Wheat Law Library’s Five Laws of the Law Library

Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan (1892-1972) was considered the father of library science in India. He developed what has been widely accepted as the definitive statement of ideal library service. His “Five Laws of Library Science” (1931) is a classic of library science literature, as fresh today as it was in 1931. These brief statements remain as valid, in substance if not in expression, today as when they were promulgated, concisely representing the ideal service and organizational philosophy of most libraries today:

  1. Books are for use.
  2. Every reader his or her book.
  3. Every book its reader.
  4. Save the time of the reader.
  5. The library is a growing organism.

We here at the Wheat Law Library believe that the Five Law of Library Science apply as much to the law library today as they did to Ranganathan’s libraries in 1931. Granted, with the advancement of technology, these laws need a bit of updating. So here I would like to propose…

Wheat Law Library’s Five Laws of the Law Library

1) Books and databases are for use.

All of our books are available for anyone to use. Not every piece can be checked out, but we do have copy machines and we are even willing to scan material and send it wherever it needs to go.

This holds true with electronic databases to a certain extent. Many of our databases may be accessed by the public. For those pieces that are not open to the public, we are happy to help you find alternatives or access those databases for you.

2) Every reader has his or her resource.

No matter which legal issue you are researching or task you are performing, there is a resource out there for you. Keeping this law in mind gives the law librarian drive to perform his or her duties.

3) Every resource has his or her reader.

Keeping every book on our shelf or subscribing to every single electronic database is simply not possible, but we do realize that ever single resource is needed by someone. This is why we offer inter-library loans as one of our services. If we don’t have it, we will find out who does.

4) Save time of the patron.

We are here to help you find what you need. Although we cannot answer your legal questions or write your memos, we can save you time by matching you up to the material you need to help you with your issue.

5) The law library is a growing organism.

We are constantly re-evaluating our services and materials. As new databases come out, we are on the front lines of reviewing for ease of use and relevancy of content. We keep up to date with the latest technologies, and we learn about our users and how best to serve them. The law library is not a static entity but rather one that is ever changing and ever evolving. This change is what keeps us alive and relevant.

These Five Laws of Library Science are markers we all should keep in our minds when we think of any library, not just the law library. As librarians, we must remind ourselves why we are here, what our duties are and who we are serving. As patrons, you need to know why we are here and what we can do for you.

So I hope to see you in the library. Preferably mine! And if you do come, bring us some cupcakes. Because Blake’s Rule of the Law Library is even simpler: Everyone likes cupcakes.

W. Blake Wilson, Instructional & Research Services Librarian

Interviewing advice: Tell a better story!

Our office prepares hundreds of students (and a number of alumni) each year for interviews with legal employers. During this interview prep, which often includes the review of a videotaped mock interview, we talk about strategies to enhance responses to common interview questions.

Often our advice boils down to this: Tell a better story!

Employers ask questions to evaluate an applicant’s potential for success. Sometimes an employer’s questions, while direct, don’t seem to lend themselves to effective storytelling. For example, “Who’s your favorite law school professor?” or “Why did you pursue a legal education?” are relatively easy to answer; but a short, obvious answer won’t help the interviewee’s cause.

In other instances, an employer may rely on a more probing “behavioral interviewing” type question. These tend to follow a “Tell me about a time when…” or “Please describe a situation in which…” format. Questions of this type beg for an interesting story in response, but they often tie interviewees in knots.

When responding to either type of interview inquiry, it’s important for the interviewee to capture and hold the interviewer’s attention by weaving a coherent story of accomplishment. Anecdotes that relate past accomplishments to the potential for future success with that employer are the secret to effective interviewing.

For several years now we’ve been suggesting the STAR method of responding to interviewing questions. The method is recommended by this article and is a powerful way to connect with an interviewer through an “accomplishment story.”

The STAR method is simple. In response to a question, walk an interviewer through these steps:

  • Situation or Task: Describe the situation you were in or the task you needed to accomplish. Don’t rely on a general description of a past event; be specific. Pepper your description with memorable details.
  • Action(s) you took: What steps did you take to address the situation? What tasks were necessary?
  • Results you achieved: How was the issue resolved? What happened and what did you learn?

An effective “accomplishment story” holds the interviewer’s attention and keeps the focus on you, the interviewee. It also provides an interviewee a memorable way to organize and deliver his or her thoughts.

The STAR method resonates particularly well with attorney interviewers. Our theory is that attorneys, who after all are in a customer service driven industry, like to hear about situations in which issues were resolved through concrete actions.

Resolved issues = happy clients.

An interviewee with the potential to make clients happy = a new employee.

Todd Rogers, Assistant Dean for Career Services

Big 12 football tour provides fun outlet for diligent law student

I remember when I was a prospective law student visiting various law schools, a major concern of mine was whether law students had time to do anything fun. I had heard the one-liners from all of my friends and family sarcastically telling me, “Have fun at the library … we’ll see you in three years!” Then there were all the law school prep books that I had consulted. They meticulously structured the ideal daily schedule for a first-year law student, which, of course, involved countless hours at the library in order to review prior class discussions and prepare for future ones. Finally, the dozens of Hollywood portrayals of life as a law student that I saw did little to calm my nerves. I’m thinking specifically about “The Paper Chase.”

So as I entered law school, I pretty much had resigned myself to the fact that my life would be spent in a sea of books for the next three years.

While spending quality time in the library is part of the deal when someone decides to go to law school, it’s not the end of the world that I had envisioned when I signed up for a legal education. In fact, finding fun-filled outlets was a necessity for me in order to escape from the daily grind of reading appellate cases, writing memos and worrying about falling victim to the Socratic method. Some people work out at the rec center, others spend time with family, but for me, the key to success in law school was college football.

I made a goal to see a KU game played in every stadium of the Big 12 Conference, and after three years I made it to all but one: Baylor in Waco, Texas. I would find law school friends to join in on my adventures, and often times I would travel with people who had graduated from the school KU was playing that week. My trips to Texas Tech, Iowa State and Kansas State were like this. For my friends, it was an opportunity to see their old friends and experience the nostalgia of their undergraduate life. For me, it was more of an opportunity to experience a new college town and try out the local flavor. For instance, no trip to Ames, Iowa is complete without a stop at Hickory Park BBQ for ribs and an ice cream sundae. And when cruising through Stillwater, Okla., a detour ought to be made at Eskimo Joes for some cheese fries.

Other times, a group of students just wanted a getaway, like when four guys piled into a two-door sedan for the eight-hour trek to Boulder, Colo. We toured the Coors Brewery, checked out Pearl Street Mall and enjoyed the nightlife in downtown Denver. In November this past year, a group of 14 law students rented a condo along Sixth Street in Austin, Texas for an extended weekend to watch the Jayhawks and the No. 2 ranked Longhorns. It was there that I learned that a hotdog topped with pulled pork is the next big thing.

It pains me a bit to know that I will graduate this May just one Big 12 school short of the mark I set out to reach. But I place most of the blame on Big 12 scheduling more than anything. At any rate, it will provide a great excuse for all of my friends to take time off of work next fall for an extended weekend in Waco to remember all the good times we had back in law school.

Rock chalk, Jayhawk!

Chris Kaufman, 3L

KU Student Bar Association hosts charity, social events

The Student Bar Association has had a very busy spring semester and doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon. SBA organized a blanket drive for the Lawrence Humane Society and collected two boxes full of donations for the animals from students and faculty. In addition, students met at Wayne & Larry’s, and the business donated a portion of its proceeds from the night to the Lawrence Humane Society.

Everyone is looking forward to the annual Barristers’ Ball to be held March 6 at the new Oread hotel in Lawrence, KS. This semi-formal event gives students a chance to get away from the law books and have a nice night out with friends.

Race Ipsa, the SBA’s annual 5k for charity, is planned for April 10. Be sure to look for more information on Race Ipsa in the coming weeks so you can sign up to run or walk for a good cause.

Sonja Kramer,
SBA president

On-campus interviews offer learning experience

The KU Law Office of Career Services does an absolutely phenomenal job of arranging and hosting on-campus interviews here at the law school. Todd Rogers, Karen Hester and LaVerta Logan of Career Services put enormous amounts of time and energy into bringing both local and national firms, agencies and other employers to Green Hall to meet with and interview our students. In these distressed economic times, we cannot thank Career Services enough for their efforts. And we also thank the employers for their willingness to travel and invest time and attention in KU Law.

Participating in OCI for the last two years has been a very helpful and rewarding experience. Not only is it beneficial to gain interview experience, but it is a great opportunity to get to know the participants in the legal community. The wide range of employers really helped to broaden my perspective of what kind of summer position I wanted to pursue.

I found that one of the best ways to prepare for OCI was to participate in the mock interview program established by Career Services and local employers. It was helpful to select for the mock interview the type of employer I thought I would like to meet during OCI. The feedback and encouragement is truly invaluable! Even if a summer offer does not come from OCI, the contacts made and experience gained from the experience will develop your interviewing skills for the future.

The OCI process for the 1L class has been a dominant feature of the beginning of this spring semester. While the 2L and 3L class encountered the bulk of their interviews last fall, this is the first real opportunity for 1Ls to have first-hand encounters with employers. This is a time of great excitement for the newest class at KU Law, and they are anxious to begin to find out where in the legal community each of them belongs. We welcome all interviewers to KU, and wish all interviewees the best of luck throughout the OCI process!

Kristen Koenen, 2L

OMG, jurors can’t tweet about cases!

The federal courts have always been up on technology. The administrative office of the United States Courts established Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER), a one-stop shop for uploading and downloading court documents for federal cases. The courts themselves are relatively high-tech, containing such items as Smart Screens, document cameras and various display devices.

So it’s no surprise to find out that in December 2009, the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management added to its Proposed Model Jury Instructions rules on social networking sites such as Facebook, My Space, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter. The proposed rules basically add e-mail, text messaging and the use of the sites mentioned above as forms of communication under the basic “no talking about this case” rule.

Although these rules are simply proposed, it probably would not be a bad idea to include such rules when you are drawing up your jury instructions. Never assume that jury members would come to the conclusion that they should not tweet, “OMG, just saw the grossest crime scene ever!”

W. Blake Wilson
Instructional & Research Services Librarian