Introducing…Dean Deane as the May 2024 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up on the edge of a rainforest, in a 4-bedroom split level house with my nuclear family. Every day brought warm weather, even when it rained and I had a big backyard, my playground, full of tropical plants, birds, snakes (including coral snakes), and adorable tree frogs, as well as giant poisonous cane toads and the occasional iguana. From birth until age eighteen, I lived in an island paradise, Trinidad. I was surrounded by racially diverse people, and I was taught by and had caregivers, doctors, and dentists, of every race, but mostly people of African and/or Indian descent. I ate food that was influenced by all the ethnic groups that have lived together in my country for centuries. We ate the same ground provision (taro root, eddoes and cassava), eaten by my indigenous ancestors, West African influenced stewed meats and pelau (our national dish), as well as Indian and Chinese dishes that originated here.

Most of the people I knew belonged to some religion, mostly Catholic, various types of Christian, Hindu, and Muslim. I codeswitched seamlessly, speaking one dialect of Trinidadian English with my grandparents, another with my parents and others with my friends at school and at church, depending on their social class and the context. My Dad was a nation-builder, working first in the insurance industry, starting at age sixteen, only a few years after Trinidad became independent from the United Kingdom and a few years before Trinidad would become a Republic, with its own President. Inevitably, he moved into the oil and gas sector that dominates the country’s economy.

What I miss most about my home, is the feeling of being in community when we celebrated Divali, Christmas, and Carnival.

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? & 3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

For me, questions 2 and 3 are the same question. In 2007, my closest friend, also a law librarian, suggested I consider being a foreign and international law librarian, and she sent me an article by legendary FCIL Librarian Mary Rumsey.  Foreign & International Law Librarianship – it was a revelation.

I had always wanted to be an academic and I was excited to use my background in Foreign and International Law, and my linguistic skills to teach, research, and contribute to the scholarly community in a meaningful way. I began library school that same year, enrolling in my fourth (and so far, final) graduate program. The following year, 2008, I began interning with FCIL librarian, Vince Moyer at UC Hastings College of Law (now UC Law San Francisco).

Looking back on my journey, I am grateful to my younger self for making this choice because the time I’ve spent in this role has been professionally rewarding.

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

In 2023, Vince contacted me to tell me that he would be retiring and that his position would soon be coming open. Having had fond memories of working with Vince, I applied for the position and began working here at UC Law SF in December of 2023.

5. Do you speak any foreign languages? 

My foreign language skills are all quite rusty, but at some point in time I was fluent in Spanish, and I could understand and speak a fair amount of French as well. Although I am far from fluent, I have a working knowledge of Portuguese and Dutch and I’ve devoted considerable time to learning German, Polish, Swedish, and Maya, although I would not claim any kind of proficiency in these last four languages. You could say that I enjoy the process of learning languages, even when fluency (or even basic competency) remains elusive.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Being the Chair of the FCIL-SIS is the professional achievement that I am most proud of because I have such a great admiration for the FCIL-SIS community. It was an honor to serve in that role. That said, I am a big believer in the concept that the personal is political. I think that living my life loudly, as a disabled, neurodivergent, gender non-conforming, queer, Black, mixed-race Trinidadian immigrant and speaking truth to power in my blog posts and professional speaking engagements is an ongoing way in which I significantly contribute to the profession of law librarianship, in a way that only I can do. I say only I can do because my persistent drive for autonomy and the need to pursue freedom, equity and dignity for everyone, impels me to highlight uncomfortable truths about our profession, regardless of the consequences to me and my career. None of us is free, until all of us are free.

7. What is your favorite food? 

I love eating Trinidadian food and my favourite food to eat whenever I go back to Trinidad is the Indo-Trinidadian street food, doubles, but bus’ up shut and curry pumpkin is a close second.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

I love music in general and I’m not very picky. I’m easily the first one on the dance floor anywhere I go. I could easily dance for hours to a good playlist of Trinidadian Soca music. One of my favourites is Hello, by Kes the Band but I also love 3 Canal, Patrice Roberts and the Queen of Bacchanal, Destra Garcia. I grew up listening to Mr. Fete, Machel Montano, singing professionally since he was a child, he is in a class by himself, and reflects the True Trini vibe, he has shared our love of music, dancing and celebrating all over the world and when I feel alone, I can listen to his music and remember where I came from.

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish I had entrepreneurial skills so I could have a lucrative side hustle.

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

A disabled friend once told me that every disabled person has a part-time job caring for a disabled person. Knowing this helps me to forgive myself for all the things I should and want to do daily but can’t. When you have ADHD, there’s no such thing as a routine. You might be able to start a new habit for a few days, sometimes even months but usually this is either because you’re depending on an externally imposed structure, or because you have a system in place that you actively and intentionally use to keep that habit going with tremendous, sustained effort. This is because the prefrontal cortex of people with ADHD is different. This is the part of the brain that affects executive functioning skills (eg. self-restraint and self-motivation).

There’s very little that isn’t a “basic necessity” that I do consistently every day, and to be honest, I frequently go without the necessities because of executive dysfunction, and my variable energy levels. The only thing I do every day is breathe, but I do have some things that I try to do as often as possible. Since my sympathetic nervous system is easily activated, I practically live in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode. I have found that if I can meditate, exercise, write, speak my truth to an actively listening friendly audience, be creative, and immerse myself in a hot bath (not all at the same time, although I do often meditate in the bathtub), then I can complete the stress response cycle and keep burnout at bay.  

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I’m a different person than the one who joined this profession in 2010. In some ways, I’m less ebullient and more realistic. I’m more aware of the way that social systems impact our lives and I’m more committed to decolonizing my own mind. I spend more time focused on my own healing journey and how to share my insights with people who are hungry for the wisdom I have earned. I’ve experienced extreme racism in the South. I’ve worked in law firms as well as academic law libraries. I’ve lost one of my parents to brain cancer at a relatively young age (his, not mine). I’ve been more insistent that people address me by my chosen name of Dean, a homonym for my last name, as I lean further into my non-binary, gender chaotic identity. I have my dream job and I live in a city where I feel a strong sense of community and belonging. I’m currently recovering from knee surgery after more than half a decade of operating with a torn meniscus. This has given me a lot of down time to think, alone in my apartment, with my plants for company.

My heart is tender for the youth of today, what they are facing with the economy and the climate crisis and especially, the BIPOC* and LGBTQIA community, who are faced daily with reminders in the news of how little their lives are valued. How little their education and experience are valued, given that the wage gap still exists between them and White men doing the same jobs, with the same credentials and experience. Many are struggling in the current economy, but we don’t have to struggle alone.

I want to share a message of hope. There are things that we can’t change, but what we can change is the way we respond to the challenges of this time. I think the answer to most of our problems lies in remaining focused on what we can do in the present, and on community building. I’ve relied on a lot of people these last six weeks as I’ve been recovering from surgery and unable to walk. This time of vulnerability and not being able to be my usual hyper independent self, I’ve been humbled by the way that my community showed up for me. Ultimately, if we live long enough, we’ll all need help. You may have specific family members who you’re intending to rely on, but no one knows what the future holds – I thought I would have my Dad for another 20 years as both of his parents lived into their 90s. My call is to all of us to spend more time connecting with each other, being vulnerable and supportive. Let’s be kind to each other and build resilient communities so that when the hard times come, we have a whole community of beloved people to lean on.

That said, I am a huge extrovert, so if you see me around at a conference, please feel free to connect with me, I’d love to meet you and hear all about you, your career, and your library. If you are interested in a career in FCIL librarianship, and you want to get my perspective, you can also just reach out to me at deane@uclawsf.edu.

* BIPOC: Black, indigenous, and other people of color.

Introducing…Yasmin Morais as the April 2024 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

Kingston, Jamaica

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

Law librarianship is a second career for me and I was drawn to it because of my love of law, research, and information organization.

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

I think I can trace the interest to two periods in my life: the first is when I took a course called Law of the Sea as a part of my master’s in international relations/government, and the second is when I started working at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) country office in Jamaica. My job at the time as a Program Officer involved collaborating with other UN agencies operating in Jamaica, as well as a lot of travel. 

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

I am a brand-new staff member at the Harvard Law School Library, and I started there on January 29th.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

Yes, my undergraduate degree was in Spanish, so I have near-native fluency. I also have a basic knowledge of French and Portuguese.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

I think this would be the recent completion of the book, Legal Research Methods for the English-Speaking Caribbean (thanks to the collaboration of my amazing co-author, Yemisi Dina, Chief Librarian of the Osgoode Hall Law School Library at York University in Toronto, Canada). We both recognized that there was a need for this resource for researchers of Caribbean laws.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

I have many but here are the top three:  jerk chicken, oxtail and curried goat.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Annie’s Song by John Denver

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish I could play the guitar. However, I have started lessons, so one day… 

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

Prayer.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I love Turkish films

Introducing…Elaine Tornés Blanco as the March 2024 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up on two Caribbean islands, overlooking El Morro de La Habana in Cuba and 15 minutes by car from El Escambrón Beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican poet exiled in Cuba, Lola Rodríguez de Tió, was not wrong when she said that “Cuba and Puerto Rico are of one bird the two wings.”  During my childhood, I also lived for two years in Santiago de Chile, Chile.  

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

I thought Law School was my last step, but it was just the beginning because it took me to be a Law Library Fellow at the William A. Wise Law Library in Boulder, Colorado. This fellowship was an exceptional opportunity to enjoy academia and improve my legal research skills while supporting the legal information needs of faculty, students, the university community, and the public. I fell in love with law librarianship and have a secret mission of sharing with the world how unique this profession is.

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

Marcelo Rodríguez shared with me his passion for FCIL during the AALL Mentor Program, and that was the fuse that lit the match to learn about this amazing niche within law librarianship that fills me with curiosity and a desire to learn, no matter how confusing or overwhelming researching the law involving foreign countries could be. Luckily for me, being bilingual helps!

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

Ten months ago, I joined the University of Miami School of Law as a Librarian Asst. Professor.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

My native language is Spanish, and I learned English during elementary school in Puerto Rico, where the US influence is pretty strong. I can read French; however, improving my accent by practicing at the FCIL-SIS Virtual Language Tables would be amazing!

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Having my first full-time job as a law librarian has been a great achievement. At the moment, being the elected Chair at the Latinx Caucus, affiliated with the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) has been very significant too.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

I have a sweet tooth, so it’s not easy for me to escape the wonders of chocolate and of course, the infinite pleasure of eating pizza (any kind).

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Not all people from the Caribbean know how to sing and dance. I’m one of those who did not grow up with those talents; however, I enjoy seeing others singing and dancing. Nevertheless, Human by the Killers always moves me with the chorus, “Are we human or are we dancer.”                

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish to learn Morse code like my grandparents, read Braille like my mother, and code to make my own apps.

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

It’s clear that I belong to the Coffee Club! Unfortunately, I haven’t lasted more than a month without coffee.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

When I’m not working, I love to write. I love starting and completing projects, and the children’s book I wrote about animal rights still requires my attention in managing its availability in libraries and bookstores. I’m writing another children’s book regarding bipolar syndrome, and by the end of the year, I hope to finish my book with 52 micro-stories on various topics.

Introducing…Laura Cadra as the February 2024 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

Laura’s dog, Harper

1. Where did you grow up?

I spent my early childhood in Knoxville, Tennessee where I was a young graduate of the University of Tennessee (preschool). My family moved to Huntington Beach, California when I was in second grade and I lived there through high school.

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

As is true for many academic law librarians, I came to law librarianship after finding that the practice of law was not my cup of tea. In my search for an alternative use of my degree, I first became a Westlaw account rep, which both immersed me in legal research and introduced me to law firm librarians. Their work intrigued me and several of them encouraged me to go to library school.

During my MLIS program at UC Berkeley, I interned at the Law Library where I was in constant awe of the law librarians (including FCIL’s own Marci Hoffman). Not only were they awesome librarians, they were awesome mentors who launched me on my law librarianship career.

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

My interest in FCIL librarianship was sparked when the former FCIL librarian at Loyola left to become a director at Detroit Mercy and our Director Dan Martin said, tag you’re it.

Truthfully, I was excited to build on my knowledge by exploring a new area of law librarianship. At that time, Loyola was building its foreign/int’l law program and I was able to get in on the ground floor with our foreign/int’l law faculty.

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

Despite the deer-in-the-headlights start to my FCIL position, I have remained at Loyola Law Library and have been there almost 18 years.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I speak a smattering of Spanish and can order multiple foods in Italian. Fortunately, I can read Spanish well enough to do collection development and understand the gist of most Spanish-language documents. Otherwise, it’s Google translate for me!

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Without doubt, my most significant achievement is impersonating a competent FCIL librarian. Without the help of actual FCIL librarians – specifically John Wilson, Mary Rumsey, and Marci Hoffman – as well as the FCIL-SIS and Int-law listservs, I would be revealed as a fraud.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Food. Oh, you mean specifically. Anything coconut, anything curry. Extra points for curry with coconut. And, chocolate. And, wine. I won’t say no to pizza.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

The Isley Brothers, Shout. Literally. That’s the last song played at every gig by a friend’s band and woe be to anyone who isn’t up and dancing.

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

So many. I’d love to speak Spanish fluently; I’d love to play the banjo; I’d love to be able to knit more than squares and rectangles.

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

My dogs who keep me entertained and broke, I mean active.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

Being a law librarian is fun; being an FCIL librarian is being a law librarian with whip cream (coconut) on top.

Introducing…Britt Hunter as the January 2024 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a funky, little beach town in Florida called Dunedin. Some of its quirky charms include Florida’s oldest microbrewery and an annual Scottish Highland festival that’s been going on since the ’60s. It’s small and artsy and I really enjoy how much the town protects that identity.

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

It sort of feels like law librarianship selected me. After I finished my BA, I started my MLIS with the intention of working in a government archive or museum library — something dealing with historical primary sources. The first job I took after library school was at the FSU College of Law managing interlibrary loan and FL Dept. of Corrections liaison services. I stayed in that position for the better part of six years while I worked on my PhD at FSU. By the time I graduated I was in love with my law library job and applied for a full-time librarian position.

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

This actually developed through my years teaching art history at Florida State. To underscore the relevance of centuries-old monuments in today’s culture and society, I liked to discuss present-day issues like the black market, cultural terrorism, and ecological threats. The more I researched these issues, the more invested I became in developing an expertise in the intersection of international law and world heritage. I hope my career continues growing in this direction.

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

I still work at Florida State University College of Law. I’ve been here since 2016, but I’ve only been in my role as International & Foreign Legal Research Librarian since May 2022.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I can speak okay German, and I’ve studied French, Italian, Latin, and ASL, but I’m definitely not conversive. I plan to continue working on the Romance languages throughout my life.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Hopefully it’s yet to come! I’m brand new to the field and still have a lot to learn. Right now, I’m really proud to have a few publications under my belt and to be participating in lots of professional development opportunities.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

I’m one of those people who goes crazy for soups in the Autumn, but in terms of an actual weakness, I would say candy — I have the candy appetite of a rabid child on Halloween.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Who Loves You by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It should be played at weddings almost as often as Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish I could drive a manual transmission car. Several people have tried to teach me but apparently it just won’t stick (no pun intended).

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

My family. My husband is my best friend, and I recently gave birth to our son who is the sweetest, funniest little baby… I also can’t live without socks. Despite living in Florida for most of my life, I’m chronically cold.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I’ve fallen in love the field of law librarianship, and I’m so impressed by the intelligence and thoughtfulness of my colleagues and the folks I’ve met at conferences. I’m very thankful to those of you in the FCIL community who have mentored me, and I look forward to a meaningful career. Cheers!

Introducing…Junior Browne as the December 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Barbados.  It’s a small island in the Caribbean (think Rihanna!)

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

I didn’t!  It selected me!

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

I work at the Faculty of Law Library at the University of the West Indies in Barbados.  One can say that we teach comparative law there as we teach the laws of the English-speaking Caribbean.  Sounds simple.  While it’s mostly common law, some jurisdictions are civil law jurisdictions.

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

see above. Lol.  Been there for three decades.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

A little French and Spanish…very little.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Being named one of the Fastcase50 honorees for 2023! It’s awesome being recognised for something you love doing.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Cheesecake!

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Hmm… would have to think about that one.

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

The ability to make money on demand!

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

Coffee… its hard!

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

Did I mention that I like cheesecake?

Introducing…Charlotte Daugherty as the November 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I was born in Urbana, Illinois and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin.

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

I’ve always spent a lot of time in libraries and often found myself reminding people that whatever book, movie, or music they had just bought at Amazon could be got for free at the library.  Why not just work for a library?

3. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

U.C. Berkeley School of Law.  I’ve worked here since August this year, and I’m really enjoying it.

4. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I studied German in high school mainly and later lived in Hamburg for a couple years.  I then studied Chinese throughout college and a year afterwards in Taipei and also had the chance to spend several summers in Beijing.

I’d say I’m fairly rusty in both these days since I rarely  practice.

5. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Probably getting my current job.  It’s nice to be working in such a large, well-respected foreign and international collection.

6. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Sweets!   I rarely pass up desserts.  

7. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Anything by Irene Cara.  

8. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

Just one?!  I wish I were more of an extrovert.  

9. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

Coffee

10. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I took a citizen-scientist class while living in southern California and am a certified naturalist for the American Cetacean Society which means I can go on whale-watching boats and talk about different types of whales and dolphins.  I could probably tell you the relative weights of the odontocetes and mysticetes that live around the SoCal Bight.  

Introducing…Sarah Martin as the October 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I jokingly refer to myself as a townie from the little hamlet of Los Angeles, having lived here almost my entire life. I spent my sixth grade year with my stepdad and his extended family in Milan, Italy, and it was deeply impactful on me. If I get to pick where I go after I die, it will be the Cinque Terre! (Florence is a close second by a hair.)

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

Like many stories I have heard since I started in law librarianship, I didn’t exactly select it, rather it selected me. I was in a tumultuous time in my life when I got hired at the Santa Monica Public Library as a page, and it felt like coming home. So, I started library school, not realizing how many life-altering events would get in the way of graduating. By the time I was getting ready to graduate six years later, I was feeling lost again. I decided to apply to LA Law Library to be an intern, wanting to get some extra experience on my resume, but life surprised me once again. I thought I had left my linguistics skills and legal interpreting experience in the past, but our Patron Services Director, Malinda Muller, encouraged me to apply to the FCIL position, and all of a sudden I was a law librarian. I’m so glad, but some days I’m still surprised by where I find myself!

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

Without knowing it specifically, I suppose I first started to get an inkling way back when I was still at community college. As I was exploring various subjects and interests in school, I took two classes that changed everything for me: linguistic anthropology and cultural anthropology. From there I developed a grand plan to be a conference interpreter, which entailed getting my court interpreting certification first. After getting my BA in Applied Linguistics, I took a certification course for Spanish/English legal translation and interpretation, and for a few years I worked with Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, a nonprofit organization here in L.A. that handles asylum hearings, among other things. Court interpreting didn’t work out, but little did I know, those skills and passions would come into play many years later!

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

I started working here at LA Law Library this past January.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

Yes! They are not quite as fresh as they once were, but I speak Spanish and Italian fairly fluently and some rudimentary French (one of those “I understand/read it better than I speak it” situations). I took a year of Japanese in college and worked at a Japanese market called Mitsuwa during that time, and I got pretty good, but now I pretty much only know how to sound out katakana and enough to say, “Sorry, I don’t understand Japanese!”

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

As we learned in the 1985 classic film Stand By Me, maybe the most significant achievements are the friends we made along the way. But in all seriousness, although I could name a few pretty cool moments of recognition, I consider it the deepest honor to have earned the respect of some of the smartest and most discerning minds I’ve ever met in the form of colleagues and mentors over the years so far. I absolutely would not be where I am without the library community that has supported me along the way, and I am so grateful to have found it.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

There are a few that come to mind, from Warheads candy to any sour cream and onion chip, but honestly, once you eat food in Italy, most American food tastes like paste and ash. Except for cheesecake. I can always go for a bit of really good cheesecake.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

I grew up in the 00s as a misunderstood outcast, or at least I thought I was, so naturally I love pop punk and emo music from that era. The one song that I think of that makes me want to put on my old Converse and head bang to is Say Anything’s “Alive With the Glory of Love”. That song just does something to me!

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

Singing (well), or anything musical. I have an absolutely grating singing voice, but I love to sing!

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

If I forget my lip balm at home, I know I’m going to have a rough day. My lips get chapped so fast! Also, I NEED my earbuds. When my neurodivergent brain gets overstimulated and I want to scream, I just pop in some lofi hip hop beats to study/relax to, and all is well.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

Believe in yourself and follow your dreams. And well, if your dreams don’t work out, there’s always filling the void with cats and good books! (Or dogs and/or Netflix, if that’s your thing!)

Introducing…Loren Turner as the September 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Deerfield, Illinois, which is a suburb located approximately 28 miles north of Chicago. It was also the place where my parents grew up (they met at the local high school).

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

After law school, I took an associate position at a family law litigation firm in downtown Chicago. The work was intellectually stimulating, and I enjoyed helping people grieve their relationships and assert their rights, but I knew before too long that I did not want to spend the rest of my professional life as a litigator. So, I bought some books on alternative legal careers and, while flipping through the pages, I landed on the page mentioning “Law Librarianship” as a career. I had never heard of such a thing! As I read more, something began to click. The idea that I would be able to make use of my law degree while also teaching law school classes and working in a library really appealed to me. One day, I cold-called the reference desk at Northwestern University’s Pritzker Legal Research Center (PLRC) to get more information about law librarianship as a career. A reference librarian, Marcia Lehr, who has since retired, answered my call and with the warmth of a million suns, invited me to visit her at the PLRC, which I did. Marcia encouraged me to get a Masters in Library Science and, while I was doing that, hired me as a part-time (nights & weekends) reference associate for the PLRC. The rest is history.

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

I took Latin during all 4 years of high school and studied modern foreign languages in college, including an extended stint overseas, in Italy. In law school, I was in the international human rights law clinic and studied international law abroad, in Chile and Argentina. This is all to say: I have always been interested in other cultures and languages and, if I had to explain why, I would probably speculate that it is because I wanted to see the world beyond the town my parents and I grew up in (see answer to #1, above). My parents blame my wanderlust on my paternal grandfather, who joined the U.S. Army at the age of 16 and may-or-may not have been a member of the OSS while stationed in Germany during the War (note: he also may-or-may not have been kicked-out of the OSS for initiating a bar fight).

Anyway, when I was working as a reference associate at Northwestern’s PLRC, I met its FCIL librarian, Irene Berkey, and I thought her job was the coolest. She learned something new every day! And she was able to locate relevant materials in foreign languages despite lacking technical fluency. That felt like magic to me at the time. I decided to try to become a FCIL librarian, and once I was in the final stages of getting my MLIS, I applied for an entry-level position at the University of Florida Law School because it was seeking candidates interested in developing FCIL librarian careers. I haven’t looked back since!

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

I am now back in the Midwest, at the University of Minnesota Law School. I’ve worked here for seven years.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

This is a tough question to answer because it reminds me how rusty I’ve let my foreign language skills get over the years. At one point in my life, I was fluent in Italian, and I have also dabbled in speaking Spanish, French, and Danish. But, due to my Latin translation background, I am far better at reading foreign languages than I am speaking foreign languages (and, come to think of it, that’s also true for English).

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Thus far, I’d say it was becoming Chair of the FCIL-SIS! I was very honored to be nominated and it was a great opportunity to meet and collaborate with other FCIL-SIS members.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Whatever isn’t nailed down. I’m a hearty eater.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish I knew how to surf!

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

At least one 20+ minute walk, outside.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I’m stoked to head back to Chicago for the next AALL Annual Meeting – hope to see you there!

Introducing…Aamir Abdullah as the August 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I have a pretty long answer to this question. But, the short version is that I spent my adolescent years in the deep south of the United States. Then, when I was getting ready to go to high school, my family moved to Texas.

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career? 

A few years back, an idea sparked in my mind during a lively chat with a friend and colleague. He shared an intriguing article about an impending shortage of law librarians. We excitedly discussed the prospect of a job where we could immerse ourselves in research all day, potentially teach legal research strategies, and escape the relentless ticking of the clock that marks our lives in law practice. The idea of law librarianship took root in my mind. Before I knew it, I was enthusiastically embarking on the journey to earn my MLIS!  

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and/or international law? 

The initial spark developed while attaining my MLIS at UNT, specifically in Dr. Chandler’s Law Library Management course. That tiny spark was fanned into a flame thanks to the wonderful members of this SIS. So far, everyone I’ve spoken to has provided insight, perspective, and guidance in navigating this awesome space.

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there? 

At the time of submitting this response to the FCIL-SIS, I am employed at Colorado Law’s William A. Wise Law Library. I have worked here since Summer 2020.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

Fluently? I wish! I think my father is still disappointed that I never picked up his mother tongue. But, I try to throw in a few words every now and then like I’m the South Asian Pitbull.  

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

At this time, I do not think I’ve made it yet. I think that for something to be professionally significant, it has to also impact my personal life. As of yet, the achievements I’ve made have not crossed that line.

To clarify, I do appreciate this opportunity to be featured as the member of the month for the FCIL-SIS, and I appreciate every other achievement milestone I’ve hit; e.g.: co-authoring chapters and articles, participating in committees that have a direct impact with Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and teaching at a wonderful law school. There have been plenty of professional achievements that I think back fondly. But, the one significant achievement has not yet been made.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I’m going to go with dessert. At present, I’ve been craving French Vanilla ice cream. But, I have been known to go out of my way for a cupcake.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? 

Sing: J. Cole’s “Power Trip”

Dance: CNCO’s “Pretend”

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?

I wish I had the ability to read, write, and understand another language perfectly. Thanks to globalization, I think the world is smaller than it ever was. And, having the ability to communicate effectively to more people is an ability that should help navigate this new world.

The good things about abilities, though, is that those are just skills that have been internalized. So, there is still hope to learn another language. At present, I’m learning python.

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? 

As sappy as it sounds, the one thing I covet more than any other thing is spending time with my family. Even if it’s just five minutes of spending quality time with my spouse, I feel rejuvenated and ready for the world.

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?

I think a lot of people are wondering about Chat GPT and other large language models (LLMs). Particularly, how capable these programs are, and how one may utilize them in their current situation. So, here is a link to a great resource for Chat GPT prompting. I hope this helps someone out.