Law Librarian Blog

Spotlight on Law Librarians: Don Blair

Don Blair
Reference Librarian
University of Cincinnati Law Library

Thomas More College, 1966
Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky Univ., 1975

At the University of Cincinnati Law Library, we like to joke that Don Blair is the oldest tenure track law librarian in the country. But it is no joke that when Don is at the reference desk he is as energetic as anyone one-third his age.

Don was awarded the College of Law's employee of the year award in 2001 and just last month he was awarded the President's Quality Service award, a first for the College of Law, and a "second" for university faculty librarians. The only other librarian to be so honored was the Dean and Director of University Libraries.

The following captures Don in his "Don-ness." It is the university's profile of Don based on the letters of recommendation he received for the 2005 President's Quality Service award.

2005 Presidents QSA Winner: Don Blair
The kind of service provided by Don Blair in the Marx Law Library of the UC College of Law can be accurately determined by the number of times per day the question is asked, "Where's Don?"

Date: 10/20/2005
By: Carey Hoffman
Photo By: Dottie Stover

The most frequent question asked around UC's Marx Law Library?

"Where's Don?"

The focus of the question is Don Blair, and the frequency with which it is asked is an indicator of the ubiquitous nature of his commitment to the students and faculty in the UC College of Law community.

"Don's commitment to public service is unconditional... ," praises Joe Hodnicki, associate director of the Marx Law Library. "Don is always available to help a student, faculty member, member of the bench or bar or member of the public at large even when he is not scheduled to work the reference desk. This commitment to service is so consistently displayed that we joke about it: "Where's Don?" is the most frequently asked question in the Law Library!"

Countless UC law students have come to recognize Blair as one of their greatest allies in pursuit of their legal education. For instance, a annual dinner at Skyline Chili with Blair is among the most hotly-sought items available at the college's auction in support of its Hooding Ceremony.

Kristin Woeste, a 2005 graduate and editor of the UC Law Review, has been among a group of four who have made sure they came away with the winning bid in the auction the last three years. Famous for his sound advice and advocacy for students, she marvels about Blair that "at a time when I barely knew the faces of many faculty, administrators and staff, the four of us were paying big bucks just to eat chili with him!"

Volunteer Professor of Law James O'Reilly considers Blair to be the epitome of "the self-sacrificing pursuit of excellent service to our students."

"The central core of Don's service is the student -- the nervous, shy and overwhelmed novice whom the law, as a discipline, tends to intimidate... ," says O'Reilly. "(Blair) has literally sat on the floor surrounded by new students helping them to understand how it all comes together, building their research skills while he makes them want to be professionals, counseling clients and listening well to others' needs. Don Blair's leadership and his humility combine to give the rare, special gift of true student-centered service."

Just as noteworthy has been the depths of his commitment to the faculty.

Marx Law Library Director Virginia Thomas calls Blair "one of the most service-oriented law librarians I have had the pleasure to work with in my 27 years in this profession."

Professor of Law Ronna Greff Schneider has relied on Blair for a number of years as her principal library liaison, and finds him gifted in locating all sorts of rare and unusual sources in her research pursuits.

"Not only did Mr. Blair always manage to locate these materials, no matter how obscure or difficult to find, he was always willing to find them for me regardless of whether he was actually schedule to be at work when I needed such materials or not... I have not seen any person work harder, without ever saying 'No' to any request made of him," Schneider says.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Law Marjorie Aaron relates similar experiences in requesting research help from Blair. "No matter what, Don is on the trail for the information and right resources for me," she says. "Too often, I learn later that my voice mail was left when he was not scheduled to be in, but he has come in over the weekend to make sure I have what was requested by Monday morning. I would never have asked for that level of service, but he provides it without the special request."

Adds Woeste, the UC law grad: "He is an insightful resource into the local law community and has invaluable experience to share with how to make it in the legal world. He has contacts at other libraries that he is happy to call upon when something is missing from our own collection... In short, Don Blair embodies the idea of community in the UC College of Law, combining an amiable personality that has endeared him with students with an expert knowledge of the law and the library. Each department at the university would be lucky to have such a dedicated person among their ranks."

- Joe Hodnicki, pinch-hitting for Lee Peoples who has been a wee bit busy preparing for an ABA/AALL visit.

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The Spotlight on Law Librarians feature is edited by Lee Peoples, Law Librarian Blog Contributing Editor and Associate Director for Faculty, Research and Instructional Services, Oklahoma City University Law Library. Please feel free to recommend a colleague for this feature to Lee at lpeoples@okcu.edu

Spotlight on Paul Hellyer

Paul Hellyer
Reference Librarian
Marshall-Wythe Law Library
College of William & Mary

B.A. 1996, UCLA
J.D. 1999, UCLA
M.L.I.S. 2005, San Jose State University

I began working as a reference librarian at William & Mary in July 2005, shortly after earning my library degree at San Jose State University.  This is my first permanent position as a reference librarian.  I practiced law for a few years before I decided to pursue librarianship, and so far I’ve found that being a librarian is a lot more enjoyable and satisfying than being a lawyer.  I enjoy teaching and doing legal research, and I’m glad to have escaped all the stress, time sheets and long hours that go with being a lawyer.

While I was in library school, I worked as an intern at the University of Southern California, Loyola Law School (Los Angeles) and the Los Angeles County Law Library.  I got a lot of experience on the reference desk and taught several classes during my internships, so that by the time I started my job at William & Mary, I already felt very comfortable doing reference and teaching.  For anyone who is thinking of starting a new career as a law librarian, I cannot overemphasize the importance of having one or more good internships before starting your first permanent job.

The College of William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, a small, historic city near the Chesapeake Bay.  Prior to moving out here, I had spent my whole life living in or near Los Angeles, so this has been quite a change for me.  On a librarian’s salary, it’s much easier to live in a small city, but I still miss L.A.

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The Spotlight on Law Librarians feature is edited by Lee Peoples, Law Librarian Blog Contributing Editor and Associate Director for Faculty, Research and Instructional Services, Oklahoma City University Law Library. Please feel free to recommend a colleague for this feature to Lee at lpeoples@okcu.edu

Spotlight on Law Librarians: Bonnie Shucha

Bonnie Shucha
Reference & Electronic Services Library
University of Wisconsin Law Library

I didn’t set out to become a law librarian, but I’m glad it worked out that way.  I attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee because they had a dual master’s program in History and Library Science.  Just what I needed to be an archivist, or so I thought. Too bad no one told me that archivist jobs were few and far between. 

As a recent graduate with mortgage payments looming, I applied for anything and everything. One such job happened to be as the solo librarian at the law firm of Weiss, Berzowski, Brady,and Donahue, LLP in Milwaukee.  To my surprise, they hired me with absolutely no legal experience.  Not unless you can count high school civics -- which, by the way, you can’t.

So a trial by fire it was.  After two years of learning "what is that and where can I find it?," I finally began to feel comfortable in my accidental profession.  I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the huge debt of gratitude which I owe to the members of the Private Downtown Law Librarians of Milwaukee, once my mentors and now my peers.

Six years ago, my husband and I decided that it was time to come home.  High school sweethearts, we’d both been longing to return to the Madison area.  Luckily for me, this coincided with an opening at the University of Wisconsin Law Library.  In my position as Reference and Electronic Services Librarian, I’m able to focus on the aspects of law librarianship that I most enjoy: helping people find answers to their research questions and playing with cool techie stuff.

I love being a law librarian. Corny, but true.  I get paid to be an information detective.  I particularly like the challenging questions - the ones that require me to dig into those information crevices that only we librarians know. Teaching law students is rewarding, too. It's neat to see those light bulbs go on.  I also get to design our Web site, chat with law students via virtual reference, and share research tips on the Law Library's blog, WisBlawg.

When I'm not at work, I'm "Mama." My 4 year old son and 1 year old daughter keep me jumping.These are a few of my favorite things. . . Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens -- No, wait,that's Julie Andrews. Mine are:

• Dancing around the kitchen with my son to "Mama music," a.k.a. James Taylor

• Playing the "I'm gonna get you" game with my daughter as she squeals and runs away

• Stargate: SG-1- my new favorite show since they canceled Star Trek: Enterprise

• Chatting with my husband by the campfire with the dog sacked out at our feet

• Spiderman movies - geek turned super hero - you’ve gotta like that

• Almond Joy ice cream from the Chocolate Shoppe

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The Spotlight on Law Librarians feature is edited by Lee Peoples, Law Librarian Blog Contributing Editor and Associate Director for Faculty, Research and Instructional Services, Oklahoma City University Law Library. Please feel free to recommend a colleague for this feature to Lee at lpeoples@okcu.edu