Ellen Callinan
Web Services Coordinator and Adjunct Professor
Georgetown University Law Center - Washington, DC
Change Is Good . . . Even When You Love What You Do!
Law Library Journal Fall, 2001
Those who know me know how much I love being a law librarian. More than one person has said I should be the poster child for the profession. As the daughter of a librarian, I was practically born into this career, but not just because I enjoyed organizing information. Another important reason I became a librarian was because I saw the type of professional flexibility it afforded my mother as she pursued her career and raised two children. I knew that some day I wanted kids, and I hoped that I'd be able to remain devoted to my first love, albeit on a part-time basis, when those children came along.
My dream came true, but not in the manner I envisioned. I faced some challenges and disappointments, some adjustments to the loss in status and income, and some times of pure fear when my work required brand-new skills instead of the knowledge I could recite in my sleep. My life today exceeds my wildest expectations and was worth the effort of my full-time years.
I married late and had children even later, thanks in part to the miracle of modern fertility medicine. The upside of these delays was that I had quite a bit of time to plan for the future. I was a manager at a large Washington, D.C., law firm with responsibility for three departments and what we laughingly called "other duties as assigned." I knew I couldn't fulfill those responsibilities working on a part-time basis, so I started to focus on things I could do.
For a variety of reasons, I had developed strong technology skills and learned to love new software programs. Internet technology seemed promising so I started taking HTML seminars on my own time (and dime), just to be prepared for whatever new career I might have when those long-awaited children showed up. I volunteered to work on the firm's first Web site under my "other duties as assigned."
When I finally became pregnant, my strategy was in place. I approached the managing partner and proposed a change in my status. I would resign as manager and become a part-time employee with responsibility for the Web site and for research training. It took some wrangling, but we reached an agreement. My first child was born in February, and I started my part-time job teaching legal research and building the Web site in May.
The situation wasn't perfect, but over time we came up with a workable arrangement. I almost had to quit when the firm decided to limit my responsibility to Web site maintenance, but Georgetown University Law Center graciously offered me a wonderful second part-time job. Even with the two part-time jobs, I was still working far fewer hours than I had as a firm manager and was doing only work that I adored—reference, instruction, and Web publishing.
To be honest, I was a little burned out as a manager. I missed the hands-on interaction of reference, and even my law firm training experiences left something to be desired. I wanted something new, but I wasn't even sure what it was. Through a combination of serendipity and the groundwork I had laid in earlier years, I was ready to make a change when the opportunities came along.
I became a law librarian in part because I wanted to improve legal research training, and I engaged in several activities in pursuit of that goal during my full-time career. When I had to find a second part-time job, what could have been a disaster turned into my best professional move. Georgetown offered me the chance to teach its three-credit seminar in advanced legal research, and I found what had been missing in my other teaching experiences—the chance to take a group of students through an in-depth course of study. Watching them grow and learn has been almost as satisfying as nurturing my two children.
I also became a law librarian because of the thrill of the hunt. At Georgetown I staff the reference desk a few hours a week, and for those hours I'm in heaven. I think that time alone is a sure cure for managerial burnout and other midcareer maladies. Helping lawyers and law students connect directly with the information they need is as fulfilling now as it was in the beginning of my career.
And, finally, I'm having a ball with Web technology. I learn new programs on a regular basis, scaring myself silly when I try new tricks and jumping with joy when those tricks work. I'm using my old management skills in organizing and collecting content, and I have a creative outlet that was absent in my past life.
The driving forces behind this career revitalization are, of course, my two gorgeous, darling children and my wonderful husband. I wouldn't trade them for all the career success in the world, but it sure is nice to be able to participate in my profession in a smaller way while I devote much of my time and energy to the people I love. I'll probably never be a director again, but I couldn't be happier!
For More Information About Law Librarianship or the AALL Recruitment Committee, contact committee chair Sarah Mauldin.