Happenings at the Wise Law Library

Recently at the Wise Law Library, there have been many exciting things happening. Is it the promise of Spring Break right around the corner, the lifting of the mask mandate, or just that good old-fashioned Rocky Mountain high we are feeling? I’m not sure, but here are few reasons we have to celebrate this month:

After a 35-year-long career, Jane Thompson retired in January. As our Faculty Services Librarian and Associate Director, we were sad to see her go but happy to know she is living her best life in a well-deserved retirement. In February, Jane was granted Senior Instructor Emeritus status, an honor earned and attested to by the generations of law faculty and students who relied upon her professional, friendly, and peerless service to the law school. Faculty needing access to resources can still reach out to the library via the faculty services email or to any of our fantastic law librarians.

This month, we are celebrating Women’s History Month with the nominations of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Check out our LibGuide on her life and resources to find out more about her judicial perspective. Our library homepage carousel features two other notable women from history. First, we have our notable alumna, the Honorable Judge Claudia Jordan who graduated from Colorado Law in 1980 and served in the public and private sectors before becoming the first Black woman judge in Colorado. Second, we showcase Patricia Scott Schroeder, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1964, was the first woman elected to Congress in Colorado in 1972, running on an antiwar & women’s rights platform.

Other happenings around the library:

Masks will no longer be required starting March 7, 2022 at 6am. Although some will continue wearing them to protect themselves and others from potential harm, most patrons are looking forward to being able to safely remove the masks. All CU Boulder campus members were required to have a vaccine booster by February 24, or file an exemption.

The Southwestern Popular American Culture Association conference took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico last weekend and was attended by law librarians Rebecca Ciota, Jill Sturgeon, and Baylee Suskin. They presented their paper “Gangsters, Goons, and Gambini: Using Popular Culture Films to Teach Legal Research.” What do fans of The Godfather, Die Hard, and My Cousin Vinny have in common? They all stand to learn a little more about the law and legal research process, using hypotheticals drawn from these movie scenes. Above all, the librarians had fun presenting at this conference, and students can look forward to scenes from these movies popping up in their legal research classes. 

Finally, we recognize that the events in Ukraine this week have been devastating. And yet, we also have cause to celebrate a few minor victories, as the Ukrainian spirit has fought against all odds in the face of authoritarianism. For example, the Ukraine Library Association responded to a cancellation of their forthcoming conference by basically saying: “We will reschedule just as soon as we have finished vanquishing our invaders,” prompting this Twitter user to post: “Ukrainian Librarians, I salute you.” The librarians at the Wise Law Library heartily join in the salute!

In times like these, a poem like Wendell Berry’s The Peace of Wild Things can help us take a moment.

Other ways we can help you “take a moment” at the Wise Law Library:

  • stop by and see our women’s history display of books in the lobby 

  • stop by for a pushpin poem (take one hanging on the bulletin boards or in the main lobby)

  • unwind your brain with the lobby puzzle

  • check out a DVD of My Cousin Vinny

  • schedule a consultation with a reference librarian at our appointments calendar

  • request a book from the catalog (permission to read a book just for fun—granted)