Judith M. Wright Fellowship

Program Description

The Judith M. Wright Fellowship was established in 2013 on the occasion of Ms. Wright's retirement as Director of the D'Angelo Law Library, in recognition of her forty years of service to the University of Chicago Law School. The Fellowship recognizes Ms. Wright's legacy as a mentor to generations of law librarians.

The Judith M. Wright Fellowship develops promising new professionals in academic law librarianship by supporting a career training program at the D'Angelo Law Library. The Fellowship provides $5,000 to a law school or library science student or recent graduate selected for training at the D'Angelo Law Library for this Fellowship.

The Fellowship is intended to give candidates interested in law librarianship as a career an opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in an academic law library setting. Fellows working in the D'Angelo Law Library under the guidance and supervision of the Law Library Director and other librarians will learn about the overall functions, policies and practices of the D'Angelo Law Library in both technical services and user services departments. In addition to participating in the daily work of a premier academic law library, Fellows will undertake and complete a project based on the needs and capabilities of the D'Angelo Law Library and the interests and prior experience of the Fellow.

Previous Wright Fellows

2024: Annie Ross, M.S. Library & Information Science (Simmons University); B.A. (Northwestern University)

• Fellowship Project: Reviewed assorted foreign, comparative, and international legal miscellanea as potential additions to the D’Angelo collection, considering selection criteria, user needs, and collection development policies at peer institutions. Additionally, engaged in research to compile a report that provides future-thinking approaches to collection development at D’Angelo.
• Post Fellowship: Digital Archivist, Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections

2023: Keith Klein, J.D. (Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law); B.A. (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

• Fellowship Project: Created a procedural plan for best practices in creating, developing, and maintaining LibGuides, including recommendations for incorporating this work into D’Angelo’s regular operations. Those practices were applied to create and publish a LibGuide on Generative AI in Legal Research, Education, and Practice.
• Post Fellowship: Experiential Learning Services Librarian, D'Angelo Law Library, The University of Chicago Law School

2022: Jennifer S. Bedier, J.D. (University of Arizona College, James E. Rogers College of Law); M.A. Library & Information Science (University of Arizona); B.A. (University of Arizona)

• Fellowship Project: Performed extensive research and created a report with findings and suggestions for D’Angelo’s collection development that will further research, teaching and learning in diverse legal topics, and build materials inclusive of underrepresented individuals, groups, and perspectives.
• Post Fellowship: Research and Instructional Services Librarian and Professor of Practice, University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law

2021: Rebecca J. Dent, J.D. (Boston University School of Law); M.S.W. (Fordham Graduate School of Social Service); B.A. (Boston University)

• Fellowship Project: Developed a coordinated assessment plan to evaluate the success of the D’Angelo Law Library’s services for faculty and students, including marketing and outreach of those services.
• Post Fellowship: Reference and Instructional Services Librarian, New York Law School

2020: The Fellowship program was suspended.

2019: Mary L Shelly, J.D. (University of Michigan Law School); B.A (University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts); B.T.A. (University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance)

• Fellowship Project: Created a web exhibit of the United States Supreme Court Portraits and Autographs collection, including background on the justices, metadata descriptions for individual items, and references to related material.
• Post Fellowship Employment: Reference Librarian, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

2018: Konya Lafferty Moss, (J.D., DePaul University College of Law, 2019); M.L.I.S., (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); B.A. (Missouri University of Science and Technology)

• Fellowship Project: Conducted a review of reference inquiries submitted through D'Angelo's virtual channels and completed a report that summarizes and analyzes these reference transactions, including recommendations for strategies to improve D'Angelo's online FAQ and research guides.
• Post Fellowship Employment: Research & Knowledge Analyst, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

2017: Ariel Scotese, M.L.I.S., (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); J.D. , LL.M.(IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law); B.A. (University of Chicago)

• Fellowship Project: Researched current models and developed a primer for delivering services to clinical faculty, staff and students including librarian liaison assignments, customized outreach and instruction, online research guides, promotional materials, and other best practices and strategies.
• Post Fellowship Employment: Access & Outreach Librarian, Cornell University Law School

2016: Dustin Johnston-Green, M.S. Library and Information Science (State University of New York at Buffalo); J.D. (State University of New York at Buffalo); B.A. (Ohio Wesleyan University)

• Fellowship Project: Developed a descriptive guide for the common law materials (United States and British titles) in the D'Angelo rare book collection, including the scope and strengths of the collection and a desiderata list in areas where these materials would be enhanced by future acquisitions.
• Post Fellowship Employment: Electronic Resources and Reference Librarian, Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law

2015: Kara Dunn, M.L.I.S. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); J.D. (University of Washington School of Law); B.A. (University of Washington)

• Fellowship Project: Updated and created research guides using the LibGuides platform (both as to appropriate content and currency) with changes necessitated by the migration to LibGuides 2.0.
• Post Fellowship Employment: Reference Librarian, Lane Powell PC, Seattle, WA

2014: Taryn Marks, M.L.I.S., Certificate in Law Librarianship (University of Washington); J.D., LL.M. (Duke University School of Law); B.A. (University of Denver)

• Fellowship Project: Develop a working plan and procedures for uploading a digital version of the University of Chicago Law School Record (alumni publication) into the Law School's Digital Commons site, Chicago Unbound, including table of contents, descriptive metadata and full-text in PDF for all content.
• Post Fellowship Employment: Faculty Services Librarian, Levin College of Law, University of Florida

Eligibility and Requirements

• Applicants must be a current graduate student (or recent graduate) of an accredited library science or information science program or a current J.D. student (or recent graduate) at an ABA-accredited law school.
• Applicants must have a strong commitment to a career in law librarianship, demonstrated by appropriate coursework in their library or information science program, or completion of or coursework towards a J.D. degree.
• Applicants must commit to six consecutive weeks of full-time, temporary employment as a Fellow. The duration of the Fellowship within these parameters will be determined at the time of application and selection of the Fellow each year.
• The Fellowship must be completed in the summer.
• The final project report must be completed and submitted by the end of the Fellowship unless otherwise agreed between the Fellow and the Law Library Director.
• Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.

The Judith M. Wright Fellowship provides $5,000 for a minimum of 6 weeks of full-time, temporary employment. Interested candidates should review the 2024 Judith M. Wright Fellowship posting and application deadlines.

To apply for the Judith M. Wright Fellowship, please submit the following items:

• Cover letter with statement of interest
• Current resume
• Description of graduate program including list of completed courses in legal information resources or law library administration
• Contact information for three professional references (including email address and phone number)

Submit applications (email submission only) to:

Sheri Lewis
Director of the D'Angelo Law Library
University of Chicago
shl@uchicago.edu

Supporting the Fellowship

Contributions are being accepted for the Judith M. Wright Fellowship. Checks should be payable to the University of Chicago and reference "in support of the Judith M. Wright Fellowship Fund." Please send checks to:

The Judith M. Wright Fellowship Fund
c/o Sheri Lewis
D'Angelo Law Library
University of Chicago
1121 East 60th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637

Online contributions may be submitted via the University of Chicago Law School's Online Giving Site. Select "Area of Giving: Other - Please Specify Below," and then fill in "Judith M. Wright Fellowship at the Law School."