Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section
American Association of Law Libraries

CONTENTS

What's New

 

IMPLEMENTATION STEPS: ACTIVITIES OF HIGHEST PRIORITY 1997-2000

1. Ongoing activities requiring prompt attention
   
   1. Marketing the tool kit
      1. Distribute order forms at Association of Legal Administrators' (ALA) Meeting.
         
      2. Place ads in prominent legal and library periodicals/journals.
         
      3. Solicit articles on successful use of the tool kit.
         
      4. Send complimentary copies of the tool kit to the heads of law and library related organizations, especially the "Management Briefing Section" of the kit.
         
      5. Get a review of the tool kit published in Legal Information Alert, and/or Trends in Law Library Managementand Technology.
         
      6. Promote in AALL Spectrum and PLL Perspectives.
         
      7. Use the PLL listserve and Webpage to get the word out.

   
   

2. Immediate Attention
   
   1. Consumers and publishers
      
      1. Appoint a PLL Consumer Advocacy Committee, linked to CRIV.
         
      2. Establish a Consumer Alert Column in PLL Perspectives.
         
         1. How to be a wise consumer.
            
         2. How PLL can act as a consumer advocate.
            
      3. Begin product reviews in PLL Perspectives.
         
      4. Consider folding additional information into Price Index to Legal Titles:
         
         1. Track information in detail such as cost of pocket parts, supplements, including % increase for each title.
            
         2. Track information in detail about publisherís average increase in costs for these items.
            
         3. Track according to subject area.
            
   2. Research on the Value of the Law Librarian
      
      1. Find out about available monies.
         
      2. Appoint a committee to draft plan and carry it out.
         
   3. Resources/Information (RIPLL)
      
      1. Establish a PLL committee to carry this forward.
         
      2. Establish an Editorial Advisory Board.
         
      3. Seek vendor support for start-up costs, but no editorial input from vendors.
         
   4. Target Employers
      
      1. Pull-out section in PLL Perspectives.
         
         1. "Give-to-your-boss" sections addressing areas of interest to them.
            
         2. Should appear 1-2 times a year.
            
         3. First one should be on cost-control and what PLL is doing.
            
         4. Have extra copies available for sale/distribution.
            
      2. Begin to develop other materials we can use to educate employers, distribute at ALA, ABA/LPM meetings, etc.
         
      3. Support an official representative to the ABA Law Practice Management Section.
         
   5. Share Best Practices
      
      1. Annual conference
         
         1. Conduct face-to-face meetings in town hall setting.
            
         2. Present a component of PLL program, similar to"hot topic."
            
      2. Initiate discussions on the listserve, with input from members on how they solved the problem or dealt with the situation.
         

   
   

3. Medium-Range Attention
   
   1. Consumers and Publishers
      
      1. Gather long term price change information. Use (or create, if necessary) a software package to help us document these changes.
         
      2. Publish articles in periodicals geared toward the practicing bar and/or firm administrators to reinforce the idea that private law librarians are involved in shaping publishersí products, services and costs.
         
   2. Research on the Value of the Law Librarian
      
      1. Solicit funds from other sources as back up to the project.
         
      2. Publish article in PLL Perspectives on earlier research (including information on the Matarazzo Survey, entitled, "The Value of Corporate Libraries: Findings from a 1995 Survey of Senior Management.")
         
   3. Resources/Information (RIPLL)
      
      1. Use the listserve to find out what is relevant to the members.
         
      2. Generate discussion on the listserve to help identify resources for inclusion in RIPLL.
         
      3. Establish a rough outline of the handbook.
         
   4. Target Employers
      
      1. Work to make our website relevant to what they do, so they will access our site and begin to see us as the information experts.
         
      2. Publish in their journals relevant, high-quality articles.
         
   5. Share Best Practices
      
      1. Produce an electronic town hall meeting (with limited participation) on best practices, similar to the roundtable discussion that appeared in Spectrum
         
      2. Create a moderated open discussion on selected topics on the listserve.
         

   
   

4. Long-Range Attention
   
   1. Consumers and Publishers
      
      1. Put the consumer information/product reviews on our webpage.
         
      2. Encourage other organizations' webpages to link to ours, so that they will begin to see us as the "experts" in legal information resources.
         
   2. Resources/Information (RIPLL)
      
      1. Prepare a marketing plan
         
      2. Implement a possible subscription plan or standing order for updates.
         
      3. Publish RIPLL.
         
   3. Research on the Value of the Law Librarian
      
      1. Conduct the survey.
         
      2. Report the results.
         
      3. Evaluate the findings and use this information in future strategic plans.
         
   4. Target Employers
      
      1. Develop educational programming proposals for ALA and for the ABA/LPM annual meetings.
         
      2. Serve on committees or serve as resource personnel to these organizations.