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2 PLL Persp. 1 (1990-1991)

handle is hein.lbr/aaplper0002 and id is 1 raw text is: Peor'epQe0tuwe- AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LAW LIBRA IESIPRTVATE LAW LIBRARIES SIS Volume 2 Issue 1 Sabrlna I. Pacflcl, Editor September/ October 1990 Teaching Legal Research in Private Law Libraries by Judith M. Leon, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, Cleveland, OH and Kathryn Kerchof, Ice Miller Donadio & Ryan, Indianapolis, IN Because attorneys are being paid higher starting salaries, law firm management now expects new associates to hit the ground running. Attor- neys are arriving in law firms unprepared to meet the challenges of legal research in the real world. There is a tremendous need in law firms for train- ing associates in order to make them the lean mean researching machines that management expects. But who and how will this need be addressed? These three issues brought more than fifty people from all over the country together in what developed into the most energized and thought pro- voking professional conference both of us have at- tended in our years as law librarians. We feel fortu- nate to have been selected and now would like to share our impressions of the PLL seminar on Teaching Legal Research in Private Law Libraries held in late April at the Westfields Conference Center in Chantilly Virginia. The seminar was underwritten by Mead Data Central. The Confer- ence Council's thorough organization and planning of the seminar was in evidence by the overall quality of the program. The faculty was excellent and the programs were relevant for those of us who are beginning to plan and present legal research skills building sessions in our own libraries. Not only was the setting comfortable but the small size of the group fostered much discussion among the participants and faculty. The Mead personnel proved to be gracious hosts and adept facilitators. We both certainly would encourage Mead to make this conference an annual event. The program lasted for three and one half days during which ideas and techniques for plan- ning and conducting in-house programs were presented in topical modules. After each module was presented, time was allotted for small group discussion. Unlike many conferences where there is only enough time to superficially review issues, the sole purpose of this conference was limited to probing only those issues relating to legal research instruction in the private setting. The depth of its detail was remarkable. It was exciting to be a part of the gathering. The activities of the first day were devoted to getting acquainted and video taping sample lessons which we prepared prior to our arrival. The tapes would be used in group breakout ses- sions during the presentation skills modules. On Thursday evening the seminar was officially opened by Marie Wallace from O'Melveny & Myers, who introduced us to the keynote speaker, Ethan Katsh, from the University of Massachusetts. Mr. Katsh's topic was Electronic Media and the Transformation of Law. Professor Katsh set the tone for the conference. A student of the phenom- ena of information and how people perceive it, Professor Katsh reminded us that we are living in a time where changes in information technology are occurring so quickly that it is Impossible for us to begin to absorb the body of new information. For any of us who once feared that computers are capable of making librarianship obsolete, Katsh put these fears to rest. Librarians are needed more than ever to steward the wealth of informa- tion. Katsh observed that computers are perceived as online libraries, and that until this perception changes, the true power of computers will not be realized. So as we go about teaching we should consider new ways to use the computer beyond electronic paper. Presentation Skills The first module on Friday focused on pres- entation skills and moderator Marie Wallace sug- gested that we should consider using training models rather than traditional teaching method- ologies. In teaching situations the goal is to transfer the teacher's knowledge to the student. Thus the focus is on the subject. In a training situation the goal is to modify the student's behav- ior so the focus is on the student. Because train- ing requires two-way communication, it is a more conducive method for adult learning because adult learners challenge Information that is presented. continued on page 6

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