Law Library of Louisiana and Louisiana State Bar Association Named Recipients of National Excellence In Community Engagement Award - Press Release

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Law Library of Louisiana and Louisiana State Bar Association Named Recipients of National Excellence In Community Engagement Award 
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="/press_room/press_releases/2024/images/2024-01_picgrid.css" /><div align="left" style="text-align:center;"><table style="width:100%;background-color:#428bca;"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td bgcolor="#428bca" height="21" valign="middle" width="100%"><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">2024 Press Releases</span></strong> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><table width="16%" style="width:1112px;"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><table style="width:100%;text-align:center;"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="82" style="text-align:left;width:71px;">CONTACT:&nbsp;</td><td width="253" style="text-align:left;width:1039px;">Trina S. Vincent<br />504-310-2590 </td></tr></tbody></table><div align="left" style="text-align:center;"><table style="width:100%;border-spacing:3px;background-color:#f7ebc6;"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="38%" style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:#212073;text-transform:uppercase;"><strong>October 11, 2024</strong></span> </td><td width="62%"><p align="right"><span style="color:#212073;"><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong></span> </p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong></strong>&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;"><strong>LAW LIBRARY OF LOUISIANA AND LOUISIANA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION NAMED RECIPIENTS OF NATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD</strong> </p><p><strong>New Orleans, LA</strong> &ndash; The Law Library of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) were named the recipients of the 2024 American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Excellence in Community Engagement Award for their innovative and comprehensive Legal Education and Assistance Program (LEAP).</p><p>The award nomination, submitted by Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer, highlighted the work of the Legal Education and Assistance Program in providing legal access and resources to persons and communities in Louisiana where those may not be readily or easily available. The program additionally helps train public librarians to better serve self-represented litigants as part of furthering access to justice for all citizens.</p><p>&ldquo;The Justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court and I congratulate the Louisiana State Bar Association and Law Library of Louisiana for receiving national recognition of their incredibly important, impactful, and innovative program,&rdquo; said Chief Justice Weimer. &ldquo;LEAP projects significantly benefit members of vulnerable communities with their legal issues who often cannot afford or access attorneys. The work LEAP has done has made a tremendous impact in our state, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Helping to enable and ensure access to justice for all is truly an honor of which Louisiana can be proud.&rdquo;</p><p>In 2013, the Law Library of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) first started exploring potential collaborations for outreach to public librarians. This fruitful meeting resulted in LEAP - Legal Education and Assistance Program, a project that is now in its 10th year.</p><p>LEAP began with a few main projects at its focus &ndash; in-person training for public librarians, resource manuals or &ldquo;LibGuides,&rdquo; and the annual 'Lawyers in Libraries' week. In 2023, a fresh revitalization of current LEAP projects and new projects emerged.</p><p>2023 LEAP projects include:</p><ul><li><strong>Publication of a new series of videos on YouTube, which are versions of the former in-person program.</strong> Law Librarians and LSBA Access To Justice (ATJ) staff developed legal reference trainings and travelled the state for several years presenting the program 3-4 times per year. However, due to the pandemic, most of LEAP's outreach was paused and limited to mostly email support. In 2023, the trainings were updated and published so libraries throughout Louisiana could access legal resource training on-demand. The publications were promoted through newsletters, the Louisiana Library Association Conference, and direct email outreach to library contacts;</li><li><strong>Presentation of a new in-person program at the Louisiana Library Association conference on responding to patrons with family law questions.</strong> While LEAP staff has frequently attended and hosted sessions at the Louisiana Library Association, last year was the first year to focus on legal reference training on family law issues, which is the most common legal issue librarians are asked about. The session was well received and attended by approximately 30 public librarians;</li><li><strong>Addition of On-Call Volunteers to "Lawyers in Libraries" events.</strong> "Lawyers in Libraries" is a LEAP project that helps bridge the gap between libraries and lawyers. These weeklong events are held every October and help connect volunteer attorneys with local libraries throughout Louisiana to provide free, limited services to the public. "Lawyers in Libraries" events include Ask-a-Lawyer sessions and virtual presentations on important legal topics. In 2023, LEAP added the On-Call Volunteer option to help prevent last-minute cancellations when a scheduled volunteer attorney could not make it. The goal was to help librarians who may have frustrated patrons when a planned event was cancelled. In its first year, On-Call Volunteers helped save nearly a dozen events and served over 40 library patrons. Overall, in 2023, Lawyers in Libraries events saw 94 attorneys volunteer at over 134 in-person events across the state, with nearly 100 patrons served by phone, and the Facebook webinars reached over 700 viewers;</li><li><strong>Development of a new virtual "Law Talks" webinar series.</strong> "Law Talks" are virtual presentations by legal aid and volunteer attorneys on important legal issues pertinent to Louisiana communities, which the LEAP partnership helped expand to libraries statewide. Presentations are held via Zoom and streamed on the Louisiana Lawyers in Libraries Facebook page. LEAP organizers work with Louisiana libraries to host in-person watch parties for patrons who may not otherwise be able to join. These information sessions have been promoted through public libraries and are incredibly beneficial to library patrons, allowing them to garner legal information directly from attorneys and ask questions pertinent to their situation. The first law talks have been on topics surrounding: divorce, child custody, succession, Social Security Income and Disability, and Medicare and Medicaid; and</li><li><strong>Publication of a new LibGuide specifically for public librarians.</strong> A new LibGuide was created in 2023 specifically for public librarians. The LibGuide features LEAP resources, including videos, quarterly "tips" (important news related to legal information for the public), articles, and research guides. It is a centralized assistance tool to help libraries serve their patrons with their legal questions.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.aallnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AALL-eBriefing_2024-Award-Recipients.pdf" target="_blank">The American Association of Law Libraries Awards</a> celebrate the exceptional achievements of law librarians, legal information professionals, and organizations acknowledging their commitment to the Association and the field of law librarianship.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em><strong>Louisiana Supreme Court Mission:</strong> To preserve the integrity of the judiciary, to build and maintain public trust, to provide effective and efficient administration of justice in the Supreme Court, to ensure proper administration and performance of all courts under Supreme Court authority, and to ensure the highest professional conduct, integrity, and competence of the bench and bar.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>For more information visit <a href="/">lasc.org</a> or contact Louisiana Supreme Court Public Information Specialist/Coordinator Trina S. Vincent at <a href="mailto:tvincent@lasc.org">tvincent@lasc.org</a> or (504) 310-2590.</strong></p><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>-30-</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><div class="picgrid"><div><p><img src="/press_room/press_releases/2024/images/2024-14_AALL_Award_ Law_Library_LA_LSBA1.jpg" alt="The Law Library of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Bar Association(LSBA) hae been honored with the 2024 American Association of Law Libraries Excellence in Community Engagement Award. Pictured from left to right are Louisiana Surpeme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer, Law Library of Louisiana Head of Public Services Sara V. Pixon, Law Library of Louisiana Director Miriam D. Childs, LSBA Immediate Past President Shayna L. Sonnier and LSBA Access to Justice Projects Counsel Stephanie Beaugh" /><br /><span class="caption">The Law Library of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) hae been honored with the 2024 American Association of Law Libraries Excellence in Community Engagement Award. Pictured from left to right are Louisiana Surpeme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer, Law Library of Louisiana Head of Public Services Sara V. Pixon, Law Library of Louisiana Director Miriam D. Childs, LSBA Immediate Past President Shayna L. Sonnier and LSBA Access to Justice Projects Counsel Stephanie Beaugh </span></p></div><div><p><img src="/press_room/press_releases/2024/images/2024-14_AALL_Award_ Law_Library_LA_LSBA2.jpg" alt="Awards Photos" /><br /><span class="caption">The Law Library of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) are recipients of the 2024 American Association of Law Libraries Excellence in Community Engagement Award.</span> </p></div></div><p>&nbsp;</p>
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