Happy Geek Pride Day from a Wheat Law librarian and self-proclaimed geek

My name is Blake, and I’m a geek. It’s true. For those of you who know me, this comes as no surprise. But for those who don’t, it’s not a difficult conclusion to draw. I am a law librarian. Trading in the courtroom for the library is tantamount to trading in Atticus Finch for Rupert Giles.

I let it slip, didn’t I? The real reason I’m a geek? It’s not because I’m a law librarian, although that does give me some geek street cred. What makes me a geek is that I get the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reference. And I know that “Star Wars” premiered on this day in 1977. And, according to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” today is Towel Day. And Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” celebrates the Glorious 25th of May.

Well, today is something else. Today is Geek Pride Day! It’s a day which claims that every person can claim the right to be a geek! There is even a manifesto:

Rights:

  1. The right to be even geekier.
  2. The right to not leave your house.
  3. The right to not like football or any other sport.
  4. The right to associate with other nerds.
  5. The right to have few friends (or none at all).
  6. The right to have as many geeky friends as you want.
  7. The right to be out of style.
  8. The right to be overweight and near-sighted.
  9. The right to show off your geekiness.
  10. The right to take over the world.

Responsibilities:

  1. Be a geek, no matter what.
  2. Try to be nerdier than anyone else.
  3. If there is a discussion about something geeky, you must give your opinion.
  4. To save and protect all geeky material.
  5. Do everything you can to show off geeky stuff as a “museum of geekiness.”
  6. Don’t be a generalized geek. You must specialize in something.
  7. Attend every nerdy movie on opening night and buy every geeky book before anyone else.
  8. Wait in line on every opening night. If you can go in costume or at least with a related T-shirt, all the better.
  9. Never throw away anything related to geekdom.
  10. Try to take over the world!

So in celebration of this most joyous of days, I say to you:

  • May the Force be with you.
  • Live long and prosper.
  • Inconceivable!
  • Kneel before Zod!
  • Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler…
  • This is my Boomstick!
  • NEE!
  • Excelsior!
  • The Dude abides.
  • One ring to rule them all
  • With great power there must also come — great responsibility.

Can you guess these films? Do you have other quotes? Feel free to add by leaving a comment!

W. Blake Wilson, Instrucational & Research Services Librarian – and Geek

Library’s Kagan page provides one-stop shop for information on the Supreme Court nominee

The University of Michigan Law Library’s informational Web page for the latest nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, was created May 10 by reference librarian Kincaid Brown within hours of the announcement. It is available here.

The Web page includes biographical information about Kagan, links to her authored works, transcripts of speeches and links to confirmation hearings for her nomination as solicitor general. The site will be updated as Brown continues to compile material and as new information becomes available. When the confirmation hearings begin, the site will also include links to the hearing transcripts.

We hope this Web page will enable you to follow Kagan’s progress through the nomination process!

Enjoy!

W. Blake Wilson, Instructional & Research Services Librarian

How to find your dream job when you have a law degree but don’t want to practice law

So you have attained (or are working toward attaining) your Juris Doctor but have decided not to practice law. If you already have your dream job, then you are set. But not knowing what your dream job is does not have to be a nightmare. You just need to take a step back and do some groundwork.

First, try to remember why you initially decided to go to law school. Many times, the past provides a key to your future. Then consider bringing your other degrees into the mix. If you truly enjoyed your area of study in undergraduate or graduate school, you might be able to have the best of both worlds by finding a career in which you can use all of your degrees.

Second, reflect on previous jobs – paid or volunteer positions – that you have enjoyed. What did you like about these opportunities? Was it the job, the people or even the location? Next, consider those jobs you did not enjoy. Again, try to determine why it was not a good fit for you. If you need help with these reflections, there are various assessment tests you can take. As mentioned in an earlier blog, your school’s Office of Career Services may offer them at reduced rates or you may use the services of a life coach. Knowing the qualities and characteristics that provide a good working environment for you will help you to narrow down potential employment fields.

Third, talk to folks. Maybe you know what you would like to do but you’re not sure how to get there. Do your research, find out who the key players are and then conduct informational interviews with them. Most of the time, people are happy to talk with interested individuals about their careers, and they may have some ideas about how you should proceed. You may meet even more people once you join a professional association affiliated with the type of job you want. Many times the association has a job board, and the membership list can be a great networking tool.

Fourth, become an advocate for yourself. There may be some careers in which it is not obvious how a J.D. would be beneficial, so be prepared to tell the employer about the transferrable skills, education and experience you bring to the table. Having a J.D. may make your application stand out for nonlegal jobs, but make sure to stand out because you have done your research on the employer and can provide them with the qualities they seek.

Finding a job where you do not practice law does involve work, but taking these steps can help you find your dream job where you and your degrees will be valued. Good luck!

Karen Hester, Director of Career Services and Director of Diversity and Inclusion

Law librarians share words of wisdom with graduating class

I have worked here at the University of Kansas Wheat Law Library for just over three years. Technically, I, too, am a 3L. The first class I taught was the 2007 summer starters, but really that was a bit of a dry run. My true connection was with the fall starters, what was to be the Class of 2010. You are my first class of students who I actually get to witness walking across that stage. I have come to know so many of you as not only a librarian and teacher but also a mentor. I will miss each and every one of you.

I asked the librarians if they have anything to say to the graduates of 2010, be it words of wisdom or quotes they have found meaningful. Here is what they sent me:

  • “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” – George Washington Carver
  • Clean out your carrels, return your library books, CELEBRATE, then right back to the library to study for the bar. Good luck, and we’ll miss you! Seriously!
  • My only advice is don’t forget to thank your friends and family for their support these past three years!
  • “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss
  • “You have brains in your head.
    You have feet in your shoes.
    You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
    You’re on your own.
    And you know what you know.
    You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
    – Dr. Seuss
  • “Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda
  • “I sincerely hope that all of the new grads will take some time to relish their accomplishments, to celebrate their graduation from law school. Getting into and getting through law school was not an easy task, so I hope they will all take a moment to reflect, relax and release!”

I do hope that you will remember that we at the Wheat Law Library are here for you whenever you need us. Keep us in your phone and call whenever you get stumped with a research problem or when you need a book. Or if you just need to talk to someone who has been through what you are going through.

W. Blake Wilson, Instructional & Research Services Librarian

Thanks to Chris Steadham, Su Johnson, Tammy Steinle McLain and Joyce McCray Pearson for their contributions.

Meeting Justice O’Connor leaves law student feeling inspired

I have a confession to make: I never watch the news. I was shocked in my 1L orientation to realize how much some of my fellow students knew about politics and the government. For example, when my 1L class was shown a picture of the Supreme Court justices, it seemed like everyone except me rattled off all of their names together. At that point, I could only name two people who had ever served on the Supreme Court. knew that John Marshall had because he was my middle school’s namesake (go JMMS!), and I knew that Sandra Day O’Connor had because all of the strong, dominant women in my family admire her as an agent of change.

Meeting Justice O’Connor was the most inspiring and least expected way to end my 1L year. (That’s me on the far right in the photo.) While anticipating her visit, I imagined lofty inspirational lectures and the imparting of that special wisdom that only celebri-sages have to offer. Instead, I met a practical, bright and bitingly funny woman. At her fireside chat at the Dole Institute, she described her start in the legal profession, which was modest at best. Upon graduation, Justice O’Connor found no one willing to hire a woman lawyer. So after a difficult job search, she worked for the San Mateo County Attorney’s office for free at an extra desk in the secretary’s office. Her story was funny and personal, but it carried a cogent message for law students in today’s economy. “Sometimes,” she said, “you’ll have to be a little creative.”

Her responses at a law student question-and-answer session were straightforward, honest and sometimes painfully blunt. When a student asked about her opinion regarding controversial legislation affecting Native Americans, instead of giving her opinion, she responded, “Have you written your congressman? No? Well, write him.”

Two take-home points from her lecture focused on how to approach a career. She was determined to communicate that “happiness is work worth doing.” While enjoying one’s work seems like an obvious life lesson, it impressed me that this was what she wanted to highlight as what she had learned from her career. Following a question regarding which decisions she regrets from her time on the Court, O’Connor explained that one key to her success was never thinking about that. O’Connor explained that she puts all of her energy into the front end of her work by solving problems the best she can the first time, and saves no energy for looking back on how she might have changed her decision.

Comparing my work (this week: finals prep) to hers (this week: continuing to be of monumental importance to the history and the future of the United States) by most logic makes my life pretty pale. However, the combination of Justice O’Connor’s stories of her modest start and her message that full investment in one’s work leads to great success, personally and otherwise, has me inspired. The work ahead feels less like a hurdle and more like “work worth doing.”

Alyssa Boone, 1L and Student Ambassador

New HeinOnline resource opens door to world’s constitutions and more

HeinOnline now has available World Constitutions Illustrated: Contemporary & Historical Documents & Resources.

World Constitutions Illustrated is now available as an a la carte library which introduces a brand new legal research platform that brings together constitutional documents, books, articles, bibliographic referenes and Web sites all in one database.

Although it is still in its infancy, it does contain the current constitution for every country (193 countries) as well as substantial constitutional hierarchies for the United Kingdom, France, Brazil and Colombia.

Included for every country:

  • The current constitution in its original language and in English.
  • Links to commentaries and other relevant sources such as the World Fact Book, Annual Human Rights Reports from the Secretary of State and country studies.
  • Direct links to specific chapters within the 800 classic constitutional books that discuss the country.
  • A bibliography of other select constitutional books about the constitutional development or the history of the government.
  • Links to online sources such as the Portal of the World and the official government Web site for the country.

Also included is a connection to hundreds of historical documents, providing you with a historical view of the constitution.

That’s not all!

This collection features, for the first time in an online digital format, the complete set of the British & Foreign State Papers, one of the greatest collections of legal and political documents ever published. The collection also includes more than 800 classic constitutional books from some of the greatest legal minds in history, including Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Max Farrand, Henry Hallam, Karl Marx, Thomas Paine, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and many more!

So check it out! I think you will like it!

W. Blake Wilson, Instuctional & Research Services Librarian