Celebrate Service: National Volunteer Week

April is National Volunteer Month, although it began as National Volunteer Week in 1974 when President Richard Nixon established the week of volunteer service recognition.  Across America volunteers are honored for their unpaid community service to hundreds of organizations.  Many of these organizations will be distributing the President’s Volunteer Service Award.  This award is the most prestigious award a volunteer can aspire to receive.

National Volunteer Month is about encouraging people to come up with imaginative ways to demonstrate that by working together, we can meet our challenges and accomplish our goals, as an organization, as a community and as a nation.

Interested in volunteering?  The American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity are always seeking volunteers, as are many other local organizations.  Looking for other volunteer opportunities?  Check out VolunteerMatch and the Points of Light Institute where you can search for the types of volunteer opportunities you are looking for both locally and elsewhere.

 Take action, be at the center of social change, demonstrate your collective power.

 ~Julie Morris~

Developing Trust and Humility

I have come to realize that my success at work is due to the coming together of a vast wealth of knowledge from all those I work with.  Without collaboration and discussion, we would not be the team we are at work.  We would not be able to move forward to create something new for ourselves and others, and ultimately would not feel fulfilled in our working lives.

How do we, as a group of people who work together, reach a place of fulfillment and even greatness?  Might I suggest humility?  Humility is defined as modesty, lacking pretense, not believing that you are superior to others. Great leaders direct their ego away from themselves toward the larger goal of achieving collective greatness.  They shun public adoration, shift the focus away from themselves and continually recognize the contributions of others.

Approaching situations from a perspective of humility opens us up to more possibilities as we choose open-mindedness and curiosity over protecting our own point of view.  As you become more willing to learn from others, you move toward security and enlightenment.  Mindfully practicing humility improves all relationships, reduces anxiety, and enhances self-confidence.  Modeling this behavior is self-reinforcing and regenerative at greater and greater levels.

So, how do we, as a group of people who work together, reach this place?  We can start with trusting ourselves and others.  We should acknowledge that what we are all working for is the greater good.  With that realization we gain appreciation for the talents and skills of those around us and the contributions made by all who are invested in a goal.  When we are willing to work towards that goal, and make the knowledge we possess available to others, the group will achieve more and become a force of real change.

Do you have a stalled project?  Are you in dire need of fresh ideas?  Do you struggle in creating an action plan for a goal that is part of your life’s work?  Do you just need a different perspective?  Reach out to those with knowledge or experience greater than yours.  Take advantage of what your teammates bring to work with them every day.  Ask for help and offer to help others.

What do you have to lose?

Check out these tools:

• Good to Great – Jim Collins
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
• www.mindtools.com

 ~ Julie Morris ~

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a non-intellective form of intelligence where a person has the ability to identify their emotions, understand what those emotions are telling them, and realize how their emotions affect others around them.  Charles Darwin’s work on the importance of emotional expression is probably the earliest work in this area, followed by many others who researched in areas of social intelligence, multiple intelligences, and intrapersonal intelligence.

In 1985, Daniel Goleman introduced his mixed model of emotional intelligence, which describes the competencies and skills that drive leadership performance.  The five main focuses are:

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Social skill
• Empathy
• Motivation

Each area of focus contains a set of emotional competencies that are learned capabilities.  They can be worked on and developed to enhance performance and leadership.

As emotional intelligence becomes even more broadly accepted, it is critical to professional success, as it is being used increasingly when organizations hire and promote.  A high degree of emotional intelligence often goes hand in hand with a high degree of success.

Developing and utilizing your emotional intelligence highlights your attributes as a leader.  And yes, Virginia, these skills can be taught and developed.  You might start by observing how you react to people, evaluating your need for attention, becoming familiar with your weaknesses as well as your strengths, and determining how you react to stressful situations.  Are you willing to take responsibility for your actions?  Do you think about how your actions affect others?

Are you aware of your actions and feelings?  Do you value others, actively listen, and feel empathy?  Well, let’s get started enhancing your emotional intelligence skills.  To begin with, you might read Leadership:  The Power of Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman.  You might also read Brene Brown’s blog entitled Ordinary Courage.  And you should definitely check out mindtools.com – sign up for their newsletter, utilize their toolbox and they also have an app for your iPad.  Take leadership tools with you wherever you go!

~ Julie Morris ~

West Study Aids: Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property is one of the most popular upper level courses here at CSL.  Our subscription to West Study Aids can definitely provide you access to a wide variety of study aids for various IP areas:

• Copyright
• International
• Licensing
• Patent Law
• Survey Law
• Trademarks

Nutshells:

• LaFrance’s Copyright Law in a Nutshell
• McManis’ Intellectual Property and Unfair Competition in a Nutshell
• Miller and Davis’ Intellectual Property, Patents, Trademarks, and Copyright in a Nutshell
• LaFrance’s Copyright Law in a Nutshell
• Adelman, Rader, and Klancnik’s Patent Law in a Nutshell

Black Letter Outline:

• Schechter’s Black Letter Outline on Intellectual Property

You can access West Study Aids by going to http://lawschool.westlaw.com and logging in to your Westlaw account.  Under “Legal Research and Tools” select “Study”.  From there you can search by keyword, subject, material type or series and you can browse all subject areas with one click.  You can also check out newly added study aids and create your own Favorites list.

~ Julie Morris ~

Labor Day in America

Always the first Monday in September, Labor Day celebrates the economic and social contributions and achievements of American workers.  There is some confusion about who actually came up with the idea for the holiday.  Peter J. McGuire, the co-founder of the American Federation of Labor and Matthew Maguire, Secretary of the Central Labor Union are the two most likely candidates.

Labor Day was created at the height of the Industrial Revolution when people worked seven days a week, 12 hours a day, just to eke out a basic living.  Children as young as five years of age were routinely employed, earning just a fraction of adult wages.

Unsafe working conditions, lack of fresh air, unsanitary conditions, the lack of breaks, and poor wages were among the many reasons that labor unions began to form in the late 18^th century, as manufacturing supplanted agriculture.  Many violent protests followed throughout the years.

On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid leave to march the streets of New York City in the first Labor Day Parade.  The parade route was marked by speakers and union representatives and culminated in a festival honoring the workers.  This “working mans’ holiday” caught on across the United States.  Oregon was the first state to actually celebrate Labor Day in 1887.  By the time Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, 30 states had already begun officially celebrating the day each year.  The September date was chosen rather than the date of International Workers Day, which is celebrated on May 1^st each year, due to concerns that the holiday would be associated with the newly emerging Communist movement.

It took 12 years for Labor Day to win official recognition as a federal holiday.  In May of 1894, the employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of their union representative.  In retaliation, the American Railroad Union called for a boycott of all Pullman rail cars, which crippled railroad traffic across the United States.  The US government sent troops to break the strike which lead to more riots and the deaths of more than a dozen protestors.

In Congress’ attempt to repair their relationship with US workers, they passed the act to create the national holiday for working people – Labor Day.

As we approach Labor Day this year and you are feeling a sense of gratitude for much improved working conditions everywhere, taking a quick trip to the beach or planning a cookout, don’t forget to put away those white shoes, straw hats and seersucker suits for more suitable fall attire.  After all, Labor Day also marks the kick-off of the college and professional football seasons!

~ Julie Morris ~

Olympic Gold

It’s Olympic season around the world these days.  All eyes are fastened on those brave, strong, talented athletes who have chosen to pursue this particular path to excellence.  I find myself watching events I otherwise have not seen since the last Olympics, as others are, no doubt.

Why do we do that?  Is it a need to live vicariously through others?  Is it a yearning to shout in jubilation at the perfect slam on the volleyball court or the milliseconds touch ahead of the swimmer in the next lane?  Or is it something greater?

These are the finest athletes of our nations, putting themselves on the line of competition.  Yes, they all strive to excel and win.  But they also acknowledge all of the help they got along the way, the camaraderie forged in team efforts, their desire for their teammates to excel and win as they hope to.

How does this translate to our goals here at CSL?  Individuals are tasked with certain and definitive goals.  They count on others with greater knowledge and expertise to provide insight, wisdom and advice in areas where they are lacking.  They take that information and transform it into useful applications that allow them to progress and excel.  Along the way they are demonstrating humility in acknowledging their need for information, a desire to work towards achieving the greater good, their quest for expanded knowledge, and their ability to apply that within the team they work with.  Personal goals are enhanced and met.  Team goals are realized.  Knowledge is imparted and expanded upon.  Education is delivered to those willing to take it in and make it meaningful in their quest for the gold.

By empowering each of us – students, staff and faculty, we all can progress and achieve our primary goal – that of delivering a quality education where our graduates are fully prepared to take the bar, get a job in their chosen field, and shine like gold.

Sounds like the glory of the Olympics, doesn’t it?

 ~ Julie Morris ~

Did you know that this week in history:

Roosevelt took the United States off the gold standard in 1933?  http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/GoldStandard.html

Check out Charlotte’s own Mint Museum.  The Randolph Road location is the oldest art museum in North Carolina and was a mint for the US government.  http://www.mintmuseum.org/visit

Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated 1968 during his struggle to fight for human rights in America?  Not surprisingly, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights was established to continue that work.  Check them out here .

The first drive-in theater opened in 1933?

(Do you even know what a drive-in is?)

 George Orwell’’s 1984 was published in 1949?

The first successful assent of North America’s tallest mountain peak, Mt. McKinley (Denali), was accomplished in 1913?

Port Royal, Jamaica, was destroyed by an earthquake  in 1692?  Why is that significant, matey?  Check out the  histories of famous pirates here.

The first Porsche was completed in 1948?

GHOSTBUSTERS was released in 1984?

And FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF was released in 1986?

 Apache Chief Cochise died in 1874?

Amazing what you can learn when you start checking out historical facts, famous peoples’ birthdays, “this date in history”, etc.  History.com is a comprehensive site that gives you more historical information than you can imagine.  You can also check out what events occurred on your birthday and you can have the “facts of the day” emailed to you.  Just a little push to get you started on your path to more knowledge.  Worst case – you will be well prepared for any trivia game out there!

  ~ Julie Morris ~

Earth Day is April 22nd

First celebrated in 1970 as a nationwide teach-in to raise awareness about the growing environmental crisis, Earth Day has grown to include over 500 million participants across 192 countries.  Gaylord Nelson, one of the original organizers, envisioned a decentralized, grassroots effort where each community decided its planned activities and actions.  By all accounts, this approach has been a resounding success.

There are many ways you can celebrate Earth Day this year:

• State of the Environment Photo Project – Take a picture any time during the 24 hours of Earth Day then share it on Flickr.  For more information, click here.
• Earth Day Play Date on Saturday, April 21, 10 am – 1 pm at The Nature Museum.  Get your kids outside to connect with nature!
• The Nature Conservancy is hosting picnics across the US to get folks outside and involved.  Although none are scheduled for North Carolina, you can certainly take a couple of hours to plan your own picnic and invite friends and family to join you.
•    Write a six word essay about the environment and share it with the EPA.
•    Join an ongoing conversation about the environment or start a new one.
•    Check out all the places your plastic water bottles go.
•    If you are going to be in DC, join the rally on the National Mall.
•    And check out “Green Tips” podcasts.

And remember, Earth Day is every day, too.  There are many opportunities for you to recycle throughout the building at CSL.  Ink and toner cartridges can be dropped off in the computer lab and there are containers and bins throughout the building specifically for cans and bottles, as well as for paper.

~ Julie Morris ~

March is Women’s History Month: Women’s Education – Women’s Empowerment

Women’s History Month was born out of the first International Women’s Day (http://internationalwomensday.com/) which was celebrated in 1911.  It began as a week-long national celebration in 1981 when Congress requested that the President proclaim the week of March 8 (International Women’s Day) as “Women’s History Week”.  These annual proclamations continued for another five years, then in 1987 the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to designate the month of March as “Women’s History Month”.  Every year since, Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued annual proclamations designating March as Women’s History Month.  Here is President Obama’s Proclamation for 2012.

The National Women’s History Project (http://www.nwhp.org/aboutnwhp/index.php), founded over 30 years ago, has established itself as the go-to resource for information about the roles of women in American history.  They recognize the achievements of all women and strive to provide great emphasis on this country’s positive role models.

How much do you know about women’s history in America?  Want to test your knowledge?  Check out the NWHP quiz here, here, and here.

Want to read about celebrated American women?  Here is an exhaustive biography of all of the women who have been honored during past Women’s History Months.

Take a moment to honor the women making history in your life, attend an International Women’s Day or Women’s History Month event or visit a museum where you can really get a sense of who these women were/are and learn about their contributions to our history.

“The impact of women’s history might seem abstract to some, and less pressing than the immediate struggles of working women today. But to ignore the vital role that women’s dreams and accomplishments play in our own lives would be a great mistake. We draw strength and inspiration from those who came before us – and those remarkable women working among us today. They are part of our story, and a truly balanced and inclusive history recognizes how important women have always been in American society.”  (from the National Women’s History Project website)

 ~ Julie Morris ~

Is that “On the QT” or the “QR”?

QR (Quick Reference) codes are becoming more prevalent in our everyday lives.  Look around you – even here in the Library.  QR codes allow libraries to extend themselves into non-traditional locations with minimal capital outlay.  They broaden a user’s information – gathering capabilities.

Did you know that QR codes were developed by a subsidiary of Toyota in Japan in 1994? – to track parts for the auto industry.  While pervasive in Japan for many years, they have just recently become more prevalent in the United States.

QR codes automate information retrieval, bridging the physical world to online resources.

QR codes increase information discovery, provide community touch points…

and add value to the user’s experience.

~Julie Morris~