Postdoctoral Fellowships

Fellowship Description

The UNM Law Library launched its Postdoctoral Fellowship (PdF) program in 2016 to provide a foundational experience for individuals who are starting their careers in law librarianship. Each Fellow receives a faculty mentor who, together with the entire library faculty and senior staff, endeavors to supervise, encourage, and foster them in a manner consistent with their career goals.

PdFs generally have a forty hour work week in the law library which is spent responding to reference requests from library patrons, supporting legal research courses, assisting with faculty research, and learning about the library’s overall functions and practices. They will also create research guides, lead research training sessions to clinics and student groups, participate in outreach to various patron groups, and serve on library committees. Approximately half of the PdF's hours are scheduled so that reference services can be reliably provided, but the other half are flexible and often done remotely.

PdFs are strongly encouraged to actively participate in the Southwestern Association of Law Libraries and the American Association of Law Libraries and receive paid membership in both organizations.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide reference services in both remote and traditional environments;
• Assist law library faculty with class preparation and teaching, including developing assignments and exercises;
• Provide research support to law faculty;
• Participate in providing research instruction and presentations to students, professional associations, and other patron groups;
• Assist with public services, collections, and systems projects.

Qualifications

Required:

• MLS or equivalent degree from an American Library Association-accredited library program or J.D. degree from an American Bar Association-accredited law school;
• Serious interest in pursuing a career in law librarianship.

Preferred:

• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student success, as well as working with broadly diverse communities;
• Familiarity with legal resources;
• Reference desk or other customer service experience;
• Teaching, training, or other instruction experience;
• Experience using technology tools for teaching, presentations, or digital content creation;
• Experience managing social media for a group or organization;
• Knowledge of integrated library systems and discovery platforms;
• Familiarity searching, creating, and maintaining digital asset management systems; or
• Familiarity with bibliographic classification systems, such as MARC, LC classification, or LCSH.

Past Fellows

Casilyn Lewis (2021-2023)

• MLIS, San Jose State University; JD, Barry University School of Law; BS, University of Utah
• Current Position: Scholarly Initiative Law Librarian, St. Mary's University Law Library

Katelyn Golsby (2020-2021)

• MLIS, University of Arizona; JD, University of Massachusetts Law School; BA, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Current Position: Library Services Librarian, Florida International University Law Library

Kristin Greer Love (2019-2020)

• MSLIS, University of Illinois; JD, AB, University of Chicago
• Current Position: Senior Civil Liberties Attorney, ACLU of New Mexico

Logan Migliore (2016-2021)

• MLIS, San Jose State University; JD, BA, University of New Mexico
• Current Position: Reference and Outreach Coordinator, University of New Mexico Law Library

Please see the Library Directory for a list of the current Postdoctoral Fellows.o

Salary and Benefits
This is a 12-month appointment that may be renewed up to 4 times; the salary and benefits are competitive with other postdoctoral fellowships and moving expenses are available. 

Application Instructions

The application period for the 2023-24 academic year has closed. 

To apply, please submit the following items to Logan Migliore, Reference and Public Outreach Librarian

• Cover letter with statement of interest
• Current resume
• Contact information for three professional references (including email address and phone number)