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.

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.

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!  

Content curation has been the epitome of cool for some time. From collections of fashion and literature, to online shopping and YouTube channels, anyone can curate anything. If the curator is an influencer, they can disrupt traditional marketplaces. For instance, the art world once believed that collectors would never buy paintings based on an online image.

We all know how important it is to attend the right conference and we are excited to announce that Team Vable will be at LMA 2019. To help you navigate through this fascinating conference, we have highlighted some interesting and juicy sessions which match up with the LMA Body of Knowledge domains - enjoy our overview!

Carrying out research is something we are all familiar with, but we might not necessarily be up to date on the laws which are associated with it. Everyone has heard of GDPR - but practically speaking, how has it impacted on how you should approach research? A seminar held by the University of London outlined the main concerns; although it was aimed at academics, it was useful for information professionals. We must be aware of the rules regarding the gathering, storing, re-use, and disposal of research data.

Networking can be challenging for many information people but it is a skill you can acquire. Following on from the induction blog posting, it’s that time of year when you will be required to meet lots of new people - welcome lunches, evening events etc. So I thought I’d revisit some notes that I’ve found helpful in the past. As an added bonus there is a CILIP event coming up on exactly this issue.