Blog - Improve your Current Awareness Strategy

AALL is the largest legal information management event of the year so it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the many sessions. As a way of navigating this conference, I have been inspired by our Business Skills for Librarians ebook, with an extra section on technology. Update your skills and get these sessions added to your app schedule - don't forget to come visit Vable at booth 234!

The focus of BIALL 2019 was “Past Present Future”. Press releases are continuously pushing buzzwords like AI, legaltech, blockchain, fintech to generate public interest. But just how innovative are some of these tech initiatives? Whether it is establishing incubators for legal start-ups, appointing innovation managers, or partnering with tech teams at universities, the race for real innovation is on. But at what cost? How many of those systems are actually going to solve your problems in a practical way?  

Manchester 2017 saw us welcome David Allen Green for the first plenary session/ Willi Steiner Memorial Lecture on 'Informing the debate about Brexit'. Because this is still a relevant and contentious topic, BIALL invited him back to Bournemouth 2019 to give a follow up talk. Anyone who follows David on Twitter knows that he cuts through the political bias to give a clear, considered explanation of the legal issues. This was a good opportunity to get an overview as we head towards 31 Oct 2019.

Jargon is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand".

Conference season is almost upon us once again, and Team Vable are busy making plans for some exciting upcoming events. For my part, I am looking forward to BIALL in Bournemouth where the theme is the past, present and future of the legal information profession.

Keeping up to date with library and information colleagues has never been easier. Everyday I find a new blog to read and it enriches my professional life to know that ideas, concerns, passions are shared. As part of this sharing experience, here are some blogs that I read regularly. (Updated 8th May in response to Twitter conversations.

Twitter is a reliable bellwether of organisational pre-occupations. With confidence, I can report that client engagement is trending in the minds of many business owners and legal tech commentators. For instance, this recent exchange got me thinking about not only the importance of asking what people want, but how you ask:

A recent post on business development for law firms stated, “law firm newsletters are a lot of work. And honestly, I don’t know any firm that does them well. In fact, you probably should not send a boring newsletter stuffed with tidbits about your firm’s new staff members and sales pitches”. We couldn’t agree more.

Competitive intelligence research is a standard requirement for most library and information professionals. Whether it’s a basic snapshot or in-depth analysis of the competitor landscape, it is something that we have all had to do. The CI reports we help create offer our organisations a perspective on changing market conditions so that management can identify risks and opportunities early enough to adapt or change strategy.

My colleague Emily is looking forward to welcoming LMA Conference attendees to her vibrant and historic home city of Atlanta. Many world famous politicians, civil rights giants, sports personalities, artistic and literary figures have called this city home - but there is always space for the visitor to unwind, relax, and enjoy. Here is the ultimate insider’s Guide to Atlanta!