2024 LSRD-SIS CANDIDATES
The LSRD-SIS Nominating Committee has delivered a roster of excellent candidates for its upcoming election. Many thanks to the committee chair, Lauren Seney, and members Heather Buckwalter and Jennifer Noga.
VICE CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT
Benjamin Carlson
Associate Director for Scholarly Data and Innovation
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
The importance of reliable and e铿僣ient library systems has never been greater. As library users increasingly expect information to be discoverable and accessible online, the pressure is on our catalog systems, discovery layers, repository platforms, and other software platforms to meet these elevated expectations. LSRD is an important community in this transition time, bringing together expertise, experience, and insights from an engaged and diverse community. This Section helps all law libraries learn from each other and navigate the increasingly complex 铿乪ld of library systems and platforms.
I am excited to be considered for the role of Vice Chair / Chair-Elect of LSRD-SIS. Over 铿乫teen years ago, I started working in law libraries with a heavy focus on reference and instruction. Now, after a few job changes and a shift to library technologies, a great deal of my current position involves the systems and processes that facilitate discovery of legal information and materials. If elected, my aim would be to maintain and enhance the programming, communication, and support already o铿�ered within LSRD, and solicit new ideas from members about what else they would like to see and participate in. I would be honored to help continue the great work this SIS has been doing to provide resources and educational opportunities to members.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Jim Kalwara
Metadata Librarian
William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School
I am honored to be nominated for the Member at Large position on the LSRD-SIS Board. Many thanks to the LSRD-SIS Nominating Committee for your consideration.
In July 2022, I joined the team at the William A. Wise Law Library for my first position at an academic law library. Previously, I had worked as the Special Materials Cataloging Librarian at the University of Colorado Boulder University Libraries (CU Libraries) for over five years and as a Monographic Cataloger at Mississippi State University Libraries for two years before that. Upon starting my position at the Wise Law Library, I was immediately introduced to the 糖心视频 community by attending its annual conference held in Denver. I was fortunate to have been able to meet a number of other catalogers and technical services librarians who were all very welcoming and supportive. Since then, I have attended a number of online sessions held by both the LSRD-SIS and TS-SIS groups. In those sessions, I have found the community to be nothing short of exemplary in its capacity for knowledge sharing, peer support, and genuine friendly atmosphere. I was particularly impressed with how well the LSRD sessions provided engaged discussion around technical services workflows, best practices, documentation, and ILS migration preparation 鈥� all things that have been extremely useful to me and my colleagues here at the Wise Law Library as we underwent an ILS migration of our own this past summer.
Serving as a Member at Large would give me the opportunity to help expand upon this peer camaraderie while serving the 糖心视频 community of cataloging and technical services librarians in practical ways. I can offer administrative support in this Member at Large position, as I have previously held a role as faculty chair throughout 2020 at CU Libraries. This role was quite different than my main cataloging role at the time and it helped me immensely in gaining first-hand experience in bringing a large group of people together to work towards achieving a common goal: gaining a full understanding of a motion, and then bringing that motion to a vote. Additionally, I served on CU Libraries鈥� Symposium Committee from 2019 through 2021. In this role, I helped coordinate symposia that shared and celebrated faculty and staff research in an informal setting. While serving on this committee, I also gained ample experience in hosting, recording, and archiving the symposium sessions, which had migrated from in-person to being held over Zoom beginning in 2020 due to the pandemic. I am excited at the prospect of getting to work with a unique group of law librarians, celebrate and share their work and ideas, and promote the various opportunities and events within the LSRD-SIS.
Sam Thorne
Cataloging and Metadata Librarian
North Carolina Central University School of Law Library
Hello fellow LSRD-SIS members! I鈥檓 grateful and excited to be nominated for the Member-at-Large position.
My librarian journey began about 15 years ago when I was hired for a part-time job at a public library, and I fell in love with the mission, environment, and staff of libraries, as well as the opportunity to use my attention to detail. Since then, I鈥檝e worked in a variety of roles and environments, and obtained an MLIS specializing in metadata and user experience. About a year and a half ago, I started my first job at a law library, as the Cataloging and Metadata Librarian at North Carolina Central University School of Law Library. In this role, I鈥檓 involved in a range of technical services activities, including e-resource management, preparing for an ILS migration, and coordinating our FDLP participation. I knew I would need new knowledge and connections to succeed in this unfamiliar, specialized environment. Thankfully, I found this by jumping into involvement with 糖心视频 and LSRD. As I have engaged with My Communities, webinars, the Annual Meeting, and volunteering for the LSRD Education Committee, I have met many kind, knowledgeable people and felt more confident and comfortable in my work. I鈥檓 eager to be part of providing that experience for others as the LSRD Member-at-Large.
LSRD Member-at-Large would not be my first position on a board, and I鈥檇 be excited to bring my previous experience to this role. From 2021-2023, I was on the North Carolina Library Association Resources and Technical Services Section executive board. I found it rewarding to connect with my library colleagues from across the state, and was pleased to provide educational, networking, and presentation opportunities for my fellow tech services librarians. From my service in this role, I learned about coordinating, decision-making, and planning on a board, and I would bring those skills to the Member-at-Large position. I ended my time on this board so I could focus on 糖心视频 service, but my fellow board members complimented my level of engagement and contributions, and suggested that I run for vice-chair for the next biennium.
I believe that professional organizations are integral to our success as librarians, and would love to be involved in facilitating that success as an LSRD Member-at-Large. Thank you for your consideration!