In the Custody of the Law
An Interview with Louis Myers, Librarian-in-Residence at the Law Library of Congress
Louis Myers, BA ’10, MLIS ’20, Akron, Ohio, was selected for one of nine short-term positions offered in 2020 by the Library of Congress through its Librarians-in-Residence Program, which aims to develop the next generation of librarians and information professionals. He was interviewed for the Law Librarians of Congress blog, In Custodia Legis.
Describe your background. I am originally from Akron, Ohio. My interest in becoming a librarian started at a young age, but it took me some time to make it a profession. In my free time, I am an avid skier in winter, and I ride my bike any day it’s not raining during the warmer months.
What is your academic/professional history? I attended Kent State University, receiving a BA in history in 2010. I also attended the University of Idaho College of Law, earning a JD in 2017. While in law school, I worked for two years as a circulation assistant, which reignited my interest in becoming a librarian with a focus on law. After graduation I moved to Alaska and worked for the judiciary in Kodiak as a law clerk, and transitioned into a staff attorney position for a nonprofit organization in Anchorage. I moved back to Ohio to be closer to family and took a position through AmeriCorps at our local food bank while earning my MLIS at Kent State in 2020. I was then given the amazing opportunity to join the Law Library of Congress as its Librarian-in-Residence.
How would you describe your job to other people? I work on a wide variety of projects within the Public Services Division. I try to pick up an Ask-a-Librarian question each day, and work on other specific projects as needed. I have taught an orientation webinar, co-authored a legal report, written a Global Legal Monitor article and have been involved with several LibGuide projects. I hope to continue to grow my skills while providing top-notch legal reference to researchers who use our services.
Why did you want to work at the Law Library of Congress? To me, the Library of Congress is the most well-respected library in the world. I think the opportunity to work with the largest legal collection on the planet and to learn from the expert law librarians here will be a defining moment in my career. It will create a framework I will carry with me no matter where law librarianship takes me.
What is the most interesting fact you’ve learned about the Law Library of Congress? Our foreign law collection is so large and comprehensive that foreign governments sometimes ask us to share our copies of their laws when they need to do primary source research. That is pretty cool!
What is something your co-workers don’t know about you? During undergrad I played bass and keyboards in several acid-rock and reggae-style bands. I still play the piano occasionally, but I am way out of practice.
Excerpted from a post by Anna Price that first appeared Oct. 14, 2020 on the blog In Custodia Legis. Used with permission.