Thanks to all who attended and contributed. We learn from each other!
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AALL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
(July 20-23, Chicago, IL)
- Laura Dobbie, Law Librarian, Peterborough Law Association
- Betty Dykstra, Library Manager, York Region Law Association
- John Gilbert, Library Manager, Bruce Law Association
- Jo-Ann McQuillan, Executive Officer/Law Library Director, Peel Law Association
We have provided session links and/or PDFs of slides when available. Favourite sessions included:
Demonstrating Library Value Through Archival and Special Collections Exhibits: This presentation appears quite dry but has lots of visual examples of great exhibits. Combine these inspiring exhibits with your own library’s unique personality and resources to create a special exhibit of your own. One takeaway is to lean towards quality rather than quantity – a small and thoughtfully curated exhibit can yield high impact! Demonstrating Library Value PDF of Presentation Slides.
Hot Topic: AI: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly–60 AI Websites, Tools, and Apps in 60 Minutes: Artificial Intelligence has impacted every aspect of our culture—or will, shortly. Join us for a fast-paced review of AI websites, tools, and apps—from the sublime to the ridiculous. An AI-powered stuffed cat or a self-driving bicycle? Sure, why not? An app that summarizes case law in seconds and explains it to you “like you were five”? Sounds perfect. Every profession, every hobby, every aspect of our physical, emotional, and even spiritual lives is being transformed. But what makes a “good” application of AI, and what is just silly? By reviewing a wide range of applications (the good, the bad and the ugly), attendees will see just how far AI is infiltrating our collective experience and walk away with some practical applications—and a few laughs as well. Hot Topic PDF of Presentation Slides.
- Piktochart – this tool helps simplify data visualization with easy to use infographic templates – a nice complement to Canva. It has a stock image database, can match hex colours and you can import data from Excel, Google Sheets or through hard inputs. You can also embed links in the infographics.
- Downpour – This is a game creation app that a librarian at the University of Miami used to create a build-your-own adventure tour of the library spaces. You simply upload images, add paths and branching logic to create a gamified user experience. Can only hold a 50MB file. Can create mobile images in Canva to import into Downpour.
Neurodiversity and Law Libraries: Supporting Patrons in Your Physical and Digital Spaces: This presentation offered best practices, a reading list and will allow you to reassess how your space is serving neurodivergent patrons. Neurodiversity and Law Libraries PDF of Presentation Slides.
Strategic Social Media: Creating Engaging & Accessible Content with Limited Time and Resources: This practical program will explore strategies and tools for developing engaging social media content within the constraints of limited staff time and tight budgets. Attendees will learn actionable tips for increasing engagement and reach through strategies like ideating fresh content, repurposing existing materials, collaborating with others, and using free or low-cost tech tools to design eye-catching graphics and videos. Attendees will learn actionable tips for planning and managing social media more efficiently. Panelists will also discuss best practices for accessibility, including alt text, captions, transcripts, and optimization for screen readers. The program will provide law librarians with simple but effective ways to expand their strategic knowledge of social media management, accessibility, impact measurement, and professional content creation. Strategic Social Media PDF of Presentation Slides.
You are Kenough: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome for Career Growth: Imposter syndrome stymies the career development of new and experienced librarians alike. It impedes librarians at all levels and in all aspects of employment, from hesitancy to speak up in meetings to applying for management positions. The impact of imposter syndrome may also disproportionately affect librarians from marginalized and underrepresented groups. As we endeavor to diversify the profession and with opportunities for career transitions at an all-time high, being knowledgeable about imposter syndrome is important for us all. Hear from three librarians who made recent career changes into different legal sectors. They will share what prompted their mid-career changes, how they manage(d) imposter syndrome in their new roles, and offer tips for successful career growth. You are Kenough PDF of Presentation Slides.
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CALL CONFERENCE Highlights
(June 25-28, 2024, Montreal, QC)
- Laura Dobbie, Law Librarian, Peterborough Law Association
- Michelle Gerrits, Library Manager, Lambton County Law Association
- Sheri Proulx. Librarian, Renfrew Law Association
- Ciara Ward, Library Director, Northumberland County Law Association
Read both Michelle Gerrits’ CALL Conference Report and Ciara Ward’s CALL Conference Report describing a number sessions and the keynote addresses.
Other favourite conference sessions reported on during our meeting:
Age of Social Media: York University is doing small videos for referencing. However, the University of British Columbia are doing somewhat the opposite because they feel that videos have reduced the attention span of their students, they are trying to rebuild through other methods. Others, who used to send their videos out to be done, are now doing them all in house.
Creating Instructional Videos: A panel of vendors and academic libraries, and they went over how they have been creating instructional videos at their organizations and the impacts. There was some discussion about TikTok and social media, its effect on attention spans, and the intent/whys of creating videos that I thought was interesting, especially concerning students / younger lawyers.
Language Rights in Canada (Thomas Mulcair): Discussed minority language rights and what is the difference between co-drafting and translating. Included discriminatory rights and how various bills have affected rights; Canada is no where close to where Europe is.
Legal Prompt Engineering: About using generative AI in your job (building chat GPT personas to use), and how lawyers can use it as well (summarizing, drafting and editing, generating timelines, witness questions etc). It also went over how to build prompts to get the best results.
Translating the Language of Law: Bring Legal Information Beyond the Law Libraries: Great story-telling type presentation by the BC Courthouse, who teamed up with smaller libraries and described their event regarding indigenous access and sharing resources with the public libraries
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CUSTOMER SERVICE AND DE-ESCALATION TRAINING (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
- Jo-Ann McQuillan, Executive Officer/Law Library Director, Peel Law Association
Jo-Ann received free enrollment in this day-long interactive workshop through her volunteer work. You can find out more about this and similar programs at Workplace Mental Health Workshops and Consulting Services | CAMH.
The session dealt with:
- the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse challenges
- using person-first language
- taking a trauma-informed approach
- self-care and psychological resiliency
- identifying and managing triggers
- self-management strategies
- De-escalation principle
- De-escalation skills
- Team-based approaches
She described it as helping her to understand how to be more mindful of her body language and the words she uses to redirect heightened energies from an agitated patron. Acting out scenarios in which they had to employ their newly learned skills was intense but valuable.
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MENTAL HEALTH GUIDES
- Michelle Landriault, Library Manager, Prescott-Russell Law Association
Michelle organized a CPD for her association, inviting Supreme Court Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin. The guides were created in 2016 when Justice O’Bonsawin was the General Counsel at the Royal Ottawa Hospital. Each provides valuable insight and helpful approaches to assisting clients who experience mental health assistance in tandem with legal issues.
Better Mental Health – A Resource Guide
Mental Health Checklist – A Guide for Members of the Judiciary
Also see LiRN’s resource page at: Support the Supporter / Mental Health and Wellness – LiRN.
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