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The opinions shared during this program represent the views of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). Recording, capturing, or using AI tools to duplicate, transcribe, or otherwise reproduce an AALL program in any form is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from AALL. This includes, but is not limited to audio, video, or any other content shared. By attending an AALL program or accessing an AALL recording, you agree to adhere to this policy.

Professionalism + Leadership at Every Level

Management + Business Acumen

The Power of Deep Work and Slow Productivity: Strategies for Law Librarians in the Age of Distraction

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

11:15am – 12:15pm CDT

Room: Grand Ballroom B (East Tower Gold Level)

Moderator/Coordinator(s)

Julie Tedjeske Crane

Reference Librarian and Professor of Legal Research
Penn State Dickinson Law

Slides (PDF) Handouts

Speaker(s)

Geraldine Kalim (she/her/hers)

Reference & Instructional Services Librarian
University of Baltimore Law Library
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Mike Muehe (he/him/his)

Research Librarian & Assistant Professor
University of San Francisco School of Law, Dorraine Zief Law Library
San Francisco, California, United States
Morgan Stoddard (she/her/hers)

Associate Director
George Mason University Law Library
Jacob Waldo (he/him/his)

Public Services Law Librarian
University of Mississippi School of Law

Wordly Closed Captioning: https://attend.wordly.ai/join/FVZR-4286

Librarians spend their days in meetings, answering messages, teaching, and assisting users. Many feel they do not have time to focus for an extended period on intellectually interesting and challenging work. Cal Newport calls this type of work “deep work,” and he believes making time for deep work is essential to both productivity and professional fulfillment. Newport is a computer science professor and author who writes about the intersection of culture and technology. Panelists will draw from Newport’s work to share ideas and strategies for finding focus in a world of distraction, including coverage of his new book, “Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout.” They will also share examples of how they have integrated concepts from Newport’s work into their technology and research instruction.

Target Audience:

The program should appeal to a wide range of law librarians. The principal audience for Newport's work is knowledge workers, which includes law librarians across all specialties and practice settings. Librarians who teach law students or present to lawyers on technology and time management issues may also find the program useful. Librarians who are working on their own research and scholarship will greatly benefit from incorporating Newport’s advice and strategies because research and writing often requires uninterrupted time and deep work.

This program is sponsored by the Legal Innovation & Technology SIS (LITS-SIS).

Learning Objectives:

Participants will understand Cal Newport’s key ideas relating to 1) time and project management, 2) slow productivity, 3) deep work, and 4) professional communication.
Participants will be able to develop systems to improve their personal and professional work and communications.
Participants will be able to integrate Cal Newport’s advice on project management and deep work into their legal technology and research instruction.