Law librarians and legal information professionals are in an excellent position to help close the growing access to justice gap. In particular, academic and government law libraries that are open to the public may be interested in partnering with public libraries to provide greater access to legal information and support for navigating legal services. Law librarians can also assist public librarians with expanding their knowledge and improving their skills to respond to legal questions. This webinar will highlight different partnership models and introduce current opportunities and resources.

As follow-up to the webinar, you are welcome to enroll in WebJunction’s Facilitator Training that begins on March 8 and runs through March 26. This is a free, three-week training on how to guide peer learning groups through the Creating Pathways to Civil Legal Justice series of self-paced courses. The training is designed for anyone passionate about learning with others to augment the role libraries can play in access to justice issues.  This training is part of WebJunction’s Improving Access to Civil Legal Justice through Public Libraries training initiative in partnership with the Legal Services Corporation.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Law librarians, legal information professionals, public librarians, and those interested in access to justice

SPEAKERS:

• Brooke Doyle, WebJunction
• Sarah Larsen, Minnesota State Law Library 
• Rebecca Hass,  Anne Arundel County Public Library

AALL BODY OF KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS: Professionalism + Leadership At Every Level, Research + Analysis, Teaching + Training, Marketing + Outreach

Brooke Doyle

Brooke Doyle joined WebJunction in 2017 bringing a background in education that spans international classroom teaching, curriculum development, and university grant management. Inspired by library practitioners and the access to knowledge they provide, her work is guided by the belief that society must nurture and provide opportunities for all of its citizens. Brooke has an Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s and a MEd. from the University of Virginia.

Sarah Larsen

Sarah Larsen has been the Outreach Librarian at the Minnesota State Law Library since February 2017. In her role, she is responsible for coordinating legal clinics and resources for self-represented litigants, assisting with the library’s legal reference partnership with the St. Paul Public Library, and providing training to public librarians on legal reference. She is one of the subject matter experts and presenters for the WebJunction course, Creating Pathways to Civil Legal Justice. Sarah is an active participant in AALL, currently serving on the board of the Legal Information Services to the Public SIS and as the chair of the Government Law Libraries SIS Education Committee. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee and the Minnesota Judicial Branch Self-Represented Litigant Workgroup. 

Rebecca Hass

Rebecca Hass creates brave spaces as the Programming and Outreach Manager at Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL).  Rebecca has spent the past 11 years connecting public libraries to community goals through effective partnerships. She and her team support programs with 16 branches and virtually by convening community partners, non-profits, and presenters through a process she describes as "program matchmaking." Rebecca has represented AACPL on Anne Arundel County initiatives, including the Early Childhood Commission, Project Re-entry, and Community Plan task forces on homelessness, food insecurity, and transportation.