Barbara Cornwell Holt
Manager, Library and Central Records
Preston Gates & Ellis L.L.P.
Seattle, WA
Is This "Real Work"?
Law Library Journal Spring 1997
I became Library Manager at Preston Gates & Ellis L.L.P. six years ago. Best known for its work in municipal bonds, intellectual property, technology, and environment, Preston is a 235-attorney, multiple-office firm based in Seattle, Washington. The firm is dynamic, fast-paced, socially conscious, and about as democratic as a law firm can be.
Dynamic? Definitely. If anything is certain about law firms of the nineties, it is change. In 1995, firm management reorganized its administration to more evenly distribute oversight responsibilities. Central Records, formerly managed by Information Services (IS), became my responsibility.
Tricky change, since my background is librarianship, not records management. Trickier still, since the library (with my office) is located on the fiftieth floor, whereas the Records Department is located on the fifty-fifth. Trickiest of all: the two departments whose functions (and staffs) virtually never intersect are the Library and Central Records.
Fast-forward to 1997: I manage both departments, with the help of a second office in Central Records. I am no longer a hands-on librarian. My biggest adjustment, one with which I continue to struggle, is the sense that I don't do "real" work. I discuss, brainstorm, ask questions, review, make suggestions, offer encouragement, smooth ruffled feathers, write messages and memos, plan, attend meetings, make lists, gather and share information. But other than budget reports, I rarely produce a discrete, tangible piece of work. Reference work is now a rare treat, and I fear that as my reference skills fade from underuse, I may become a danger to rather than help for the innocent library patron.
Instead of doing conflict searches, cataloging, folder retrieval, or library research, I rely on the knowledge and professionalism of nine people in Records and six in the Library. Bridging the gap between the needs of the firm's attorneys and the operational requirements of the two departments takes patience, humor, and infinite tact (e.g., if you don't check it out, we won't know where the file is; it takes time to download documents, even in cyberspace). I have to be the quintessential grown-up.
Every working day is different, but there are a few similarities. Frequent interruptions are the norm, and unanticipated crises (sometimes quickly solvable via friendly communication) are not uncommon. Most days include multiple e-mail and phone messages. While I sometimes wonder whether these communication tools are blessing or bane, I admit that I could not function simultaneously in two departments without them. E-mail lets me easily contact multiple recipients and departments, and also serves as a tickler system where I save and review messages periodically until resolved. Many days include budget review or reporting for both departments. (How did I ever function without spreadsheets?) Occasionally I even provide backup reference service. While my surfing skills on the Net don't approach those of our reference librarians, I am relieved that sometimes patrons still need to know how to update the C.F.R.!
One of the more challenging yet rewarding pieces of my day is interacting with staff: reviewing, coaching, listening, teaching, and learning. I need reliable and competent staff to handle the bulk of daily duties, and time invested in their development serves both the firm and the individuals well. No day is complete without a meeting—with fellow administrators, with office managers of offices outside of Seattle, with Records and Library staffs. Time-consuming, yes; unproductive, not necessarily. Outside of the periodic full-staff meetings for each department, we try to limit project planning to those who are directly involved with the process under review, then use e-mail as our follow-up. Time spent on coordination before the fact saves time on damage control later. Increasingly, decisions made within a single department may have ramifications elsewhere. Many records issues are closely tied to Accounting Department processes or subject to Ethics Committee review, so we work closely to ensure that all aspects of a process are understood and coordinated throughout. Further, IS Department input is required for many service improvements, since these often rely upon technology. We drive and direct the changes based upon our knowledge of user need; IS provides support.
Working with two departments has broadened my understanding of the relative value of each, to say nothing of my respect for the efforts of those outside the library. Believe it or not, the library is not the most vital operation in the firm. Instead, each department is an essential organ without which the firm could not maintain its health. The similarities between my departments (service, detail orientation, information management, volume management, circulation woes) are rivaled by their differences. The Library's clientele is primarily attorneys, while secretaries and clerks are frequent requesters in Central Records. There are usually several resources where one can find answers in library research, but we can't substitute another file for a misplaced one. Librarians are recognized experts in legal research, but the considerable knowledge of records staff may be underestimated. In coordinating my time with the two groups, I sometimes feel a bit like a bigamist who has two separate "families" that don't know each other—their only link is me—and who knows that each could benefit from more attention from me.
Like most of my professional peers, I find that my day-to-day work life has changed radically over the last few years, change that would have occurred even if I hadn't accepted the Records responsibility. We librarians, like most firm administrators, are breaking new ground with only the sketchiest of roadmaps. We expect the unexpected and have learned to be flexible and open to fresh approaches. And I know that I will be able to review this Law Library Journal issue in a few years' time and chuckle at the old ways of the old days.
For More Information About Law Librarianship or the AALL Recruitment Committee, contact committee chair Sarah Mauldin.