It is with truly mixed emotions that I would like to announce that
Volume 17 of Legal Reference Services Quarterly will be the last one
that Kathleen Vanden Heuvel and I will edit. As of Volume 18, Mike
Chiorazzi of the University of Arizona Law School will take over the
editor's postion. Volume 17 is on the way. A double issue, guest
edited by Sam Trosow, on the future of legal publishing and the
economics of legal information, should be in your hands soon. It is one
of the best things that we have done, and includes a number of serious
articles by some of the profession's best thinkers. 17:3, which will
include a mine-symposium edited by Linda Will on the private law firm
perspective on the future, as well some other great articles, is a few
months away. 17:4 will be the farewell issue by Kathleen and me, and
will include some terrific artilces and a few things that only LRSQ
would do. You should have that by the AALL meeting. From then on, LRSQ
will be Mike's baby..
The mixed emotions come from the fun of seeing Mike inject new ideas
and new blood into the enterprise. At the same time, there is a bit of
sentimental regret. Having started LRSQ eighteen years ago on a
Selectric typewriter as a one man band, I feel great affection for it.
I always tried to make LRSQ a platform for things that needed saying and
for articles that needed a voice. Though there have been plenty of
hassles, there has been a whole lot of fun, and I have gotten to say the
things that I wanted to say. Over the past dozen years, Kathleen Vanden
Heuvel has been an equal partner in what has been done, and her touch
has made LRSQ thrive. Michael Levy helped us through the last few years
too. Without sounding like an Oscar acceptance speech, there are a lot
of folks to thank. All of the guest editors, all of the authors and of
course, all of the subscribers. It always amazed me when folks would
call and comment on my cranky editorials. Someone was reading them. I
have to single out Mark Mackler, Al Podboy and Bethany Ochal as the most
stimulating commentators. I have to offer special thanks to Nancy
Johnson and Fred Shapiro my original columnists, who kept the thing
alive for a few years when we were still doing it all with paste and
scotch tape. Barbara Bintliff, who was a fantastic book review editor
through the early years kept us alive. (John Adkins carried the book
review ball for the final volumes with his typical aplomb.) Indeed the
whole Board of Advisors deserve a lot of thanks for having faith.
Looking back, it was a really interesting group of folks who signed on.
Scott Pagel and Tom Woxland edited our early double issues, and were
both inspirations, and Anita Shew once kept me going with one powerhouse
letter. Some of our features and authors flew on to bigger things.
Morris Cohen and Sharon Hamby O'Connor went on to win the Joseph Andrews
Award with the extended book-length treatment of their early article
with us. (They were kind beyond words to let us run the excerpt.) And
I have been delighted to see the rebirth of the old Green Bag, now being
published as a stylish journal, which in each issue is reprinting one
old Green Bag article, much like we used to do in the old "Second Look"
column. Kent Olson was the author of my all time favorite book review,
(a volume of Federal Reporter), and Prof. William Slomanson wrote the
strangest series of articles ever published on legal information..
Working with Nancy Carol Carter on her travelling law librarian pieces
would have been worth it alone. I am still reading my way through
Valerie Frances Diamond's bibliography of women in fiction, which
appeared in Volume 16, number 1, and represented my favorite kind of
article. But, like so many character actors accepting that statue, I am
running on. When you name names, you leave out other names, and it
would be impossible to list everyone who has been there when needed. My
thanks to everyone. The annual LRSQ party became a way of seeing old
friends, not just collaborators. I will miss all of that. Thanks. It
was an honor to work with you.
Best of luck to Mike. I look forward to seeing what he will do with
the old warhorse.
Bob Berring
Boalt Hall Law School
Berkeley
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