Librarian Relations Group
Michael Saint-Onge
Michael is a Team Lead for the LexisNexis Customer Consulting Group. He works with law firm, academic and State, Court and County law librarians in Los Angeles.
Michael is very active in local and national law library associations. For the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), he has served on the Recruitment to Law Librarianship Committee (2005 – 2007), The Awards Committee (2003 – 2005), the Special Committee on the Future of Law Libraries in the Digital Age (2001 – 2003). He has also served on the AALL Committee for Relations with Information Vendors (CRIV) (2000 – 2002); served as the Chair of the AALL Professional Development Committee (1999 – 2000); Chair of the Annual Meeting Program Selection Committee for the AALL Annual Meeting in Anaheim (1998), and Chair of the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section (1996 – 1997). In addition, he is a member of the Northern California Association of Law Libraries (NOCALL), The Southern California Association of Law Libraries (SCALL), the Arizona Association of Law Libraries (AzALL), the Colorado Association of Law Libraries (CoALL), and the Western Pacific Chapter (WESTPAC), as well as the Special Library Association's Legal Division.
Michael has authored more than 35 articles concerning various aspects of law librarianship in a number of legal and library publications, including The San Francisco Daily Journal, The National Law Journal, Legal Information Alert and The Recorder. He is also the Editor of the AALL Resource Guide Series and is a co-author of Law Librarianship: A Handbook for the Electronic Age and Specialized Legal Research (Aspen).
Michael received his B.A. from St. Thomas College in Denver and his M.S.L.S. from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC .
Getting to Know Michael
The biography above details Michael’s professional qualifications and experience. Now it’s time to get to know Michael, the person. Michael reveals a few cozier insights about himself in the questions below.
1. What is one thing you have learned about yourself while being an LRC?
The things that used to freak me out (like a fire drill in the middle of a presentation or my food being delivered three hours late) no longer do so. I think I’ve learned to roll with the punches, and in this job, there’s always a certain unpredictability that makes it interesting.
2. What technology has transformed your life, you can’t imagine living without it now, and why?
Well, it’s not really a technology, more like a technological byproduct, but I suppose friends will tell you that my life would be empty and meaningless without PowerPoint™. I look at my presentations as telling a story, and PowerPoint® helps me with the narrative. There is so much more than just PowerPoint that goes into making a great presentation. It also has to have a presenter with knowledge, enthusiasm and, of course, a great audience. But without PowerPoint I might be reduced to hand puppets and an accordion.
3. If you won a trip to any where in the world, where would you go, and why?
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I’d love to go back and spend more time there. It’s fitting that there’s even a street in the 3rd arrondissement, Rue de SaintOnge, that makes me feel a part of the city in a special way!
4. You are traveling around the world, and only have room for two books. Which two do you take and why?
Silly, I’d bring my library card and hope for reciprocal privileges! I could never do with just 2 books!
5. If you weren’t a librarian, what would you be, and why?
I’d love to be a writer. I love the way words come together to form sentences that can ultimately move or inspire us to be more than we are now. And I’m convinced that I still have within me the great American novel. Or maybe a short story or two. Anyway, I already have the coffee-drinking habit, and I can often be found brooding over the laptop, so I’m halfway to being a writer as it is!
Articles
LexisNexis Librarian Relations Team Turns 15! Help Us Celebrate!
Fifteen years ago, LexisNexis created a special group to work solely with law librarians and their unique information needs. The LexisNexis Librarian Relations team was the first of its kind in legal publishing.
Over the next few months, we’ll be...
What a Difference 15 Years Can Make! (5/08)
The LexisNexis Librarian Relations Group, founded in 1993, turns 15 this year. We were the first major legal publisher to recognize the special needs of librarians by creating a group dedicated to working with them. Now, 15 years might not sound...
New LexisNexis® Publisher Options Target "Information Overload"
Two-in-five business professionals are heading toward an “information breaking point,” according to a recent national survey sponsored by LexisNexis. And the situation is even worse among legal professionals: 80 percent reported feeling overloaded...
Quick . Can You Find It at lexis.com®? Ask the LexisNexis® Directory of Online Services
You’re on reference desk this morning. You’re working on a research request, pausing only when your e-mail pings. A hot online request—the partner needs details before lunch—has just hit the inbox. The phone rings. Suddenly, over your...
Get a Life: The Challenge of Balance in a Post-Modern World (01/07)
New Year, Old Challenge
I’ll admit it, I am an inveterate list-maker. I have been, ever since I can remember. With a new year staring me in the face, I decided to sit down and make a list of my New Year’s resolutions. While...
SUMMER TIME - AND THE LEARNING IS EASY: Making The Most of This Summer's Educational Programming! (06/06)
The summer months are filled with the wonderful chances to learn: both SLA and the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) hold their annual meetings in the summer.
Here are some ways to capitalize on the educational opportunities that these meetings...
Good Ideas Age and Become Great Ideas
The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) turns 100 years old in 2006. What a wonderful milestone! I love hearing tales of those early days and imagining that very first meeting. Did the participants have any idea that their fledgling organization...
Shh! Here's a Reference "Secret Weapon" Worth Your Bookmark
I’ve always loved spy movies, especially the suspense scenes when the hero appears to be in an impossible situation. The tension grows, “that” music swells, and you’re balancing on the edge of your seat. Just when you’re sure...
Is the Toast Burnt? Speak up! LexisNexis is Listening!
One of my favorite jokes is about a mother and a father whose infant son never made a sound. As the child grew, he didn’t speak. They took him to specialist after specialist, all of whom confirmed that there was nothing physically wrong with the child....