A paper presented at BIALL Conference, Newcastle June 2011 by Emily Allbon (City University), Maria Bell (LSE) & Wendy Lynwood (Birkbeck College). The paper explored the role of academic librarians and how relationships are built and maintained looking at both successes and challenges.

1. Academic Law Librarians:
Wallflowers or Social Butterflies?
Emily Allbon @lawbore
Maria Bell @bellmari
Wendy Lynwood @wlynwood

2. Issues around HE libraries
 Increased pressure on
Are we
budgets - staffing and seen?
collection development
 Are we visible enough to our
institutions as services move
online?
 User expectation vs. reality:
e.g. what is wanted vs. what it is possible to supply
 Space split: Social vs. study
 Librarian role – What are we doing? Where do we fit?

3. Birkbeck
 Founded 1823, joined the
University of London 1913
 98% students are part-time,
50% post graduate
 Law school formed in 1991
 Around 1200 students (800
FTEs) on
CertHE, LLB, LLM, MRes and
PhD, programmes
 Research has a socio-legal focus
 Library – 70+ staff, in terms of
budget and physical space below
average (1994 group figures)

4. City
 Law Dept at
Northampton Square
(1990) and ICSL at
Grays Inn Place (1852)
= City Law School 2004
 Around 1200
students, covering
LLB, GDL, LLM, LPC &
BTPC. Growing PhD.

5. London School of Economics
 Institution founded 1895 by
Webbs, & G.B Shaw for
research in social sciences
 1900 →Univ. of London
 2011: 9,000 students from
140 countries; high
2010-11: postgraduate population
 800
LLB, LLM &
 Library est. 1896; new
PhD development 2001
 80 staff  Law always part of LSE
teaching

6. Where we fit…not just law librarians
anymore!
Pulled in all
directions…

8. Teaching and learning
Our relationships with:
 Academics
 Students
 Academic support
officers
 Learning technologists
 IT
 Teaching and learning
staff

9. Information Skills Teaching

10. City
 LLB1 – Teach core module Legal
Method in tandem with lecturer -
planning content together.
 Lectures, workshops
 Set/mark compulsory assessments
 Ad hoc teaching for other programmes
 PhD seminar series
 Occasional staff teaching

11. LSE
 LLB
 Legal research lectures early in term in collaboration with
academic staff
 Work with individual academic staff to deliver legal research skills
 LLM
 Lunchtime seminars mid year for dissertation prep.
 PhD
 Research skills seminars in Michaelmas term
 Legal research skills on info skills programme – sign up classes
 Variable engagement with staff. Improvements each year in
integrating skills teaching.
Challenge is to keep momentum going.

12. Birkbeck
 LLB – lecture & sign-up
sessions
 LLM – no formal slot but
sign-up popular
Academic Support Officer
= successful relationship

13. Resource provision
 Collection
 VLE
 E-packs

14. Supporting Academics
 Find out what their research interests
are, and keeping them up to date with
relevant information
 Distribute information of forthcoming
events to staff and students
 Offer 1-2-1 training in their offices to
showcase resources
 Plug in to the wider School
community – mooting, law clinic work
etc.

15. Research
Great potential!
 Forging relationship
with research
divisions
 Showing extent of
skills
 Traditional skills
given new lease of
life
 Repositories
 REF

16. Law School Administration
 Ideal partners
 Good way in to
department

17. Central services
 External Relations
(incl. alumni) /
Marketing
 Careers
 Other departments
in the library
 Learning
technologists
 IT

18. Your turn…
==DISCUSS==
1.Your most successful &
2. Your most challenging
relationships.
Why did they work/not
work?

19. Example of post-its

20. Successful relationships
 Timing
 Accept that often things ‘just
happen’
 Respond to things quickly
 Have something to show
 Chemistry
 Get involved socially

21. Tensions / issues that negatively
affect relationships
 Lack of time
 Institutional / departmental politics
 Copyright law!
 Money – or the lack of it

22. Relationships with each other
 How do we build and maintain these?
 Could we be more effective in developing
relationships and if so how?
 Law and beyond
 Have we got time, given increased pressures
within day to day?

23. Thanks for listening!

24. Thanks for the images!
 Slide 1: ‘Butterfly and Wallflowers 1’ by sylvanfae http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvanfae/3702284684/
 Slide 2: ‘Perfekte Tarnung’ by DocSnyder http://www.flickr.com/photos/docsnyder/3304050421/
 Slide 3: ‘London pubs’ by Not forgotten http://www.flickr.com/photos/khaugli/13409869/
 Slide 5: Library International Law Reading Room, 1964 http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/3925727081/in/set-
72157622616789324
 Michael Peacock Atrium, 2001 http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/4359055970/in/set-72157622616789324
 Slide 6: ‘Tug of war’ Toffehoff http://www.flickr.com/photos/toffehoff/244870161/
 Slide 7: ‘close connection’ by alles-schlumpf http://www.flickr.com/photos/29487767@N02/2855271953/
 Slide 8: ‘Sharon Allen visits Mays’ by Mays Business School
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maysbusinessschool/4309850534/
 Slide 11: Students in computer room, c1990s http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/4359056290/in/set-
72157622618893958
 Slide 12: ‘Plagiarism 3 - Michael Brunsden’ by photoeditorvision
http://www.flickr.com/photos/visionnewspaper/314107094/
 Slide 13: ‘Crimson, Indeed….’ by corydalus http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydalus/19986766/
 Slide 14: ‘Project 365 - Day 151 - 04/12/08’ by Peter Gerdes
http://www.flickr.com/photos/petergerdes/3081937177/
 Slide 16: ‘keyboard’ by mactitioner http://www.flickr.com/photos/mactitioner/5595830505/
 Slide 18: ‘We want you’ by Jelle Vermeiren http://www.flickr.com/photos/letsflash/2812271260/
 Slide 21: ‘ausgefranst’ by derpunk http://www.flickr.com/photos/derpunk/2601456834/
 Slide 22: LSE Dinner in the Refectory, c1930s http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/4601150018/in/photostream