Director's Corner: Spring 2022

This article is from the spring 2022 issue of Hearsay, the semi-annual newsletter of the Wheat Law Library.

Your favorite library newsletter, Hearsay, is back again for the spring 2022 semester. With warmer weather on the horizon and the cautious optimism of improved conditions related to the pandemic, there is a shared sense of renewal and rejuvenation within the law library and Green Hall. We hope this issue of Hearsay shares that positive spirit with all of our readers at KU, throughout the nation and around the globe.

The Wheat Law Library staff has compiled an interesting collection of updates for you to browse, and there is no due date – you can enjoy this edition indefinitely. Among the features you will find in the following pages is a recounting of the 2021 Barber Emerson Bluebook Relays. This special KU Law tradition returned with much fanfare in 2021, and Jeff Montgomery, circulation and serials department manager, has all the details for you. Another longstanding tradition is the celebration of National Library Week, and Pam Crawford, assistant director for public and technical services, highlights this event in an insightful article detailing the important role that libraries have played in her life, along with an impressive collection of facts about the profession.

Technical Services Manager Brenna Truhe offers a change of pace, sharing some information about what is on our librarians’ current reading lists. An eclectic mix of books, both fiction and non-fiction, is offered for your consideration. In that spirit, I would add Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari, and Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, by Sarah Smarsh, as additional titles worth reading when you need a break from case law and statutes.

If you are interested in more traditional legal scholarship, Library Assistant Melissa Doebele offers insight about the Wheat Law Library display showcasing faculty publications. Found near the law library entrance, this display is periodicallyupdated with the latest books and articles authored by KU Law faculty members.

Shifting gears to talk about innovative new approaches to legal research instruction, Assistant Director for Instructional& Faculty Services Blake Wilson recounts his experience teaching Advanced Legal Research in recent years. His article highlights efforts to transform the challenges of the pandemic into pedagogical improvements,  illustrating how we are working to ensure KU Law students graduate prepared to conduct legal research in a rapidly evolving information environment.

Additional items of interest in this issue include the return of the Kansas Supreme Court Research Practicum and a successful annual meeting of the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries. We hope you enjoy catching up on our latest efforts and initiatives in this issue of Hearsay, and we look forward to seeing you in the library.

Christopher L. Steadham, JD, MLIM
Wheat Law Library Director

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