Administration – 2005 Annual Report

Services:  The Library was a construction zone for much of the year, but the results were well worth the inconvenience.  We appreciate our good neighbors, Human Resources, for putting up with the mess and noise. The merger of the circulation and reference desks into one public services area greatly improved our patrons’ ability to navigate the Library and eased staff scheduling.  The Library entrance is more clearly defined; patrons are no longer confused about where to ask for help.  The Library reading lounge received a facelift with new, comfortable furniture.  We also replaced the noisy chairs in the conference room.  The Library’s book exchange of popular fiction and non-fiction moved to the front of the Library and is now more accessible to all our patrons.  Not only have we made the Library more inviting, but we continued to meet with Judicial Departments to assess how best to serve the entire Minnesota Judiciary, and we also added more desktop services. 

Collections:  A flat-rate contract was negotiated with our largest vendor to stabilize prices, preserve the Library’s basic print collection of reporters, statutes, and standard treatises, and reduce costs.  This allowed us to increase our electronic resources.  We are now able to offer Lexis and Westlaw, as well as a variety of specialized databases.  Also, new in 2005 was the CCH Research Network for human resources and labor materials.

Special Events:  The Library continued to offer programs, primarily in the spring and fall.  The eclectic group of “Showcases” in 2005 included Trekking in Tanzania, LawHelpMn.Org, and Ballroom Dancing.  All events were open to the public, but we were also pleased that many of the programs qualified for continuing education credit for Judicial employees.  This new initiative developed through our discussions with the Office of Education & Organizational Development (EOD).  Also in cooperation with EOD, the Library held several training sessions on efficient research using the vast and varied realm of the Internet. Juvenile Court at 100:  2005 marked the 100th anniversary of the creation of the first juvenile court in Minnesota.  The Minnesota State Law Library was heavily involved in activities commemorating this event.  Barbara Golden and Daniel Lunde participated in the Minnesota Supreme Court's Juvenile Court Centenary Planning Committee. On May 13th, a reenactment was done of the U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in the landmark case In Re Gault.  This judicial opinion expanded the rights of juveniles in court proceedings. The Minnesota Supreme Court Justices participated in the reenactment, which was followed by a keynote address concerning the impact and legacy of In re Gault in Minnesota.  A second program occurred on November 4th.  This day-long symposium, entitled Emerging and Innovative Ideas in Juvenile Law, was held to re-examine what it means to pursue justice for children and juveniles, as well as to celebrate the history of the juvenile courts in Minnesota.  The capacity crowd of presenters and participants included judges, attorneys, social workers, guardians ad litem, and others involved with helping children in juvenile courts. Work also began on a traveling storyboard exhibit about the juvenile courts in Minnesota which is the final project of the Committee.

Justice Career Book:  On October 7^th, the Library joined the Supreme Court, along with former Justice Tomljanovich, family, colleagues and friends, for a special Court session commemorating the publication and presentation of The Judicial Career of Esther M. Tomljanovich.  This book is the fourteenth volume in the Minnesota Justices Series.  All of these titles are edited and published by the State Law Library; they include articles, photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, commendations, judicial opinions, and essays by or about the Justice. 

Interns make a difference:   Kathy D. completed a study of the “Tables of Authorities” in briefs submitted to the Minnesota appellate courts.  The Library collection includes 99.085% of the authorities cited, up from 93% two years ago.  STEP-UP intern Kaleb E. compiled biographical information on appellate court judges for the Library website.  See http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/judgebio.html. 

Study of “Table of Authorities” in briefs filed for Minnesota appellate cases published in volumes 681 to 690 of North Western Reporter, 2d series. 

Totals and Percentages
Total Number of Authorities Cited	13,449
Total Number of Authorities Available	13,326
Total Number of Authorities NOT Available	123
Total Number of Electronic Resources Available	59
Total Number of Print Resources Available	13,267
Percentage of Authorities Unavailable	0.914%
Percentage of Authorities Available	99.085%

Library Leadership:  At the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Barbara Golden was inducted as Chair of the State Court and County Law Libraries Special Interest Section. She also coordinated a session entitled “The Great Disappearing Act: Preserving URLs Cited in Judicial Opinions” with Randi Madisen, head of Public and Electronic Services, as a featured speaker.  Randi Madisen coordinated fourteen staff training session during the year.  Daniel Lunde was elected as chair of CALCO (Capitol Area Library Consortium).  Daniel also served on the Minnesota State Library Advisory Council.  The July/August 2005 issue of the MALL Newsletter honored the Library by selecting us as the first in a series of law library profiles.  The Library is a founding member of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, which won the inaugural Eileen Cooke State and Local Madison Award presented by the American Library Association.  This award honors those at state and local levels who have championed, protected, and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know. 

24 Hours at the State Law Library
Public Services 2005 Annual Report
Technical Services 2005 Annual Report
LLSP 2005 Annual Report