Bricker & Eckler is one of Ohio’s leading law firms located within the Old Post Office on Third Street in downtown Columbus. The firm has additional offices in Cleveland, West Chester and Marietta and employs 140 attorneys. The law library employs three librarians who provide services to all branches and members of the firm. Services include news monitoring, business intelligence to assist with business expansion, research in legal and non-legal matters, tech services for circulation of library materials, due diligence on potential clients, and literacy training for summer and winter associates. Librarians are embedded within practice areas of the firm to provide specialized research.
Bricker & Eckler’s library is unique in size – in many firms, libraries are shrinking as more digital materials are utilized, but the library at Bricker is a central feature of the building. The library is responsible for providing resources for each area of the practice and so the librarians are deft at balancing resources and budgets to provide the best tools possible, as new attorneys and practice areas are added or change.
When we visited, the library was wrapping up Library Week, an annual program which promotes awareness and appreciation of the library to the entire staff. They offer training, host fun events, and provide food to bring attorneys in to check out the awesome tools the library provides. Susan Lowe, Director of Library Services shared that she loves her job. She said that librarians are really “adrenaline junkies” and her job is fast paced and exciting. She gets to be involved in every area of the practice and connects people with knowledge.
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