Vancouver Law Librarian Blog

The Digital Divide is Real

2012-05-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I noted how Seth Godin's vision for libraries didn't factor in the digital divide. And today I find this post by Bobbi Newman on the same topic. Take a look at the stats in Bobbi's presentation, embedded below:

Libraries Bridging the Digital Divide

View more PowerPoint from Bobbi Newman

Indeed, one-third of US citizens in 2012 are without broadband access; and my point about including e-lending services as part of bridging that gap seems even more valid. With information becoming digital, access to technology and the processes that facilitate access can't be glossed over.

Seth Godin on Librarians

2012-05-23T15:47:00.001-07:00

My word. Sometimes Seth Godin gets it so right.

Preaching the value of Librarians, not libraries. Or at least not libraries as archival repositories. And while I admit my personal frustration at this idea: that it overlooks some of the underlying core value of information collections, I've also long felt that great collections aren't a marketable mandate for any library.

Well arranged collections are rarely valued by their intended user community; and moreover, it's a non-starter until you get people through the door. Seth Godin gets this, as do most non-librarians. But Librarians? Oh, we have a lot more to say on the topic. And that's unfortunate, because it's a message that needs simplifying.

As a profession, I think we need to accept that simplified messages surrounding 'public services' librarianship are going to be more palatable. And if we're to resurrect public opinion on topics such as "Libraries as a publicly funded place", or a greater understanding of "Librarianship as a profession" ... it's going to be a necessity.

One other tidbit... I really liked was Seth had to say about how Libraries help people in communities improve:

"We all love the vision of the underprivileged kid bootstrapping himself out of poverty with books, but now (most of the time), the insight and leverage is going to come from being fast and smart with online resources, not from hiding in the stacks.

The next library is a place, still. A place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects worth working on together."

This is a role that never dies - offline or digital. The delivery, however, is in dire need of an overhaul.

Finally, let me end with my one negative. Godin's statement that "clever ebook lending solutions are completely missing the point."; followed by his recommendation that we fight for our futures as "producer, concierge, connector, teacher and impresario."

Sound great? You bet. But it's a glib response to the digital divide. Librarians who can't facilitate e-lending will only serve the roles of "producer, concierge, connector, teacher and impresario" with a certain class of patron. And frankly... those guys already have Kindles and iPads.

Go read the post. It's thought provoking.

Gamification

2012-05-18T15:20:00.003-07:00

Here's a summary paragraph from an interesting study via Pew Internet on Gamification:

Tech stakeholders and analysts generally believe the use of game mechanics, feedback loops, and rewards will become more embedded in daily life by 2020, but they are split about how widely the trend will extend. Some say the move to implement more game elements in networked communications will be mostly positive, aiding education, health, business, and training. Some warn it can take the form of invisible, insidious behavioral manipulation.

The connection of games to task learning certainly has a lot to offer. I'm reminded of my son memorizing his simple math facts for addition and multiplication. This year in school, his teacher had the class competing in a math-style spelling B, head-to-head, trying to recall faster than their fellow classmates. He benefited, as did everyone in the class, in a huge way. Recall went through the roof, with his Teacher who'd been teaching for nearly 40 years stating that this game would now be a fixture in her classroom.

Digital? Hardly. It's simple human reaction, and a method of reinforced learning. But I have to think that in the proper hands, all styles of gaming -- real world or virtual -- have similar benefits to offer.

Out and About

2012-05-08T09:59:00.002-07:00

Getting back into the swing of blogging again, and figured I'd start here by itemizing some of the my personal publishing efforts of late. In no certain order, here's some of what I've been up to...

Over on Slaw.ca, my column went up last week on How Law Firms #fail at Social Media. I found this piece very helpful to write from a personal perspective. It really let me gather my thoughts on what law firms had to offer on social media. The relationship between "firm accounts" and "lawyer accounts" was a set of ideas that had been brewing for some time.

I also wrote an interesting post on the application of marketing spin to academic research. That's a lesson I keep trying to remind myself of... to try and step outside of the legal silo once in a while. See how other groups handle issues, technology, etc. Always fruitful.

Going in another direction... Probably my best blogging effort in recent memory came in April when I did an email interviewed with my friend Susannah Tredwell. Her group blog, On Firmer Ground, discusses the value of law librarians, something I'm still very proud to be; and includes some great content too! The interview tells my story about working inside law firms and discusses the challenge of adding "library value" to non-library services.

Small firm innovation, a group blog published by our clients Clio, has a rotating monthly theme on varying law practice topics. April's challenge was to find a missing mobile App from your life and write about it. I ended up going completely off-grid topic wise, and chose household monitoring. And while I'm sure Clio's community and content guru Gwynne Monahan is happy that I returned to writing for the site -- I'm also sure she'll be happier if I stay a little more "legal" in my topic selection next time. :)

And finally, over on Attorney at Work this past Friday, I had some nice quotes from Joan Feldman in her piece, Get Past Your Rookie Moves in Social Media. My coverage aside, I really enjoyed Joan's roundup of tips and ideas.

So that's it for me. As I said, I'm going to try writing more, especially over the summer. Posts might be shorter, or just pointers, but life is better when I find the time to write. Cheers!

LTAIG Section Status Update

2012-04-10T06:57:00.009-07:00

LTAIG, the BC Library Association's Library Technicians and Assistants Interest Group, is petitioning for section status! I am particularly thrilled to hear this news; this turn of events is long overdue. The petition has received enough signatures to be put to a vote at the upcoming BCLA AGM in May. All BCLA members may vote on it, and LTAIG wants to get the word out to increase the odds the resolution will be passed by a 75% majority.

What would section status mean for LTAIG? I asked Tamarack Hockin, LTAIG Convenor, for the scoop - here's what she said:

"If the LTAS [Library Technicians' and Assistants' Section] petition passes the vote at the BCLA AGM in May, the most concrete benefit to technicians and assistants in B.C. will be a designated representative on the BCLA Board.

Our current state as an “interest group” is not only a misnomer, but according to the terms of BCLA’s constitution precludes representation on the board. This doesn’t mean that there are no technicians or assistants holding positions on the board, but it does mean that there is currently no one to speak on behalf of the collective interests of technicians and assistants.

The vast majority of LTAIG members – and, I suspect, all BCLA members – are interested in professional development and networking opportunities as part of the benefits inherent to professional association. LTAS will work with the BCLA Board to ensure that these benefits of membership are relevant to technicians and assistants and the unique work that we do.

I also want to emphasize that the creation of LTAS will benefit BCLA as a whole. Technicians and assistants have a wealth of experience and abilities to bring to the association. This is evidenced in projects like the soon-to-be-launched BCLA Mentorship Program, contributions to The BCLA Browser, and our wonderful LibTech Soup blog. Through the creation of LTAS we will be growing and strengthening the association, and we will be redefining it as a more inclusive place for technicians and assistants."

(Emphasis mine.)

It's pretty plain to see what a boon an LTAS would be for BC library techs and assistants, as well as the BC library community in general. I encourage anyone who's a BCLA member to make their voice heard on this issue by voting (either in person or using the proxy vote form - more details are available on the LTAIG homepage).

You can also follow LTAIG on Twitter, and be sure to check out LibTech Soup, the group's blog, which is a great resource for anyone interested in library issues.

Good luck, LTAIG - I hope the LTAS vote succeeds!

Canadian Law Libraries - What Issues Are You Facing?

2012-04-10T06:34:00.008-07:00

CALL is running a survey on behalf of conference plenary speaker Nigel Holloway to collect the profession's thoughts on issues facing Canadian law libraries. Holloway will present the findings at the CALL conference in Toronto this May, in a session called "Future Trends in Legal Information and Law Libraries".

Along with basic demographics, the survey asks about:

The biggest opportunities and challenges for your library in the next year
Staff time spent and billed on non-legal research
Changing roles of non-firm law libraries
Digital vs print collections - now and down the road
Rating legal information vendors (quality of information & customer service)
Consolidation of legal information purchases
Salary and operating budgets

The survey takes about five minutes and all responses will be keep confidential. Take it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/librarianissues

New Law Librarians' Institute

2012-03-14T08:20:00.010-07:00

CALL/ACBD is holding a New Law Librarians' Institute again this year, reports the ELLA Blog. It will be held May 27 to June 1, and by all accounts, this is a fantastic opportunity for library professionals who are new to the legal field to get hands-on, in-depth experience that will relate directly to their work in law libraries.

To hear what some of last year's participants thought of the institute, see Karen Sawatzky's post on Slaw. I had the pleasure of chatting with Allan Chan (one of the participants that Karen mentions) shortly after his return from the institute last summer, and he was quite enthusiastic about the experience, and very pleased that he'd attended.

Although final details of the 2012 institute have not yet been released, you can check out last year's program for an idea of what sorts of topics are addressed. See also Ted Tjaden's recap of the event on Slaw. If you're interested in attending this year's institute, consider applying for a grant through CALL's Education Reserve Fund.

Kudos to CALL/ACBD for offering this most helpful program!

Quickscribe Manual Updates for February 2012

2012-03-01T07:54:00.006-08:00

Seven of Quickscribe's hardcopy legislation manuals were updated in February:

And as always, you'll find free, daily updates to BC laws at www.bclegislation.ca.

Canada and Lawful Access in 2012

2012-02-14T13:28:00.003-08:00

If you read around in the Canadian blogosphere in the last few days, you'll notice a growing amount of attention about upcoming Federal legislation on lawful access. Probably the clearest piece I've read on the topic to date is by David Fraser titled What lawful access is all about and why it matters.

Whether a SOPA-type protest is plausible in Canada, I don't know; but protecting Canadian online privacy standards would be an equally commendable goal to the recent backlash seen south of the border. As David says in his opening paragraph, this is a BIG DEAL, and Canadians should know this is a step backwards in terms of how much information law enforcement can know about them, without a warrant or judicial consideration.

Between mobile and internet tracking, we leave a digital trail behind us with substantial depth. Much more detailed than what's in the "telephone book"; and I would encourage you to see David's list to know the scale.

This is an important evolution for Canadians to understand, and it's a BIG DEAL because legislating warrantless access to our constant whereabouts, or the online services we use, undercuts the privacy standards we have traditionally known.

Count me in for another thumbs down. This just isn't right.

If you want to work in libraries...

2012-02-03T09:44:00.001-08:00

Ned Potter, a UK librarian who blogs at the wikiman, has put together a slideshow of ten critical things to know if you want to work in libraries, saying "the Information Profession is generally misunderstood; this is an effort to set the record straight." The presentation itself is a couple of years old, but was cited in a recent article in the Guardian on "What it Takes to be a 21th Century Librarian".

None of them will come as a surprise to folks who are currently working in libraries, but there are some good reminders in there: it's not all about books, but it is all about people and technology. On a tough day, it's important to remember that you have to be ready to fight; advocacy is an ongoing process. And this one -- you have to be ready to change -- is maybe the single most important piece of advice I'd give someone to entering the profession.

Looking back on the motley crew that made up my library tech program, there were a lot of people there because they just plain loved books. I think many of us became interested in the program for that very reason. We liked the idea that we could find a job that would pay us to hang out with books all day. (Books, not people! Not technology!) But as we learned more about the world of libraries, most of us came to understand that books were not the point. Technology was the point. Information was the point. Teaching was the point. Literacy was the point. And those things were a million times more interesting and engaging that dusty old (or even fresh from the publisher) books on a shelf.

There were people in my class who really weren't prepared for how much technology would be involved and struggled to see how many of the assignments were relevant. Don't get me wrong, there were a few duds among our classes and projects (there are in any program), but overall, I think we were remarkably well prepared for what the working world of libraries would be like.

One of my instructors, Darlene Taylor, said something I've never forgotten and often repeated: Working in libraries is like getting on a treadmill, and just when you start to think, "this is okay, I can keep this pace up", it gets faster. The change never stops, and if you want to be good at your job - and I'd argue, if you want to enjoy your job - you just have to adapt.

When I started my program in 2001, I had no idea where I would wind up. These days I'm not even working in a library, but it was skills I sharpened and developed, and relationships I made while in the library trenches that brought me to where I am right now.

So, if I could add one thing to Ned's list of things you should know if you want to work in libraries, it's this: be open to where your library career takes you - you never know where that might be.

What would you add to the list?

Quickscribe Manual Updates for January 2012

2012-01-31T11:16:00.004-08:00

There were two Quickscribe Manual updates this past month:

As always, daily updates to BC stats & regs are available at www.bclegislation.ca.

2011 Library Technicians Salary Survey

2012-01-20T09:16:00.001-08:00

BCLA's Library Technicians & Assistants Interest Group, or LTAIG, has published their 2011 salary survey for library technicians.

Some key metrics:

81% were from BC, but 7 provinces or territories are represented;
59% had completed the 2-yr LIT college diploma;
Langara and UFV graduates dominated (40% and 20% respectively);
Experience levels ranged from 0-25+ years, with only one over 20%;
72% full time, 16% part-time;
Academic and Public libraries dominate, legal only 4% (which is about the right % of the LIT population);
Average hourly salary was $23.91 (translated: 43,516 annually);
Top salary scale was $26.06/hr for LITs with 20-25 years experience;
79% unionized, 21% no union.

To see more metrics, check out the full report on the BCLA website.

Canadian Law Firm Libraries Tweeting

2012-01-09T08:50:00.007-08:00

McCarthy Tetrault's library team is tweeting:

@McCarthyLibrary: McCarthy's library team -- tweeting about library services, law firms and technology.

Looks like a good mix of original comments and re-tweets that share firm news, legal community links, and interesting library stuff.

There are plenty of law librarians on twitter; as a professional group, we're a fairly sizable community. I also know of a few academic law libraries. But not sure if I've noticed any other Canadian law firm libraries that are tweeting. Correct?

If you know of others, let me know @stevematthews

New Vancouver Transcription Service

2012-01-04T08:57:00.002-08:00

Just a quick note to highlight a former colleague of mine from Clark Wilson LLP, Marnie Rokosh; who has started a new transcription outsourcing business called Paralegal Transcription.

If you're lawyer or small firm administrator in the Greater Vancouver area, and are looking to outsource some of your transcription or paralegal work, I'm sure Marnie's service would be a very cost effective solution.

I write this post not just in support of Marnie's venture, but also remembering the pressure of being a new entrepreneur. This August will be the five year anniversary of Stem; and I still recall the help I was given by friends and industry colleagues in those early days.

Congratulations Marnie. I wish you the best of luck!

Quickscribe Manual Update for December 2011

2012-01-04T07:25:00.004-08:00

Just one Quickscribe manual update to share this month: the BC Family Legislation Manual.

Remember, daily updates to British Columbia statutes and regulations are available at http://www.bclegislation.ca/.

2011 Clawbies Nominations: A Roundup

2011-12-15T08:18:00.030-08:00

Nominations for the 2011 Canadian Law Blog Awards (affectionately known as the Clawbies) have started to roll in. Here's a quick look at some of the blogged and tweeted nominations so far:

Blogged Nominations:

Tweeted Nominations:

Big thanks to all who have participated in the process so far! As I've done in prior years, this post will be periodically updated over the next couple weeks; and the winners will be revealed on New Year's Eve at http://www.clawbies.ca/.

Cheers!
Steve

Tools & Tips to Preserve Online Evidence

2011-12-07T07:13:00.008-08:00

If you've worked in a law firm library, chances are you've been asked to help sleuth out online evidence. But how do you preserve this evidence? Daniel Reid, an associate at Harper Grey, has compiled a short but very helpful list of tools and resources to capture and store evidence from websites or social media platforms, along with explanations of some related court applications.

Hat tip to the Vancouver Association of Law Libraries Blog -- this paper was prepared for a recent VALL session on defamation.

I'm done with Plaxo too

2011-11-10T12:56:00.003-08:00

It took me about 30 seconds after reading Connie Crosby's post to decide if I wanted to remove myself from Plaxo. I haven't used the service in over a year, and they pepper my inbox with notifications. That's fine if I used it, but I don't.

Now I'm wondering what will be next? Klout maybe.

Comparing Amazon's e-Lending Programs

2011-11-04T09:38:00.003-07:00

My latest post up on Slaw.ca reviews the relationship between Amazon's Prime e-book lending program and its public library lending program.

It goes on to discuss the value of e-book lending, and the commercial value proposition that Libraries create for publishers -- lending popular titles for a flat fee, and creating market exposure for their lower-demand backlist of titles.

Quickscribe Manual Updates for October 2011

2011-11-01T07:02:00.011-07:00

There were five Quickscribe Manual updates for October:

As always, daily updates to BC laws are available at http://www.bclegislation.ca/.

Quickscribe Manual Updates for September 2011

2011-10-03T06:21:00.003-07:00

Four Quickscribe Manuals were updated in September:

You'll find daily updates to BC statutes and regulations at www.bclegislation.ca.

BCLD Returns: Law Librarians Continue to Play Role

2011-09-20T08:18:00.038-07:00

In the legal research community, we're used to resources going in and out of publication. And it sometimes seems like the most useful resources are the ones that often get discontinued. It's a rare day when one of those publications is not only revived, but evolves to become an improved product. Today might be one of those days, as one of Stem's clients Quickscribe announces the relaunch one of BC’s most treasured legislative research tools.

The British Columbia Legislative Digest: A Brief History

The British Columbia Legislative Digest (BCLD) was conceived of in 1979 by librarians at the BC Courthouse Library, now Courthouse Libraries BC, who needed a timely way of tracking changes to provincial legislation. They developed a tool that allowed the user, at a glance, to determine who introduced a bill, what stage it was at, whether it would have consequential amendments, and when and how it would come into force. Library staff issued weekly updates that subscribers would incorporate into their BCLD binders so that they always had the most current information. It must be noted, pre-dating the age of the Internet, this was no small undertaking.

Soon the BCLD, well-thumbed in its signature burgundy binders, could be found in libraries and law offices across the province. Over the next 30 years it would become an invaluable source for anyone responsible for monitoring or researching current laws, or conducting historical legislative research in British Columbia. The Canadian Legislative Index (CLI), the BCLD's federal counterpart, was equally well-used.

But by 2010, the legal information landscape had changed drastically. More information than ever was available online, and the cost to publish the still paper-based BCLD and the CLI collections had become difficult to justify. In light of this, and the growing demand for staff time on more public-facing digital initiatives, the Courthouse Libraries made a change to their strategic direction. The resulting, and very difficult, decision was made to discontinue both titles.

The fallout would soon come from legal researchers across B.C., including many members of the Vancouver Association of Law Libraries (VALL), who were disappointed with the decision. Nimble as ever, law librarians made do by piecing together information from various alternative sources, but the ease of use and trusted, comprehensive data the BCLD offered were sorely missed.

A Second Chance

Enter Quickscribe, the Victoria-based provider of hardcopy and electronic legislative information, which has developed a number of innovative products throughout its 25 years of business. Seeing an opportunity to revive and integrate the BCLD within his web-based legislative service, Quickscribe president Mike Pasta reached out to Courthouse Libraries BC with his proposal. The response went beyond expectations. He not only received the Library’s blessing to redevelop the product, but found integral group of supporters who would help guide the BCLD towards digitalization.

Over the coming months, support of the BCLD project continued to grow. In August, Mike Pasta appointed an Advisory Group of experienced law librarians, including several former BCLD caretakers, to help consult on the integration. Members of this support group, including Thea Schmidt (Borden Ladner Gervais LLP), Ana Rosa Blue (WorksafeBC), Gillian Crabtree (Edwards, Kenny & Bray LLP), and Tracey McLean, Alex McNeur, and Kat Siddle (all of Courthouse Libraries BC), continue to advise on the BCLD’s ongoing digital direction, and help ensure it remains a comprehensive and relevant research tool. Needless to say, Quickscribe is extremely grateful for the advice it has received.

The New BCLD

The new BCLD is now being relaunched as a digital product available to subscribers of Quickscribe Online. It offers a weekly Digest (similar to the Highlights, Proclamations and Regulations sections of the print edition), a dynamic "status checker", and a hyperlinked progress of bills chart that provides an overview of the year's legislative activity and chapter/bill concordance.

The BCLD also offers an email alert service for tracking bills as they progress from first reading though Royal Assent and into law. A subscriber can sign up for customized alerts that include all legislative changes; changes to topical groups of legislation; or changes to selected bills, acts, or regulations. Subscribers may also create multiple email alerts for the benefit of groups or individuals within their organization.

Ultimately, the goal of the new BCLD is to honour the spirit of its predecessor publication, while establishing itself as a new, invaluable tool for legislative monitoring and research in British Columbia.

To see the British Columbia Legislative Digest in action, see the video tour posted on the Quickscribe website. For those interested in having a look at this new resource, Quickscribe is currently offering a two-month, no-obligation free trial just in time for the upcoming legislative session.

Google Wallet Will Be a Dream for a While

2011-09-19T15:44:00.007-07:00

Google Wallet launched today. Video embedded below:

I'm a Visa guy more than MC, and have dabbled with Visa's NFC-equivalent technology, payWave. Rumour has it that Visa will eventually partner with Apple, and (again) the big brands will go head-to-head. As a consumer, I'm already frustrated with yet another push of proprietary technology (anyone committed to open-tech standards these days?). Honestly, I'm hoping to see the banks compete here, and they likely will over time. Unfortunately, the blunt truth is that CC companies always seem beat them to the punch when it comes to innovating payment technology.

And so we begin the era of mobile-enabling our credit card payments. This wasn't unexpected, and five years from now we'll probably see the adoption curve well established. Hard to imagine otherwise, especially here in Canada where our reliance on the banks' Interac epayments normally leaves my 'leather' wallet empty of cash dollars, but always filled with lots of cards.

The big hurdle for adoption, as I see it, is that we've been making epayments for 20+ years now, and that hasn't replaced the need to carry (at least a little) cash. I believe the same will be true with respect to replacing traditional wallets with mobile-wallets. No matter how great they make it, we won't be dropping our non-digital equivalents any time soon.

Why? Well, for starters, some of your cards won't work -- maybe they aren't Google or Apple approved "partners", or maybe they're smaller, local businesses, or they're just not onboard yet. We're also still conceivably carrying a few business cards, a drivers' license, and "a little cash" ... so guess what? You're still carrying a wallet. And a cell phone. And you now have *two* personal-finance items that cannot be lost.

On the plus side, I can attest to the hip and lower back pain caused by carrying a (thick) traditional wallet in one's back pocket. Not smart on my part, but old habits die hard. Any technology that culls my collection consumer affinity program cards? Will be most welcome.

Take Two Minutes for CanLII

2011-09-02T07:10:00.004-07:00

CanLII is preparing to do a comprehensive survey of users later this year, and needs input to establish its scope.

To that end, they've put together a quick mini-survey - 7 questions, 2 minutes. Go ahead, fill it out! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CanLII-english

Quickscribe Manual Update for August 2011

2011-09-01T08:54:00.004-07:00

One Quickscribe Manual update for August:

BC Forest Legislation Manual

As always, daily updates to British Columbia statutes and regulations are available at www.bclegislation.ca.