| July 7-14, 2004 |
Jeanne Price, Jon Pratter, Barbara Washecka and Cathy Mantor-Ramirez attend the AALL annual conference in Boston.
Ray Pitchford begins work in the Serials & Collection Management Department. His main responsibilities will include checking in serials and continuations and claiming materials not received. Ray has 6 years of library experience and was most recently employed as an Administrative Assistant at the Milwood Branch of Austin Public Library.
| August 18, 2004 |
The Library hosts a reception for the 2004/2005 LLM and exchange students in the Gwyn Anderson Staff Lounge.
The annual endowed Bob Nissenbaum Ice Cream and M&M's party was held in the Staff Lounge.
| September 1, 2004 |
Prof. Mersky's birthday party. Eric from Lexis sponsored the party, and during the event he introduced our new Lexis student employees.
Abigail Schultz, Access Services Librarian, is named the September 2004 Law School Employee of the Month. Among the qualities cited for this special recognition: Good interaction with students, patient, relaxed, friendly, competent, firm in enforcing policy, responsible. Congratulations to Abigail.
Jane O'Connell began work as Head of Student Services. Raised in Kansas City, Jane received a B.A. in biochemistry and film history and a J.D. from the University of Kansas. After completing law school, she relocated to Austin and practiced intellectual property law with Strasburger & Price and Thompson & Knight. She joined Tarlton Law Library in September 2004 and received her M.S.I.S. from the University of Texas in May 2005. She is married to fellow Kansan Doug Schulte.
Rick Garza, Business Manager, leaves Tarlton after almost nine years to assume a position with the Petroleum Extension Service of UT's Division of Continuing & Extended Education on the J.J. Pickle campus. PETEX provides continuing education services for the petroleum industry. Rick's contributions over the years to what the library is today are too many to list. From making sure that your first pay check gets issued to calling the elevator maintenance crew (one more time), he's helped to keep body and soul together for the many people and things that make up this institution.
The Library hosts an orientation reception for all new, visiting and adjunct faculty members.
| October 2004 |
Professor Mersky is appointed to the newly formed State Bar of Texas Starting Practices Task Force and to the board of directors of the Austin Council on Foreign Affairs.
Brian Martin begins work as Business Manager. Brian graduated in 1999 with a degree in Business Management. Before Tarlton, he managed the semi-monthly payroll for the entire campus in Payroll Services (Feb. 2002 - Oct. 2004). Prior to that, Brian was office/business manager for a recruiting firm here in Austin, and prior to that, he worked on Y2K compliance issues with St. David's Hospital.
The Law School is hosting the 2004 annual meeting of the American Society for Legal History, Oct. 29-30, 2004. The plenary session will take place at the Law School on Friday, Oct. 29, and will take the place of the usual Friday faculty colloquium.
The plenary session, "Law and Religious Pluralism", will be moderated by Doug Laycock and include Baber Johansen (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris), John Witte (Emory University School of Law) and Carol Weisbrod (University of Connecticut Law School). UT Law faculty are invited to attend the plenary session and the reception that follows.The annual meeting will also include a number of concurrent sessions on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30, at the Driskill Hotel and Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Austin. Several UT Law faculty are on the program, including Hans Baade, Karen Engle, William Forbath, and Sanford Levinson. Other UT speakers on the program include John Balz (American Studies), Sally Clarke (History), Julie Hardwick (History), Susan Heinzelman (English), Gretchen Ritter (Government), Bartholomew Sparrow (Government), and Mike Widener (Law Library). Several of our former faculty will also be attending the conference.
The website of the ASLH Local Arrangements Committee, at http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/archives/aslh2004/welcome.html, has links to the complete program.
LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE
Roy M. Mersky, Chair
Michael Churgin
William Forbath
Kumar Percy
David Rabban
Mike Widener
| November 5, 2004 |
Professor Mersky gives the welcoming remarks at the Judge Benjamin Dudley Tarlton Centennial Celebration. The Law Library in named in honor of Judge Tarlton.
The newest employee at the law library, Olga Eckert begins work. Olga comes to us from the Austin Community College library. She will be working in the circulation department with a schedule of Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays - Wednesdays from 1 - 10 pm.
| December 3, 2004 |
Mike Widener received the first responses to our fundraising letter for Rare Books: a check for $1,000 from William T. Deffebach, UT Law Class of 1958, and a check for $1,600 from Harold I. Boucher of San Francisco.
A farewell party was held in the staff lounge for Laura Young, who is leaving Tarlton to join the main UT library (PCL) as a Library Assistant III.
Conservation Show & Tell program held in the Gavel Room.
I'm pleased to write that Brian Strauss applied for, was offered, and accepted the Serials Assistant position in Serials & Collection Management (Laura's position). His new responsibilities include coordinating the bound serials item record creation and barcoding project, assisting with bibliographic maintenance of government document serial records, government document check-in, non-print processing, assisting with serials check-in, identifying and labeling non-current materials in the collection, etc. Training for these new responsibilities began today.
Addy Sonder begins work in Rare Books & Special Collections under her new title, Assistant Archivist. She was formerly a circulation assistant. While her main focus will be on cataloging and processing our archival collections, she will be involved in all aspects of the department's activities, including reference, supervision of the reading room, rare book collection development, the department website, and exhibits.
| January 2, 2005 |
Sadly, Tarlton Alumnus Donald Zedler passes away.
Donald L. Zedler, Col., USAF (ret.), died early on January 2, 2005, following a brief hospitalization. Col. Zedler was born on September 25, 1921 in Houston. He attended Texas A & M until volunteering for service in World War II. Col. Zedler's highly decorated thirty year military career began as a pilot in the Asian theater of operations. He later served in Europe, the middle east and Vietnam. Following retirement from the Air Force, Col. Zedler was an administrator at the U.T. Law School library and later taught mathematics at A.C.C. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 59 years, Sarah Lewis Zedler and their children Donald L. Zedler, Jr., Cynthia Zedler Halpern, Debra Zedler Culver, John F. Zedler, Alan L. Zedler, Kurt E. Zedler, seven grandchildren and a great granddaughter.
Susman Godfrey LLP Fund for Faculty Excellence Established at University of Texas at Austin School of Law Multimillion dollar gift will support faculty recruiting and retention
AUSTIN, Texas — Susman Godfrey LLP, one of the nation’s pre-eminent boutique litigation firms, has given a multimillion-dollar gift to the Law School at The University of Texas at Austin for use in recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty.
The gift from the Houston-based law firm will support the Susman Godfrey LLP Fund for Faculty Excellence.
In honor of the gift, the atrium in Townes Hall will be renamed the Susman Godfrey Pavilion. The pavilion is a gathering venue for students, faculty, and Law School organizations as well as a welcome center for guests. The Susman Godfrey Pavilion will be dedicated at a ceremony on Saturday, April 16, at the annual alumni reunion.
"This extremely generous gift from Susman Godfrey will enable us to attract and retain the very best faculty,” said School of Law Dean Bill Powers. “Nothing is more important for the Law School's future. It is fitting that we honor this great law firm with the Susman Godfrey Pavilion, not only to thank them for their generosity, but also to recognize their long connection to our Law School and prominence in the legal community."
Steve Susman said "We are delighted to make this gift to UT Law School, which has been so instrumental to the professional careers of Lee Godfrey, me and many of our partners. Without UT Law School we never could have achieved what we have as a law firm."
Lee Godfrey added, "The faculty is the heart of our great law school. Through the Susman Godfrey Fund for Faculty Excellence, UT will have the resources to ensure that the law school faculty is the best anywhere."
H. Lee Godfrey, B.A. '66, J.D., '69 (with honors), Stephen Susman, J.D. '65 (with highest honors), and 14 of the firm's 36 other partners graduated from UT Law.
Susman Godfrey LLP is a 70-lawyer firm with offices in Houston, Dallas, Seattle and Los Angeles. The firm's practice is devoted exclusively to litigation, for both plaintiffs and defendants. This month The American Lawyer magazine named Susman Godfrey LLP as one of the two best litigation boutiques in the United States. A link to The American Lawyer article and other information about the firm and its partners can be found at the firm's Web site, www.susmangodfrey.com
Gloria Griggs & Leticia Garcia do their duty for "winning" the babies last year at Georgia Chadwick's King Cake party. They supplied early morning treats for the staff, including bagels, croissants and juice.
The first issue of the Tarlton Student News electronic newsletter was sent to law students. From new DVD acquisitions such as Sex in the City and The West Wing to AC adaptors for laptops and additions to our research databases, Tarlton Student News keeps you up to date on all of the Library's efforts to help you get through - and even enjoy - the semester. Students were also offered an opportunity to win a $5 gift certificate to the Library book sale by correctly answering a trivia question featured at the end of the newsletter. This is a collective work with input and contributions by Jeanne, Kumar, Scott, Molly and Brian Q., and others.
The Library sends the first edition of the Tarlton Faculty News electronic newsletter. This is a collective work with input from Jeanne, Tobe, Mike, Jon, Marlyn, Jane, Kumar, Scott, Katie Ritcheske, Barbara W., Brian Q and others.
We sent the faculty newsletter to the Tarlton alumni list, and got several nice responses:
* I like this new newsletter. Very nice! thanks for sharing, Randy Snyder
* Great idea to do a newsletter. - Gail Richmond
* I love it. I think it's beautiful. The use of the eagle is very eye-catching. I think the format works really well visually. I'm impressed. Makes me wish I were a faculty member. They should be very pleased. – Stephanie Towery
* I just briefly reviewed the new Tarlton Faculty News. It's terrific. My compliments to all involved. Please keep me on the distribution list. – Don Dunn
* Thanks so much! Congratulations, it looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing it. I am sharing it too. - Marie-Louise H BernalDavid Avila Pratter, son of Jon Pratter and Gloria Avila, celebrates his birthday by making his annual presentation of a book to the Tarlton Collection on Children's Rights. This year's gift is The State of the World's Children 2005: Childhood Under Threat by Unicef, Executive Director Carol Bellamy.
The recently knighted Sir Basil Markesinis throws his annual pizza party for the law library staff in the Gwyn Anderson Staff Lounge.
The Library hosts a reception for the new and visiting faculty.
| February 2005 |
Rose Spector donates her Texas Supreme Court case files to the Library. The 34 linear feet of material will be restricted until January 1, 2009 according to the deed of gift; after that, researchers will have unrestricted access.
The staff lounge was decked out in Mardi Gras decorations to celebrate Tarlton Alumnus Georgia Chadwick's annual King Cake endowment. Georgia sends king cakes, Mardi Gras decorations, and "prizes" each year. (Pierrette's framed Mardi Gras posters add further New Orleans ambiance.) Chew carefully, as each cake contains a "baby" hidden somewhere within. If you get one of the babies, you will get to choose your prize from an array of coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc. With the baby also comes the responsibility of hosting (along with others who get babies) a Tarlton "party" before next Mardi Gras.
Note: In New Orleans, King Cake parties begin on Twelfth Night (January 6th) and parties continue until the week before Mardi Gras. Each person who gets the baby has to give the next week's King Cake Party.
Mardi Gras 2005
Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!
Jeanne delivered her annual lecture on on-line legal research resources available through the UT law library's web site. The following kudos were sent by Norma Cantu, UT Law Professor.
"As I mentioned yesterday, I brought by "other students" to the law school last night.
My graduate students from the Educational Administration Program were impressed by the facilities at the law school and the art collections in the law library, but they were even more impressed with the teaching talents of Jeanne Price. She has been a great hit in previous years; this year, she surpassed her own high standards.
Jeanne wowed an audience of 15 future school administrators, who are currently full-time employees of districts surrounding the Austin area. These administrators were rushing over from a harried day of dealing with special education hearings, discipline problems, personnel matters, and curricular challenges. Jeanne made them forget that they had had a challenging day, and enveloped them with an interesting, fact-filled program.
While Jeanne had agreed to instruct them on legal research, she actually gave them much more. In addition to the basics, she introduced them to library resources available at UT, and invited them to follow up with individualized research questions. She tailored the class to their needs, and anticipated several of their questions.
She was well-informed, up-to-date, clear, articulate, humorous, enthusiastic about her topic and her job. In other words, Jeanne was Jeanne.
Please accept my deepest thanks for encouraging Jeanne to share her talents with my graduate students. I am most grateful."
Scott Webel was awarded the Employee of the Month award for March. He received 7 nominations. Scott is the Web and administrative assistant in the Law Library. Scott works with virtually everyone in the library and makes everyone's job easier. He's exceptionally competent in a technical sense as well as in an intellectual one. His talents have been well-utilized in his work on our Web page and with our various publications. Congratulations, Scott, on this recognition of your fine contributions to the Law School's programs. His prize is one day off. Addy Sonder and Brian Strauss tied for second. Each will receive one-half a day off. Joe Dowell, Liz Saucedo, Ray Pitchford and Abigail Schultz also received nominations. Though not eligible, Marlyn Robinson got a nomination from Edie Shugart.
Inga Markovitz, a faculty member, had this to say about Addy and Liz. "Addy was extremely helpful and efficient when I recently asked Mike Widener to assist a young German colleague from the Max-Planck Institute of European Legal History in Frankfurt in finding archival sources on Hans Kelsen and others. Addy found so much that the recipient of her help is now considering a research trip to California.
Elizabeth has been around, and a joy to encounter on the 6th floor, since I came to this law school. She is very, very helpful and I am always glad to see her friendly face. It is people like her who make our library such a pleasant place to work."Ray's expertise in processing serials was lauded. Tarlton has been recognized as the library that processes serials faster than other libraries, and Ray's work certainly contributed to that public recognition of the efficiency of our processing department.
Also in nominations for the awards, came the following from Jim Patterson. Jim was formerly in the Dean's office, retired and is now back part time. "Everyone's a winner in my book, Gwyn. The trouble with my submitting a nomination this time is that I don't know half the people on the list! And, besides, I'm just temporary, so far... Consider my vote one vote for everyone!"-----
To honor the memory of Professor Robert O. Dawson, UT law professor who passed away February 26, the Tarlton Law Library has mounted an exhibit in the Susman Godfrey Atrium, at the entrance to the Law Library. "In Memoriam: Robert O. Dawson" features several of Dawson's publications and news articles about his career. It also features quotes from the oral history interview of Dawson, conducted by Professor Pat Hazel in 2004. The Law Library will soon be publishing Professor Dawson's oral history interview as part of an oral history publication series. To honor the memory of Professor Robert O. Dawson, the Tarlton Law Library has mounted an exhibit in the Susman Godfrey Atrium, at the entrance to the Law Library. "In Memoriam: Robert O. Dawson" features several of Dawson's publications and news articles about his career. It also features quotes from the oral history interview of Dawson, conducted by Professor Pat Hazel in 2004. The Law Library will soon be publishing Professor Dawson's oral history interview as part of an oral history publication series.
| March 3, 2005 |
The results of the 23rd Annual Joyce Saltalamachia Memorial Oscar Sweepstakes are in. We are consistent. Leticia had the best Tarlton score again, Gwyn was close to the top and RMM was close to the bottom.
Kathy Williams 15
Pam Landberg 14+
Joyce 14
Gillian Ballentine 14
Joanne Reale 13
Nicole Kacor 12+
Leticia Garcia - Tex. 12
Ryan Sestack 12
Keith Ann Stiverson 12
Gwyn Anderson - Tex. 11+
Barbara Bridges - Tex. 11
Egbert Isaacs 11
Elina Oyola 11
Joanne Scala 11
Kathy Carrick 10+
Kitty MacLeod 10+
Ruth Pool - Tex. 10
Emily Youngquist 10
Sean McAloon 9+
Ellen McGrath 9+
Roy Basit 9
Carolyn Grimes - Tex. 9
Jason Moussourakis 9
Rose Dickerson 8
Michael McCarthy 7+Kimberly O’Neal 7+
C.J. Pipins 7+
Rodney Russell 7+
Caroline Coggeshall 7
Mark Holman - Tex. 7
Scott Webel - Tex. 7
Abigail Schultz - Tex. 6+
Michael Roffer 6
Rosalie Sanderson 6
Jen Addonizio 5
John Calder 5
Bill Mills 5
Louis Monburn 5
RMM - Tex. 4+
Joe Molinari 4+
Grace Lee 4
Sheneze McPherson 4
Antonietta Tatta 4
Rosemary Bunnage - Tex. 3
Jackie Simone 3
Joe Dowell - Tex. 8
Gretchen Feltes 8
George Peek - Tex. 8
Peggy Perrin 8
Robinette Dingle 7+
Tarlton participates in UT's annual Explore UT open house.
PICTURING THE LAW
11am & 2pm
Saturday, March 5
Rare Book Room
6th Floor, Tarlton Law Library
Do you think of the law only in terms of words on a page? A few law books, old and new, include elaborate illustrations, all with a story to tell. Join us in the Tarlton Law Library's Rare Book Collection to explore six centuries of illustrated law books.See the entire schedule of Tarlton Law Library's Explore UT events at...
http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/exploreut/exploreut.html
EXPLORE UT
The Biggest Open House in Texas!
http://www.utexas.edu/events/exploreut/noflashindex.html
Bryan Garner, editor of Black's Law Dictionary, speaks to Professor Mersky's Law Librarianship class.
The 2004 Western Books Exhibition, put together by Mike Widener and featuring the best designed books in the western United States form 2004, is on display in the Susman Godfrey Atrium.
At the National Conference of Law Reviews in Charleston, SC, Professor Mersky presents the 2005 Scribes Law-Review Award for the most outstanding student-written law-review article to Jeremiah Kelman of the University of Southern California.
| April 2005 |
In the Summer 2004 edition of Vermont Law Review, David Ray Papke, in his article "Crusading Hero, Devoted Teacher, and Sympathetic Failure: The Self Image of the Law Professor in Hollywood Cinema and in Real Life, Too," acknowledges Marlyn Robinson for archival assistance regarding films featuring law professors. Good job, Marlyn.
The Law School, including the law library, undergoes a periodic American Bar Association accreditation inspection.
The latest atrium exhibit is titled "A Look Back in Time: The University of Texas School of Law One Hundred Years Ago." Drawing from the UT Law History collections in the Rare Books & Special Collections department,
the exhibit features books, photographs, and important documents that tell the story of the Law School as it was 100 years ago. Viewers will gain insight into the early school that preceded the modern institution we are familiar with. On display are pages from early University catalogs, photographs of law school facilities, and textbooks that students used 100 years ago. Also displayed is a reproduction of the original Peregrinus drawing that gave life to the beloved School of Law mascot. The exhibit was prepared by Addy Sonder, with assistance from Michael Widener, Katy Ritcheske, Scott Webel, Abigail Schultz, and Siri Nkangoh. Stop by to learn about the School of Law's early history.
Joe Dowell and Roswitha's new family addition arrives!
Lydia Elizabeth was born this morning around 6:30 a.m. - She's 8lbs 14oz, 22 inches.
Congratulations Joe, Roswitha, and Emma on your newest family member!
President Faulkner approves the request to name the Popular Reading Room the Hyder Popular Reading Room in recognition of Martha and Elton Hyder's many years of generosity to UT.
The Tarlton Law Library is pleased to announce the creation of the Law School Staff Writings Exhibit. Publications produced by Law School staff members are now on permanent display in the foyer across from the Charles I. Francis Auditorium (RM 2.114). Books, magazine articles, short stories, and other written works showcase the talent and diverse interests of Law School staff members. The exhibit is maintained by Tarlton's Rare Books & Special Collections department.
| May 19, 2005 |
At long last! The Kumar and Betsy baby is here!! Vijay Christopher Springgate-Jayasuriya was born at 3:10pm. He is a very healthy boy and weighed in at 7lbs,1oz. Betsy is doing well (after a very long labor). Kumar said (and I quote) that he is on top of the world.
| June 2005 |
Mark Holman's review of Black's Medical Dictionary is published in the Summer 2005 issue of Medical Reference Services Quarterly.
Matthew Grieder begins work as assistant in the Foreign & International Law Dept.
Liz will continue to work part-time to take care of filing.
Oto Ukpong, a junior majoring in psychology at UT, will be interning in the Library this summer. She is interested in learning about law-related materials and working in the law library environment. She will be here Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Molly will bring Oto around the staff areas this afternoon to introduce her to as many people as possible. Please make her feel welcome (and let me know if you have projects that she can help with!).
Sadly, Kathy Garner, emeriti Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University School of Law Library and Tarlton Alumnus passed away today. She died at her home in Carbondale after battling cancer for two months.
While at SIU, Kathy taught legal research and was a member of the lawyering skills faculty. She published articles in Law Library Journal and SIU Law Journal, and was assistant editor for publications on water law and legal research teaching. She was a past chair of Legal Information Services to the Public Special Interest Section (LISP-SIS) and was a member of the Illinois Bar, AALL, ABA, and the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries.
She retired from SIU in 1999 after fourteen years of service.
Kathy received her law degree with honors from SIU in 1983, where she was Managing Editor of SIU Law Journal. She also held a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Oregon, and a Master of Librarianship from the University of Washington.
She is survived by two children and three grandchildren.
| July 1, 2005 |
The annual Jim McCue Endowed Pizza Party is held in the Gwyn Anderson Staff Lounge Jim, now a book dealer in Dobbs Ferry, New York, was a member of the Tarlton staff in the 1970s. Jim has been a loyal supporter of the Tarlton Law Library over the years. He and his family have visited us (Kim, his wife, is a nurse; his sons are James and Michael). Originally Jim endowed a St. Patrick's Day Ice Cream Party, but over the years Jim has increased his donation (he never forgets) and the party has evolved into the annual Jim McCue Endowed Pizza Party. Jim is a fine man, a delightful story teller, and a person about whom there are legends regarding his tenure at Texas, many of which are repeated yearly at these gatherings.
Barbara Washecka put out some cookies and other sweets to celebrate the birth of her first grandchild, Tim and Kristi's daughter, Samantha Rose. "Parents are fine, baby is healthy, and I'm thrilled!"
Kristin A. Cheney, Executive Law Librarian at Seattle University Law Library, is this year's recipient of the Spirit of Law Librarianship Award for outstanding contributions in serving the elderly and their pets in Pierce County, Washington. In 1998, Ms. Cheney established the Seniors With Pets Assistance (SWP) Program http://www.seniorswithpets.org, which provides vital support to low income seniors with pets by supplying and delivering pet food and provisions to their homes, and transporting seniors and their pets to veterinary appointments. The program has grown over the last eight years and currently serves over 250 seniors and over 700 cats and dogs on a consistent basis. In addition, Seniors With Pets Assistance furnishes a pet food bank that is open for qualifying seniors on a walk-in basis.
Ms. Cheney developed the program due to her passionate belief that seniors like all others should be able to benefit from the friendship and companionship of a pet. She states, ³For many of my seniors, their pet is their only family. An individual, particularly a senior, shouldn't have to make the decision between feeding themselves and feeding or otherwise caring for their pet.² Through partnerships with other local service agencies Ms.
Cheney has also developed an integrated information referral network for seniors with pets. It is the only service of its kind in the Puget Sound region and serves as a model for similar community-based and volunteer efforts in other areas.
Kristin was honored at a ceremony at AALL's Annual Meeting in San Antonio at Tarlton's Reception on Saturday, July 16, 2005. She joins a distinguished group of award recipients that includes:
* Kimberli Morris, Program Manager for Library and Information (Baghdad) of the International Human Rights Law Institute at the College of Law, DePaul University, for her work with law schools in Iraq as they strive to rebuild their legal education system.
* Professor Joan Howland of the University of Minnesota School of Law for her work with Native American law students and lawyers.
* Frosty Owen of Hunton & Williams for his work with public school libraries.
* Catherine Lemann, of the Law Library of Louisiana for her work with AIDSLaw of Louisiana
* SCALL Inner City Youth Program Committee, for its work offering inner-city youth the chance to learn new skills and meet new challenges by training, mentoring and hiring them to intern in law libraries and law firms.
* Marvin Anderson, Minnesota State Law Librarian, for his work with the "Everybody Wins" reading program at the Benjamin E. Mays Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota;
* David Gunn, Law Librarian at the Hunton & Williams law firm in Washington D.C., for his work with Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic;
* Professor Mickie A. Voges of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law for her work with the ExTEND program;
* Professor Frank Liu of Dusquene University School of Law for his work facilitating cross-cultural and academic exchanges with the academic community in China;
* The late Jessie L. Matthews, of Rutgers University School of Law, for her work with the Patient Learning Resource Center at the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia;
* Deanna Harragarra Waters, for her work with the Native American Rights Fund libraries; and,
* Professor Wes Daniels of the University of Miami School of Law for his work with the homeless.
This award is given to a law librarian, or group of librarians, who have used their position and skills as a law librarian to make a meaningful contribution to a social cause, or used their professional training in service of others in some significant way. The award was established by Roy Mersky and Richard Leiter, in lieu of royalties from their book, The Spirit of Law Librarianship. The publisher of the first edition of the book, Fred B. Rotham & Co. (now William S. Hein & Co., Inc.) also participated in the founding of this award. Alert Publications, Inc., the publisher of the second edition, now participates in the continuance of the award.
Also at the reception, Donna M. Tuke, the president of Alert Publications, Inc., unveiled the second edition of Spirit of Law Librarianship: A Reader, which will be available soon. The book is divided into two parts. Part One is a compilation of articles by individuals who analyze different law library service activities, describing various aspects of service and defining what these services means to them and their organization. Part Two contains essays by the thirteen Award winners. The book provides a description of law librarians's services and professional activities that can be used as a tool for learning or for teaching about law librarianship and honors law librarians engaged in service to their communities beyond their roles as law librarians.
Roy M. Mersky Receives American Association of Law Libraries Award
Professor Roy M. Mersky, a member of The University of Texas School of Law faculty and the director of its Jamail Center for Legal Research, Tarlton Law Library, since 1965, is a recipient of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) 2005 Marian Gould Gallagher Distinguished Service Award.
"Roy has been an invaluable leader of our law school community during his more than thirty years at Texas. Under his leadership, the Tarlton Law Library has become one of the preeminent libraries in the country," said Dean Bill Powers.
Mersky, who holds the Harry M. Reasoner Regents Chair in Law, will be honored formally on Mon., July 18, at the AALL Annual Meeting in San Antonio. Fellow honorees are Charles R. Dyer, UT Law class of '74, director of libraries at San Diego County Public Law Library, and Michael Miller, director of the Maryland State Law Library. Established in 1984, the Distinguished Service Award recognizes extended and sustained service to law librarianship, exemplary service to the Association and contributions to professional literature.
Under Mersky’s leadership, the Jamail Center for Legal Research has become one of the most important legal research institutes in the United States. He is known for his pioneering approaches to library management and services, as well as his strong commitment to improving library resources, services, and facilities. Mersky was one of the first law librarians to recognize electronic information’s potential to transform library services and to disseminate information to library patrons. He teaches law librarianship courses and works to elevate the eminence of the profession. A number of current law library directors trained under him.
Mersky publishes widely and lectures frequently in the areas of legal research, law librarianship, language and the law, law library architecture and the history of the U.S. Supreme Court. He is co-author of Fundamentals of Legal Research, now in its 8th edition, the leading legal research textbook in the United States. He recently co-authored The First One Hundred Eight Justices, and he co-edits a multi-volumes series, The Supreme Court of the United States: Hearings and Reports on Successful and Unsuccessful Justices by the Senate Judicial Committee. Further, he collaborates on The Documentary History of the Legal Aspects of Abortion in the United States.
Mersky has made significant contributions to the field of law librarianship. He chaired or served on numerous AALL committees, among them the National Resources Committee (1986-88) and the Special Committee to Study the Need for a National Law Library (1982-85). He was a founder of the Contemporary Social Problems Special Interest Section and established the Spirit of Law Librarianship Award, which honors law librarians who make meaningful contributions to social concerns. He was a member of the Special Committee on the Renaissance of Law Librarianship in the Information Age (1994-96), which culminated with the Committee’s 1997 publication, Toward a Renaissance in Law Librarianship. In 2003 he was named a “Mover and Shaker” by the American Library Association in its annual article naming the most influential librarians in the country. Mersky is currently a member of the American Bar Association’s Law Library of Congress Standing Committee.