Pacific Legal Tech 2007

The Pacific Legal Technology Conference is getting set for another run here in Vancouver on October 10th. And they've just updated their website, so please do check it out!

I'm also happy to announce that for the first time, I'm going to have the honour of being one of the speakers! I'll be doing two sessions at this year's event.

First up, I'll be joining Doug Jasinski from Vancouver's Skunkworks and Kevin O'Keefe from Seattle based Lexblog in a truly West Coast flavoured session on legal web marketing (TIP3). This exact group did a similar session on the topic of law blogs for the Vancouver LMA last year, and it offered a great mix of perspectives. Hopefully we can replicate that same feeling, and still expand the topic to cover all the new web marketing strategies & directions that are currently available.

And for the second session, Kevin and I are pulling together a talk on Innovative Uses of Legal Technology (TIP4). I'm hoping to cover a mix of both public facing web strategies, and also look at some of the ways in which law firms are innovating in-house behind the firewall. Obviously Kevin and I are both web guys, so this won't likely be much of a gadget session. I look at things with a bent towards the efficiency of content delivery -- a Librarian / KM guy's thought pattern -- so please don't expect me to build a scanner from your camera phone. ;)

Looking forward to seeing some friendly faces on October 10th! PLTC registration info is here.

LawMatters. Yes it Does.

Very cool project announced today by the BCCLS called LawMatters.

Supported by the Law Foundation of British Columbia, the LawMatters project has the BCCLS teaming up with Public Libraries to increase access to BC legal resources. These are the objectives cited in the press release:

• Financial assistance for purchase of appropriate legal resources
• Bibliographies of recommended current resources!
• Research guides on specific legal topics
• Training for public library staff
• Reference and referral support
• Consultation and advice for local libraries

This is a very smart initiative, and gives the BCCLS an opportunity to expose their in-house expertise in some very fundamental ways, namely: resource training, material support, telephone and email consultation, and general consulting.

Also worth noting, the BCCLS is going to work on behalf of PLE (Public Legal Education) publishers to get their materials distributed within the Public Library system.

This is the type of infrastructure project that may not get noticed, or hit the front page of our local newspapers, but you can bet it's going to have an impact. Kudos to the BCCLS & the Law Foundation for finding new ways to support PLE. We're all the better for it.

Abstracked is Back!

In the 'I can't believe it took me this long to notice' category (3+ months...), long time law library blogger Abbie Mulvihill and her blog AbsTracked look to be back in business!

After taking most of 2006 and a bit of 2007 off from blogging, Abbie started posting again on June 29th. And while I've been a little distracted, I'm feeling a little guilty for not noticing. Good thing Steven Cohen pays attention! :-)

Welcome back Abbie! and back into my feed reader & blogroll goes AbsTracked.

NE2007 is October 17-20th

My friends at the Toronto Association of Law Libraries (TALL) are getting set to host NE2007 : Libraries Without Borders 2, the 4th Northeast Regional Law Libraries Meeting, on October 17-20, 2007.

If you're thinking about a conference this fall, this would be a smart event to consider. They're expecting close to 600 law librarians from all over the north-eastern United States and eastern Canada, and the event is open to everyone.

Connie Crosby has a more detailed writeup over at Slaw, and the registration details are available on the NE2007 website.

Update! New Canadian Law Blogs

I finally got around to making additions to my Canadian Law Blogs list. Those additions are as follows:

• Thoughtful Legal Management (David Bilinksy)
• University of Alberta Faculty of Law Blog (UofA)
• Jeremy De Beer (University of Ottawa)
• Ian Kerr (University of Ottawa)
• Boucks law blog
  
• All About Information (Hicks Morley)
• AHBL Blog (Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang)
• Canadian Insurance Law Blog (Harper Grey LLP)
• Mike on Crime
• Law Firm Web Strategy (Stem Legal)
  hey, at least I put it at the end! ;-)

As always, if you know of anyone missing, please send 'em my way.

Top 25 Librarian Bloggers List

Lots of traffic today related to OEDb's list of Top 25 Librarian Bloggers, of which this blog peaked in at number 17. And while being included in a list like this is always an honour, I've got to wonder how one of the top librarian blogs got omitted? Hmm. Let's just call it very odd.

Now, crazy methodologies aside, lists like these do have some positive effects. I can see definite value to increasing exposure to the profession, and to the good things Librarians bring to the blogosphere. Especially for those of us down on the 'C' list. :-)

And secondly, lists can force many of us (one notable exception being that perceptive Librarian who got omitted - see above) to do what we don't do often enough - check out what we're missing!

So in that spirit, I'm lifting a copy of all 55 librarian blogs that were examined. Read, enjoy and subscribe!

1	librarian.net
2	The Shifted Librarian
3	LibrarianInBlack
4	Free Range Librarian
5	Law Librarian Blog
6	A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette
7	The Travelin' Librarian
8	Walt at Random
9	Filipino Librarian
10	h20boro lib blog
11	InfoTangle
12	The Ubiquitous Librarian
13	Confessions of a Science Librarian
14	Libraryman
15	Google Librarian Central
16	The Days & Nights of the Lipstick Librarian
17	Vancouver Law Librarian Blog
18	Annoyed Librarian
19	Librarian
20	Connie Crosby
21	The Handheld Librarian
22	The Other Librarian
23	Alternative Teen Services
24	Jason the Content Librarian
25	The Krafty Librarian
26	teenlibrarian
27	MotherReader
28	The Cool Librarian
29	A Librarian At The Kitchen Table
30	hiplibrariansbookblog
31	Feel-good Librarian
32	Theoretical Librarian
33	OA Librarian
34	The Illustrated Librarian
35	Travels with the State Librarian
36	Hyperactive Librarian
37	OPL Plus
38	Union Librarian
39	Becoming a Librarian
40	CogSci Librarian
41	News from Nancy, State Librarian of Michigan
42	Librarian on the edge
43	The Patent Librarian's Notebook
44	Information Literacy Librarian
45	Connecting Librarian
46	Bad Girl Librarian
47	Spartanburg County Public Libraries
48	Virtual Library Cat's Eye View
49	baa baa... blog of a craftylibrarian
50	The Itinerant Poetry Libriarian
51	The Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind
52	The Indie Librarian
53	Grassroots Librarian
54	Strategic Librarian
55	Library Science, not Rocket Science

New Slaw is up!

Don't forget to check out the new design at Slaw.ca ... kudos to Simon Fodden!