What do a practicing attorney and audiobook publisher, a Scottsdale resort receptionist, and an online art history instructor have in common? We are actually members of the library team at the dynamic new Phoenix International School of Law! Currently located in Scottsdale, the newborn school has 94 part-time and full-time students and has dedicated itself to a curriculum which emphasizes practice-readiness.
Given that mission along with plans to relocate in late summer to a central Phoenix office building location, PhoenixLaw librarians need to be a focused and cohesive unit with the willingness to tackle anything from mountains of boxed reporters in a central Phoenix warehouse to barcoding endless materials. Our diverse backgrounds and levels of experience seem to be providing a synergy and momentum that will make manageable working toward achieving provisional ABA accreditation later this year. Kris Niedringhaus is our Director of Information Resources & Technology and is also an Associate Professor of Law at PhoenixLaw. Before joining PhoenixLaw, Kris worked at Texas Wesleyan School of Law, Georgia State University School of Law, and the LaValley Law Library at the University of Toledo. She also serves on the editorial boards of Law Library Journal and AALL Spectrum and is the incoming Chair of AALL’s Computing Services SIS. “PhoenixLaw is a unique and exciting institution,” says Kris. “Our mission pillars of student-centeredness, serving the under-served and graduating practice-ready students shine through in the attitudes and activities of our students, faculty and staff. It’s incredibly energizing to be a part of creating such a dynamic and forward-thinking organization.”
Assistant Director Mike Mason numbers among the school’s resident baseball fanatics. Mike’s library career has included positions in law firm, municipal, and academic libraries and spans over two decades and four states (New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, and Arizona). In addition to his M.S.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mike holds an M.A. in English Language, Literature, Rhetoric and Linguistics from Indiana University in Pennsylvania.
Ted McClure, the Public Services librarian, received his M.L.S. from Catholic University in 2003. Ted, a practicing attorney, relocated to Albuquerque where he worked on Native American demographics for Tiller Research before accepting his post at PhoenixLaw in November 2005.
I am Susie Zappia, and most recently I was Library Director at the Art Institute of Phoenix and taught art history courses online for Art Institute Online prior to joining PhoenixLaw in January of this year. I still teach a course entitled American Indian Literature for Rio Salado, a local community college because I’ve taught it for several years and it’s just too much fun to let go! I’m also having a blast as Technical Services Librarian, doing more in-depth cataloging than I’ve been able to for many years.
Tara Summus, the newest kid of us newbies, learned the art of comforting nervous brides-to-be making reception reservations at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. Tara hails from New York and completed her M.L.S. at the University of Arizona in May 2005. She has done internships with the Arizona Historical Foundation and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Tara joined us in March and is also a Public Services Librarian.
Perhaps Ted McClure summed it up best. “There are three things I love,” he asserts, “libraries, law, and academia. But being in the start-up of a new institution is an adventure. It just doesn’t get any better than this!”