Transferring Skills: From Archives Intern to Law Librarian

By Havilah Steinman Bakken (Follow us on LinkedIn) While earning my Master’s in Library and Information Science, I had the opportunity to complete an internship at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Archives. I grew up spending time at the San Diego Zoo parks, but would not have known about the archives had it not been for the

My Secret Life as a Perennial Volunteer

By Nadine Atkinson-Flowers (Follow us on LinkedIn) For most of my 17 years as a lawyer, I have volunteered in one way or another, from speaking at seminars for legal public education to giving talks to high school students about how to minimize the possibility of negative interactions with the criminal legal system.  Just recently I

Looking Back, to Look Ahead

By Cecilia Tellis (Follow us on LinkedIn) As a mid-career librarian, I’ve been reflecting back on my early days in librarianship. In my first full-time and permanent role, I was part of a team of law librarians as the most junior member. I had zero experience in providing legal reference (though I had worked at a

How Did I Get Here?

By Kirstin Nelson (Follow us on LinkedIn) When I started my career as a law librarian, I was confident I’d work in law firms for my entire career. Law firm librarians felt like my people and I enjoyed the fast pace of work. But I wanted to be sure. After a short-lived role as an academic

Different Skills in Your Librarianship Path: Art Tours and Cataloguing

By Kaia MacLeod (Follow us on LinkedIn) Oftentimes, I use a 2021 job posting for a Canadian National Film Board Librarian as an example of requirements versus skills when talking to current MLIS students. As someone with a film degree, there was a chance I could become a film librarian but one of the job requirements

Postcards from the Gender War: Job Hunting as a Trans Early-Career Librarian

By Ezekiel Amari McGee (Follow us on LinkedIn) For the past year, watching the news often feels like watching a Hitchcock film—you know something awful’s coming, it’s just a matter of when. While we all can certainly take our pick of the various horrors plaguing our world, as a genderqueer person I tend to be most

Work Life Balance, Guilty Mom Syndrome

By Itunu Sofidiya (Follow us on LinkedIn) I am the first to admit that I completely understand why many people don’t want to have kids. I have a ten-year-old son, who I absolutely adore.  However, mommying while working is difficult and expensive. I guess expensive is relative, because kids don’t have to bankrupt you. However, as a parent,

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Me and My Law Librarian Friends But Were Afraid to Ask: Avery Vinson

By Shira Megerman (Follow us on LinkedIn) In the fifth installment in this series, I speak with Avery Vinson, Legal Research Professor & Student Services Specialist at the University of Florida School of Law, on becoming a law librarian. 1. What attracted you to becoming a law librarian? I give all the credit to Avery Le,

From L.A. Law to The Matrix

By Mike Martinez (Follow us on LinkedIn) There is no doubt that our biases, experiences, how we process information, all play a part in our personal narrative and journey.  I remember being young and naïve in my perception of the law. I was influenced by Atticus Finch but growing up in the 80’s, I also took

Just A Librarian Doing Indian Law

By Rebecca Plevel (Follow us on LinkedIn) Regardless of where I am working and teaching, I am and will be a librarian doing Indian law. That passion arises from both my heritage (I am a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation), and my work in and around Indian Country in Arizona for 30+ years. It also