Conference call

This year’s Harrogate-based BIALL conference was a prime example of why more law librarians should attend such events, argues Jas Breslin.

Did you miss out on this year’s BIALL conference at Harrogate because your employer was reluctant to fork out for the costs? Perhaps they could not see the benefits? Or maybe they think conferences are just another excuse for a good old knees-up at their expense? If so, then read on, for you may find that enough good came out of this year’s get-together to make a solid case for your attendance at the Brighton conference next summer.
For a start, a weekend like this offers the opportunity to attend a huge amount of the highest quality lectures and seminars. Indeed, this year we had a fantastic keynote speaker. We were treated to an in-depth look at the impact of technology on lawyers and the law, presented by Richard Susskind – IT adviser to the Lord Chief Justice himself. It's not often that you get a chance to listen to such an influential figure, someone who has the power to shape the way the legal profession, and indeed the legal information profession, moves forward. Personally, I came away feeling informed and positive about the direction in which Susskind is advising the judicial system and about the role of the information professional in the future – there is always a lot of talk that law librarians will be out a job, but Susskind makes the point that this obviously will not happen.
There was also the not to be missed opportunity to hear the entertaining Charles Oppenheim speak. He danced around the stage enthusing about electronic copyright and discussing the issues involved in digital materials, and the fact that technology now makes infringement of copyright so easy – and we all know how easy it is to break the law these days with combined photocopiers and scanners.
The conference presentations also provided the perfect opportunity to gain a wider understanding of the types of challenges colleagues face – I went to one seminar where two information officers working in the small jurisdictions of Jersey and the Isle of Man talked about the diverse problems and issues they face, quite different to those faced by information professionals in large city firms. I also talked to some people from non-UK jurisdictions and we discussed the accessibility of legal information in each others' jurisdictions and how the internet has eased some problems, but created other problems like raising expectations of what should be available.
There are also ample opportunities to develop your research skills at the BIALL conference. Paul Norman of the IALS went through a survey of some European national legal resources on the internet which can be hard to find, particularly when you need something from an authoritative source that a lawyer can rely upon. Meanwhile, the pre-conference seminar was led by Tony Aust who focused on international law and treaties, and there was some very useful practical guidance on how to find information related to treaties.
And it doesn’t stop there, for probably the most practical 'soft skills' sessions I have been to in a long time has to be the conflict management presentation given by Candy Jannetta. Candy spoke of the need to break away from 'blame bingeing' (i.e. taking every opportunity to rant and whinge about work to your colleagues – come on, we've all done it!) and to work on understanding the un-met needs which are causing the conflict instead. I believe that everyone who attended this session felt there was something practical they had learnt that they could take back to the office.
Which is true of many of the other presentations too. Indeed, I found that they gave me a huge feeling of optimism and positivity about what I do and the professional role that we all play within our organisations. Many of the speakers were very inspiring and revitalising – giving me plenty of new ideas and schemes to try out in the workplace.
But what about the fun? Well, it is true that the conference provides a healthy dose of socialising too, but there is even a serious and productive element to the evening dinners and entertainment. You'll find that many information professionals talk shop quite a bit at these events and you can learn a lot about how other organisations similar to your own are coping with similar problems and challenges, and it is a great opportunity to share ideas and try them out for size. If you’re shy you needn’t worry either, you will find it's easy to strike up conversations with strangers as everyone there is involved with legal information in some shape or form. You can also meet those people on the BIALL committees whose names you are familiar with but you have never met. By chatting to them you will see that committee and council members are easy-going people with whom you could enjoy working if you just took take that extra step and enrolled with a committee. You can meet the mystery people who post lots of messages/comments to LIS-LAW or BIALLtalk, or the people who run the discussion lists. It is so easy to build up a network of friends and contacts over a glass of wine. Indeed, if you don't come away from the conference having made at least a handful of friends then you simply haven't been relaxing enough!
And then there’s the pens! The exhibition, where vendors and service companies have stands to advertise their products, presents a prime opportunity to talk to the vendors on neutral ground, to talk more informally about their services and build relationships, and possibly save your company money in the long run.
To me then, the BIALL conference encompasses all the things which I really love about our profession – training, learning about new products and resources, generally reconnecting with the wider profession, gaining inspiration and fresh ideas to put into practice, and networking with friends old and new. All in one fun and fact packed weekend! In fact, the only sour point to this year’s conference was this 'joke' from a Harrogate cab driver which was relayed in one presentation: 'What is the collective noun for a group of librarians? A shelf’,’ he said. If he’d attended the conference himself he would have seen how wrong he was…. More like ‘a database’ to my mind.
Many thanks to CLIG for awarding me a bursary which enabled me to attend the conference this year, and to Clifford Chance for paying my transport costs.
Jas Breslin writes in a personal capacity.
JasBreslin@hotmail.com