Preserving and Promoting History: Libraries with Long Memories

Law libraries are well placed to preserve the history of their institutions. However, policy changes, staff turnover, and the passage of time are difficult obstacles in the effort to provide historical context, fight the loss of institutional knowledge, and highlight unique collections. Librarians face a tall task when forging partnerships, selecting materials worthy of preservation, and establishing succession workflows—all while facing a time and budget crunch.

This program takes a practical focus for how you can position your library as the institution’s memory. Learn how to plan for the materials, tools, and partnerships to best ensure success. Get tips for sharing with stakeholders how the service further cements the importance of the law library within your institution. Panelists from academic, government, and law firm libraries will review specialized practices within their library and provide tips to build relationships and market your library as a safe and permanent historical home for your institution's story.

Target Audience:

Academic law librarians who work closely with repositories or who are hoping to build stronger law school relationships; law firm librarians who hope to better preserve their firm's history; government librarians who work with a large amount of historical documents; and law library deans or directors positioning the library at the center of their institution's strategic plan. This program will also be useful for any law librarian with an interest in providing better access to unique resources via historical memory.