NJLLA Grant Winner 2023

“Who’d you see? Where’d you go? Who’d ya meet? What’d ya know?”
My Experience at the 2023 AALL Convention
By Roberta L. Matalon

First and foremost, thank you to anyone reading this article. I am so grateful for the NJLLA Founders Grant which afforded me the opportunity to attend the 2023 American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Convention in Boston! For those who do not know me, I am the law librarian/information specialist at Connell Foley LLP located in Roseland, NJ. I returned to my original career path after many years of struggle and patience waiting for an open door. Prior to raising my two daughters, I had the privilege of working at a few great law firms in New Jersey which included working briefly for Johanna Bizub at Sills Cummis. In fact, she was the one who supported me when the opportunity to attend my first AALL convention arose in 1993! It was in Boston and I still have the sweatshirt to prove it! In fact, I even have the memorandum I submitted to the executive director. Let’s just say, “Yes, I’m a little bit of a hoarder and some things have changed!” And some things have not changed, like the room I had at the Sheraton! All jokes aside, the comparison between a 1993 convention and 2023 is mind boggling, but, amazingly, I do not feel old. I am just as invested in the field of law librarianship, as I was in 1993, and even better equipped today. I still love my career and was ecstatic to be amongst so many colleagues who shared my perspective at the convention in Boston!

At the convention, I was proud to represent my employer, Connell Foley LLP, which is considered a strong, mid-size firm. Being a law librarian, in a mid-size firm, is a precarious position because it becomes a balance between providing the “patrons” more than they really need versus not offering enough. Within my first year, after a few changes to the library collection were made, I created a survey to gain perspective. I needed to know how my patrons felt about the library and its current offerings. The outcome was positive, so I knew I was heading in the right direction. My goals became clearer as I thought about what I could glean from attending a convention relevant to supporting the law firm! Legalweek had already passed and, while I wished I could have gone, I was excited to hear about the AALL’s convention that was soon to arrive in the Spring 2023!

Again, I could not be more grateful for the grant especially since newer employees and asking for monetary support, within a short period of time, does not always go well. Next year, the Chicago based convention may be a better time to ask for support from my firm! I hope my readers will consider attending and coordinating with each other! I was fortunate to hear from Kathy Taggart a few days before the convention this year! It made all the difference knowing she was going to the convention too! I am sure you all know Kathy at Lowenstein Sandler! Our employers share the same building and since I started my law librarianship career working at Lowenstein Sandler decades ago, sharing a building with them feels symbolic in some strange way. Regardless, to anyone reading this article, let this be the start of a great New Jersey presence at the 2024 AALL convention! NJLLA! NJLLA!

To begin planning for the 2024 event, I highly recommend joining AALL for the reduced registration fee; however, attending the convention proved that joining was more than a registration discount. While AALL’s attendance statistics showed a solid 39% attendance by academic law library employees, 18% were corporate and law firm related. The balance was 11.4% court/government related and the rest were not reported. I would have preferred a stronger law firm presence but learned a great deal from the academics. I, whole-heartedly, started applauding when Jocelyn Kennedy, the Harvard Law Library Executive Director, announced her objection to rising costs of online resources during the Moving Beyond Print session where she was part of the panel of speakers. In an effort to combat my enthusiasm when I saw her walk through the Sheraton the next day, I remained in my seat and kept quiet. It was like a celebrity sighting!

AALL did an incredible job with their repertoire of lectures to maintain the balance of interests for everyone attending. Map Our Future, the convention theme, was appropriately used to identify why these conventions are so important. Attendees are there to see what the future holds. While many of us have close relationships with our vendors, what about the vendors we have not met? I have already lined up meetings virtually with a few I have not considered for lack of exposure. It is my responsibility to not only know what we do have to offer our patrons, but to also know what we do not have. That is the greater challenge. No one can afford to rest on their laurels and believe they know everything or have everything. As a new employee in the law library, I am content, but I need to be sure, every day, that there isn’t something new brewing in this crazy world of technology.

Naturally, that brings us all to the discussion of generative artificial intelligence which was a hot topic at the convention and demonstrated by our two largest exhibitors, Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis. It is fascinating, but scary. My father always told me that being adventurous was great, but pioneers get arrows in their backs. The vast majority and buzz of the convention was geared toward the topic of Gen AI, its impact on the legal practice, and impact on the professionals serving the legal profession. The presentations were not intended to answer those questions definitively, but rather address the challenges of either being the pioneer or taking a deep breath and letting the hype settle. By the way, did I mention the other advantage of being a member of AALL? I am really excited to read the daily newsletter that keeps me on the edge of what is impacting law libraries thanks to the authors, some of whom were probably at the convention! If you haven’t read the series of Gen AI articles, they are great to read! The most recent article was appropriately titled, “AI-Pocalypse: The Shocking Impact on Law Firm Profitability” by Ryan McClead.

Nonetheless, my true intent is to provide a “brief” overview of my journey through the convention! Beginning with the Opening General Session, sponsored by LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters, we gathered in a huge ballroom to listen to Charles Vogl, the keynote speaker. His background is extensive and connects with being a multi-book author, being a speaker in front of large audiences, and he is considered an expert at community and creating connections. I look forward to reading his book titled Art of Community. He spoke comfortably about his personal experiences at Yale University and special dinners he and his wife created that not only impacted him, but the community. The exercises he shared with the congregation included connecting with attendees we have never met, groups of three to be exact, by striking a conversation about loneliness. Although I have not read his book, he spoke extensively about loneliness within communities. To overcome loneliness, he shared one magical word: invitation. As members of NJLLA, I hope we can carry his message forward and remember the importance of connecting with each other by extending invitations, accepting them, and remembering to reciprocate. As a whole, he was an inspirational speaker and I, personally, related to his focus on loneliness. I think everyone has experienced loneliness at some point in their life. And, sadly he reported that we are all living during a time when loneliness is at its height especially amongst people age 18 to 24. I personally gleaned the most from this part of the convention, surprisingly. It was not on my list of things to learn or discuss with my employer. At work, I don’t have an office, like other employees with important roles, but I have the privilege of being visible and able to easily connect with everyone. My door is always open! Welcoming people, without discrimination, is a unique attribute that I believe most librarians possess and we should be proud of that.

As you can see, keeping this article brief is a challenge! Forgive me. I won’t linger over every detail but I have to say, the exhibit hall was overwhelming! I could not even provide details because there are too many. With 61 vendors in two large rooms, I could have spent both days visiting them only. Some of my favorite moments were with the representatives like Karen Oesterle, Associate Director of Legal Research and Development for the Practicing Law Institute. Upon entering, she was my warm welcome and “Google Map” for everything, including finding Kathy Taggart! Cassidy Cataloguing Services was an exhibitor and I forgot they were located a few towns away from where I live, so I thought it would be fun to visit them in New Jersey! Cassidy must be a great example of survival during the changes that have occurred in technology over the decades. Of course, I had to visit the AALL Member Services “booth” and met Anna VanDeKerchove who was my pre-convention “Google Map” and supported my case about the need for more blocks of rooms after I mentioned how quickly they were filled! Two words about convention/hotel reservations: Start Early. I roamed toward ALM at the exhibit hall and met, Account Manager, Jeff Irving who was happy to discuss the Law.com website and answer my questions.

I could name so many other vendors that were there with their amazing displays, including Wolters Kluwer, LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, HeinOnline. It was a huge party all day practically leading me to think I should have been a vendor! I have a background in retailing so it makes my blood flow when I communicate with them. And, I have to give a big shout out to Michelle Daniels, of Wolters Kluwer, for treating me to lunch! Most vendors are great communicators and if they are on the sales side of business, you are sure to have fun with them! The evening events, sponsored by Bloomberg on Sunday and Thomson Reuters on Monday, were breath taking! Sunday night was “A Night at the Library” evening soirée. I was speechless walking though the rooms that brought historic structure into the 21^st century with colorful lighting, food and beverages, music, … it is almost worth trolling the library’s schedule for another private event to attend there just for the experience! I was there solo, but I had a moment that truly meant the world to me. Ana R. Toft-Nielsen, attorney and professor of law, actually tapped my shoulder as I was walking past and expressed her appreciation for my visual responsiveness to the Short-Form Teaching presentation whereby she was a panelist. Naturally, I told her how much I agreed with what was being said. But, wow, for her to have recognized me at all was a bit mind blowing.

I have a tremendous appreciation for everyone that was a part of the work that went into the success of the convention and will never forget the experience. Thomson Reuters went over-the-top at their event titled “Boston Block Party.” I am almost at a loss for words. (Ok, don’t be too hopeful. I have to describe this event to the best of my ability.) There was such a variety of high end foods, beverages, and entertainment, the President could have walked in and I would not have been surprised. Held at the Marriott, the ballroom was set up so beautifully and so many attendees were just mingling with each other like we were just there to celebrate us! It was truly an honor to be a part of something so special. Check out the photos on my link to see what some of these events were about, and yes, I did eventually find Kathy per our photograph together at the Thomson Reuters event (see photo slideshow below)!

On the more serious side, the presentations were very educational without any stress other than the fact that I was trying to take notes so I could report back about what I learned. I wish I had more philosophical thoughts to share, but I attended seven and one-half seminars in two days! I wanted to make the most of the journey and may have over-done it. At one point, I even found myself walking into the wrong room until realizing the interesting topic being discussed was not the one I planned! While I should have stayed, I ran out at an opportune time to attend the one I scheduled and stood in the back since all of the seats were filled! I had no idea, prior to the convention, just how many people would be at each presentation! “Standing room only” was a shock! For example, Hunting and Gathering on the Legal Information Savannah showed 44 attendees scheduled when, in fact, AALL reported 265 attendees! Next year don’t be fooled by the number of attendees reported on the AALL registration website. Speaking of the registration website, upon “favoriting” the seminars I wanted to attend prior to the convention, I was torn between so many. They were all interesting and I thought AALL should consider extending the convention one more day in the future!

Speaking of the future, my first seminar was titled, Which World? Using Far-Fetched Scenarios to Map out the Future of Libraries. The seminar’s premise was exactly as titled. The speaker, Dawn LaValle, was, is, and probably always will be a futurist! She explained how the insurance industry, decades ago, already created a scenario whereby the country would be struck with a pandemic and how everyone would be affected. When the pandemic did occur, as though a switch was “flicked,” the insurance industry quickly responded and issued refunds to off-set the cost for insurance when people would not be leaving their homes and driving to work every day. With this example, the simple message is that all libraries need to prepare for future scenarios that impact the way in which information is accessed, shared, organized, secured, and how librarians may be impacted. So many private law libraries are now relying on online resources. Well, how do we prepare for the future if there is a cyber-attack? The wrong answer is, “Well, we’ll all be in the same boat.” But what if we’re not? And, what if it is just your law library’s internet access that is affected? Is print really gone for “good?” Whatever happened to CD-ROMs? Should that have been our Plan B in the event internet access was terminated? This may be a good topic for discussion. It seems highly unlikely, but the country was struck with a pandemic so now, anything seems possible. The speaker, Dawn, suggested we consider “environmental scanning” and pay attention to STEEP issues, which are social, technological, environmental, economic, and political issues in the outside world. We should be paying attention to today’s trends and developing “foresight” for future scenarios. There is so much more I could say about this seminar! As previously mentioned, my undergraduate degree is in fashion merchandising and retailing, so you could say I was trained to think like a futurist: always fashion forward! I fully aligned with Dawn LaValle’s train of thought and foresight.

I have to mention that being a solo attendee at this convention doesn’t mean that you are sitting alone! I met so many wonderful people including Doug Malerba, Manager of Research Services, at Dentons US, LLP, the world’s largest law firm! He has been working remote for more than a decade! Keith A. Lacy, Reference Librarian at the University of Michigan, and I had fun talking about the rivalry between “UMich” and “MSU!” My daughter just graduated from Michigan State University! I also made a new friend, Jill Brooks, who works at Robinson Bradshaw in North Carolina! When I mentioned how impressed I was that her boss, the Director of Library Services, was photographed and included on the leadership page of her firm’s website, Jill explained that she selected the director as her replacement when she decided to work part-time and raise her two little children. I was even more impressed by Jill’s success and ability to balance her career and family life so well. And, the firm is clearly aware of the “leadership” that exists in their law library. As soon as I finish this article, Jill and I will be exchanging ideas about online legal research instruction for staff in our law firms!

Speaking of instruction, Short-Form Teaching 2 and Developing an Online Legal Research Course for Non-JDs were perfect seminars for me at a time when teaching is becoming highly probable in the future. Initially, when I started working at Connell Foley, I was asked to provide a short “in-person” seminar about our library resources. I was definitely challenged and worked hard to gather the information needed after only being at the firm, part-time, for 6 months. I thought the presentation went well, but then I found out that it was recorded! (Ha-ha!) As a result, I am committed to being a better speaker! Both of the instruction related seminars at the convention were just the antidote to my statue-like stance, monotone voice, and inability to connect to the audience! As mentioned, one of the seminar panelists, Ana Ramirez Toft-Nielsen, Esq., Attorney Development Innovation Manager at Greenberg Traurig, said she appreciated my visibly, positive responses and enthusiasm about the topics discussed! I am already on a roll! The good news is that live presentations are highly recommended, as opposed to PowerPoints! At least I did that right! A couple of suggestions were shared by the panelists as helpful when planning to teach:

1. Keep sessions at 30 minutes and asynchronized
2. Gain senior partners as supporters
3. If possible, associate continuing education credits
4. Share learning benefits that will encourage greater attendance; like time & cost savings
5. Consider your listeners experience level
6. Don’t substitute PowerPoints for lesson plans
7. Begin your plan with the desired end result.
8. Seek the help of Instructional Designers and use the ARCS model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction)
9. Read the book, Telling Ain’t Training by Harold Stolovitch, before you plan
10. Sign-up for related seminars at the 2024 AALL convention in Chicago!

Moving forward with my experience at the convention, Moving Beyond Print was more entertaining than I expected! To be honest, I was really there to hear what Jocelyn Kennedy, the Executive Director of Harvard Law School, had to say. This was not a topic applicable to my law library because the vast majority of print was already thrown out either intentionally, or by accident, before I arrived! I attended this seminar simply to hear an intelligent perspective on the subject matter. Her words, which I would love to hear again, were so on point regarding the escalating cost of online access. I think she even surprised herself and apologized to the vendors potentially in the audience! Another point made by George Taoultsides, Circuit Librarian for the First Circuit Court of Appeals, pertained to the difference between moving beyond print within a law library of smaller size versus the First Circuit Court of Appeals. That perspective sheds light on the fact that moving beyond print will take decades, especially while print is still being generated within the system and historical documents will require time consuming preservation. The jury is still out on whether a paperless environment will exist during the current circuit librarian’s lifetime. With an awesome sense of humor amongst all of the panelist, the presentation provided thought provoking perspectives upon which the members of NJLLA might like to expand. How can we keep the costs of online information lower and has anyone kept print resources just to avoid those escalating costs? Since the pandemic, does anyone have any regrets for making hasty decisions about online contracts in lieu of print? When will the online vendors end their “hay-day” of overpricing? Has anyone noticed the claw-back trend whereby some of our smaller vendors are denying the goliath vendors access to their primary publications?

Speaking of goliath vendors, the Hunting and Gathering on the Legal Information Savannah presentation was fantastic! It is a rare opportunity to see the leaders of the four largest legal information vendors together on one stage as panelist in front of 265 attendees! Yes, there was standing room only again but this time, I had a seat!

Joseph Breda, Bloomberg Law
Brian Mismash, Thomson Reuters
Vijay Raman, LexisNexis
Ed Walters, vLex Group (Fastcase)

It was fascinating, and somewhat comical, to see them comfortably discussing their platforms and entertain unpredictable audience questions. Particularly impressive was the attendance of the president of Bloomberg Law whereby the other three representatives were vice presidents, or the equivalent, of a particular division. Naturally, we all have our preferences for one vendor or another, but the way in which these four people were able to interact with each other, the audience, and navigate through a sea of questions was so professional. I would have loved to listen to the recording but not all recordings were successful. I think AALL can work on that a little bit before our next convention. One of my favorite quotes by Ed Walters was “The devil is in the defaults” while he was discussing the design of platform interfaces. I have to admit, I wanted to tell all four panelists that, as a novice researcher, the label titled Advanced Search on anyone’s platform was not going to invite the novice unless it was labelled something more appropriate, like Basic Search. Is anyone with me? Am I right? Am I right?

We all need to remember the humor in everything to relieve stress. If you have someone at your office that also enjoys a little humor, your work day will not seem like work ever again. Fortunately for me, I work with the marketing department and the business development department at Connell Foley. I adore these people who are intelligent to the point of great humor. So, with them in mind, I attended Better than Basic: How to Use Your Internal Firm Data for Better CI. And, yes, I am shooting for that value-added gold star at my next review! As said previously, never rest on your laurels! I know what is like to be an unemployed law librarian. It isn’t fun. Use any opportunities, like attending a seminar about competitive intelligence, to increase your self-worth and the value you can provide to your employer! I think I’ve mentioned more than once my background in retailing whereby I had to study marketing extensively. The presenters all had extensive experience on the topic, obviously, but explained that departments were either formed through the library where they worked or were affiliated with the library. Amy Dietrich, Senior Competitive Intelligence Manager at Paul, Weiss, and Emily Rushing, Director of Competitive Intelligence at Haynes Boone both appeared to have strong IT qualifications.

Today, I have no doubt about the importance of being an “IT” person while managing a law library. Decades ago, the library comprised of managers with juris doctorate degrees. Now, I’m guessing the librarian with both degrees can “write their own ticket!” But for those of us with neither IT or JD degrees, Emily and Amy were kind enough to provide their insight by first defining CI and emphasizing that information alone is not the answer. Actionable information is the defining factor. Information a firm can use and act upon in an effort to elevate the firm’s public presence, or their client’s position, is information, aka intelligence, worth having. That intelligence comes with a price, however, beginning with the software platforms available to assist with the extraction, compilation, organization, and exportation of intelligence that can be easily decipherable by the average human-being.  What isn’t expensive is getting feedback from clients and finessing information without sounding desperate to know. The presenters referred to that as “voice of client” methods used by business development experts. Personally speaking, much of what was discussed was technical, especially with regard to specific platforms that can be used to gather intelligence. However, I am involved with some research concerning a few platforms new to my firm that were mentioned and that made me feel good about my own self-education regarding CI systems. With regard to merging outside information with inside information, that is critical for CI intelligence. Choosing a platform that can do both for the departments responsible for guiding the firm is where the librarian/researcher can impact the decision. I may not be using the platform selected but the value in the selection process cannot be underestimated. Since I attended this presentation, and had time to formulate my thoughts, I made sure to meet with some of the vendors about  products not already used and become more knowledgeable about what the firm can consider in the future. I highly recommend attending presentations like this one to be sure your value to the firm is broadened beyond the already established value you have within a traditional library setting.

Lastly, I attended the presentation titled A Robot Wrote This Session Proposal and guess what? I came home, sat in front of my computer, and had ChatGPT write this article. Just kidding. But if you want to see what ChatGPT did create, click on this link. The difference, as you will see, is that all of my personal flare, silly anecdotes, and imperfect writing style is missing. ChatGPT wrote the perfect article about the convention concisely and likely in a way no human could possibly write. But, I prefer imperfection and knew whatever I produced would undoubtedly reflect me; the attendee, the writer, and the personification of who I really am. There is no substitute. As for the article’s title, I did steal that from one of my favorite lines from Sex and the City. I hope you enjoyed reading this and continue to remain true to yourself, never to be replaced by a robot, and thrive in this crazy world of technology and as a master of library science. See you in Chicago!!