pass.

LLAM has uploaded a copy of the resolution to our website so it’s easy for you to access and review.  https://llamonline.org/uelma/llam-resolution-on-uelma/

UELMA is now law in 12 states, with 4 states added in 2014.

Let’s keep the momentum going here in Maryland!

Invitation to LLAM Holiday Party

We hope you can join us for LLAM’s 2014 holiday party!
CLICK HERE to register and pay online now!

Location Information:
University of Baltimore School of Law, Top Floor
1401 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

When: December 15, 2014, 5:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Tickets – $25.00

View directions at: http://www.ubalt.edu/about-ub/directions/ .
For more information, see below, or return to LLAMonline.org .

Email James Durham at james.durham@mdcourts.gov if you have any questions!

LLAM 2014 holiday party flyer

Holiday Party Menu:

Heavy Hors d’oeuvres

  • Bhel Puri – Puffed Rice, Sev (Chickpea Noodles), Tossed with Mild Chilies, Vegetables, Chopped Cilantro, Cumin, Lime Juice, Sweet and Tart Chutneys. 
  • Artistic Display of Vegetables – Assorted fresh Vegetables: Asparagus, Red Peppers, Green Beans, Grape Tomatoes, Sweet Baby Carrots and Radishes – Smokey Ranch Dip
  • Chicken Pâté –served with Cornichons, Apple Slices and Baguette Rounds
  • Balela –Middle Eastern Salad
  • Brie and Gorgonzola Torte Garnished with Herbs, Pecans
  • Asian Noodle Salad – With a Lime Szechuan Dressing garnished with Baby Corn, Snow Peas, Multicolored Peppers, Spring Onions, and Sliced Carrots
  • Smoked Salmon & Home-made Vegetable Cream Cheese on Pumpernickel
  • Grilled Cheese Quarters & Demitasse of Roasted Red Pepper- Tomato Soup
  • Lemon-Chicken Francaise – Sautéed Chicken Breast Tenders in a Sauce of Lemon Juice, White Wine and Butter with Rice Pilaf

Desserts

  • Fresh Fruit
  • Sliced Lemon Cakes
  • Frozen Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce

Beverages

  • Seltzer, Blackberry Lemon Sparkling Punch

Copyright Series – Part 2 or “The ven-diagram of copyright and licensing rights: little overlap”

The ven-diagram of copyright and licensing rights: little overlap
This is part two of our multi-part series on copyright.

One of my current, favorite soapbox topics is e-books. In fact, I was tempted to title this post E-books: The great evil of our time but thought that might too easily reveal my feelings on the matter.

E-books have been the subject of quite a lot of controversy in the library community. The conversation has centered on their difficulty to access, lend and administer. Bess Reynolds of Debovise & Pilmpton LLP recently authored a white paper (published by ALTA & AALL) that lists, in perfect detail, the overly complicated systems employed by the top vendors and the administrative nightmares that result. (There was a follow up published in Spectrum in April, 2014.) Bess’s paper(s) succinctly sums up many of the technical issues regarding e-books, but it was one of the closing lines that really stuck with me.

 “[W]e should demand the right to own e-books just as we own our print titles.”

 Think about that for a moment. As fellow librarians, I’m confident that most of you agree. While frustrating and often obnoxious, the clunky technical hoops of the vendors’ e-book platforms are the least of our worries when it comes to copyright. Copyright Rules dictate the terms by which Libraries license e-books and are written to work around the First Sale Doctrine and almost all of the other regulations libraries are accustomed accommodating for print works. This core issue of “exclusive rights” affects user borrowing privileges, inter-library loans, accessibility and historic preservation; basically everything that makes libraries, libraries.

As is the norm in electronic resources, libraries rarely own e-books outright. Once the contract is over, so too is access to the content. In many cases it is the vendors who get to determine how the information is accessed, stored, viewed and/or transmitted. The main question here is how do we as librarians increase our rights to use the information as libraries are wont to do (as in the examples given above). Contract negotiations might be an alternative for extending our options of how to use it, but that assumes that we have some leverage. Because the legal publishing world is concentrated in 3-5 key players, law libraries do not always have the option of picking someone else to work with or taking a stand against overly aggressive licensing agreements. Smaller private libraries, in particular, do not always have a good alternative to use as leverage.

If this state of affairs concerns you, here are a few concrete suggestions of what you can do to help make advancements in this area.

  • Forewarned is forearmed. If you are in a position to negotiate contracts for your users (or are consulted on them) look out for language that will limit what users can do with the information you are purchasing.
  • Don’t just accept the standard contracts, read them and make sure you understand what the institution is giving up!
  • Ask for changes or propose other language if the wording is unclear.
  • Familiarize yourself and use the Model Law Firm copyright policy survey for the AALL Copyright Committee.
  • Advocate for change. Have a conversation with your rep about your concerns, it might not change thing now but if enough of us are more vocal about it the future could look very different. Remember the first version of WestlawNext? Of Congress.gov? Things can change if enough librarians bring up the same issues to the right people.

Part 3 of our Copyright Series is forthcoming!

The Future of Law Libraries: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Future_of_law_libraries_title_slide

On Tuesday, October 28, after LLAM’s fall board meeting, the Thurgood Marshall Law Library hosted a brown bag lunch and program featuring two presentations by Gail Warren, Director of the Virginia State Law Library and Treasurer of the American Association of Law Libraries. In the first, Ms. Warren looked back at the predictions made by AALL’s Special Committee on Law Libraries in the Digital Age in its 2002 report Beyond the Boundaries: Report of the Special Committee on the Future of Law Libraries in the Digital Age. This report provided impetus for the formation of Legal Information Preservation Alliance in 2003, and the Chesapeake Digital Preservation Group in 2007. Predicting the future of law libraries is more art than science, and her frank assessment will be useful for those members who are called upon to make long term planning decisions in their own shops: Beyond the Boundaries, LIPA and Chesapeake (slides).

chesapeake_digital_pres_title_slide

In the second presentation, Ms. Warren was joined by Mary Jo Lazun, Head of Collection Management at the Maryland State Law Library, and Joan Bellistri, Director of the Anne Arundel County Public Law Library, for an update on the work of the Chesapeake Digital Preservation Group. The Chesapeake Digital Preservation Group is a collaborative effort of Legal Information Preservation Alliance members to address the challenges of born-digital legal information shared by the Virginia and Maryland State Law Libraries, Georgetown University Law Library, and Harvard University Law Library: The Chesapeake Digital Preservation Group (slides).

RSVP for the upcoming Access to Justice Event!

LLAM is collaborating with LLSDC to bring you this event!  Please see below for RSVP information.

LSDC Access to Justice Committee is pleased to hold its first event!
When:       December 9, 2014
Where:      Public Defender Service for DC
                  633 Indiana Ave NW, 2nd floor
Time:         12 noon to 1:30 pm

Please join the Access to Justice Committee as we welcome our speaker, Emily Feltren, AALL’s Director of Government Relations, to our first event. Emily will be discussing what is happening with A2J initiatives at the National Level and other Law Library Chapters around the country.

Lunch will be provided.

Hope you can join us!

RSVP to Laura Moorer, Esq
lmoorer@pdsdc.org
Legal Reference Specialist
Public Defender Service for DC
633 Indiana Ave NW
Washington DC 20004
202-824-2409
f 202-824-2174

Save the Date for these Upcoming LLAM Events!

LLAM’s Vice President and Chair of the Programs Committee, James Durham, has put together an exciting list of events for the next 6 months.  Please check out the list below and mark your calendar so you don’t miss out on any of the fun!
If you have any questions or would like more information, please forward your inquiries to LLAMNewsMD.

  • Monday, December 15th from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: LLAM’s Holiday Party & Silent Auction will be held at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Registration information will be announced soon.
  • Thursday, January 22, 2015 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.: LLAM Brownbag Lunch Lecture at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Professor Fred B. Brown will speak on business organizations and taxation.
  • February, 2015 (Date and time TBD): MLA Legislative Day A tentative lecture at Anne Arundel County Public Law Library will cover the topic of U.S. government documents.
  • March, 2015 (Date and Time TBD) LLAM Brownbag Lunch Lecture at Venable, LLC in Baltimore. Steve Anderson will speak on copyright issues in law libraries.
  • Saturday, April 25, 2015, All Day: LLAM Service Project with “Rebuilding Together Baltimore”  Contact Sara Thomas for more information on participating.
  • Saturday, May 2, 2015: LLAM Spring Fling will be held at the Homewood House Museum on the Johns Hopkins University Campus in Baltimore.  A private tour for members will held at 1:00 p.m., followed by a tea in the home’s wine cellar at 2:00 p.m. Registration information will be announced closer to the date in the Spring.

Copyright Series Part 1 or “Adventures in Copyright”

The following is the first offering of a multi part series on Copyright that will be published over the next month.

Copyright.
In library circles it’s a dirty word.
When I use the word “copyright” in my professional capacity, it is usually when I am trying to convince someone to desist from something, preferably immediately.  As a librarian, it is my least favorite conversation.  I’m sure you hate having it as well.  And copyright probably comes up far more often than you would like.  I don’t know about you, but the reason I hate the conversation is because there is so much debate about what copyright law is exactly and how it works.

Copyright law can be loosely defined as the combination of laws governing the rights of the producers or owners regarding the use, sale and availability of works. As professionals, we work with copyright material every day.  We also rely on a number of exceptions written into copyright law that apply specifically to libraries in order to serve our patron’s needs. Copyright is not just the law that protects the owners rights. It is also a framework that allows for fair use or license agreements with people who want to use what they created (Us!).

Deceptively straightforward looking, isn’t it?
Sorry to burst your bubble.  Those of you who breathed a sigh of relief upon reading the last paragraph will be distressed to learn that the copyright landscape is changing in a number of significant ways.  By “changes”, of course, I mean lawsuits.
There are two recent cases in particular which we as a profession should be looking at very closely.  The first is  Authors Guild,Inc. v. HathiTrust. The second, the  Google Books case, is currently before the Supreme Court.  Both have significant implications regarding the role of technology, accessibility and the transformational nature of fully searchable titles. There have also been rumblings of changes coming from the Legislative branch of the Government.  The times, they are a’changing (was that a copyright violation?  Read on!)

The Honorable Maria A. Pallante (who is the U.S. Register of Copyrights) gave a well-received lecture at Columbia Law last year. Her remarks set off a firestorm of discussion. Her basic position is that the law governing copyright needs an overhaul. Changes in technology have always driven changes in copyright law.  Usually, law has lagged behind somewhat.  In the past, when technology did not change quite so quickly, that lag was a drag race between a souped-up hot rod and a VW bug.  In the last few decades however, the lag is more like a bicycle trying to keep pace with a space shuttle.
Not surprisingly, Congress has been holding hearings on this subject in the last year. Sources in the know have hinted that a series of bill will be introduced in the near future. These bills will amend copyright law for the first time since 1976 (legislation passed in 1976 but effective date was January, 1978).  As a point of reference, 1976 was the year that Steve Wozniak designed a single board computer for hobbyists called the “Apple 1”.  Everyone take a moment now to glance at your i-phone and marvel at the fact that we are working off legislation that was created when the fanciest technology available looked like something from The Flintstones.

Apple_I_ComputerPhoto Credit: Ed Uthman / Flickr

I am an unabashed policy nerd, so I am looking forward to the upcoming opportunities for public comment.  While this definition of excitement may call into question my quality of life, I think that, in this instance, the entire profession really ought to be excited about this opportunity. Because 2016 will be an election year (and we all know how much legislation gets passed in an election year), this next cycle may be the next window for quite some time in which THE LAW MIGHT ACTUALLY CHANGE.  Look at your i-phone again.  Think of that vintage 1976 Rube Goldberg device you just saw.  Judging by the historical record of copyright revision, this is possibly the only time in our professional careers that copyright law will be rewritten. Think of what you do daily at work.  You make decisions about purchasing information and granting access to information.  You help people find and use information.  You are the information guide and sherpa.   Your voice, the voice of the library professionals, is the most knowledgeable voice in the arena of the use of copyrighted information.  Shouldn’t it logically be the loudest voice in the debate over what the laws that govern copyright say?

Yes, it should be.  It should be (I say loudly with exclamation points)!  We, the librarians, the information lighthouses that lead the meandering ships of knowledge seekers towards safe shores, we should be the ones advocating for changes in antiquated laws!
We should advocate the heck out of it! And other, stronger, words! Think of every time you’ve been confounded by usage, every time you’ve had to warn someone (using very sharp words) to read but not copy under pain of death by copyright infringement lawsuit.  We have a duty to our library patrons, our profession, and (dare I say it) to our own sanity to advocate for laws that actually reflect the technology that we are using.
Don’t touch that dial (as they used to say in the days when our current copyright laws were written). I will be keeping all of you informed of opportunities for public comment as the process of revision goes forward in Congress.  Stay tuned to this station (or blog in the current technological parlance) for part 2 of our series on Copyright!

-Rachel Englander

Workshop Announcement: Alternative Revenue Streams: Development, Fundraising, and Grant Writing for Libraries

Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Library Development and Services will be hosting a workshop and panel discussion called “Alternative Revenue Streams: Development, Fundraising, and Grant Writing for Libraries.” The event will include a panel discussion by development and fundraising specialists from across the state, an introduction to and presentation on Finding Funders by Maryland’s Foundation Center Funding Information Network Supervisors, a lightning round discussion of fundraising events that have succeeded and failed, and a grant writing workshop focused on developing a specific idea or project into a grant proposal that can be used to win grants and entice funders.

The program will take place at Miller Library on September 9 from 9am to 4pm. The day’s agenda is attached. You can register here.

Please contact Rocco DeBonis with any questions at rdebonis@msde.state.md.us

 

 

 

Rocco DeBonis
LSTA Grant Coordinator
Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Library Development and Services
200 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore MD 21201
410.767.0437 phone | 410.333.2507 fax | rocco.debonis@maryland.gov

Head of Content Acquisitions and Management

 

Head of Content Acquisitions and Management
Georgetown University Law Library

The Head of Content Acquisitions and Management is responsible for the supervision and management of all aspects of acquisitions and serials operations, which includes ordering and receipt of library materials in all formats, implementing collection management policies, and overseeing vendor relations and purchasing/licensing agreements.  This position directly supervises seven staff in the library’s Acquisitions and Collection Care department.

The Head of Content Acquisitions and Management also plays a key role in the assessment and management of the library’s collection.  This includes coordinating the selection and de-selection of library materials; compiling and reporting statistical data for collection assessment; coordinating and pursuing intercampus and interlibrary collaborative collection development opportunities; and working cooperatively with subject selectors, staff across all departments in the library, and faculty to provide access to information.

Required
Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited school of library and/or information studies, or equivalent; strong supervisory skills; excellent written and verbal communication skills; at least two years of collection development experience; familiarity with integrated library systems.

Preferred

Law library experience or familiarity with legal publishing trade and vendors; Acquisitions experience; JD or equivalent.
Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.
To apply for this position, please submit applications via the Georgetown University Jobs website by using Job Number 20141165. Address applications to Stacy Queen, and include a cover letter, a current resume, and the names and contact information for three references. 

Review of applications will begin on August 6, 2014 and continue until the position is filled.

Georgetown University is an EOE/AA employer.  

 

LLAM Dine Around in San Antonio

Join the LLAM Dine-Around in San Antonio
Saturday, July 12th at 6:30 pm

If you are you attending the 2014 AALL Annual Meeting & Conference in San Antonio, please consider joining the members of LLAM for the annual “LLAM Dine-Around.” This year, the group will meet at La Paloma Riverwalk, 215 Lasoya, on the San Antonio Riverwalk, which is a short distance from the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The reservation, under the name of “Maryland Law Librarians,” is for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, July 12. We have requested a patio or Riverwalk table, if available. To view photos and a menu, visit http://www.lapalomariverwalk.com. Vegetarian options are offered. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to james.durham@mdcourts.gov, so that the reservation can be amended to accommodate the actual size of our group. See you in Texas!

By: James G. Durham, Deputy Director of the Maryland State Law Library

 

404/File Not Found: Link Rot, Legal Citation and Projects to Preserve Precedent

SAVE THE DATE for this upcoming symposium about link rot that will be held at Georgetown University Law Library!

The Web is fluid and mutable, and this is a “feature” rather than a “bug”. But it also creates challenges in the legal environment (and elsewhere) when fixed content is necessary for legal writers to support their conclusions. Judges, attorneys, academics, and others using citations need systems and practices to preserve web content as it exists in a particular moment in time, and make it reliably available.

On October 24, 2014 Georgetown University Law Library in Washington, D.C. will host a symposium that explores the problem of link and reference rot.

Preliminary Agenda
•                 Keynote speech to contextualize the issues and discuss conflict between the naturally fluid state of the internet and the expectations by legal professionals that once something is published (in whatever form) that it should be static.
•                 Presentations and panel on “Whose problem is this?” with members from academia, government, the judiciary, law reviews
•                 The webmaster’s view – what pressures are there to continually change websites to reflect current look/feel trends, new usability technologies, etc. that contribute to link rot?
•                 Presentations and panel on current initiatives with members from organizations like The Chesapeake Project, Perma.cc, Archive.org, etc. What tools exist, and what are the remaining needs?
•                 Wrap-up detailing current, pragmatic steps attendees can take upon going home.

Presenters include
•                 Jonathan Zittrain, Harvard University
•                 Robert Miller, Internet Archive
•                 Prof. Karen Eltis, University of Toronto Law School
•                 Rod Wittenberg, Reed Technology and Information Services
•                 Kim Dulin, Harvard University
•                 Carolyn Campbell, Georgetown University Law Library

We will post additional information as it gets finalized to the event webpage at: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/library/404/

Save the date for LLAM’s Spring Fling!

Spring fling 2014 banner

Date: Friday, May 16th 2014

Time: 4-6pm

Place: Gertrude’s, Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218

Cost: $25 per person. PayPal payment is preferred. You may also send a check addressed to “LLAM” to Bijal Shah at 1401 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201.

Parking: Free along North Charles Street. View driving directions HERE.

Celebrate the season with fellow LLAM members at Gertrude’s restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Take a self-directed tour of the museum and Cone Collection before enjoying an open bar and scrumptious hors d’oeuvres in the Sculpture Garden Pavilion.

This event supports Operation Paperback. Please donate money and/or books to help send books to American troops, veterans, and their families.

Access 2 Justice LRI A Success!

LLAM’s All Access to Justice Legal Research Institute was held last Friday, March 21st at the University of Baltimore Angelos Law Center.  The event was a huge success; Kate Martin and her committee did a terrific job and we thank them for their efforts!

Librarians from across the state and all over the country convened at UB to learn about current issues and solutions for ensuring Access to Justice for all of our patrons. The programming covered the A2J topic from a variety of aspects; discussions included the basics of what Access to Justice is, how Public Libraries play a role in the future of the movement, what Private Law Librarians can do to advance the cause, the Academic Library’s role, and the type of assistance State and County Law Libraries should provide. The major theme throughout the day was that we need to remember we are librarians and while we can help a patron locate and utilize the correct resources, we must be careful not to give legal advice.

The number of Self-Represented Litigants (“SRLs”) in the country is growing for a variety of reasons and the Librarian’s role in helping them navigate the confusing and tumultuous legal landscape is an essential one.  It was exhilarating to gather with librarians from a variety of backgrounds and learn how each of us can contribute to this effort.

You can find more information, videos, slides, and PDFs of all of the handouts from the seminar HERE.

-Sara Thomas
Communications Committee Chair

We want to make next time even better! If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to give us some feedback about your conference experience at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/justice2014.

ALL ACCESS to Access to Justice

Image

Visit the event webpage!2014 LRI web logo

Event: ALL ACCESS to Access to Justice

Date: March 21st, 2014

Time: 9:30AM-5PM

Place: University of Baltimore School of Law

LLAM is sponsoring a day-long national conference for anyone interested in access to justice issues (A2J)!

Hosted by the University of Baltimore’s School of Law, the conference will offer practical programs given by speakers from across the country that develop A2J and impart knowledge about this core library value.

Law firm librarians, pro bono attorneys, public librarians, academic librarians, court librarians, and anyone else interested in A2J are encouraged to attend.

Registration options range from $25-80 and grants are available.

LRI date and location button with title

CLICK HERE to register today!

Important Information about Maryland Uniform Electronic Materials Act (MUELMA)

Photo   Tonya Baroudi LLAM President. Emily Feltren AALL Director Govt Relations, Steve Anderson AALL President

Tonya Baroudi LLAM President. Emily Feltren AALL Director Govt Relations, Steve Anderson AALL President

LLAM needs your help in advocating for the Maryland Uniform Electronic Materials Act (MUELMA). Pre-filed HB46 is sponsored by by Del. Sam Arora, District 19, Montgomery County.

The First Hearing was held on Thursday, 1/23/2014 before the Health and Government Operations Committee. Testimony in favor of UELMA was provided by Delegate Arora; Steve Leitess, Uniform Law Commission, Maryland Member; Emily Feltren, AALL Government Relations Office; and Tonya Baroudi, LLAM President. Steve Anderson, Mary Jo Lazun, Paul Lagasse, and Joanie Bellistri attended the hearing to show support for the panel.

An interlineated copy was provided by Delegate Arora to the committee that included amendments to the pre-filed bill that removed requirements for reported decisions of the circuit and district courts and for certain administrative materials. The revision also added the Maryland Register to the list of legal materials. Tonya and Emily both voiced support as amended.

The Committee Co-Chair, Del. Shane E. Pendergrass, District 13, Howard County, had three questions:

  1. Why has the Act only been adopted in only 8 states in the last two years?
  2. Are there major differences between the Model Act and the Maryland Act?
  3. Have there been any problems where the Act has been adopted that have required a retroactive fix?

Answers were provided by Steve Leitess of the ULC who stated that it is not unusual for a Uniform Act to take more than one year for adoption, that there are no major differences between the acts and that there are no known instances of a fix being needed after adoption.

Now that the first hearing has taken place, LLAM members can advocate for UELMA by contacting their delegates who are on the Health and Government Operations Committee. Read on to find out how.

HB46 Action Alert:

LLAM members can help by contacting their delegate if a member of the Committee:

  1. Who are your delegates?
  2. Is one of them a member of the House >Health and Government Operations Committee?
  3. If so call or write to your delegate requesting support

~By Joanie Bellistri, Anne Arundel County Public Law Library

AALL Local Advocate Lobby Day – March 27, 2014

AALL Logo

Date:         Thursday, March 27, 2014

Time:         8:30 am – 5:00 pm EDT

Location:   Capitol Hill*, Washington, D.C.

Who:         Washington-area AALL members and local chapters, including LLAM, LLSDC,
SEAALL, VALL, and others who can visit D.C.

Join AALL President Steven P. Anderson, AALL’s Government Relations Office staff, local chapters, and AALL members at AALL’s second-annual Local Advocate Lobby Day on March 27.

Last year’s lobby day was such a success, we’re doing it again! At this full-day event, you’ll become an expert on our top priority issues and learn best practices for successful advocacy. Then, you’ll put your knowledge into practice, attending pre-scheduled meetings with your members of Congress and/or their staff to advocate for AALL’s policy positions.

According to a 2011 survey by the Congressional Management Foundation, 97 percent of congressional staff say that in-person visits from constituents have an influence on the member. As law librarians and members of AALL, you are experts who represent not only yourselves, but your profession, other librarians, and your patrons. Exercise your influence to make a difference for your libraries!

The Lobby Day is free of charge for all AALL members and chapter members. Breakfast, coffee, lunch and an afternoon snack will be provided. Participants will have the opportunity to visit area sites including the Library of Congress, Law Library of Congress, and Folger Shakespeare Library during afternoon free hours.

RSVP to Elizabeth Holland at eholland@aall.org by March 1.

*Training will take place at a TBD location on Capitol Hill within close walking distance of the Senate and House Office Buildings, where lobby meetings will take place.

What Happens When Books Freeze?

This Polar Vortex and our current “arctic” temperatures have gotten me thinking…  What happens when books freeze?  Is it damaging to the paper? Does the extreme cold cause deterioration? Or are there hidden possibilities to be found there….?

After a bit of research, I discovered that freezing is a common method of preservation after a water disaster and can actually be effective for recovering wet books and paper records.  Freezing water-damaged materials prevents (further) mold growth and also inhibits additional water absorption into the paper. (For the record, it can also eradicate insects – should you have that sort of dilemma!)

Freezing can be used as a temporary solution to preserve materials while deciding how to ultimately salvage, treat or replace the damaged collection.  Or items left in freezing conditions will eventually dry on their own, if left indefinitely, but this is not a particularly efficient method since it takes several months to a year to thoroughly dehydrate.

While water-damaged materials will always exhibit signs of their trauma, freezing can vastly prolong their “shelf-life” (how’s that for a librarian joke?) and save them from untimely ruin.

Now you know… I hope you never need to employ these techniques in your own Library; but if you do, I found these resources particularly helpful in researching and writing this post.

http://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/3.-emergency-management/3.12-freezing-and-drying-wet-books-and-records

http://www.lib.umich.edu/files/services/preservation/wetbooks-1.pdf

http://www.lib.msu.edu/preservation/wetbooks.jsp

-Sara Thomas (Head Librarian, Miles & Stockbridge PC)

SAVE THE DATE! Maryland Legislative Day: Help Make UELMA a Maryland Law

LLAM members, your presence is needed more than ever at this year’s Maryland  Legislative Day. If at all possible, PLEASE find room in your schedule on Wednesday, February 19, 2014.

Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act is an important issue on the table for discussion in the legislature and by attending Legislative Day, you can make sure your local delegate is aware and informed!  This link has more information so you can educate yourself about the topic.  http://www.aallnet.org/Documents/Government-Relations/UELMA

Perks to attending:

  • Eat a hearty breakfast at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Law Library
  • Chat other Maryland librarians
  • Hear the General Assembly proclaim librarians as indispensable
  • Practice your elevator speech techniques
  • Meet your delegates and senators
  • Attend gorgeous evening reception with librarians, delegates, and senators
  • Feel good about making a difference!!

We hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays and best wishes for 2014!

Discussion on Legal Link Rot

Finally, Online Legal Information Is a Topic of Serious Discussion!

Legal link rot has been a newsworthy topic since the publication of  “Something Rotten in the State of Legal Citation: The Life Span of a United States Supreme Court Citation Containing an Internet Link (1996-2010) in Yale Journal of Law and Technology.  The New York Times featured the study in its September 23, 2013 article In Supreme Court Opinions, Web Links to Nowhere.

The ABA Journal has joined the discussion this month with “Link rot’ is degrading legal research and case cites.” The article features Chesapeake Digital Preservation Group (CDPG) which includes the Maryland State Law Library, Virginia State Law Library and the libraries of Georgetown and Harvard law schools.  CDPG harvests and preserves legally significant publications based on the collection development plans of its member libraries. Annually the members of the group check to see if links to a sample set of publications still work. The number of dead links has grown annually, but the 2013 report was significant because for the first over 50 percent of .gov links no longer worked.

It is gratifying to see the preservation of online legal information a topic of serious discussion and the work of groups like CDPG recognized. New tools like permaCC offer the promise of a consistent and permanent links to online legal information. Maybe by the end of the decade link rot will become a quaint artifact, like the sound of a 56K baud modem.

Mary Jo Lazun, Maryland State Law Library

Getting UEMLA on the General Assembly’s Agenda

Many counties in Maryland have open forums to allow community organizations to make an “elevator pitch” to their delegations. This Tuesday, Joan Bellistri, Paul Lagasse, and I attended the Anne Arundel County delegation’s forum in order to give them a quick introduction to the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act (UELMA).

Although we were the second-to -last organization on the agenda, the delegates examined our packet of materials and appeared to be engaged by what we had to say. Of course Joanie is an excellent public speaker and came prepared with a succinct four-minute talk based a sample speech from the AALL UELMA resources page. (Thank you, Emily Feltren Felton of AALL’s Government Relations!)

Following our presentation, one of the delegates asked a question regarding funding; no big surprise there. And after the forum, Paul and I had an opportunity to chat with one of the delegates about the importance of preserving born-digital legal materials. We referenced the Chesapeake Project linkrot study that revealed that after five years, over 50% documents with .gov domain were no longer available at their original URLs.

Forums like this are a great (and easy) opportunity to educate our delegates and senators about UELMA. Keep an eye out for similar forums in your county. Joanie and I have a packet of material and a speech ready to go. Won’t you volunteer to the same in your county?  Consider volunteering with your county and bring a fellow librarian…it is more fun with a colleague.

Mary Jo Lazun,  Maryland State Law Library

LLAM Holiday Party and Silent Auction 2013

HolidayPartyBaltimoreatNightSave the Date!

The Law Library Association of Maryland invites you to a

Holiday English Tea

Friday, December 6, 2013
4:00-7:00 P.M.
at 17th Floor Bistro

100 Light Street, 17th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202
http://www.17thfloorcafe.catertrax.com

Join fellow LLAMers in viewing the magnificent Baltimore Inner Harbor at a festive Holiday English Tea complete with sweets, savories, wines and sherry.

Holiday shopping: This year’s silent auction benefits Rebuilding Together and the LLAM scholarship fund, so please get your auction items ready.

Special Offer: Invite a non-member friend or colleague and get your second registration fee at half price.

Tickets: $25.00 per person ($12.50 for a non-member guest)
You may pay by check. Make the check payable to “LLAM” and mail to
Pat Behles
University of Baltimore Law Library
1401 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, Maryland 21201

We hope to see you there!

Questions? Contact
Kate Martin, LLAM Program Chair
kmartin@mcccourt.com
240-777-9121