Continuing Education Committee Presents: AI Awareness for Law Librarians: Navigating the Impact and Key Platforms – Wednesday, February 7th at Noon

AI Awareness for Law Librarians: Navigating the Impact and Key Platforms

In only a year, generative AI has taken the world and the legal industry by storm. Fortunately, law librarians and information professionals have been using other types of AI in research platforms and databases for years and have plenty of insights to share. The panelists will give a rundown of what their firms are doing with genAI, along with a recap of what is happening broadly in the legal market, and the impact it is having on research teams specifically.

While not every legal institution may be dabbling in AI (yet), there are still a lot of opportunities for law librarians to add to their skill sets and be knowledgeable about the overall impact of AI.  With that in mind, the panelists will focus on practical AI know how for the law librarian- both for fun and for work.  In addition, attendees will receive a take home list of the products mentioned and current awareness resources used to assist in staying on top of all the legal (and fun) AI developments.

Presenters:

Emily R. Florio: Emily is the Director of Knowledge Research & Resources at DLA Piper LLP (US), and is responsible for the creation, implementation and leadership of research and resource solutions within the firm.  As a key component of the firm’s Knowledge team, she encourages a knowledge-sharing culture that helps the firm’s lawyers and business professionals practice smarter.  Emily is a past president and former board member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL).  As AALL president, she prioritized identifying avenues for collaboration within the association and the legal information industry overall, particularly focused on the essential role of law librarians within their institutions.  She appointed special committees focused on reviewing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and opportunities, along with identifying opportunities to increase the pipeline of people into the law librarianship profession.  Emily is also a former president and treasurer of the Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, DC (LLSDC).  Emily received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont and her master of library science degree from Simmons College.

June Hsiao Liebert: June is the director of information services at O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles, California, where she oversees the firm’s knowledge, research and information governance initiatives. Her extensive background in both IT and information management comes from working in law schools, law firms and legal technology consulting.  June received a JD and MLS from Indiana University and a BS in Management from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining O’Melveny, she was the Firmwide Director of Library and Research Services at Sidley Austin LLP. June has also served as the CIO, library and distance education director, and professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, as well as the CIO at the University of Texas School of Law and a research librarian at the UCLA School of Law.  June is the current president of the American Association of Law Libraries and a Fellow-Elect of the College of Law Practice Management. She was named a Fastcase 50 top legal innovators honoree in 2021 and is a member of the Indiana Univ. Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering alumni board.

When: Wednesday, February 7th, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where: At your desk via Zoom. Registrants will receive webinar details prior to the program.

Video Recording: Video is available here.

Presentation Slides:  Slides are available here.

Permanent link to this article: https://chicagolawlib.org/blog/2024/01/22/continuing-education-committee-presents-ai-awareness-for-law-librarians-navigating-the-impact-and-key-platforms-wednesday-february-7th-at-noon/

Continuing Education Committee Presents: Banning Book Banning: Illinois Public Act 103-0100 and how this groundbreaking amendment to the Illinois Library System Act came to be – Wednesday, January 24th at Noon

Banning Book Banning: Illinois Public Act 103-0100 and how this groundbreaking amendment to the Illinois Library System Act came to be

Headline, March 8, 2023: Giannoulias to Libraries: We’re United Against Banning Books.  State’s Librarian vows to protect free speech, access to books

“Amid coordinated efforts throughout the nation to ban books from library shelves, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has drafted first-in-the-nation legislation designed to support public and school libraries and librarians as they face unprecedented censorship of books and resources in Illinois.” https://www.ilsos.gov/news/2023/march/230308d1.pdf

Did you know that Illinois is the first—and, at the moment, only–state to legally preclude a library from obtaining state grants if it censors its materials? That legislation, passed into law last June and effective as of January 1, 2024, amends the Illinois Library System Act to prohibit the practice of banning specific books or resources.

Do you want to find out HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN? Join us at noon on Wednesday, January 24 for a panel featuring the movers-and-shakers behind House Bill 2789: the two legislators who became the original co-sponsors of the bill and the librarians who helped draft the legislation. The focus of our conversation will be on the origin, development, and ultimate passage of this historic and important enactment.

Presenters:

The Legislators:

Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) represents Illinois’s 28th Senate District and was the Chief Senate Sponsor of HB2789. Senator Murphy has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Illinois State University and has over two decades of experience in health care and social services management.

Representative Anne Stava-Murray (D-Downers Grove), serving Illinois’s 81st District, sponsored HB2789 in the Illinois House of Representatives after a school board in her district was subject to pressure to ban certain content from school libraries. Rep. Stava-Murray graduated from Dartmouth College and was the former commissioner on the Naperville Board of Fire and Police.

The Librarians:

Cyndi Robinson is the Executive Director of the Illinois Library Association. As well as her work with Illinois libraries, Cyndi is also involved on the national level, particularly on intellectual freedom advocacy. Cyndi has a BA in History from Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Library and Information Science from Dominican University.

Carolyn Kinsella is the Executive Secretary for the Association of Illinois School Library Educators (AISLE) and a retired high school librarian. Carolyn worked closely with the Illinois Secretary of State’s staff to draft HB2789, and, with AISLE, collaborates with other organizations to support libraries facing book bans.

 

When: Wednesday, January 24th, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where: At your desk via Zoom. Registrants will receive webinar details prior to the program.

Video Recording: Video is available here.

Permanent link to this article: https://chicagolawlib.org/blog/2024/01/05/continuing-education-committee-presents-banning-book-banning-illinois-public-act-103-0100-and-how-this-groundbreaking-amendment-to-the-illinois-library-system-act-came-to-be-wednesday-january-24t/

Leveraging Data Science to Improve the Practice of Law

Please join us for our upcoming continuing education event…a talk by Pablo Arredondo titled “Leveraging Data Science to Improve the Practice of Law” via Zoom at noon on Tuesday, December 12th.  Pablo will discuss the history and technology of Large Language Models and how they are being applied in law.

Pablo Arredondo is Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Casetext, a legal technology company that develops sophisticated research and drafting tools to improve access to legal research and help attorneys practice more efficiently. Pablo’s innovations, including Casetext’s pioneering brief analysis tool, CARA A.I., have been recognized by the World Economic Forum, the American Association of Law Libraries, and the American Bar Association. In addition to his groundbreaking contributions at Casetext, Pablo is a CodeX Fellow at the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics, where he focuses on civil litigation in common law jurisdictions, with an emphasis on how litigators access and assemble the law.

We hope you can make this engaging talk on legal AI from someone who’s done important work in the area.

Please Register here

Permanent link to this article: https://chicagolawlib.org/blog/2023/12/06/leveraging-data-science-to-improve-the-practice-of-law/

November 2023 Business Meeting

November 2023 Business Meeting
Meeting Date: Thursday, November 16, 2023

Please register here.

Location: Zoom (more details to follow)

Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Please stay on Zoom after the meeting to network and catch up with CALL friends.)

Speaker: Unfortunately our speaker had to cancel—we hope to arrange a continuing education event with him before the year is out. The business meeting will proceed with our usual announcements, and then we’ll move to breakout rooms for focused discussion.

Community Service Project: Greater Chicago Food Depository

In connection with the November business meeting, the Community Service Committee is working to support the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The Food Depository is Chicago’s food bank, partnering with over 700 local agencies and programs, including pantries, soup kitchens and shelters for children, older adults and veterans. Every day they distribute over 267,000 meals, relying heavily on donors and volunteers to make it happen.

The Community Service Committee encourages CALL members to support the Greater Chicago Food Depository by making a monetary contribution in conjunction with the November Business Meeting. You can make a donation online at https://myfooddrives.org/team/538448

A packing event is also being planned at GCFD for January, but date is still TBD.

Door Prizes: Two gift cards will be raffled during the meeting courtesy of LexisNexis.

Registration ends November 15th.

Permanent link to this article: https://chicagolawlib.org/blog/2023/10/27/november-2023-business-meeting/