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55 Law Libr. Lights 1 (2011-2012)

handle is hein.journals/lll55 and id is 1 raw text is: Scott Craft, Reference Librarian, Howard University Law Library, scraft@law.howard.edu
Professor Rhea Ballard-Thrower, Director, Howard University Law Library, RBallard@law.howard.edu

Orientation-the mere sound of the word can
revive dreadful memories in one's psyche. For
some, the word reminds them of hours spent
learning the latest tasks. For others, the recall
can be weeks and weeks upon end of learning
new policies and procedures. Orientation has
been defined as an introduction to some subject
or particular situation. Successful organizations,
whether they be commercial or educational in-
stitutions, have often developed extensive orien-
tation programs to assist new employees (and/or
students) in learning facts or principles known
to those already a part of the organization.
Each   fall semester, academic librarians
across the country participate in welcoming
new classes of law students. Generally, first-year
law students begin classes a few days or even
a week before the second, third, or part-time
fourth-year students return. These orientation
programs afford law librarians the opportunity
to introduce the students to the law library.
Thus, orientation is often the first public rela-
tions or marketing tool for the academic law
library. The task of providing some type of ori-
entation program for new law students has been
implemented by law schools across the country
for a number of years. Traditionally, orientation
programs in the law school environment have
primarily centered around three categories: per-
sonal contact, teaching, and tools.
Over the years, academic law librarians have
demonstrated that one of the best ways to reach
new students is to engage the students on a
personal level. Generally, this type of orienta-

tion begins with the law library tour. Most aca-
demic law libraries provide some type of tour for
first-year students. Due to the overwhelming
amount of information that the students obtain
during the law school's orientation, these tours
can range from a brief walk through certain
parts of the library to a self-guided tour. The
primary goals of the tours are to welcome the
new students and make them aware that law
library personnel are there to assist them in
their academic pursuits. Often the tours include
a welcome session during which library and
information technology policies and services
are discussed. In addition, the library tour has
been used to provide a view of the law library's
building, collection, and location of impor-
tant areas to students. Thus, the library tour,
as a public relations tool, is an excellent way to
initiate communication between the library
and new students.
Law librarians understand that every question
from a library patron is a teachable moment.
Academic law librarians have the unique oppor-
tunity to not only educate new students about
legal research, but also imprint in their minds
that the law librarian can be a phenomenal re-
source. Teaching beyond the reference interview
is one of the best public relations tools available
to the law librarian. For some law librarians,
teaching includes formal classroom instruction.
Librarians who are members of the faculty have
been known to participate in what has typically
been called the law school's basic Introduction
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