Reposted with permission from AALL Spectrum, Volume 26, Number 6 (July/August 2022), pgs 18-20.
By John DiGilio, Firmwide Director of Library Services, Sidley Austin LLP
Communicate meaningfully, set boundaries, celebrate successes, and be empathetic.
For most of us in the law firm library world, the response to the pandemic felt a like a fire drill that we have been preparing for our entire careers. We have long talked about electronic resources, serving clients at a distance, virtual learning, and so much more. Conference after conference and through innumerable articles, we have been lamenting the slow pace of change among firms when it comes to fully embracing these possibilities. Yet wise was the person who said that necessity is the mother of invention. All that hesitation ended abruptly when the world went into lockdown under the rapid spread of COVID-19. Not only did we successfully make that transition from office to