Interning at the Law Library of Congress with Casey Gipson

Date of Interview: Tuesday, October 28

Librarianship as a field is much more complex, robust, and ethically challenging than one might expect. As I began research on the MLS program that would be right for me, I stumbled on UNT's Law and Legal Informatics concentration of the MLS degree plan. There are three areas where law librarians typically are employed: law schools, county or national law libraries, and private firms. To work in a law school, it is usually required law librarians have both their MLS and their JD. Legal librarianship coursework focuses on the ins and outs of government, legal databases, public institution websites, legal metadata, and perhaps most importantly, ethics.

For my interview with Casey Gipson, the director of my intern cohort and interviewee in lieu of Jennifer Gonzalez (due to the ongoing government shutdown), I wanted to focus on the aspects of this internship specifically. This type of legal metadata work is not one that is extremely common for law librarians to practice without the help of a cataloging or archives team. I wanted to know more about Casey's experience, the program itself, and how interns can and should make the most out of this internship opportunity. Casey's experience and advice gives a more personalized understanding of complex legal concepts, the draw to law librarianship and the opportunities available for law librarians to enhance skillsets at one of the most esteemed libraries in the world. I am very thankful for her time, wisdom, and continued dedication to this internship program.

Law Library of Congress. From Law Library of Congress Blogs.

1. How did you first get involved with the Law Library of Congress?

   
   

   Casey explained that her first position with the Law Library of Congress was as a remote metadata intern for the Congressional Bill Summaries project, the same project and position I am working on now. Casey was drawn to the opportunity because of the opportunity the program offered to expand her metadata skills and support user discovery and access. She also said that the social impact of this project has deep meaning for her, as the metadata interns work in ultimately leads to the preservation and increased access to historical legislation.

2. What skills or experiences best prepared you for your position?

   
   

   Casey explained she is naturally a very detail-oriented and organizes person, giving her the personal foundation to be successful in metadata work. She continues, saying her professional work outside of this role required her to work in spreadsheets, an area of work she always seemed to manage well. As a library student herself, her coursework in librarianship helped give her the theoretical framework for the importance of metadata in preservation and increased user access. After her first semester in the program, she became the project lead and was able to dip into her years of supervisory experience to say yes to taking on the position.

3. What advice do you have for interns to make the most of this experience?

   
   

   Casey gives three main pieces of advice for interns to make the most out of their experience at the Law Library of Congress: embrace the details, ask for help, and remember the purpose. Casey emphasizes the transferability of detail-oriented work. She explains that it's easy to let computers review details for us, but, being able to meticulously examine work and catch mistakes is a skill interns will take with them for the rest of their career. She follows this up with one of the single most humble skills interns can develop at the Law Library of Congress: asking for help. She explains the interns who succeed fastest are often the ones that ask many questions at the beginning. This is another transferrable skill, one that will take you far in other professional settings and set you up to have clear communication skills. The final piece of advice she gives interns is to remember the purpose. She explains that where working in spreadsheets isn't for everyone, interns should remember the larger purpose of their work: to make historical legislative materials available online, to empower patrons with the information they need to navigate complex legal systems.

4. How has your time with the Law Library of Congress helped develop your personal skills?

   
   

   During her time as project lead for the Law Library of Congress, Casey says her project management, communication, and leadership skills. She also explains that her ability to delegate tasks has been tested during her position, forcing her to step outside of her comfort zone in that area. Finally, she explains her ability to translate technical requirements into simple steps has been transformed. Something many people might underestimate is being able to communicate complication processes through document writing, but through this position, Casey has learned to translate the fundamental aspects of the internship through a screen.

5. How do interns contribute to the overall goals of the library?

   
   

   Casey explains that the interns in this program are apart of the larger mission of the Law Library of Congress. She explains that the work interns do supports the Law Library's mission to enhance accessibility and discoverability of their collections. Prior to this program, every printed bill the interns progress were impossible to search for and access. The digitization of these materials will increase accessibility for members of Congress and public patrons on a local and global scale.

6. How is technology changing the way the Law Library of Congress delivers information?

   
   

   Casey says technology is shifting the focus from digitization to discoverability. Scanning documents and uploading them are ways of the past, to make resources searchable, they must be searchable. This is where the internship program and the importance of metadata come into play, as the legislation materials are now being uploaded as controlled data fields. This process creates a more dynamic and useable experience for both members of Congress and the general public, alike.

7. What's one thing you wish more people understood about the work done at the Law Library of Congress?

   
   

   Casey wishes more people understood the time, money, effort and complex processes that go into making collections available online. She explains that people often take for granted their ability to go online, search for something, and find it easily. So much of our world still does take place physically, and without the resources to travel and see it all, most of us will only ever get the opportunity to view it online. She also says that she wishes more people understood the accessibility aspect that comes with making digital collections. Providing access to legal history online can level the playing field for both individuals and communities as law librarians help them navigate resources in our complex legal system.

This interview was extremely insightful into Casey's personal experience and the great significance of the work of law librarians. I agree with Casey, too often than not do people take for granted their ability to search and find what they are looking for. But in that same vein, so many people use the Law Library of Congress' resources to educate themselves and others on our complex legal system. There is much to learn and much to understand, but that would not be possible without the legal librarians behind the scenes. Additionally, it's insightful to hear her personal perspective on the skills, takeaways, and areas interns can grow as they navigate the tasks of their position. I think Casey gives great advice and helps me understand how I can be a better intern, too.