David Whelan
LightNews LightNews
banner
ofaolain.com
David Whelan
@ofaolain.com
35 followers 1 following 79 posts
Law library director and information seeker. #LawSchool #LegalResearch #law #LawLibraries, #LegalTech. #Technology, information access, #A2J, #leadership, #library. #Finder, fixer, leader, #author. Also: #music #dogs #outdoors

Home: https://ofaolain.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
ofaolain.com
The Changing Times — David Whelan
Time can be a taskmaster. New year's holidays can emphasize an unhealthy focus on completing things within an arbitrary time frame.
ofaolain.com
January 5, 2026 at 1:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Æ is for Effort — David Whelan
We should look for opportunities to encourage participation and growth, whether as teachers or leaders, in our organizations.
ofaolain.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:30 PM
ofaolain.com
The Inbox and the Desk Chair — David Whelan
I was away from the office and my email inbox showed it. It reinforced that we are doing things without thinking about why we are doing them.
ofaolain.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Blog Post Rescue Mission — David Whelan
A blogger should always be ready to migrate. The best way to be ready is to own and control your own website and content as much as possible.
ofaolain.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Dog Fooding the LMS — David Whelan
I have a dual role, as manager of an instructional design team and as an instructor and end user. Now I can see the LMS from both ends.
ofaolain.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Scholarship Clout Chasing — David Whelan
A publishing platform pitched a branded landing page. I wonder how I could justify any investment based on publisher clout chasing.
ofaolain.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Artificial Intelligence is a Gift — David Whelan
I had a chance to talk to law students about using artificial intelligence. We had great questions and it gave me a lot of food for thought.
ofaolain.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:30 PM
ofaolain.com
High-Profile Presentation Logistics — David Whelan
I had a high-profile virtual presentation to make. This is how I maximized my use of my dual monitors to be prepared for all comers.
ofaolain.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Wrangling the Money — David Whelan
The cost of managing print format payables is one of the key issues that may lead our library to cancel most of our print subscriptions.
ofaolain.com
October 6, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
The Bump and the Grind — David Whelan
Some projects lack shape, making them hard to plan for. My summer projects required me to be prepared to pivot as each required attention.
ofaolain.com
September 29, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Law Through A Kaleidoscope — David Whelan
Journalists telling stories fail when they neither put that legal information within reach of their readers nor context of their story.
ofaolain.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Irresolute Literacy — David Whelan
Bans on technology like artificial intelligence focus on process. We waste resources trying to manage tools instead of impacting outcomes.
ofaolain.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
The Blog Horizon — David Whelan
Blogs rose and fell and there is an opportunity for blogs and blog-like content to rise again. Writers can contribute and amplify themselves.
ofaolain.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Give It Your 85% — David Whelan
Sometimes we need to just take time to think. Modern work does not always allow for that and leaders need to ensure it can happen.
ofaolain.com
September 1, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
One Trip Around the Sun — David Whelan
A year as an academic law library director has illuminated some strengths and weaknesses but, overall, has been positive.
ofaolain.com
August 25, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Caught Between Publishers and a Hard Place — David Whelan
Another county is finding out that the cost to run a law library involves more than money. The answer may be to shift the law library.
ofaolain.com
August 18, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
One thing about #lawyers and #AI is that we are seeing where participants in the legal system are not doing the work. This case involves defense filings which were then relied on by prosecution, neither set of lawyers verifying the citations. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Judge criticises lawyers acting for boy accused of murder for filing misleading AI-created documents
Documents filed included references to nonexistent case citations and inaccurate quotes from a parliamentary speech, judge says
www.theguardian.com
August 14, 2025 at 11:48 AM
ofaolain.com
The Form of the Law — David Whelan
We offer self-represented parties forms to help them. Agencies can do more to help the self-represented party understand what is going on.
ofaolain.com
August 11, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Interesting look at #lawyers and problems with #gambling, including how it can lead to professional misconduct. Struck by the fact this is citing 9 year old research on substance abuse; time for @americanbar.org to update w/ gambling added in
www.abajournal.com/magazine/art...
All About the Action: Are lawyers more at risk for gambling addiction?
The ABA Journal is read by half of the nation's 1 million lawyers every month. It covers the trends, people and finances of the legal profession from Wall Street to Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
www.abajournal.com
August 7, 2025 at 4:15 PM
ofaolain.com
Good @propublica.org piece on the impacts of law firms like @kirkland-ellis.bsky.social , Sidley Austin, Davis Polk, Wachtel, et al., placing money over what matters. Diminishing the legal profession, undermining access to justice.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... #Lawyers #AccessToJustice #Ethics
Trump’s War on Big Law Means It’s Harder to Challenge the Administration
Some of America’s largest law firms are refusing to take pro bono and paid legal work from groups that seek to hold the government to account on issues like environmental protection, LGBTQ+ rights and...
www.propublica.org
August 6, 2025 at 10:52 AM
ofaolain.com
The Private Law Library of America — David Whelan
Law libraries have a free rider and a collection management problem. Can we match those two problems to generate new revenue?
ofaolain.com
August 4, 2025 at 12:34 PM
ofaolain.com
The Weak Links — David Whelan
We are now in a timeline where much of our chain is fragile when it comes to how we maintain and secure our systems and devices.
ofaolain.com
July 15, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
In With the In Crowd — David Whelan
When I join an in-group, I wonder if it's the best use of my resources, when it may exclude the people I'm most likely to be able to help.
ofaolain.com
July 8, 2025 at 12:30 PM
ofaolain.com
Correct Twice A Day — David Whelan
An artificial intelligence app tried to tell me a fact about a bird I'd known my whole life was wrong. Until it wasn't.
ofaolain.com
June 30, 2025 at 12:47 PM
ofaolain.com
Out of Habit — David Whelan
I am a creature of habits. I am rebuilding them during this long period of change. They are helping me manage my time and stay on track.
ofaolain.com
June 9, 2025 at 12:30 PM