Contrada, John Della

English

Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law

UB Law Forum Volume 20 Number 1 Winter 2008 Article 52 1-1-2008 Podcasts Look at Law and Society: Law School’s Unique Project Brings Legal Scholarship to Broader Audience John Della Contrada Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/ub_law_forum Recommended Citation Contrada, John Della (2008) "Podcasts Look at Law and Society: Law School’s Unique Project Brings Legal Scholarship to Broader Audience," UB Law Forum: Vol. 20 : No. 1 , Article 52. Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/ub_law_forum/vol20/iss1/52 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Alumni Publications at Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in UB Law Forum by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. For more information, please contact lawscholar@buffalo.edu. 101W I N T E R  2 0 0 8“I came to the podcasts as a skeptic, andnow I am an evangelist,”says Mangold,who occasionally hosts the podcast discus-sions as well.“I have had perfect strangers say they’velistened to me on their iPods when theywent for a jog. This made me realize, vivid-ly, that this is a completely new form ofcommunication capable of reaching awide audience.”Milles, who produces a second podcaston “law, libraries and life in a northernborder town”called Check This Out!(http://checkthisoutpodcast.com), says heis growing the audience for “UB Law Fac-ulty Conversations”by posting it on severalInternet lists.“I have about 300 regular listeners eachweek for Check This Out! Most are librari-ans, but also quite a few are law professors,lawyers, law students, and anyone whohappens to come across one of myepisodes through Google. I am buildingmy audience for both podcasts by postingnotices of new episodes to listservs, com-ments on blogs, and old-fashioned net-working at conferences and other events.”Upcoming installments of “UB LawFaculty Conversations”will include suchwidely diverse topics as strategic planningfor community development, anthropo-logical approaches to personal injury lawin different cultures, and gender-basedbarriers to economic development.• • •To listen to “UB Law Faculty Conversations,” visit:ublawpodcast.comFaculty100U B  L A W  F O R U M  As a conversation starter, legal re-search may seem too esoteric ofa topic. But add to the discus-sion a little atmosphere – lunchat an Italian café, the chatteringof fellow diners, a touch of jazz music inthe background – and now you have themakings of an Internet talk show.James Milles, vice dean and director ofthe Charles B. Sears Law Library, is produc-ing podcasts of discussions with LawSchool faculty members and other promi-nent legal scholars. More specifically, youhave a podcast on important ideas in lawand society.Within the niche world of podcasting,nearly anybody with the right digitalrecording equipment can inexpensivelyproduce and post on the Internet a podcaston any topic under the sun. Likewise, near-ly anyone with the right PC software candownload and listen to a podcast fromanywhere at anytime.Debuting last semester among thiseclectic mix of podcasts and audiences wasa UB Law School podcast,“UB Law FacultyConversations,”http://ublawpodcast.com/,featuring discussions with UB Law Schoolfaculty and other prominent scholars.Produced by Law Professor JamesMilles, the podcasts often are recordedduring an informal dinner or lunch at anarea restaurant and consist of one-on-oneconversations between legal scholars. Theintellectual exchange is lively and friendly,with Milles sitting silently alongsiderecording the conversation. The restau-rant’s ambient sounds are pleasing and cre-ate a sense of place.The UB Law podcast may be one of theonly law school podcastS of its kind in thecountry, according to Milles, an expert onthe intersection of law and technology,who also serves as a vice dean and directorof the Charles B. Sears Law Library.“The Law School is home to incrediblelegal scholars who are doing some verycutting-edge legal research,”Milles ex-plains.“The podcast is one way to bringtheir scholarship outside of the academy.“You won’t find too many people out-side of law schools willing to sit down andread a 100-page law review article,”headds.“The conversational format of ourpodcast, on the other hand, makes thesetopics more accessible to law and non-lawcommunities. Plus, the podcasts under-score our law school’s emphasis on civicengagement and public policy.”Previous podcasts have focused on anarray of legal matters, including workplaceequity, pensions, economic development,transracial adoption and even Russianforestry. Scholars from law schools at Co-lumbia University, Emory University, Rut-gers University and St. John’s Universityhave participated in the UB podcasts, usu-ally as a follow-up to research they present-ed at UB’s Baldy Center for Law and SocialPolicy.On a recent Thursday afternoon at theRomeo & Juliet Bakery Café on Hertel Av-enue in Buffalo, UB Law Professors SusanMangold and Martha McCluskey sat downto record a podcast on Mangold’s latest re-search, which takes a critical look at federalrequirements that say an abused or ne-glected child must be poor to be eligible forfoster-care maintenance funds.Podcasts look at law and societyMILLES RECEIVESPRESTIGIOUSAWARDJames G. Milles, vice dean for legalinformation services, director of theCharles B. Sears Law Library andprofessor of law at UB Law School,has been selected as the 2007recipient of the Kenneth J. HirshDistinguished Service Award of theComputer Science Special Interest Sectionof the American Association of LawLibraries (CS-SIS). Milles was nominatedby a group of CS-SIS current and pastchairs. The award is presented to a memberwho has made outstanding contributionsto the organization and who is wellregarded for their service to the profession.Milles was chair of CS-SIS in 1996–97and was also American Association of LawLibraries Special Interest Section Councilchair the following year.According to hisnominators,“one of Jim’s most importantcontributions to law librarianship has beenthe role of mentor he has played for manycolleagues and newcomers to the field andmentors students in his library schoolclasses. He makes it a point at every annualmeeting to set aside time to meet with newlibrarians and introduce them to thesection.”Milles received this prestigious awardon July 15 during the AmericanAssociation of Law Libraries AnnualMeeting in New Orleans.“The Law School is home to incredible legal scholars who aredoing some very cutting-edge legalresearch.The podcast is one way tobring their scholarship outside ofthe academy.”– James Milles,vice dean and director of the UB Law LibraryLaw School’sunique project brings legalscholarship to broader audienceBy John Della ContradaUB News Services  101W I N T E R  2 0 0 8“I came to the podcasts as a skeptic, andnow I am an evangelist,”says Mangold,who occasionally hosts the podcast discus-sions as well.“I have had perfect strangers say they’velistened to me on their iPods when theywent for a jog. This made me realize, vivid-ly, that this is a completely new form ofcommunication capable of reaching awide audience.”Milles, who produces a second podcaston “law, libraries and life in a northernborder town”called Check This Out!(http://checkthisoutpodcast.com), says heis growing the audience for “UB Law Fac-ulty Conversations”by posting it on severalInternet lists.“I have about 300 regular listeners eachweek for Check This Out! Most are librari-ans, but also quite a few are law professors,lawyers, law students, and anyone whohappens to come across one of myepisodes through Google. I am buildingmy audience for both podcasts by postingnotices of new episodes to listservs, com-ments on blogs, and old-fashioned net-working at conferences and other events.”Upcoming installments of “UB LawFaculty Conversations”will include suchwidely diverse topics as strategic planningfor community development, anthropo-logical approaches to personal injury lawin different cultures, and gender-basedbarriers to economic development.• • •To listen to “UB Law Faculty Conversations,” visit:ublawpodcast.comFaculty100U B  L A W  F O R U M  As a conversation starter, legal re-search may seem too esoteric ofa topic. But add to the discus-sion a little atmosphere – lunchat an Italian café, the chatteringof fellow diners, a touch of jazz music inthe background – and now you have themakings of an Internet talk show.James Milles, vice dean and director ofthe Charles B. Sears Law Library, is produc-ing podcasts of discussions with LawSchool faculty members and other promi-nent legal scholars. More specifically, youhave a podcast on important ideas in lawand society.Within the niche world of podcasting,nearly anybody with the right digitalrecording equipment can inexpensivelyproduce and post on the Internet a podcaston any topic under the sun. Likewise, near-ly anyone with the right PC software candownload and listen to a podcast fromanywhere at anytime.Debuting last semester among thiseclectic mix of podcasts and audiences wasa UB Law School podcast,“UB Law FacultyConversations,”http://ublawpodcast.com/,featuring discussions with UB Law Schoolfaculty and other prominent scholars.Produced by Law Professor JamesMilles, the podcasts often are recordedduring an informal dinner or lunch at anarea restaurant and consist of one-on-oneconversations between legal scholars. Theintellectual exchange is lively and friendly,with Milles sitting silently alongsiderecording the conversation. The restau-rant’s ambient sounds are pleasing and cre-ate a sense of place.The UB Law podcast may be one of theonly law school podcastS of its kind in thecountry, according to Milles, an expert onthe intersection of law and technology,who also serves as a vice dean and directorof the Charles B. Sears Law Library.“The Law School is home to incrediblelegal scholars who are doing some verycutting-edge legal research,”Milles ex-plains.“The podcast is one way to bringtheir scholarship outside of the academy.“You won’t find too many people out-side of law schools willing to sit down andread a 100-page law review article,”headds.“The conversational format of ourpodcast, on the other hand, makes thesetopics more accessible to law and non-lawcommunities. Plus, the podcasts under-score our law school’s emphasis on civicengagement and public policy.”Previous podcasts have focused on anarray of legal matters, including workplaceequity, pensions, economic development,transracial adoption and even Russianforestry. Scholars from law schools at Co-lumbia University, Emory University, Rut-gers University and St. John’s Universityhave participated in the UB podcasts, usu-ally as a follow-up to research they present-ed at UB’s Baldy Center for Law and SocialPolicy.On a recent Thursday afternoon at theRomeo & Juliet Bakery Café on Hertel Av-enue in Buffalo, UB Law Professors SusanMangold and Martha McCluskey sat downto record a podcast on Mangold’s latest re-search, which takes a critical look at federalrequirements that say an abused or ne-glected child must be poor to be eligible forfoster-care maintenance funds.Podcasts look at law and societyMILLES RECEIVESPRESTIGIOUSAWARDJames G. Milles, vice dean for legalinformation services, director of theCharles B. Sears Law Library andprofessor of law at UB Law School,has been selected as the 2007recipient of the Kenneth J. HirshDistinguished Service Award of theComputer Science Special Interest Sectionof the American Association of LawLibraries (CS-SIS). Milles was nominatedby a group of CS-SIS current and pastchairs. The award is presented to a memberwho has made outstanding contributionsto the organization and who is wellregarded for their service to the profession.Milles was chair of CS-SIS in 1996–97and was also American Association of LawLibraries Special Interest Section Councilchair the following year.According to hisnominators,“one of Jim’s most importantcontributions to law librarianship has beenthe role of mentor he has played for manycolleagues and newcomers to the field andmentors students in his library schoolclasses. He makes it a point at every annualmeeting to set aside time to meet with newlibrarians and introduce them to thesection.”Milles received this prestigious awardon July 15 during the AmericanAssociation of Law Libraries AnnualMeeting in New Orleans.“The Law School is home to incredible legal scholars who aredoing some very cutting-edge legalresearch.The podcast is one way tobring their scholarship outside ofthe academy.”– James Milles,vice dean and director of the UB Law LibraryLaw School’sunique project brings legalscholarship to broader audienceBy John Della ContradaUB News Services  

Podcasts Look at Law and Society: Law School’s Unique Project Brings Legal Scholarship to Broader Audience

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Podcasts Look at Law and Society: Law School’s Unique Project Brings Legal Scholarship to Broader Audience

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