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12 Trends L. Libr. Mgmt. & Tech. 1 (2001)

handle is hein.journals/ttllmt12 and id is 1 raw text is: May 2001 Vol. 12 No. 1 IN LAW LIBRARY MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY Edited by Mark E. Estes + For academic, firm, corporate, and government law librarians Proactive Reference Services By JAYE A. H. LAPACHET, San Francisco, CA The stock market is taking a dive and former dot-coin employees are populating unem- ployment lines. The extraordinary economic times seem to be slowing down; what have you done to assure your position and your library's position as a center of knowledge during the moderate economic times ahead? If you've been able to increase your library budget during recent years, you've probably strengthened your collection by acquiring some items that were on your wish list. This, however, is not all that you should be doing, and it is not too late to revamp what your library does to assure its place through all types of economic times. The key is to think proactively. Typical library services involve waiting until people come to the library with a question. Routing, of course, sends information out to people, but you can take an even more proactive approach to library services by 4 Evaluating your assets 4 Creating new information products 4 Promoting services directly 4 Creating follow-up information products This article explains how to position your library as an essential part of your organization, rather than a frill to be cut from the budget during hard times. Evaluate Your Assets Your collection is a huge asset. The librarian and staff probably know the gems hidden in the collection. Now is the time to fill in any holes in the print collection, and to assess your electronic resources as well. Regardless of format, sources are sources. Institutional knowledge also should be recorded. Someone who has worked in the library for a long time needs to be interviewed extensively so that knowledge is not lost. Now also is the time to pay attention to other assets, such as established relationships with attor- neys. You or members of your staff may enjoy work- ing with certain attorneys. In the same vein, attorneys may seek out particular staff members in whom they have confidence because of positive past experiences. Your staff members may know what projects attor- neys are working on and may be aware of the attorneys' professional interests and idiosyncrasies. This kind of knowledge enables the library to tailor services and information to attorneys. By using the knowledge you already have, you can make attorneys feel special and well served, help their practices, and get free advertising when they tell others. Establishing strong relationships with your attor- neys gives your library an advantage in terms of helping them in the future as well as strengthening your position within the firm. To make this work, the knowledge must be captured in some way. Taking inventory of your assets is a start, but you must continued on page 2 May 2001 1

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