by Greg Lambert,JD, MLIS
Library & Records Manager, King & Spalding
I think that the joint effort put out by PLL, SLA Legal Division, CALL/ACBD, and BIALL to create the On Firmer Ground (OFG) blog is a great idea, and one that can be very successful over time.
As with all blogs, however, there sometimes needs to be a “push” given to the contributors to get the momentum going. So, as someone who has been blogging for a few years, I thought I’d give a few tips/tricks/hints on what I do to keep the blog alive and fresh with new content. I’ll also suggest a few topics that you might want to think about writing on and submitting to OFG.
TIPS/TRICKS/HINTS
- If something is of interest to you, it probably is to others as well (this is a great way to see if others also think about the same things you do!)
- Keep it short and sweet. (It’s a blog – usually no more than 5 paragraphs)
- It doesn’t have to be an earth-shattering topic. (Some of the best posts simply point out something we all do, but may not think about how others do it.)
- Build on the works of others. (Posts don’t have to be 100% original ideas… many times blogs point to ideas started from others, but add some insight that fits our situations)
- Invite others to write. (All my friends know that I’m notorious for emailing them and saying “Hey, this would make a great blog post. You should write it!”)
- Sometimes one post leads to another… or something bigger. (Just from my blog, we’ve been asked to speak at numerous conferences, write for Bar Journals, and even write a book.)
- It’s a lot of fun… so don’t stress out about it. (In fact, it can be a little addictive if you start!!
Don’t have a topic off the top of your head?? Let me suggest a few broad topics that you could start thinking about, and feel free to contact me if you need to bounce an idea off of someone to see if others would find it interesting:
- The Post-Recession Law Librarian
- The Law Librarian’s Role as trusted advisor
- Pushing Analysis as a Law Librarian Trait
- The Law Librarian’s need to Market
- The Law Librarian’s role in the firms “Knowledge Culture”
- How KM can benefit from teaming up with the Law Library
- Business Development’s need for the Law Library’s Content and Expertise
- The Law Library Isn’t Just About Books
- The Growing Areas of Responsibility a Law Librarian has in a firm (Think Records, Conflicts, KM, Biz Intake, etc.)
Those are just a few. I’m sure each of you has some burning topic that’s been in the back of your head lately… don’t keep it locked up in there. Share it with all of us.
Below are the instructions for submitting to On Firmer Ground. Essentially, it just means emailing your post or ideas to firmerground@gmail.com and working out the details. It’s really, really easy!!
Although I’m not an editor on the OFG team, I’d be more than happy to help you if you want to write something for OFG. Email me anytime.
On Firmer Ground 