A Week in the Law Library Life: Lindsay Koso, Research & Instructional Services Librarian

As the Research & Instructional Services Librarian at Roger Williams University School of Law, no two weeks ever look quite the same. Balancing student engagement, faculty support, and scholarly work means wearing many hats — often several at once. Here’s a glimpse into a recent week in my professional life.

Planning and Promoting Library Programing - The week kicked off with a burst of creativity as I finalized plans for our ongoing Lawyer March Madness event. This fun, competitive program invites students to vote on their favorite legal luminaries, mirroring the excitement of the NCAA tournament to get us through the spring slump. I worked on promotional materials, crafting engaging graphics and drafting announcements to spread the word via our law school’s social media channels, email newsletters, and library website. Fun fact—I use my art and design background to create a lot of our promotional materials from scratch. Developing visual didactics and engaging infographics is a great way for me to be creative and keep patrons engaged.

Student Outreach and Pro Bono Supervision - Most weeks focus on building connections with students. I brainstormed ideas for future outreach and engagement — from interactive workshops to informal research Q&A sessions. Additionally, I met with the students working under my supervision to fulfill their Pro Bono requirement, compiling and synthesizing research for a vital advocacy project for Rhode Island public libraries. I also prepped for a guest lecture I am giving in Dean Ortiz’s Advanced Legal Research course on Critical Legal Theory, which I call research for the social justice lawyer.

Scholarship and Course Development - Midweek, I carved out time for two major writing projects. I’m currently working on articles examining the digital shift in law school research and testing, and historic research for federal Indian law in colonial New England — both exciting, deeply relevant topics. In parallel, I developed proposals for new seminar courses on specialized legal research, aiming to equip upper-level students with targeted skills in practice areas and legal academia.

Reference Desk, Chat, and Research Requests - A lot of my job revolves around direct support. I staff the Reference Desk three days a week, helping students with externship research and placement-related queries, while simultaneously staffing the Reference Chat feature for virtual assistance. Faculty requests rolled in as well — from researching legislative histories to tracking down hard-to-find case law — and I worked swiftly with my colleagues to gather and deliver the needed materials. Alumni also reached out for support with ongoing legal matters, reinforcing the library’s role as a lifelong resource. Finally, I coordinated Alternative Spring Break reference coverage, ensuring smooth operations while some of our community members engage in impactful service projects.

Collections Management and a March Book Display - Wrapping up the week, I focused on collections management. I reviewed Greenslips — a selection tool for recommending new acquisitions — ensuring our resources remain current and practice-focused. I also curated a monthly book display, spotlighting titles that align with upcoming events, legal observances, and student interests.

Professional Development - When I’m not at work, I’m pursuing an LL.M. in Indigenous Peoples Law at The University of Oklahoma. This semester I’ve finished a course on Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian Country, and I start my course on International Indigenous Peoples Law next week. I’m also staying on top of my qualifications for Connecticut, where I’m barred, which means at least one or two CLE programs a month. Finally, I volunteer as a Citizen Archivist for the National Archives Catalog, working to digitize thousands of handwritten, illegible, or otherwise mis-cataloged legal documents for the Archives. Right now, I am a few hundred pages deep into an equity case involving a dispute over large tracts of land promised to the Pokagon Band of the Pottawatomie Nation by the Treaty of Greenville (1914).