Introducing…Alex Burdett as the June 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Birtle, Manitoba, a small town on the Canadian prairies.

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

After undergrad, I knew I either wanted to become a librarian or a lawyer. After meeting the law school librarians, I realized I could do something related to both. I practiced for a few years then made the jump to law librarianship and haven’t looked back.

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

I’ve always loved the challenge of working across legal traditions and learning how different societies address similar issues.

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

I work at the New York University School of Law. I’ve been here since 2022.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I studied French in university and speak and read enough to get by. I took a German class a few years ago – but can only recall the basics.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

Overseeing the development of the Indigenous law collection at the University of Victoria Law Library to support the Law Faculty’s Indigenous law degree program and the National Centre for Indigenous Laws.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Bread – too many good loaves to choose from.

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

Archie Bell & the Drells – Tighten Up

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

Like many other FCIL colleagues, I wish my language skills were stronger.

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

Friends – both human and canine.

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

I’m looking forward to collaborating with and learning from such amazing colleagues in the FCIL community!

Introducing…Amelia Landenberger as the May 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Suffield, Ohio, a few miles from my great-grandmother’s farm.

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

I knew that I wanted to be a librarian, and I had an idea that I’d like working in higher education, but I intended to get a JD/MLIS/MBA and then decide between working in business schools or law schools. I still don’t have the MBA, but never say never!

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

I think my interest can be traced back to the books I read as a child. The dragons don’t live in your neighborhood, thank goodness, so if you want to find dragons you have to go on  adventures. I saw foreign, comparative, and international law as the most adventurous branch of law librarianship. 

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

I’ve worked at the Boston University Fineman and Pappas Law Libraries for almost five years now. 

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I can muddle through in French, and I’ve studied Italian, German and Spanish. I also studied written Latin and I even took a course in reading Egyptian hieroglyphs (a perk of working in higher education).

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

My most significant professional achievement was when I advised a student that based on her interests and considerable research and writing talents, she’d be a great asset to a law journal. She wrote me an email a year or so later to say she’d become the editor-in-chief! I can’t always quantify my impact as a teacher so it was validating to hear that my suggestion was helpful.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

I love ice cream! I think I could eat it every day!

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

I don’t often sing around other people but I have been known to sing “I’ll make a man out of you” from Mulan. 

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

I wish I could speak many languages without having to work to learn them. In the film The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne has amnesia but as other people address him in non-English languages he finds that he can answer them without effort because he still remembers the languages, he just doesn’t know who he is. (Technically Jason still did all of the work to learn these languages, he just doesn’t remember it, but I still love the scenes where he discovers his linguistic talents as if by magic).

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

Tea with milk; which is actually two things, but without the milk it’s just not the same. 

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

I am grateful to be a part of such a generous profession. I deeply appreciate the librarians who have mentored me, listened to me, and led me towards growth as a librarian and a teacher.

Introducing…Heidi Frostestad as the April 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in small-town Iowa in Grant Wood country between Cedar Rapids and Dubuque. I enjoyed the setting for my youth and free roaming, but it made me want to explore the world.

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

I loved research, writing, and international law and business topics in law school.  After a year of practice in Chicago, I knew that it was time to pursue my real passions and go to library school.  My father had enrolled in library school at the University of Iowa as a second career after being a public-school teacher for over thirty years, so I followed his lead and advice and did the same.  I guess it goes to show you that you should always listen to your parents!  I have enjoyed every minute of law librarianship ever since—I’ve truly found my calling and am grateful every day.

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

I started developing an interest in foreign, comparative, and international law in law school through my law review note topic, coursework, research for professors, study-abroad program in England, and participation in the Jessup Moot Court team.  I then expanded my interest in library school at Iowa through the wonderful collection there and then further delved into foreign and international law as a law librarian with a focus on that area of expertise at Marquette (my first law librarian position) and Northwestern (with a more formal role). 

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

I currently am the law library director and associate professor of law at the Northern Illinois University College of Law.  I have been working at NIU since 2014, so it’s been almost nine years now. 

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I have basic reading knowledge of French, Spanish, and a little bit of Norwegian (from my grandparents).

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

I am very thankful for my FCIL-SIS awards, especially the Dan Wade service award and the Reynolds and Flores Publication Award, because it recognizes my hard work for this wonderful SIS and the awards are dedicated to my FCIL law librarian heroes. 

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Oh my—this is tough, but I would have to say blue cheese (with a nice glass of Bordeaux wine).  I spent one summer teaching for a summer law program in Bordeaux, France, and that just worsened my affinity for cheese and wine.

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

Dancing Queen, ABBA – every time.  I took my daughter to a Mamma Mia production pre-pandemic and now she’s indoctrinated, too.

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

I wish that I could skydive and see the world from that vantage point, but I am dreadfully afraid of open-air heights!  

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

Definitely coffee.  I am drinking a cup of coffee right now, and I got hooked in college (and it keeps me alert/productive or so I tell myself).

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

FCIL-SIS librarians are amazing—keep up the fantastic work in our SIS and please reach out to me if I can ever help you with a project or anything at all.  Carpe diem!

Introducing…Kate Britt as the March 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

Kate at improv school graduation

1. Where did you grow up?

I was born in Miami, Florida, and moved to Helena, Alabama at age 3. Despite growing up in Alabama, I insisted on never adopting the accent. I do, nevertheless, make liberal use of “y’all.”

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

Law school was an attractive opportunity to expand my skills in critical thinking and analysis, but the life of a lawyer never truly interested me. My favorite part of law school was the scavenger hunt of legal research. Soon after graduating, I learned that there’s an entire profession dedicated to the organization of information. I jumped at the chance to use my legal education and spend my workday thinking strategically (without the specter of billable hours).

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

Early in my current position I was tasked with selecting for foreign law, and I’ve really enjoyed digging into this world. I was a history major in undergrad, and I am endlessly fascinated by the development and interconnectedness of nations and cultures throughout history. Every nation’s laws reflect where they’ve come from, what they value, and the future they are trying to build. FCIL work lets me see this often-overlooked side of foreign countries.

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

I have worked for the University of Michigan Law Library since October 2017. I’d never lived outside the South, and I had little concept of what I was getting into. I quickly fell in love with Ann Arbor–the people, the food, the nature, the culture. Even in the middle of an ice storm, I am happy to be here.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I studied Spanish all through school, and I am better at reading than speaking. My attempts to teach myself German were…ohne Erfolg.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

I am proud of the articles I have written for the Michigan Bar Journal, particularly those on gun law. I enjoy gathering information and breaking it down into a user-friendly explanation. If my work helps other attorneys, scholars, and activists do their work better, I’ve done my job.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Generally: cereal. Specifically: I’ve probably saved at least half a dozen pandas with my Panda Puffs purchases.

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

Something comes over me whenever “Heartbeats” by The Knife kicks in. My head and shoulders are swaying right now, just thinking of it. Do yourself a favor and throw on the whole album Deep Cuts.

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

I’d love to be able to play piano. I played clarinet in school, and I’m self-taught on the guitar and ukulele, but the piano feels too daunting. Two lines of music at once? In this economy?

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

Standing in my living room, holding a cat, staring out the front window, imagining what I am going to plant in the yard. Last year I installed a rain garden using native plants in my front yard. This spring I’m planning an edible food forest using permaculture principles. Fruit tree guilds are firmly planted in my mind; I’m just waiting for winter to end so I can make them a reality.

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

I am not the junior senator for the state of Alabama, but we did go to law school together. (No relation.)

Introducing…Trezlen Drake as the February 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Macon, a rural community in the piedmont region of North Carolina, across the border from Virginia.

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

I practiced law off and on for a few years and realized that, while I enjoyed helping others, I didn’t enjoy the work. Law librarianship seemed like a good way to combine my legal training with a place that I loved: the library.

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

I honestly didn’t know it was a thing until one of my classmates mentioned it. I was fascinated since I enjoy learning language and culture, and am concerned about human rights. And it was a great way for me to continue that learning while getting paid to do it.

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

I am currently employed by Yale’s Lillian Goldman Law Library. I have worked here since March 2022.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I studied Russian in high school and college, and a little Spanish, and French in college and grad school. Russian is my strongest language, but I’m rusty since I don’t meet many who speak it. My brain does pull in the occasional Russian word that works in context; I then have to remember the English translation.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

My most significant professional achievement is co-founding PEGA-SIS (from the Gen X/Y Caucus) with two phenomenal law librarians who took a mumbled one-off comment seriously and worked with me to create and run a real group that has grown beyond what we ever imagined.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Dirty Chai. I am not a person who needs caffeine to function; a glass of water will do just fine, thank you very much! But I love a milky coffee (thanks to my Granny) and a spicy chai (the real stuff, not the syrupy mix!). A dirty chai is an obvious lovechild of the two. I am always tempted by it no matter the time of day. I use the resulting midnight wakefulness thinking about my poor choices and how I will never again have one so late in the day. Until the next time it happens.

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

This is hard because I have a jukebox in my head! Funk, soul, and R&B songs from the 70s. Just about anything for the 80s. Ninety’s alternative. Pop music! Prince. Amy Winehouse. It just depends on the day and the mood.

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

Sewing and clothing design. I see and try on clothes, dresses and pants, and have ideas of how to make it fit me or even look better, but I wasn’t taught to sew growing up. So, these are just dreams that dance in my head.

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

Moisturizer. Gotta keep my skin young and supple.

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

I have enjoyed my time as an FCIL librarian, meeting and spending time with FCIL colleagues around the country and world.

Trezlen Drake is the Head of Digital Resources and a Research Librarian at Yale’s Lillian Goldman Law Library.

Introducing…Stephanie Farne as the January 2023 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

 

1. Where did you grow up?

Norwell, MA, a pretty small town south of Boston.

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

After a short time practicing litigation, I realized practicing law was not for me.  I talked with my sister who was in library school, and she connected me with her roommate, an attorney who was in library school.  I have never looked back!  

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

I studied international relations in undergrad, and had minors in French and Spanish.  When I was studying library science at Simmons, I saw a job posting for a reference assistant at Harvard’s ILS library.  I had never thought I could tie my undergrad studies into my career, and I was really excited about the possibility. 

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

I work at BC Law Library, where I started in February 2021, remotely.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages? 

I have minors from undergrad in French and Spanish.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement? 

One of the highlights for me recently was returning to academic law librarianship.  I left Boston University Law Library in January 2005 to work at a law firm.  After 7 years at the firm library, I stepped away from law librarianship, working part time at public, school and college libraries.  Then, in February 2021, I returned, starting my current position at Boston College Law School Library.

7. What is your biggest food weakness? 

Dark chocolate.

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

Think I might date myself here.  Anything by New Order.

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

I wish I had more language skills. My undergrad French and Spanish is rusty.  I wish I also had a non Romance language.

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

Coffee.  Though that might be a basic necessity in most people’s books!

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

I am beyond excited to be back in the role of FCIL specialist.  After stepping away from law librarianship, I did not think I would return to the job I love so much.  I also want to thank the Dream Team at Harvard who trained me: Jeannette Yackle, Stephen Wiles and Silke Sahl.  They were the best teachers and co-workers I could have ever had.

Introducing…Devan Orr as the May 2022 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small town in northern New Jersey, but then moved and attended high school in Ventura County, California.

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

I loved the law and learning new things and getting to help others but didn’t love the daily practice of law. I enrolled for my MLIS degree originally thinking I’d pivot out of law, but then I learned about my school’s (University of Arizona) Law Library Fellowship program. The fact that I could pivot into a career focused on the parts of law I loved – researching new thoughts and ideas, writing, and helping others, meant I was instantly hooked and wanted in!

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

My interest in FCIL started when I interned at Universal Pictures in their licensing and marketing department. There I was working with international licensees and in-house counsel to draft and negotiate contracts and communicating with global manufacturing partners. I found all the conversations and work fascinating. That exposure began a love of international legal issues, which then led me to teaching during my fellowship international LLM and AJD/SJD introductory legal research and writing. I love working with international students and hearing their new perspectives and approaches to the law because of their varied professional backgrounds, and I knew that when I graduated and set out on a career path I wanted to continue working with international students, and add international legal research also. 

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

I work at the Wolf Law Library at William & Mary! I just started in August 2021.

5. Do you speak any foreign languages?

A little bit of Spanish, and even less Italian.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement?

Last summer, I helped create curriculum for undergraduate students regarding basic legal principles. My colleagues and I put together four modules explaining the basics of IP and business law, and getting the opportunity learn about instructional design, accessibility, and assessment all while distilling complex legal principles into understandable and compact learning units was so rewarding.

7. What is your biggest food weakness?

Oh man, there are so many… probably popcorn? I love popcorn, I think it’s the perfect snack. That or a really great everything bagel with plain cream cheese.

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

Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon immediately came to mind but really probably almost any 2000s/2010s pop with an upbeat tempo will probably do it. 

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

I really wish I could speak Mandarin. Many of the students I work with are from China, and it would be incredible to work with them in multiple languages.

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

I’ll echo many colleagues previously featured in the spotlight and say coffee. It’s the ultimate comfort drink and pick-me-up.

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

Everyone in FCIL, and law librarianship in general, is so nice! If you’re in law and considering a shift in focus, come check out the work we do – there is always something new to learn, and many people willing to help and collaborate.

Introducing…Nicolas Boring as the March 2022 FCIL Expert of the Month

This is the first post in a new blog series, FCIL Expert of the Month. This series profiles individuals working in fields encompassing foreign, comparative, and/or international law (FCIL) in a wide variety of contexts, including but not limited to librarianship. If you would like to be featured or suggest an individual for a feature, please contact the FCIL-SIS Publicity Committee Chair, Jessica Pierucci.

Nicolas Boring in the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building
(Photo by Shawn Miller)

1. Where did you grow up?

I mostly grew up in France. First in a town called Croissy-sur-Seine, and then in another town called Mareil-Marly. Both are in the Paris region.

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

I started studying law as an undergraduate in France, and was interested in comparative and international law from the start. Since I was at a French university, my degree was naturally focused on French law, but I was in a special program that included classes on English and American law. Part of why I was drawn to that program was that I am bi-national: my mother is French, my father is American, and I grew up with a foot in both cultures. I also attended international schools or international programs throughout most of my school years, and so I got to know and become friends with kids from all over the world. I think this international exposure while growing up naturally led me to develop an interest in international affairs, and in FCIL once I started studying law.

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

I work at the Library of Congress, specifically the Law Library, where I am a Foreign Law Specialist. I started working there in 2013. My focus is on French law, as well as the laws of other French-speaking jurisdictions. So I cover a pretty large portfolio of jurisdictions. But I absolutely love it. My work is really interesting and stimulating, the Library of Congress is a great place to work, and my colleagues are all great people. I feel very fortunate to be there.

4. What path did you take to your current employer?

I applied through USAJobs.com. I was not actively looking for a job at the time, but a good friend of mine saw the job posting for French law specialist and sent me the link, knowing that I would be interested given my background. If it were not for that friend’s thoughtfulness, I probably never would have known about this position.

5. What is the most exciting part of your job?

Most of my job involves doing research, for Congress and for various federal agencies. What is particularly exciting to me is the incredibly broad range of questions that my colleagues and I have to answer. So, I may have to research Senegalese divorce law one day, write an article on a recent healthcare law in France the next day, and work on a multi-jurisdictional report on financial regulations the day after that. It’s a challenge, but it certainly keep things interesting, and I feel like I am constantly learning new things.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement?

A little over a year ago, in January 2021, I did a webinar on the Napoleonic Code, in which I was able to combine my love of history with my love of French law. Preparing for that was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding. And I participated in a panel on international criminal tribunals and national legal systems at the 2017 annual meeting of the American Society of International Law. That was a great experience as well.

7. What languages do you speak?

I am fully bilingual in English and French, as I grew up speaking both languages at home. I took Italian classes when I was in high school, but I don’t really remember much at all, unfortunately. I know a tiny bit of Spanish.

8. What is your biggest food weakness?

I have many food weaknesses! But my biggest one might be chocolate.

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

I wish I was better at math.

Introducing…Traci Emerson Spackey as the February 2021 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small town outside of Portland, Oregon called Canby. I was born and raised there. The town is very typical, rather quaint, and unremarkable except that it is known for its world-class dahlia farm. Very random.

2. Why did you select law librarianship as a career?
I actually didn’t know law librarianship was a thing until law school. I went to law school knowing I wanted to pursue the law, but not necessarily in what capacity. At my law school, during 1L year the law librarians co-taught legal research and writing with adjunct professors and that’s how I learned that law librarians existed. However, it wasn’t exactly “love at first sight” with terms and connectors and The Bluebook, etc. But, not far into 1L year our class’s law librarian announced that the library was hiring RAs to work some evening shifts. My immediate thought was “I want to work at the library!” I have ALWAYS loved libraries and books. 

Well, I loved working at the law library. I would pick up extra shifts when I could, and the library director or the law librarians would sometimes give me extra projects because they saw my interest. Over the next year and a half I asked questions and got to know them all. I was shocked to learn they all had law degrees AND library degrees. I was also struck by the fact that they all seemed very happy, were very well-respected within the law school, and were just generally wonderful/knowledgeable people. However, it wasn’t until my 3L year when it was manifestly clear to me that I really dreaded a) the adversarial nature of practicing law, and b) the pressure of billable hours. So, I seriously began to consider other options. 

It sounds kind of cliché, but I literally had an epiphany one day. One particular afternoon I was perusing blogs about law librarianship as a potential option and I realized that I had considerably less angst about getting a whole new graduate degree in MLIS than I did taking the bar exam. I figured I should probably listen to that. So, I marched into the library director’s office, announced my decision, and asked what I needed to do. She asked how I felt about Seattle–because she recommended the University of Washington program–and I said “great!” (since I was from the PNW). Next, I requested a book on law librarianship from ILL. I read all about all kinds of different areas of law librarianship and when I read Mary Rumsey’s chapter on FCIL librarianship my mind was blown…and set. That was it! I did end up taking a year off between law school and library school, taking the bar exam, and practicing a bit, but my goal stayed the same (was even more solidified, actually): FCIL librarianship.

3. When did you develop an interest in foreign, comparative, and international law?
My interest in FCIL was really just an extension of my general life interests. I have always been drawn to “other”: other languages, other cultures, other places…food! So, when I started law school I naturally wanted to take international law. After that first class, I ended up taking every international law class I could–all my electives were somehow related to international law or things. I studied abroad in Rome both rising 2L and 3L summers, and I did one clinic that went to the United Nations for a week. I also did immigration law clinic where I got to help someone from the Democratic Republic of Congo apply for asylum–to this day this is still one of the most meaningful things I’ve been able to do with my legal education. During law school I also became friends with my international law professor (I’m still in contact with him), and I joined the board of the International Law Association at my law school too. I’m so grateful for all my international experiences that gained from my legal education. 

4. Who is your current employer? How long have you worked there?
I work for the Jacob Burns Law Library at The George Washington University Law School. I started here in September 2019.

5. Do you speak any foreign languages?
I speak French most fluently. I majored in French and then lived in Paris for a year teaching English. I also speak Italian (I’m in love with the place), and I can read Spanish enough to find materials in it. I also took advantage of being a university employee last semester and took a beginning course in Latin. While I am unable to continue at the moment, I hope to carry that on at some point. I also have a life goal of learning Russian.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement?
This is more of an “opportunity” than achievement, however I had the opportunity to intern at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library at the United Nations in New York for a few weeks at the end of library school. It had been a dream of mine and I’m still so grateful that I was able to do that. In terms of actual achievement I’d have to say two things. As previously mentioned, I’m very proud of being involved in getting our client granted asylum in the US in immigration clinic in law school. I was humbled and grateful to be able to use my legal and language skills to impact someone’s life so meaningfully. Second, in library school my colleague and I wrote a piece on Ghost Guns that got published in ALA’s Documents to the People. I’m early on in my career, so it’s the first I’d seen my name in print. I can’t wait to reflect on this question in years to come! This is…three things–whoops!

7. What is your biggest food weakness? Tortilla chips. It’s a funny one but I can literally eat almost any size bag of tortilla chips (salted, of course) in a sitting. Costco size might be pushing it, but I’m not going to test that one.

8. What song makes you want to get up and sing/dance? Boston’s More than a Feeling. It’s one of those “stop where you are, lip sync, and air guitar right now” kind of songs for me. 

9. What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?
I wish I could play a musical instrument! I would love to be able to play the cello, or viola, or jazz piano. My husband is an amazing saxophone player so it would be incredible to be able to join him in that. Maybe someday. 

10. Aside from the basic necessities, what is one thing you can’t go a day without? Maybe this falls under the “basic necessities” category, but I’m going to surprise myself by saying: Tea. Being from Portland, I was once such an avid coffee drinker that it was a common joke among my family and friends. Health problems required me to quit that habit and I found solace in black tea a few years ago. It feels weird to say, but I now actually prefer tea! I start every day with a pot of English Breakfast Tea. (What a lame thing to say–maybe I should think more on this.)

11. Anything else you would like to share with us?
1) For anyone considering law librarianship and is still deterred by the student loan burden, the vast majority of government and academic law librarian positions make you eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. It was a law librarian that told me about this in law school, and I am passing this along to any prospective law librarians still trying to figure things out. It was this fact that pushed me over the edge to take the dive into this career, and I haven’t looked back.

2) Less importantly, this photo is my first “shelfie” that I ever took…last week. I don’t know how I never knew a shelfie was a thing, but when I learned the word of course I had to. The mug was a gift from a dear friend in Italy that clearly understands what makes me tick.

Introducing…Scott Vanderlin as the November 2020 FCIL-SIS Member of the Month

Scott in Lockdown Business Casual

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Dixon, IL–a small town 100 miles west of Chicago best known as the home town of Ronald Reagan, former Dixon Comptroller Rita Crundwell, who perpetrated the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history, and for Class of 2001 DHS Student of the Year and Best Sense of Humor Yearbook Award winner Scott Vanderlin.

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

I realized two things in law school–that I loved studying the law, and that I did not want to be a practicing attorney. I have an aunt who is a law librarian (shout out to Aunt Pam!), and I quickly realized that it was the perfect career for a kid who just wanted to read and research the law and help people. I couldn’t be happier that I made the decision.

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

As I’m sure many would report, one of my favorite things to do is travel, and I have been lucky to have visited 21 countries so far, and (hopefully) counting. While I’m sure it’s possible to divorce the two, I think that a love of travel is usually accompanied by a curiosity about different cultures, and a love for the sense of discovery that comes with experiencing different ways of life. Combine natural wanderlust with a recent…dissatisfaction, let’s say, with our home country and legal system, and I think that more and more of my thoughts, both professionally and personally, have been focused abroad. 

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

I have been at the University of Chicago’s D’Angelo Law Library for a little over 3 years.

5. Do you speak or read any foreign languages?
Not nearly as competently as I would like. In spite of being in a 13+ year relationship with a Polish partner whose second language is English, I am not nearly as proficient as I should be (as I’m reminded frequently by her mother). Once upon a time I was fairly proficient in speaking Spanish, but after years without practice outside of taquerias, I’m afraid it would be a stretch to claim anything resembling fluency.
Spoiler alert: I think I would say that this is the ability or skill I most wish I had.

6. What is your most significant professional achievement?

This year, I was honored to receive the 2020 Class Award by the University of Chicago Law graduating class. It’s awarded to one faculty or staff member each year for “Outstanding contributions to improving the quality of student life and the spirit of community at the Law School.” In a school full of celebrity faculty members, it was incredible to be singled out by students for having done a good job. I told people that I either won an award that Barack Obama won, or I won an award that Barack Obama couldn’t win, and both of those are cool (I haven’t been back in the law school to check which one it is).

7. What is your biggest food weakness?

Tide pods.

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

I’ll let you know when I hear it. In the spirit of the question, however, I’ll reveal that I’m a big fan of indiepop, and there are many songs that make me smile and sort of rhythmically nod my head. Here are a few (feel free to let me know if these cause anyone to get up and sing/dance):

The Lucksmiths — T-Shirt Weather

Martha — Ice Cream and Sunscreen

Aberdeen — Sink or Float

Summer Cats — In JuneT

he Smittens — These Days

Allo Darlin’ — Still Young

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

Legitimately not playing to my audience, but it would definitely be the ability to speak more languages. For personal reasons, I would love to be fluent in Polish (for obvious reasons) and then Japanese (because I love the country and culture). For professional reasons, I guess I would choose French.

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

I want to say “books,” but 1) I’d probably get push-back from some on the definition of “necessity,” and 2) the more accurate answer these days is probably “podcasts.”

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

Please vote.