Reading Time: 10 minutes
I’ve just finished Shaping the Bar by Prof. Joan Haworth. I think it’s a must-read for law librarians in any work context. As I moved recently from a public law library to an academic one,
David Whelan Blogs
Latest from David Whelan
Dearly Departed
Reading Time: 8 minutes
I’m at the end of my first full week at a new role in Chicago. I had been in California at a public law library for just over 2 years and it was time to move
The Distraction of Magical Thinking
Reading Time: 7 minutes
I am sure I am not alone in my experience with magical thinking in law libraries. I’m sure it’s not unique to law libraries either. We operate in an environment where the people who oversee our
The Warp And Weft of Resilience
Reading Time: 5 minutes
I had an epiphany while sitting in an AALL conference session. As is often the case, I had heard something and it had sparked a thought that distracted me for a moment. I’ve posted here before
Hold the Reins
Reading Time: 7 minutes
My brother was a Russian hostage. That is now in the past but I am still processing it. But as his release started to appear on the horizon, and I was preparing for the media, I
Tailor Your Outcome
Reading Time: 9 minutes
It is not uncommon to lump similar people together, based on their job titles, or similar organizations, based on their outward facing appearance or context. I tend to avoid this. Even statements as simple as “library
Dueling Authenticators
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Multi-factor authentication is now a permanent part of life. Unfortunately, it is implemented in so many different—and not always secure—ways that it can require a lot of tools to manage. I had done pretty well until
From Each, to Each
Reading Time: 6 minutes
I was hired during the COVID-19 lockdown. My interviews were entirely virtual, which was great because I was living in a different country from the law library. There was an exacting testing regimen to cross the
Flair for an Intermediate Analytics Page
Reading Time: 5 minutes
How do you measure website interactions when you don’t control the website? I had this challenge recently. It’s a pretty easy technical challenge but I wanted to add a bit of flare. It was an opportunity
Friction Through Fear
Reading Time: 5 minutes
One of the struggles public law libraries have is that they were conceived at a time when there was a tight connection between the bench and the bar. Law library governance is often replete with judges