AALL Webinar: Balancing Metrics and Mindfulness: An Introduction to Slow Librarianship for Law Library Professionals

Includes a Live Web Event on 10/08/2026 at 11:00 AM (CDT)

Many law librarians work amid limited resources, frequent meetings and interruptions, and pressure to "prove their value" through productivity metrics. Against this backdrop, we will introduce slow librarianship, a philosophy informed by the broader slow movements. It advocates intentionality, sustainability, and relationship-building over a narrow focus on output or innovation. Participants will leave with practical strategies to balance measurement with purposefulness and tools to mitigate burnout and strengthen professional engagement.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

This program would appeal to all categories of law librarians. The panel will offer suggestions for both individuals and organizations, thus providing information of interest to both workers and managers.

TAKEAWAYS:

Articulate the core principles of slow librarianship and explain how this framework differs from traditional productivity-focused approaches to library work.
Identify at least three practical strategies for implementing slow librarianship practices in their own library settings at either the individual or organizational level.
Analyze the relationship between slow librarianship and professional well-being, including how intentional practices can help mitigate burnout and improve job satisfaction while maintaining quality service.

SPEAKERS:

Kristina Alayan, University of Maryland School of Law, Thurgood Marshall Law Library
Lorin Jackson, University of Pennsylvania

MODERATOR:

Julie Tedjeske Crane, Penn State Dickinson Law

READ MORE ABOUT SLOW LIBRARIANSHIP:

• Meredith Farkas, What Is Slow Librarianship?, Information Wants to Be Free (Oct. 18, 2021), https://meredith.wolfwater.com... [https://perma.cc/2TK4-2H87].
• Julia Glassman, The Innovation Fetish and Slow Librarianship: What Librarians Can Learn from the Juicero, In the Library with the Lead Pipe (Oct. 18, 2017), https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2017/the-innovation-fetish-and-slow-librarianship-what-librarians-can-learn-from-the-juicero/.
• Lorin Jackson, Jill Deaver & Meredith Solomon eds., Embracing Slow Librarianship: Tools for Sustainable, Ethical, and Inclusive Practice (Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited 2027).
• Lorin Jackson, Jill Deaver & Meredith Solomon, Fast Questions and Thoughtful Answers: Balancing Innovation, Inclusivity, and Slow Librarianship, in Slow Librarianship: Reflections and Practices (Ashley Rosener ed., Library Juice Press 2026).
• Lori Spradley, What Is Slow Librarianship?, Keeping Up with... Am. Libr. Ass'n, Ass'n of Coll. & Rsch. Libr.), https://www.ala.org/acrl/publi... [https://perma.cc/55X5-N7U4].
• Julie Tedjeske Crane, Slow Librarianship and Slow Productivity: Complementary Approaches to Sustainable Work, in Creating Healthy Library Workplaces: Five Factors That Improve Employee Engagement and Satisfaction (Jason Martin ed., Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited 2026).

AALL BODY OF KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS: Professionalism + Leadership At Every Level, Management + Business Acumen

CANCELLATION AND OTHER POLICIES

No refunds will be given for any purchased live AALL webinar. This applies to non-AALL members only as AALL webinars are free for AALL members.

All AALL webinars include live captioning services.

The opinions shared during this program represent the views of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). Recording, capturing, or using AI tools to duplicate, transcribe, or otherwise reproduce an AALL program in any form is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from AALL. This includes, but is not limited to audio, video, or any other content shared. By attending an AALL program or accessing an AALL recording, you agree to adhere to this policy.

Julie Tedjeske Crane (Moderator)

Professor of Legal Research and Reference Librarian

Pennsylvania State Dickinson Law

Julie Tedjeske Crane is a law librarian and Professor of Legal Research at Penn State Dickinson Law. She writes and speaks about sustainable work in libraries. She contributed two chapters to Creating Healthy Library Workplaces (Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited, 2026), one on slow librarianship and slow productivity and one on meaning and purpose in library work. She contributed an article about a "good enough" approach to work to AALL Spectrum, and on the RIPS Law Librarian Blog she addressed a diverse range of topics including the Zeigarnik effect, time management, remote and hybrid work, and emotional work in law librarianship. At the AALL Annual Meeting, she coordinated a 2026 pre-conference workshop on attention and a 2024 program on deep work and slow productivity.

Kristina J. Alayan

Associate Dean for Library & Technology

University of Maryland School of Law

Kristina J. Alayan is the Associate Dean for Library & Technology and Associate Law School Professor at the Francis King Carey School of Law. She oversees all aspects of library and technology operations and services through innovative, strategic, and solutions-oriented leadership to support the advancement of the scholarly, pedagogical, and clinical goals of the law school. She is dedicated to ensuring the library is an active, thriving center for learning and innovation for the law school community. She is a frequent speaker on topics related to leadership, change management, diversity, recruitment and retention, and professional advancement.

Before joining the law faculty in 2021, Professor Alayan was the Law Library Director and Assistant Professor of Law at the Vernon E. Jordan Jr., Law Library at the Howard University School of Law. She also held several positions on the law library management team and served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. Her career began at Duke Law as the Foreign and International Law Librarian & Lecturing Fellow. She has served in numerous leadership positions at the local, regional, national, and international levels (e.g., LLSDC, USMAI, AALL, IALL).