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13 PLL Persp. 1 (2001-2002)

handle is hein.lbr/aaplper0013 and id is 1 raw text is: PLL PERSPECTIVES THE QUARTERLY OF THE PRIVATE LAW LIBRARIES SIS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LAW LIBRARIES Volume 13 Issue 1 MINNEAPOLIS: A PERSONAL VIEW by Linda Jean Schneider Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP, Philadelphia, PA After a year of non-attendance due to the move of my firm's headquarters in 1999, and being participant, guide, and planner for the 2000 Conference in Philadelphia and all of the distractions that entailed, I approached the 2001 Meeting in Minneapolis with more than trepidation. After so many years in the trenches, would the meetings be worthwhile, substantive, and even relevant? Would I be able to focus on the content (and even sit still) in contrast to my multi- tasking days on the run at the firm? Could I simply keep up with the mad whirl of parties, entertainment, and vendor giveaways without collapsing in exhaustion? Fortunately for me, a colleague, although experienced, was attending her first AALL Conference; and this compelled me to pull together an itinerary for the two of us rather than haphazardly approaching the schedule. And I expected to encounter longtime friends and colleagues to confirm my choices along the way. It certainly looked promising, with intermediate and advanced sessions, and numerous relevant topics listed. Becoming familiar with the Convention Center was the first order of business. Over-priced carts and stands offered a limited array of breakfast fare, and we found our way to a seating area that was inconveniently located to review our itinerary. Those chairs mysteriously disappeared at some later point- perhaps as part of the Convention Center's plan or that of vendors who wanted us to spend time in the exhibits. Fortunately, better breakfast options awaited us on subsequent mornings. Sunday was a meeting-filled day, despite the fact that we did not start until the 10:00 Sessions.The first one on our agenda, Redefining the Law Firm: New Realities and New Roles for Law Librarians in the Legal Marketplace, followed the pattern established at my own contributory session last year at AALL although the Speakers List changed drastically! The designated moderator, Arthur Miller, was unable to attend, and Jean O'Grady, who performed yeoman's duty throughout the Conference, filled in more than adequately for Sandra Gold. Nevertheless, in time-honored PLL tradition, the show did go on in impressive PLL style. Kingsley Martin, who happens to have the same initials as the not- quite-pass6 buzzword of Knowledge Management, has proven himself to be the King of KM. In his customary insightful presentation style, KM explained the transition firms are making from using technology as an internal tool to making significant expenditures/investments in technology to assist with revenue- producing knowledge systems. These systems should be available externally to clients and reflect the increasingly Matter-centric nature of law firm services. From internal use of technology to the external use of knowledge and the evolution of teams, Kingsley illustrated how the paradigm has indeed shifted. He also provided a much-needed definition of a portal: a fully integrated workspace with the capacity to access ALL the electronic assets of the firm. Jean O'Grady followed KM with an insightful review of sources of support for a firm's KM project, including the supplement to the June issue of The American Lawyer, entitled Leftovers, and Richard Siskin's book, Transforming Law. She cited a good way to justify portal/intranet expenses by taking 10% of the non-billable time of the firm that can be saved, at a minimum, by the implementation of the project. (That figure may well be a very conservative one, if the project is implemented enterprise-wide.) Jean identified the evolution of Research Librarians, to becoming actual Developers of practice-specific tools for the future, rather than performing the reactive role of searchers. Since it is well-nigh impossible to predict the constantly-shifting landscape of law firm terrain, Jean recommends hiring and mentoring a set of people who are able to deliver a product in response to ever- changing needs, rather than creating static positions based on existing skills. Building more directly on Kingsley's presentation, Dennis Hauptley's comments touched on the increasing emphasis on the Matter-centric nature of the firm practice and discussed more specifics of the evolution of the use of technology within the firm. The PLL Luncheon featured the dynamic, hip-swiveling Timothy Green of the Ernst & Young Center for Business Knowledge. He gave an entertaining (to say the least!) presentation on Reinventing Your Library that I don't think we'll forget for a long time. Tim Continued on Page 4 I nn nn PE= ECT VE A 200 lI O O FALL

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