We are excited to announce that our collaborative blog, On Firmer Ground(OFG) is truly becoming global. Adding our sixth participating association today, we now have the following of organizations who represent law firm librarians in Africa, North America, and Europe. It is an unprecedented foray into international collaboration in the private sector. We look forward to welcoming other library associations who represent law firm librarians into our professional family. Please help us share the news about On Firmer Ground. For those of you in academic, government, and corporate law libraries, know that we are on the lookout for similar opportunities within those communities too. We want to sing the virtues of all our members and all who make the legal information industry so awesome!

Subscribe today so that you can receive new posts when they are published. And remember to comment on what you read so that we can start an exchange of ideas to move law firm librarians forward. OFG is an ongoing discussion about the challenges law firm librarians face and strategies for surmounting them. We are not here to merely talk about the state of our industry. We are here to discuss proactive solutions and innovative ideas that will not only sustain this noble profession, but help it thrive in a changing world. We invite you into our discussion. Join your colleagues and other luminaries as we open our minds and share our opinions on the future of law firm libraries.

Participating Organizations:

• British & Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL)
• Canadian Association of Law Libraries/L’Association Canadienne des Bibliotheques de Droit (CALL/ACBD)
• Organisation of South African Law Libraries (OSALL)
• Private Law Librarians Special Interest Section (PLL-SIS of AALL)
• Scottish Law Librarians Group
• Special Libraries Association (SLA) Legal Division

Your Division is proud to be part of an exciting new collaboration.  Along with our colleagues in the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries (PLL-SIS) and the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Group of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (l’Association Canadienne des Bibliothèques de Droit), and the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians, we are delighted to unveil On Firmer Ground, a blog Promoting the VALUE of Law Firm Librarians.  You can find it here.

More than just a blog, On Firmer Ground is designed to be a celebration of who law firm librarians are and what they do.  We encourage you to share your thoughts on the featured postings and engage your fellow law firm librarians in meaningful discussion.  This new blog is the first international collaboration of its kind and represents a chance for us to develop a common voice and strategies for success that transcend geographic boundaries.  We hope to have even more global partners signed on soon! It is a great time to be part of this profession and, working together, we raise its profile. We invite all our law firm librarians to get involved, represent your profession and Division, and make the most of this powerful new resource.

Your Legal Division is comprised of law librarians from across many sectors: academic, corporate, and government, as well as private firms.  While we know this blog is focused on but one sector of our membership, we thought it important that our organization take an active and supporting stake in its maintenance.  We are on the lookout for similar opportunities to suit our other demographics as well. In the meantime, we are sure you will agree that regardless of segment, the entire legal information industry benefits when we come together to exercise a collective voice. On Firmer Ground is an important step in that direction.

Check out On Firmer Ground today.  The first post is an excellent piece on Cost Prevention versus Cost Recovery.  We look forward to your thoughts. Let the discussion begin!  Is your library on firmer ground?

Twitter users can get the latest from On Firmer Ground’s feed by following @FirmerGround.

When was the last time you fell in love? Was it someone who swept you off your feet? Or maybe it was something you saw in a shop window? Wasn’t it a wonderful feeling?

A week from today, we will be celebrating the joy of falling in love here in America with the candy, cards, and flowers rituals that we so . . . well . . . lovingly . . . call Valentines Day.  One does not have to live in the United States to celebrate love, however. In fact, this Valentines Day, we challenge all of you to fall head over heels yet again. We want you to fall in love with the Legal Division!

When asked how they knew they were in love, many people will say that special someone or something simply “fit” or that something seemed to “click”. That is how we want you to feel about your Legal Division. We want to fit you and what you do. We want to click with your professional needs. The Legal Division wants to sweep you off your feet by adding real value to your SLA membership. Love is a two-way street, however, and we need your help.

The Legal Division of SLA is launching an almost unprecedented year of outreach to its members. We want to get to know you, what you do, and how best we can serve your needs. We want you, our members, to feel as valued and integral as you are. In the days ahead, a number of initiatives will launch. From a new, streamlined member survey to a members only listserv and even this brand, new Division Website designed to focus on you and your needs, we are preparing to woo you and court your affections once again.

We hope you like this new Legal Division website and we welcome any feedback you may have. Stay tuned also for opportunities to share your stories, successes, and concerns. We are ready, willing, and able to serve. Are you ready to fall in love with the Legal Division all over again?