A Labor of Love
What would you do if you could walk into your favorite business and receive friendly courteous service 100 percent of the time? By coming in the door or calling on the phone you would receive a helping hand to find the exact service for which you are looking. More than likely, you would return again and again. This type of service would lead to increased sales and happier customers. The American consumer has high expectations for the business transaction and those organizations that fail to acknowledge this reality will not be around for long.
For the public and members of the legal community, the expectations are high that we at the law library will meet legal research needs with efficiency and accuracy. The library receives some common reference questions regarding labor and employment issues including arbitration, employee benefits, employment handbooks, ERISA and pension plans, and non-competition agreements. Some resources that address these topics are listed in this month's Collections Note below.
Representing a client, whether in the private or public sector, often requires detailed research into the legal matters involved. The staffs at both library locations are prepared to meet your requests with a courteous greeting and thoughtful service. Regardless of the topic, the next time you're looking for some help with your labor or employment research, consider contacting the reference desks in Seattle at 206-296-0940 or at the RJC at 206-205-2900.
Subscriber program news: If you've delayed joining the library's Subscriber program, it's not too late. Beginning September 1, the membership fee will be prorated from $55 per attorney to $20 per attorney. Individuals and firms who join will receive full Subscriber program benefits for the remainder of the 2006 calendar year. For more information, contact Craig Burgess at 206-296-0940.
Library In-Service Day, September 29: Both branches of the King County Law Library will be closed all day on Friday, September 29 for our annual staff in-service day. During this time, the staff will be attending training and performing other duties that require our operations to be closed to the public.
Patron Appreciation Day, October 2: Monday, October 2 is Patron Appreciation Day, so please stop by either of our branches for free cookies and a "thank you" from the staff for supporting the law library this year!
KCLL Plans for Podcasting: The King County Law Library is planning to start podcasting this fall. Podcasts are short audio files you can listen to over the Internet or download to your own PC to listen to later.
Our podcasts will be available via an RSS feed from our Web site. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and if you have an RSS reader, you will automatically be notified when a new podcast is available. You do not, however, need to have a reader to access the podcasts. Just check the KCLL Web site often for the new posts and download them directly to your computer or mp3 player.
The podcasts will explain how to use our legal resources and research legal issues, highlight our training opportunities and more. Watch for this new service in September. n
Marcus Hochstetler is the King County Law Librarian. Please direct comments or questions to him at
206-296-0940 or marcus.hochstetler@metrokc.gov.
