Mark Bernstein
Deputy Director &
Senior Lecturing Fellow
Duke University School of Law Library
Durham, NC
How I Became A Law Librarian
AALL Spectrum February, 2003
During my first semester at the University of Pittsburgh School of Library and Information Science in the mid-80s, I saw an ad in the Sunday New York Times for a reference librarian position at the University of Michigan School of Law Library. The ad described the position and instructed applicants to write to Margaret Leary, director of the law library, for more information. I did so, not thinking in terms of employment since I still had about 10 months remaining in my program. After all, I was still trying to figure out what a Cutter number was!
Several weeks later Leary called me on a Saturday. After realizing that this was not a dream — that she actually took time out of her schedule to speak with me — we proceeded to talk for about 20–30 minutes.
Leary asked why I had not followed up with an application. I explained that I was still in my first semester, and with no library experience, I did not think I would be a viable candidate for a position at such a prestigious institution as the University of Michigan. She agreed that I was too green at that point, but she wanted to find out about some of my future plans for librarianship.
During our conversation, Leary gave me some of the best career advice I ever got. She suggested that I attend the Annual Meeting, which was going to be held in Washington, D.C., the following summer, because there would be numerous opportunities to interview for positions. At the time, I was unaware of the job opportunities at the Annual Meeting. After learning more through the year about the Annual Meeting, I did attend the meeting, where I was offered and accepted a position at Columbia University Law Library in New York City. I worked there for seven years before coming to Duke University in 1993.
After I thanked Leary for calling and reiterated to her my astonishment that she called me even though I had not applied for the job, she said something else that I will never forget. "I like to treat people how I like to be treated," Leary said. "And someday you will be my colleague and we may work together on a project, or I may need to call upon you or you upon me for something."
After I hung up the phone still in shock, I was convinced I was doing the right thing in pursuing my M.L.S. and a career in law librarianship. I'm sure Leary does not recall this particular discussion because I'm certain she has called other library students to discuss their future profession many times throughout her career.
We can all play a role in recruiting people into our profession through a variety of formal and informal encounters. You never know what impact even a simple phone call may have.
For More Information About Law Librarianship or the AALL Recruitment Committee, contact committee chair Sarah Mauldin.