Peer to Peer Magazine

Shauna stated: "Librarians have the skills to be successful in this new world. For firm librarians, two absolutely necessary skills include the ability to communicate clearly and the ability to project confidence. In addition, truly great librarians know how to leverage the resources they have in order to deliver a premium research or work product to the client." Emily Marcum, who joined the profession in 2009 and is now law librarian at the midsize firm Lightfoot Franklin White LLC in Birmingham, Alabama, noted that as a "digital native," it's hard to have some perspective at times on how rapidly technology has changed the legal profession and the impact on law librarianship. To her, there have always been multiple technologies to deal with when navigating her job. But at her firm, she hasn't yet seen it make a huge impact on the attorneys preferring one mode of information delivery or technology over another. What makes librarians like Emily of particular value in these times is her ability to customize her relationship with her clients, combining her comfort with technology and willingness to stay flexible as client needs or preferences evolve. "There are some attorneys who want to use their Kindle or iPad for a lot of things, but others who would rather use material in print. You can't stereotype what they might prefer by generation. My firm is small enough that I can still have those discussions with attorneys about their preferences on a one-on-one basis." Emily reflected on how small and medium law firms will closely examine the integration of technology in the future. With the uncertainty of the current legal market, she's not sure if the move toward the latest trends in technology will be assimilated rapidly. In her opinion, there's a danger in believing technology will be automatically embraced by an audience it's supposed to serve: "In many cases, we adopt a 'wait and see' approach toward adopting technology, which is reflective of the general culture of law firms of all sizes I've observed in the South. In contrast, law firms on the East Coast and in California frequently are early technology adopters. In many instances at my firm, we can create a workaround that functions just as well or better than more expensive technology, which helps keep the firm's rates low and competitive. Technology is moving rapidly, but the competitive nature of the current law firm environment makes it necessary to examine each purchase to separate those that are mere bells and whistles from those that create genuine time efficiencies in serving clients." THE COUNTY, EXPANDED Law library manager Brian R. Huffman, who works at the Dakota County Law Library in Minnesota, echoes many of the same themes Ron, Shauna and Emily allude to — that the impact of technology 66 Peer to Peer on law librarians will depend on the clientele the particular library is serving. But as with other law librarians, county law librarians are also well-positioned to contribute to how effectively technology is received and utilized by the intended clients. Brian has seen a recent explosion of legal information online that's geared toward helping individuals act as their own attorney or proceed as pro se litigant. For example, now there are myriad electronic forms created by nonprofit legal services and courts that people can fill out for submission to the court. However, Brian cautions that many times, while the technology makes it easier to complete the information, "putting it to use in practice is another matter." He continues, "Technology is wonderful, but a lot of times you're still dealing with folks who might have no understanding of the underlying structure of the law or who can't spot the legal issue." Along with being conversant in law, librarians bring a service mentality and sensitivity to diverse user populations that mesh well with courts seeking to build the best bridges between public clients and newer technology applications. Brian also points out that as courts move toward e-filing, in a few years it will be much easier for pro se litigants to see examples of completed forms or motions filed in cases. In turn, this might increase the overall knowledge of the individual filing with the court. The experience of the user and knowledge base they then gain are much more powerful for them as well as the judge who oversees their case. He also notes some smaller trends that hint at how technology is improving access for users of court libraries. Already, he has seen a core cadre of attorneys who have given up their individual Lexis and Westlaw subscriptions to take advantage of the court library's subscriptions. With 87 counties in Minnesota and a very diverse state population, the court library has set up Skype sessions as part of immigration law seminars. For instance, a group of people meeting in a church several counties away can talk directly to an attorney who speaks their particular language. LIBRARIANS, TRANSFORMED Richard Susskind was right on the money when he indicated librarians would maintain or even increase their viability as partners in change with a variety of legal institutions that are now reinventing themselves for success in the new millennium. Librarians' abilities to work with a disparate clientele, visualize their knowledge needs and leverage technology to integrate content and context in a diversity of end products uniquely position them to succeed in the transformation that is taking place. However, as Ron states: "Librarians should be aware they can't get too comfortable. Ten years ago we didn't know we'd be doing half the things we're tasked with. In the next five years, we'll be reinventing ourselves again, and we must be open to change."

• Cover