Introducing Shannon Fitzpatrick!

My name is Shannon Fitzpatrick, and I am one of several new faces among the faculty and staff here at Charlotte School of Law.  I am a reference librarian, and I come in several hours per week to assist students, faculty, attorney members, and public patrons with their legal research needs.  This position is a great fit for me as I truly enjoy both legal research and working with others.

When I am not here, I am at my law office in Cornelius where I have a small civil litigation practice.  Although being a solo practitioner requires a lot of hard work and self-discipline, it also provides a lot of freedom and flexibility to engage in activities and other types of work I also enjoy (such as working at Charlotte Law!).  In addition, I participate in various pro bono projects through the Young Lawyers Division in Mecklenburg County.

Before opening my office and working at Charlotte Law, I studied for, took, and passed the North Carolina bar exam after moving from Jacksonville, Florida to Charlotte, North Carolina.  I graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law with Moot Court Honors and a certificate in Advanced Legal Research, Writing, and Drafting.  During law school, my work experience included a judicial externship with a state judge, a summer externship with a county attorney, and a clerkship with a private firm in downtown Jacksonville.

Prior to law school, I lived and went to college in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  I am a proud graduate of Appalachian State University where I studied Communication and English, played Division I Women’s Field Hockey, and worked part-time at a small law firm.  If or when I had downtime, I liked to hike or ski, depending on the season.

Now, I enjoy my downtime by reading, taking yoga classes, and spending time with my fiancé Tom and our two dogs Maggie and Rudy.  Tom and I are getting married on August 25, 2012 in my hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Although we stay busy with work, wedding planning, and watching college football (namely Tom’s alma mater, Notre Dame… Go Irish!), our first priority is making time for our friends and family.

I look forward to the New Year, and I expect that 2012 will provide many opportunities to meet and get to know the friendly folks at Charlotte Law.

~Shannon Fitzpatrick~

Introducing Cory Lenz!

I am excited to be the newest reference librarian at the Charlotte School of Law and look forward to promoting the studies and scholarship of the students and faculty.  Research can be fun, encouraging and, most importantly, painless – very similar to a safe, effective workout.

How did I get interested in law and arrive at the Charlotte School of Law?  Well, it was simple – I followed a very crooked path and pedaled a lot of miles to get here.  I started my career in Los Angeles working in film production and development as a story editor.  Stories and films fanned the flame of my interest in artists and creativity which vaulted into the area of their legal concerns, specifically trademark and copyright law.  In addition to my legal studies, I continued my education in human kinesiology as an ACE-certified personal trainer and added library science to the mix.  Creativity, curiosity, and customer service have always been and will continue to be the common themes of my professional development.

So what can I do for you?  Having just graduated from North Carolina Central University School of Law with a JD/MLS and finished the journey many of you are taking, I can help fend-off common mistakes in your research strategy, exam study, or bar preparation.   So please stop by my office with any questions, be it research or assignment-related or about your health and fitness concerns.  Or stop by just to introduce yourselves – I would love to share favorite films or books, externship war stories, or anything else you might want to discuss.

~Cory Lenz~

Greetings from Betty Thomas!

Hello!

My name is Betty Thomas. I am one of the two new part time reference librarians.

Originally from Maryland, I have lived in Charlotte for 28 years….enough to qualify as a native Charlottean?  I received my BA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Go heels! And thank goodness football season is over.) After I graduated with my MBA from the University of Georgia (Go dawgs!), I worked for two Fortune 500 companies:   Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Philip Morris USA in the areas of human resources, production management and organizational design.

Outside of living in libraries during my college years, my library work experience began with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.   After my position was eliminated with the first round of budget cuts, I decided to go back to graduate school and earn my library degree. I realized during my coursework that I really love doing research and focused on academic and special libraries in my studies.  I also volunteered at the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room and on the reference desk at Morrison Regional Branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.  I am a Certified Public Librarian with the State of North Carolina. In August, I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with my Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS).

As part of my internship last spring, I provided a new research consulting service to the faculty at Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte. This pilot project was a greater success than we had anticipated. An article I wrote with the Director of Library Services and my faculty advisor about the experience entitled “Informationists in a Small University Library” will be published in Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ) this spring.

When not at the reference desk at Charlotte School of Law, I am either working as the part time librarian at Central Piedmont Community College’s Merancas campus in Huntersville or spending time with my family. I am married to a great guy. Our son is a junior at the University of South Carolina and our daughter is a freshman in the IB program at Myers Park High School and loves to dance. I like to read, bike, hike, travel, photograph, and work out at the Y.

I am excited to be working at Charlotte Law and looking forward to learning all about legal resources. Please stop by the reference desk and say hello.

~Betty Thomas~

New Faces in the Library

I would like to devote this blog posting to the recognition of new faces here at our Charlotte School of Law Library.  Perhaps you have recently noticed some new faces as you’ve drifted past the reference desk during the last week.

Last week our new full-time Reference Librarian Corey Lenz began working here at the law library. Corey hails from Connecticut and his new office is located next to the reference desk. I can’t say much more about his background as he will soon be posting a short autobiographical introductory blog posting so I won’t spoil the fun!

In addition to our newest full-time member Corey Lenz, the reference department has also gained two part-time Reference Librarians, Shannon Fitzpatrick and Betty Thomas.

Shannon is a recent Juris Doctor graduate and is considering obtaining her Master of Library Science. We hope her experience at the law library will contribute positively to helping her make this decision about her career.

Betty is a recent Master of Library Science graduate who does not have a Juris Doctor but has considerable experience in academic libraries. Betty is currently familiarizing herself with legal sources and mastering our collection.

Again, I won’t give away too much info regarding their unique backgrounds so you will just have to keep your eyes peeled for their up and coming blog postings!  Feel free to stop by the reference desk and say hi to our new staff whenever you find yourself in the library.

~Leanna Fitzgerald~

More Reference Team Fun…

Fall 2011 will witness the launch of a new Library Research Instruction component to CSL’s Lawyering Process (“LP”) program. The Reference department has risen to the new challenges facing CSL in accommodating a large entering class. The Reference department has opted to forego traditional face to face instruction formats for new innovative electronic based learning formats that build on CSL’s emphasis on practice ready skills.

To achieve this purpose, the Reference team is currently creating a series of online demonstrations of legal research concepts and further enhancing the Library’s TWEN page with these online research tutorials. Expect to see plenty LP students in the library this fall as they mill about in the collection looking for the correct resources to complete the Research Exercise that has been chosen for them by members of the Reference team in conjunction with the LP faculty. Rather than remain isolated in the classroom, LP students will find themselves embroiled in adventure in the stacks.

Wish them good luck and feel free to lend them a helping hand by pointing them to the nearest Reference Librarian!

~Leanna Fitzgerald~