Jul 06

Forgo the Status Quo: Preparing for the AALL Annual Meeting and Conference

By Michael Feit | Associations , Events

The 110th American Association of Law Libraries’ (AALL) Annual Meeting and Conference is scheduled for July 15-18, 2017 in Austin, TX. The theme of this year’s conference, “Forgo the Status Quo”, seems perfect for such an eclectic and vibrant city such as Austin! According to recent attendee surveys, 22% of attendees are from law firm libraries. For that reason, we are excited to attend this year’s conference.

We want to know what our clients want to know.

Below, we offer some suggestions and tips on how best to prepare for the upcoming conference and optimize your time there:

Plan in advance what you want to attend. Prior to the conference, study the conference schedule and decide what programs interest you the most. You have the option of downloading the conference app to your device, making it a handy option for planning on the go and managing your conference schedule (https://eventmobi.com/aall2017/). While you will receive a program upon arrival, come prepared and have the program and the programs you are most interested in attending already highlighted if you prefer paper. As some programs are bound to be more popular than others, try to arrive early to ensure that you can get a seat. Check out the events and meetings scheduled, and map out what events interest you the most.

Schedule time for the vendor hall. Be sure to leave ample time to explore the exhibitor hall and find out what is new and exciting with vendors and databases. You probably won’t be able to do it one day, so plan on popping in once or twice during the conference to connect with vendors and see the greatest and latest offerings. And this is a great time to collect literature on new vendors and databases to share with your colleagues back at your firm.

Bring an extra sweater or long-sleeved shirt, and dress comfortably. Summertime in Austin is HOT, but the Austin Convention Center will be cool. Some conference rooms might be chilly, so come prepared!

Network, network, network! If you attend the conference with colleagues, it might tempting to stick close to them. It’s best to divide and conquer and meet new librarians! And if you go to different programs, you can present what you’ve learned to your colleagues after the conference.

Get Social! If you are on Twitter or Facebook, find the conference hashtag #AALL2017 and follow along for conference news, events, photographs, tips, and commentary. Use #AALL2017 in all of your social media conversations and posts! If you don’t have a chance to attend the conference, this is a great way to follow along.

Bring business cards! Be sure to update your LinkedIn profile before heading to the conference. You may exchange business cards with new folks you meet, but they will likely add you soon after on LinkedIn.

Follow Feit Consulting on LinkedIn to see daily highlights from the conference.

Jul 06

The Austin Food Scene

By Michael Feit | Events

One of the best parts of attending the AALL Conference is experiencing the food in a new city!
Not only does Austin have a thriving music scene, but they are quickly becoming one of America’s best foodie towns. Barbecue is huge here, and the food truck scene is quickly growing. The hip and funky capital of Texas is now ranked in nearly every best food city list. While you may be tempted to stay close to the convention center, don’t be afraid to go further afield and explore different areas of Austin. Both UBER and Lyft have recently returned to the city after a year-long absence, so affordable ride options abound! Since your schedule is likely to be tight, make restaurant reservations in advance on OpenTable or by calling the restaurants.

BBQ
Franklin is Aaron Franklin’s renowned barbeque spot that has folks waiting in line for hours–it is that good! Try to get there by 7:00 am!
900 E 11th St

La Barbecue is a food trailer serving up Central Texas barbecue and offers shorter lines than Franklin’s (AND you can pre-order 5 days in advance). Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
1906 E Cesar Chavez St

Japanese
Uchi is Tyson Cole’s original “house” that started it all and serves up amazing sushi and Japanese cuisine.
801 South Lamar Boulevard

Uchiko is the offshoot of the famed Uchi restaurant and offers upscale sushi & small plates in a farmhouse-chic space.
4200 N Lamar Blvd

American
Odd Duck offers farm-to-table cuisine with communal seating make this a great choice for a large group for a meal or happy hour! And they offer a separate gluten-free dining menu!

Pizza
Home Slice Pizza serves authentic NY-style pizza.
1415 S Congress Ave

Stanley’s Farmhouse Pizza, set in a barn on Ceres Park Ranch offers handcrafted, artisan pizza. Located on the outskirts of the city, this weekend-only joint is worth the drive!

Donuts
Voodoo Donuts is a cash-only joint that offers quirky and delicious donuts. Go early!
212 East 6th Street

Vegetarian
Mother’s Cafe is a vegetarian and vegan cafe in Hyde Park that has been open since 1980!
4215 Duval Street
and E 43rd Street

Arlo’s is a food truck that offers plant-based comfort food in a bistro-style setting. There are multiple locations, and diners rave about their Bac’n Cheeze Burger!
900 Red River at Cheerup Charlie’s
1700 E. 6th at The Grackle
2908 Fruth at Spider House Cafe

Gluten-Free
True Food Kitchen is always a healthy and safe bet when you are looking for a tasty and reliable gluten-free or vegetarian dining option! Try the local kombucha! Also check out Odd Duck’s gluten-free menu.
222 West Ave

For after-dinner drinks, head to Small Victory for an intimate, classic cocktail experience or the Roosevelt Room for inventive craft cocktails and a gorgeous upstairs lounge. Or head to the fabulous garden courtyard lounge at the Hotel San Jose, a South Congress Hotel. If you are a beer lover, check out Easy Tiger, which is a bakery by day and creekside beer garden by night, or Craft Pride, which has a ton of Texas craft beers on tap.

And for a killer view reminiscent of Italy, we recommend The Oasis on Lake Travis, which is the largest outdoor restaurant in Texas and is known as the Sunset Capital of Texas! Go for the view and a margarita or cocktail to drink in the Texas sunset!

And, if you are staying a few extra days in Austin to explore and enjoy the city, schedule a food tour with Austin Eats!

Jun 22

Is Sole-Provider the Best Option?

By Michael Feit | Sole Provider , White Papers

The sole-provider option is not for every firm, and largely depends on your firm’s legal practices, recovery rates, contract pricing, and usage. While the option may not be the right decision for every firm, an evaluation of the sole-provider option is necessary for law firm administrators.

The idea of transitioning to sole-provider can be daunting, considering the many individuals and processes that might be impacted. There are a great number of elements to examine, from contracts to content, not to mention the strong reactions of users to fundamental system changes.

Whether or not a firm chooses to go sole-provider, the evaluation in itself provides an opportunity for a firm to review, revise and refine its legal information strategy and potentially save significant money. In a secret pricing market, knowledge is power. Knowing to what extent the sole-provider option is viable for your firm can serve as great leverage in contract negotiations.

Feit Consulting’s Sole Provider Viability Decision Guide walks legal information administrators through the pre-decision process, and lays out the groundwork necessary for informed decision-making. Learn more about this resource here.

Jun 22

FEIT Consulting will be attending AALL; we want to know what our clients want to know!

By Michael Feit | Associations , Events , Modern Law Library

It will be a whirlwind few days of educational events, starting with the PLLIP Summit 2017: Nexus of Knowledge and Legal Tech. Always a one-day intensive experience, the summit, now in its seventh year, will once again provide an offering described as “thought-provoking insight and practical application to the private law librarian community”.

The summit examines the rapid pace of change in legal technology and how information professionals can leverage that change in their organizations. This is of particular interest to FEIT Consulting as we work on our upcoming white paper, Beyond Virtualization: Transforming the Law Library. Summit panelists will explore how reporting up to the CIO has redefined the way librarians are viewed in their organizations and provides leverage for library innovation.

While choosing from the multitude of program offerings will be difficult, we want to attend programs on issues where clients look to us for solutions. What exactly is the role of outsourcing in the modern library? Does it have a place, and how exactly do we approach the so-called “elephant in the room” when our legal administrators bring up the topic? Interdepartmental cooperation and leveraging librarian value are hot topics and certainly have a role in the Modern Library.
We are also focused on the basics:
– Showcasing value of the library to upper management
– Developing a budget that allows you to achieve your strategic goals
– Understanding the library’s ROI for value and strategic purposes

It will be an exhilarating week as we attend informative sessions, go to fun events, and network with clients and peers. For Feit Consulting, we will be excited to share our library modernization survey at the conference. Looking forward to seeing you in Austin!

Jun 22

Stay Away From Long-Term Deals Unless…

By Michael Feit | Contract Negotiations , Vendors

Both Lexis and Westlaw are currently pitching long-term deals. This is symptomatic of a saturated market. Online usage and recovery rates have been declining since 2008 and as a result pricing has declined. Why lock your firm into a long-term price commitment in this rapidly evolving market?

Negotiating with the vendors can be a frustrating, drawn-out and often unsatisfying process. One of the key emotions we see in clients approaching the end of a contract with either Westlaw or Lexis is dread. So a longer contract with fewer renewals sounds like a great idea.

However, with rare exceptions, a long-term contract is among the worst paths a firm can choose for several reasons. The first reason seems obvious: change. Technology and pricing are continuously changing. You wouldn’t buy a plan that kept you from upgrading your phone for 5 years, would you?

The legal information landscape is rapidly evolving with exciting acquisitions and new companies/products emerging. These products will continue to pull away use and interest in Lexis and Westlaw. It is always possible that one change in the market could make another product irrelevant. And as Artificial Intelligence rapidly gains momentum, there is much to be seen.

Generally, a longer contract benefits the vendor. For legal information contracts, we always advise keeping the term to within your near- and long-term forecasts, which is generally three years or fewer unless you are receiving a truly exceptional deal.

Jun 21

Artificial Intelligence: A New Niche for Librarians?

By Michael Feit | Best Practices , Librarians

Artificial Intelligence has been around since the 50’s, ebbing and flowing with success and failure. Not until the advent of e-discovery has it really been seen as a possible solution in the legal industry. But with the adoption of e-discovery, AI has taken hold, and legal vendors are pushing solutions into mainstream legal technology.

AI discussions are trending in legal blogs, webinars and what seems like monthly new product announcements–consider FASTCASE and their new product announcement of SANDBOX, or LEXIS and Ravel.

Many librarian information professionals are involved in knowledge management; thus it seems a logical next step for these professionals to evaluate, recommend and train attorneys in the use of AI solutions.

As information professionals, we need to take a proactive approach and look for problems faced by our organizations that may have possible AI solutions. It doesn’t have to be some grandiose approach; start small, and present something simple that can solve a problem showing ROI. As more and more of the online legal vendors we currently use add Artificial Intelligence options and analytics to their products, we should be taking the lead on presenting these solutions to Management. Don’t wait until they become add-ons to a contract renewal and you have to scramble to evaluate and get approval. A new niche for law librarians–we think so.

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