Government law libraries are funded in a variety of ways: through local, state, or federal budgets, court fees and fines, subscriptions, or a combination of all of those. Many court systems are currently re-evaluating the impacts of court fees and fines on members of the public, and government budgets are facing significant cuts due to the pandemic. Now more than ever, government law librarians and their allies must effectively advocate for full funding of their libraries. This webinar will empower participants with successful advocacy strategies they can implement at their institutions.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Participants will be able to identify advocacy resources and strategies to secure stable funding for their libraries.
2. Participants will be able to identify the parameters for advocacy within their organizations, including what activities are allowed and how to make the most of limited resources.
3. Participants will gain skills to build effective relationships with decision-makers and influential stakeholders to ensure long-term support for their institutions.

SPEAKERS:

• Miriam D. Childs, Law Library of Louisiana
• Suzanne B. Corriell, US Court of Appeals Library for the Fourth Circuit 

MODERATOR:

• Jean L. Willis, Sacramento County Public Law Library 
  

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

Jean L. Willis (Moderator)
Assistant Director for Support Services
Sacramento County Public Law Library

Jean Willis is the Assistant Director for Support Services at the Sacramento County Public Law Library.  In this role, Ms. Willis supervises the Library’s IT and Technical Services Departments as well as serving on the Management Team.  Ms. Willis teaches California and Federal Law Library Basics as part of the Library’s extensive MCLE program of classes offered to the greater Sacramento legal community.  Ms. Willis has worked at the University of Sydney Law School Library, the Law Courts Library serving the NSW Supreme Court and Australian Federal Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals Law Library, several law firm libraries and IT Departments, and the San Diego Law Library.

Ms. Willis is an active member of the American Association of Law Libraries, including serving as Treasurer from 2016 – 2019.  She is also active in the Northern California Association of Law Libraries and the California Library Association, where she has held leadership positions.  Ms. Willis received a B.A. in English Literature and Philosophy from Muhlenberg College, a Masters in Library Science from the University of Denver, and an Advanced Certificate in Information Technology from Drexel University.  

Miriam D. Childs (Speaker)
Director
Law Library of Louisiana

Miriam Childs has been the Director of the Law Library of Louisiana in New Orleans since May 2016. She started with the Law Library in 2003 as an assistant librarian responsible for serials and acquisitions. In 2006 Miriam was promoted to Head of Technical Services, and then to Associate Director in 2013. During her tenure at the Law Library, Miriam been responsible for or provided support to all areas of library operations, including staff management and training; cataloging; database maintenance; reference and research services; government documents; and preservation.

Miriam came to the library with a strong technical services background. Her previous positions include serials librarian at the University of New Orleans, reference and collection management librarian at Jefferson Parish Public Library, and assistant librarian at Exxon Chemical Baton Rouge. She received her B.A. in History from Louisiana State University in 1992 and her M.L.I.S. from Louisiana State University in 1993. 

Suzanne B. Corriell (Speaker)
Circuit Librarian
US Court of Appeals Library for the Fourth Circuit

Suzanne Corriell has been with the Fourth Circuit Library since early 2015, and currently serves as Circuit Librarian. Previously, she had been Associate Director of the University of Richmond Law Library. At the University of Richmond, she also taught first-year legal research in the Lawyering Skills program and co-taught Public Policy Research and Drafting.

Ms. Corriell has a J.D. and a M.A. in Library & Information Science from the University of Iowa, and a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College. During law school, she was the Senior Managing Editor of the Iowa Law Review. She is a past president of the Virginia Association of Law Libraries, an occasional contributor to the “Law Libraries” column in the Virginia Lawyer magazine, and is active in the American Association of Law Libraries.