Langton is currently the director of library services at Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP
, a full-service law firm with offices in Akron, Canton, and Cleveland, Ohio, and Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, Florida. Founded in Akron in 1913, the firm represents "clients from sole proprietors to multinational corporations. It represents tax-exempt organizations, governmental bodies, charities, and foundations. Buckingham has particular expertise in business issues, litigation, public finance, and securities," according to its website.Langton's day-to-day responsibilities at the firm include:
- All library management functions for a multi-office law firm, assisting with the design and reorganization of the libraries in two states
- Library budget management for all office locations
- Providing research and reference assistance for attorneys, administrators, and legal staff
- Collaborating with attorneys for collection evaluation and development
- Negotiating favorable pricing options with online vendors and publishers for materials and computer-assisted research services
- Coordinating training of online services and library orientation of new attorneys, paralegals, legal nurse consultants, administrators, and summer associates and law clerks
- Cataloging the library collection
- Supervising library staff
She says, "I remember someone said to me shortly after I started working in Buckingham's library, 'I'll bet your experience at the public library will be a big help here.' To me it was like I entered a different world. The patrons were attorneys, the books were mostly loose-leaf, and everything had to be updated. There was limited access to online research services, and the staff of one (that was me!) wore the hats of several positions — reference, technical services, public services, bookkeeper, filer, researcher...goodness, did I have a lot to learn, but learn I did!"
When asked what made her decide to become a law librarian, Langton says, "I am not so sure I ever thought about a career in law librarianship. I worked at a public library before coming to Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, but I did not join the firm in a library capacity. A year after I was employed, the librarian went on maternity leave, and I was asked to fill in for her while she was away. That was 25 years ago, and well, the rest is history!"
"I play researcher, supervisor, trainer, negotiator, cataloger, speaker, administrator — oh, and housekeeper. (Yes, attorneys tend to leave coffee cups and candy wrappers in the library!)"
Langton says that as a librarian for a law firm, she receives numerous requests for research and reference assistance from the different practice groups and departments in the firm on a daily basis. She maintains that it is a job that teaches you something new every day and that you get to share that knowledge with others.
Among the strong influences in her life, Langton says she had a good, solid, Catholic upbringing in a home where her parents taught her about faith, love, commitment, respect, and loyalty. She says that in 25 years she has made connections and developed lasting relationships with her law librarian colleagues and coworkers.
"So, to answer LawCrossing.com's question, 'Do you credit your success to any other people in your life,' I would have to say 'yes,' that I have been influenced by faith, family, and friends," she affirms.
Langton has been a member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) since 1988 and has been a member of the Ohio Regional Association of Law Libraries (ORALL) since 1985, as she says, "proudly serving in leadership roles and on various committees."
She adds, "I'm grateful for the opportunities to attend the meetings and participate in the associations. There is not enough said about the rewards of networking and being involved in professional associations. It is so important to be connected with others in the field."
Langton has had opportunities to give presentations to various organizations and groups and write articles for law library newsletters on library- and legal resource-related topics.
Publications that Langton has authored are:
- "Making a Dream a Reality," ORALL Newsletter, Volume 2003, Number 3, Page 1, September 2003
- "Bridging the Generation Gap," ORALL Newsletter, Volume 2003, Number 2, Page 1, June 2003
- "The Value of a Law Librarian," ORALL Newsletter, Volume 2003, Number 1, Page 1, March 2003
- "To Be or Not to Be...A Better Boss, That Is," ORALL Newsletter, Volume 2002, Number 4, Page 1, December 2002
- "Hot Topic: Incredible Shrinking Library," Law Library Lights, Volume 45, Number 1, Page 18, Fall 2001, Co-authored with Kate Kennedy
| Q. What do you do for fun? |
| A. I have a lot of interests away from work and pursue them when I have spare time. First and foremost is to spend time with family and friends. I also like tole painting, cooking/barbecuing, and hiking the local metroparks. (It's my good luck that Summit County, where I live, has some of the best parks and trails!) My husband and I like to travel too, most recently having enjoyed a trip to Colorado and Utah in the fall of 2007. |
She recalls, "I have seen a lot of changes in the 25 years I have been here. Back then, there were no computers, only one little red dial-up, computer-like machine called a UBIQ. (Any reader remember those and what they were used for?) We did not have voicemail, cell phones, or email. We used Selectric typewriters and carbon paper. Saving and forwarding a research document to someone meant making a copy of it and walking it to them, dropping it in the mail, or faxing it. As for research tools, back then we had duplicate copies of statutes, multiple versions of treatises, and lots and lots of hardbound reporters.
"Face it: research and communication were slow back then, and it really wasn't even that long ago. And then it came. Technology. Computers, voicemail, cell phones, Bluetooth, laptops, BlackBerrys, Internet, and email (not necessarily in this order) have led to instant communication and electronic access to documents and research services."
Adds Langton, "In an industry where we put our clients first, speed and efficiency are critical to a law firm. In this technology-driven and increasingly wireless society, we are afforded every means to stay connected with our clients and each other."
All of these changes enhance Langton's law firm in pursing its mission to be a leader in technology, efficiency, and its commitment to excellence, and as she sees it, her firm has been at the forefront of providing superb service to every single client.
"In my profession we also have the opportunity with every reference or research request to promote excellent client service. Since law librarians are gatekeepers of electronic research services, we too are afforded the means of providing our clients, the attorneys, with information faster and more cost-effectively."
When asked if she has any advice for her peers in the legal field or for those who may be considering her profession as a career choice, Langton replies, "For those already in a law library position, there may not be much advice I could share that they do not already know. However, I find that it is always helpful to be reminded of a couple of things.
"First, stay connected with your users — support staff to law clerks to administration to senior partners. Collection evaluation and development are ongoing and challenging tasks, and you must look to all your users to determine their current needs for research and library support as well as their input to weed out (aka cancel) subscriptions that are no longer needed or relevant.
"Second, be very conscious of how you spend your organization's money. Always look for ways to reduce the costs and time associated with information retrieval. Stay familiar with multimedia and costs. A good law library will have a proper mix of print and electronic research services available. There is so much information available electronically these days, and librarians know which resources are more thorough, useful, and cost-effective to maintain in print and which would be more appropriate to access and pay for electronically."
She adds, "For readers who may be considering a library career, keep in mind that your options reach beyond a public or school library. I have participated in a couple of Library Career Nights for a local school of information science. One of the things I do for the students, and would do for anyone else who may be thinking of pursuing a career in libraries, is to encourage them to explore the many options available to them and to consider special libraries — i.e., law librarianship.
"There are libraries in law firms, corporations, government agencies, courts, counties, and academia. Information about the law library profession can be found on the AALL website at www.aallnet.org, and there is a Q&A paper about the value and work of law librarians there too, at www.aallnet.org/sis/pllsis/Toolkit/ToolkitQA.pdf."
Very sound advice from one who has a wealth of experience and professional expertise.
