Information Professionals’ Group Debuts at Martindale-Hubbell® Connected
By Michael Saint-Onge
Did you “get connected” at Martindale-Hubbell® Connected* yet?
Now you can network with legal professionals, and finding like-minded law librarians is getting even easier.
Besides checking out the latest blog posts on the main Martindale-Hubbell Connected page—Did you know there’s a new, free iPhone™ application that will test a law student’s readiness to take the bar?—one of the most exciting things about the new networking site is its ability to help you form affinity groups.
Groups are springing up on Martindale-Hubbell Connected, reflecting a variety of practice areas, law school and employer alumni groups, geographical locations and more.
For law librarians, there is a new Information Professionals Group now open. (Go to Groups and select Legal Management.) Of course, that wouldn’t preclude motivated librarians from creating additional groups, e.g., regional groups such as “Downtown Los Angeles Law Librarians” or “Midtown Manhattan Law Librarians,” or groups for librarians with specific responsibilities such as “Records Management” or “Conflicts-Checking.” Creating a new group is as simple as clicking the Create a new group link in the right navigation bar on the Group page.
Groups can be public (anyone can join) or private (members can join by invitation only). And remember, you don’t have to be
a Martindale-Hubbell subscriber to join the Connected network.
Once a member of the Information Professional Group—or any group you choose to create—you can use the group features:
- Post items of interest on the group Blog.
- Create/join the Discussion Forum. The Information Professional Group has just started a forum on the effects of the economic downturn on law-firm libraries. Add your thoughts now!
- Tap into the File Library of helpful documents—like a recent article from Law Library Journal laying out the principles and benefits of “cloud computing” aka “software as a service (SaaS).” The author even gives great pointers for sizing up SaaS.
- Poll members or send out a broadcast e-mail to members. (Send them to your idea at mylnidea.com and ask them to vote!) Even post articles and links of interest under the File Library.
* Some government subscribers may not have access to Martindale-Hubbell resources.
Professional networking is only as strong as the members who use it. Be part of the growing Martindale-Hubbell Connected network. Go to www.martindale.com/connected
