UNSUNG HEROES – Peter Lawrence-Wehrle – University of Wisconsin Law Library

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Peter Lawrence-Wehrle began work at the University of Wisconsin Law Library more than a decade ago, where he was first an evening and weekend circulation supervisor. After just six months, he was offered a day-side position as the ILL associate, a role he still holds today.

He uses his research and communication skills to provide students, faculty and members of the legal community with the information they need through inter-library loan and document delivery.

“I enjoy the challenges of my job,” he said. “In the same day I can find a citation in Russian from our collection for one professor, assist another with placing a large tranche of ILL requests and help an undergraduate student learn how to refine their research question and locate scholarly materials on the topic.

“I find the opportunity to serve in so many ways very fulfilling,” Lawrence-Wehrle added. “Everyone wants to know that their work matters. … I feel very blessed to be recognized. But winning this award is also a reminder to me that it’s important for me to pay it forward and recognize the work of others and appreciate their acts of heroism. Everyone in the law school – from the professor to the plumber – plays an important role in the life of the institution.”

Bonnie Shucha, associate dean and director of the Law Library, said that Lawrence-Wehrle’s work during the pandemic allowed the library to continue to function without a hitch.

“The delivery of research materials is always important, it was vital during the pandemic when physical access to our law library collection was limited, especially to the student-editors of our law journals. In law journal publishing, students check each citation for accuracy by reviewing the source material. Without Petey’s help in providing access to these materials, the editors of the Wisconsin Law Review shared with us that in such a unique semester, (they) would have been unable to publish a single issue without (his) assistance.”