SWALL pics

I have created a group on Flickr for SWALL. If you're a member of Flickr already, you can share your pictures in the group. If you don't have a Flickr account and don't want to start one, feel free to email me your pictures, and I will be happy to add them to my account with your copyright on them.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/swall/

Business Meeting

During the annual business meeting, presided over by outgoing president Anna Teller, we heard reports from SWALL committee chairs and found out "What's Happening Nationally in AALL?" from Anne Fessenden, AALL President. Also, the 2008-2009 SWALL Officers were unanimously elected during the meeting. They are as follows:

President – Katherine Greene, Automation and Acquisitions Librarian, University of Kansas

Vice-President/President Elect – Terri Wilson, Law Librarian, Underwood, Wilson, Berry, Stein & Johnson PC

Treasurer – Kris Helge, Reference Librarian, Baylor University

Secretary – Michelle Rigual, Associate Director, University of New Mexico

SWALL History and Future

Sharon Blackburn of the Texas Tech University School of Law gave an entertaining presentation about the last 50 years of SWALL. Given in 5 year increments, we reminisced about previous officers and meeting presentations, corrected people's recollections of events (well, mostly Amy did), and realized that we always seem to be studying electronic brains and trying to relieve stress.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. :-P

The Challenge of Virtual Reference

Blythe McCoy, a Thomson West Librarian Relations Manager, gave a detailed presentation on virtual reference. She pointed out the differences between virtual patrons and in-person patrons and the skills it takes to serve both kinds. She also covered various kinds of virtual reference, from phone and email questions to multiple virtual reference software programs. She encouraged the audience to share their own experiences with different types of virtual reference which gave a real-world twist to her talk.

Tech Tools and Tips

Today's hot topic was presented by Katherine Greene of the University of Kansas School of Law. She attended a recent ABA Techshow and learned about lots of new gadgets that lawyers are taking advantage of. Some of the things she covered involved software and websites that allow you to create virtual office-type access, tools to enhance security, digital signatures, and much more.

PowerPoint Presentation

When Nature Strikes: Weather Disasters and the Law

Marsha Baum of UNM spoke about the ways in which the weather affects the law, from using weather to cover up a crime, using weather as an excuse for crime, the effects of weather on contracts, and much more. All of this information and more is available in her book, When Nature Strikes: Weather Disasters and the Law.

Library Portals

Our first hot topic of the conference was Library Portals, presented by Susan Spillman, the portal manager for the South Texas College of Law. Susan demoed the College of Law's portal, explaining the process they went through creating it and what features are available for students, faculty and librarians.