AALL Webinar: Fire & Water: Planning for Disaster

Includes a Live Web Event on 09/15/2026 at 1:00 PM (CDT)

We can never know for sure what type of emergency will strike. They can cause major disruption or only minor annoyance, but we know they are always lurking. Everyday brings a potential disaster, but also an opportunity to respond. Disaster response planning cannot address every possible emergency, but it can enhance our reaction time and minimize potential effects. Even if the law library has a plan in place, it needs to be constantly updated to reflect the ways libraries operate, as well as changes in staffing, communication, assets, infrastructure, and physical space. Join this panel for a discussion of tips based on recent lessons learned from recent wildfires, planning strategies, and recommended supplies and resources to keep on hand – just in case!

TARGET AUDIENCE:

All law librarians.

TAKEAWAYS:

Participants will be able to create a list of supplies and resources to incorporate into their disaster preparation plan.
Participants will understand how to communicate to staff and stakeholders about the disaster preparation plan, including recently onboarded staff, work-from-home team members, and others.

SPEAKERS:

Erik Adams, Sidley Austin LLP
Kerstin Leistner, Pepperdine University Law Library
Joy Shoemaker, U.S. Court of Appeals - Ninth Circuit Library

MODERATOR:

Robin Schard, University of Miami School of Law Library

AALL BODY OF KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS: Information Management, 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.

Erik Y. Adams

Director of Library Technology

Sidley Austin LLP

In addition to his role at Sidley Austin, Adams is also the chief of technology at Golden Arrow Publishing. He has more than 20 years’ experience working in law firms and high-tech startups. He recently contributed to the book Law Librarianship Practice and has written frequently on technology and the law. Adams is a veteran of the dot-com boom, having spent several years at the kind of companies where foosball tables were a fixture in the break room. He earned his Master of Library and Information Science from UCLA at a time when gopher was still more popular than the World Wide Web.

Kerstin Leistner

Director, Harnish Law Library

Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law

Leistner earned her BA in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her JD from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she served as chief research editor of the International and Comparative Law Review. She also earned her MLIS from San Jose State University. Before joining the Harnish Law Library in 2019, she melded her love for librarianship with her zeal for bicycling by volunteering with the community library Feminist Library on Wheels (FLOW). She currently serves as the editor of Annuals and Surveys appearing in Legal Periodicals and teaches Advanced Legal Research.

Joy Shoemaker

Librarian

United States Court of Appeals – Ninth Circuit Library

Shoemaker has more than 20 years of experience in law librarianship. She has also worked at the University of California, Irvine School of Law Library; the Library of the Supreme Court of the United States; and Duke University School of Law Library. Shoemaker has taught legal research and library courses as an adjunct professor at The Catholic University of America and the University of Southern California. She holds a BA in economics from DePauw University, a JD from Indiana University School of Law–Bloomington, and an MLS from Indiana University School of Library and Information Science–Bloomington.

Robin Schard (Moderator)

Director

University of Miami School of Law

In her role, Schard teaches courses on legal research, artificial intelligence, and law-related technology. Additionally, she had taught several continuing legal education programs and workshops on research and technology. Schard is on the editorial board of the peer-reviewed journal Internet Reference Services Quarterly. She earned a BA and an MLS from Rutgers University, and holds a JD from the University of Miami, where she served as an associate editor of the Inter-American Law Review.