This year’s New Academic Law Librarian’s Meeting (NALLM) took place at the Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law on Sunday, July 15, 2007. The event began with a scenic bus ride through New Orleans to our hosting library, the University of New Orleans College of Law Library. Upon arrival to the library, the participants were warmly greeted as they settled into one of the law school classrooms. The program began with the introduction of NALLM/Mentoring Committee members, Katie Thompson (Co-Chair), Patricia Kidd (Co-Chair), Kathleen Carrick, Patricia Scott, and Kasia Solon. Each committee member also talked about how ALL-SIS has benefited them as an academic law librarian. Next, Board Members Suzanne Thorpe, Michael Slinger, Michelle Wu, Carol Bredemeyer, Linda Ryan, and Marianne Alcorn introduced themselves and shared their experiences with ALL-SIS. Finally, all of the new academic law librarians in attendance introduced themselves and shared a passion of theirs with the rest of the group. Afterward, committee member, Kathleen Carrick kicked off a panel discussion by speaking about tenure. This topic sparked a lot of discussion which eventually led to the inclusion of many other topics, like publishing and faculty politics. With the NALLM committee members and ALL-SIS Board Members serving as a panel, a wealth of knowledge and professional experiences was exchanged.
When asked about the event for this article, Suzie Shatarevyan, Electronic Resources Manager at the Loyola Law Library of Los Angeles, said “this program gave me the opportunity to meet with other new members and mentors in a more intimate, relaxed setting.” She went on to say that “one of great benefits was being able to go around the room and introduce ourselves, not only as professionals, but also on a more personal level through sharing a passion of ours.” Finally, Suzie stated that the activity “allowed the participants to feel at ease” and “resulted in [her] forming a new relationship.” Suzie’s comments really outline the purpose of NALLM, which is to give new librarians an opportunity to meet and network while learning more about academic law librarianship.
The committee would like to thank all of the attendees of the event and those who helped with the planning of NALLM, including Michael Whipple, Director of the Loyola Law Library for hosting, Elizabeth Moore of Loyola Law Library for assistance with the room arrangement, Michael Bernier and the other folks at BNA who sponsored the event, and all of the members of the ALL-SIS Board, particularly Suzanne Thorpe and Michelle Wu for their support and assistance.