Guest post by the RIPS-SIS PR & Recruitment Committee
Questions with Puron is an interview series of the RIPS PR & Recruitment Committee to highlight the diverse views and professional strategies of members of Research Instruction and Patron Services Special Interest Section (RIPS-SIS). Our beloved penguin mascot Puron poses a series of questions to one of the many librarians who make up RIPS. For this installment, Puron spoke with Karen Greene, Reference Librarian, FAMU College of Law Library.
Puron: What brought you to law libraries?
Karen: My path to law librarianship was simultaneously inevitable and serendipitous.
I have a longstanding love of books and reading. When I was growing up, we did not have much money – but we did have library cards and made regular trips to the library for new books. My love of libraries runs deep enough that about 20 years ago, I wrote an essay about the libraries that have sustained me over the years; I later published that article on my blog: Through the Yarny Curtain: Living in a Wonderland of Yarn.
Like many people with a love of books and libraries, in my teens and twenties, I considered becoming a librarian and researched library school in depth, but my path turned in different ways, eventually leading me to law school. I went to law school intending a transactional probate and real estate practice, and again my path turned in a different direction and I practiced environmental justice litigation before leaving the practice of law due to family matters.
One of my best friends has been a law librarian for many years and used to work at the school I work at now. Last summer, she got a call from a colleague at the school; they were in need of additional librarians, including a reference librarian, and she referred them to me, thinking I would be perfect for the job. She was right!
Puron: What do you love about being a law librarian?
Karen: I am endlessly curious. I love learning new things, and chasing down rabbit holes to find new, sometimes obscure, knowledge. As a result, my favorite part of law has always been research and writing. As a reference librarian at a law school library that is also a public library, this is my every day life. Faculty, students, local attorneys, and members of the public come to us with wide-ranging questions; you never know what someone will ask next. It is fascinating and fun to help them find the resources they need.
Puron: What was your favorite #AALL2024 session? Or a cool recent webinar you attended?
Karen: I can not narrow it down to a single session or webinar, but rather to a topic. Recently, I have been learning about AI and have watched roughly 20 webinars, AALL 2024 sessions, and CLEs on the topic. This is a fast-moving area both within the practice of law and in society in general and it has been interesting to start learning about the different directions the field is exploring.
Puron: Do you have any advice for new or aspiring law librarians?
Karen: I am a brand new law librarian – just started my first law librarian job in August 2024. Joining AALL has been an excellent resource for me. The Special Interest Section forums, the Body of Knowledge, and the mentor I have through the AALL all help me to understand the scope of the skills I need to improve or acquire to grow in my role as a law librarian.
Puron: What’s a recent photo you took that makes you smile?
Karen: Our dog Bella is a 97 pound Weimaraner. She hates water. She doesn’t like to be sprayed with the hose for a bath. We got her a wading pool, thinking it would help her keep cool in the hot, humid Florida summers and she refused to put a paw into it. Bella came to live with us when she was about 9, after her previous person passed away, and she had this hatred of water when she came to us. We do not know how it developed.
When Bella came to live with us, she chose me as her person. She will sometimes guard me, like when I am sick. She has taken to guarding me when I take a bath or shower. It seems as though she thinks I am in danger and she is making sure she’s there to rescue me, if needed. Recently, I took a picture of her peering at me while I was in the bath, her forehead wrinkled in concern. It both warms my heart and makes me laugh.
Puron: What does instruction look like for you?
Karen: Instruction happens in such a wide variety of settings, formats, and media that I find it difficult to answer this question! My favorite instruction happens in small groups (fewer than 10 people) or one-on-one. I like responding to specific needs and helping people to build skills in a context that is meaningful to them.
Puron: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Karen: I knit, crochet, spin, weave, dye, and sew with varying degrees of skill and devotion. I can start with a freshly sheared fleece and take it all the way to a finished object – scour the wool, card or comb it, spin and ply it into yarn, dye it, then knit or crochet or weave it. I have served on the boards of multiple fiber arts non-profits, helping to organize conferences and festivals in both Florida and Indiana. As part of supporting these events, I learned to build websites mostly using WordPress, but also developed very basic HTML, CSS, and PHP skills. I am about to start learning the Drupal CMS.
Puron: What is your favorite movie?
Karen: Tied: Contact and Arrival. Both movies feature female scientists who are attempting to communicate with aliens. Those around them misunderstand and mock their efforts, but they persevere and their worlds (and ours) are expanded as a result of their success.
Puron: Share your favorite new (or new-to-you) resource for 2024!
Karen: CourtListener.com Sponsored by the nonprofit Free Law Project, this site provides free access to published opinions, as well as to federal court dockets.