Amy on utilizing all that AALL has to offer as a newer law librarian
Amy Kurlansky is a Reference Librarian at the Hamilton County Law Library in Cincinnati, Ohio.
WHY DID YOU JOIN AALL?
Membership in AALL is one of the privileges of my job. I was invited to join when I started at the Hamilton County Law Library in 2018.
WHY DO YOU STAY A MEMBER?
I am relatively new to Law Librarianship, and I have enjoyed both the networking opportunities and professional development opportunities through AALL and our local chapter, ORALL.
WHAT ONE MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT IS MOST VALUABLE TO YOU?
As a Gemini, I have difficulty picking just one, so, I will have to say both the networking and the professional development opportunities. I have been working to familiarize myself with all of the educational materials that AALL has to offer so I can better serve our library’s patrons.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY ASSOCIATED WITH AALL?
This year was the first time I attended CONELL and the first AALL Virtual Conference, and although I have no doubt that it will be even more amazing to meet up with people in person, my favorite memory so far is all of the networking conversations with everyone on Zoom. They sort of look like extended branches of the Brady Bunch, and I felt a little like Jan.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING OUTSIDE OF WORK?
Well, I love to read, of course. And, I really enjoy theater and music. I feel so fortunate that Cincinnati has a vibrant arts community. In a normal summer, I would be out in the parks around Cincinnati enjoying Shakespeare in the Park, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in the parks. Our Opera season is also in the summer, and I try to attend at least one. I also enjoy FC Cincinnati (soccer) and I can be convinced to attend Reds games (baseball).
Fortunately, this summer, I have been able to “attend” a lot of the same activities online—only from the comfort of my couch in stretchy pants.
WHAT BOOK(S) ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?
According to Goodreads, I am currently reading 30 things.
Today, I am rushing to finish up No Judgments by Meg Cabot before Overdrive takes it back tomorrow, and The Limits of Sisterhood by Jeanne Boydston & Mary Kelley for the Semi-Colon Club discussion group tomorrow afternoon at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House (in Cincinnati, via Zoom).
This week, I read Stamped: Racism, Antiracism & You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi, for a virtual community conversation hosted by the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Cleveland.
And, I also read: Neil Siegel, Why the Nineteenth Amendment Matters Today: A Guide for the Centennial, 27 Duke J. Gender L. & Pol’y 235 (2020), The Georgetown Law Journal Special Edition (Commemorating the 19th Amendment), and Sandra Day O’Connor, The History of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, 49 Vand. L. Rev. 657 (1996).
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL/VACATION DESTINATION?
I love traveling and seeing other parts of the country and the world. After the GLL-SIS annual meeting this year and seeing all the beautiful pictures, I know for sure I need to visit Hawaii. I am very fortunate that I have traveled to every state on the East Coast, and most of the states in the Midwest. I have flown over the Grand Canyon, but, would like to actually visit there, along with as many national parks as possible. I have enjoyed trips to California, Colorado, and Canada. I have snorkeled in St. Lucia, St. Thomas, and St. John. And, this past spring, I was finally able to visit the place at the top of my bucket list—Egypt.