Review of The 360 Librarian: Integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and critical reflection in the workplace

Review of Owens, T.M. and Daul-Elhindi, C.A. (2020).The 360 librarian: A framework for integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and critical reflection in the workplace. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries. 164pp

On Being a New Voice, A New Everything

In this thoughtful post, member Geraldine Kalim reflects on being a new librarian, a new University of Georgia employee, a new/returning resident of the state of Georgia, and a new mother. AALL\u27s New Voices is for members to share insights on any aspect of law librarianship. Pieces in this series also appear on the Members Open Forum in addition to being published as part of the AALL monthly eNewsletter. Topics in the series include: starting a new role, insights on professional development, recommending a favorite resource, providing an overview of an AALL webinar, or your take on an article from AALL Spectrum, Law Library Journal, or KnowItAALL

Productivity Column: It Took Me Four Pomodoros to Write This

Kalim shares specific productivity techniques in this blog post for PEGA-SIS. She talks about the upsides and downsides of teleworking, gives a brief history of the pomodoro technique of working full-focus for 25 minute increments, gives options for the classic and modern timers, and even notes the similar and highly compatible idea of the power hour to work against a clock to see how much you can accomplish during a set amount of time

Cool Tools for Time & Project Management

Student Services Librarian Geraldine Kalim and Metadata Services Librarian Rachel Evans shared their favorite web-based applications and smartphone apps. Tools included Kanbanflow, Google Suite, Trello, Slack, Moleskin Journey, and Voice Notes. Screen captures and specific examples of how each presenter uses the apps in their daily worklife in the law library as well as examples of special projects and best apps for team collaboration were given. There was also a short time for questions and discussion following the talk

Avoiding Bandwidth Overload: Apps to Maxamize Time and Accomplish More

Accomplishing goals and keeping to deadlines on both big and small projects can be challenging to balance with our recurring tasks. Making effective use of a few on-point tools can be the key to avoiding burnout and making sure your personal bandwidth doesn’t throttle. This session will use the two presenter’s preferred platforms to show specific examples of how to manage workflows using a selection of apps to tackle business as usual, short and long term work, and major special projects. You will learn which tool is best for generating documentation, collaborating with multiple individuals, syncing with other apps, and even automating reminders for tasks you need to handle at various intervals. The applications that will be compared for pros, cons, and their integration with one another are: Slack KanbanFlow Trello Google Suite Moleskin Journey In addition to apps, presenters also share mantras for prioritizing tasks both in the office and at home, insights into how they juggle motherhood and work-life, and suggested reading materials for understanding the cognitive load and managing the stressed of being a woman in higher education

Law Library Reopening Video, Fall 2020

In this five minute video UGA Law Library shared information about reopening for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, including changes to policies, virtual services, and access to the facility and other resources. This video was used as a part of communications with School of Law faculty, staff and students and embedded on the library\u27s webpage for continuing services throughout the 2020-21 academic year

Surving COVID with the Breakfast Club: Tools for Telework Task Management and Communication in a Multi-Generational Workplace

As librarians around the world scrambled earlier this year to set up physical spaces to work from home, at UGA Law Library we were fortunate to have a few apps already in place. In this session we put our recent and personal experiences to use, as well as adding a newer tool into the mix, and successfully pivoted employees, teams, departments and services all online within a week. Individuals and small teams had been using various platforms for years to collaborate more effectively and track progress on long-term objectives, all while maintaining business as usual. Our library is also made up of a range of age groups including Boomers, Gen-X\u27ers and Millenials. Each presenter will share one of the tools they had a hand in implementing and are driving for our library\u27s teleworking space in addition to giving their personal generational perspective. We will present the why and how of three primary applications used over the past 2 months and which will guide us as we transition to reopen. We have used these tools to assign and monitor critical workflows leading up to and during our institution closure, including schedules for essential staff, and enabling access to key electronic resources. We will discuss how we are also using the tools to interact and collaborate while teleworking, and how they\u27re helping us make up for our collective lack of socializing in these time of extreme social distancing. The three tools, including specific examples of each, are: Trello Slack Zoo

Welcoming Wellness to Your Library

Promoting wellness in the library is a natural extension of our roles as librarians and the role of the library in the community. Librarians have an opportunity to be role models and to exhibit the importance of making time for daily healthy habits. In this presentation, we will discuss the ways in which we have included wellness programming at an academic law library, our successes and failures, and the impact this programming has had on our law school community. Examples of our wellness programming include yoga in the library; circulating recreational equipment; magazine subscriptions; sound baths; virtual reality; jigsaw puzzles; exam period “stressbusters” like coloring pages, word searches, and games; mindfulness sessions; and therapy dogs. For each event, we will share photos and discuss time commitment, advertising, cost, engagement level, and lessons learned