Jason on using My Communities and the Annual Meeting to make friends and contribute to AALL, plus seeing the Northern Lights
Jason LeMay is a Law Librarian for Special Collections & Metadata at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
WHY DID YOU JOIN AALL?
I was automatically added to AALL by my institution when I joined Emory Law.
WHY DO YOU STAY A MEMBER?
My institution pays for my membership, but I prefer to remain a member for the networking opportunities available. In the relatively short time I’ve been a member, I have formed a number of friendships with my law librarian colleagues around the country.
WHAT ONE MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT IS MOST VALUABLE TO YOU?
Networking opportunities. Coming from a public library background, the law library was a mysterious beast to me. While I learned a lot from my local colleagues at Emory, the connections I’ve made at AALL Annual and via My Communities has really allowed me to become a contributing member of the profession and AALL.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY ASSOCIATED WITH AALL?
My very first conference in 2015. I had never really attended any conferences before this, and the librarians I met in TS-SIS and OBS-SIS were a great group. Of course, I got wrangled into a committee chair position with one of the SIS’s, but that was the start of being active in the organization.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING OUTSIDE OF WORK?
If I’m staying home, I prefer to read. I’m not really one for television or movies most of the time. However, I really like to take road trips. North Georgia has some fantastic mountains and forest areas, so a day trip to the mountains is usually a good day for me.
WHAT BOOK(S) ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?
When the pandemic shut down my local libraries (and the main library at my university), I opted to start re-reading some series from my own collection. I’m currently finishing up the Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). I’ve actually never read them since they first came out, so it’s been interesting to read them immediately in sequence without having to wait. I’ve also been re-watching the movies after each book to see how much was cut out.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL/VACATION DESTINATION?
Tromsø, Norway, in the Arctic Circle. I decided to take a trip to see the Northern Lights, and Tromsø was recommended as the best place to see them. Thankfully I chose October of last year over March of 2020, or else I wouldn’t have made it there yet! I hope to return there for a future summer trip to see the midnight sun.