Unsung Heroes – Law Library Staff

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Law Library Staff

Bev Butula
Assistant Director of Library Services, Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. “Beverly is one of the best librarians I have every worked with in any library setting. She has a wonderful attitude, excels at training people in using print and online resources, generously volunteers for any project, and gives 100 percent of her skills to every member of the firm.… Beverly is also a leader in the law library field.… She has spoken at several library-related conferences and has published a number of important and helpful articles in the Wisconsin Lawyer, Wisconsin Law Journal and the WALA Class Action,” writes Kellee L. Selden-Huston, Director of Library Services, Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. During the past 20 years, Bev Butula has been involved in some aspect of the law, starting out as a paralegal then becoming a law librarian. Since obtaining her master of library and information science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2001, Butula has been a law librarian at Davis & Kuelthau. Prior to that, she was a paralegal at Midwest Paralegal Services. “I liked (being a paralegal), but I liked the research more,” Butula said, explaining that she decided to go to library school where she could incorporate the legal and research elements. “It’s challenging and it’s never the same thing.”

In addition to utilizing her knowledge for research, she shares those skills with attorneys within the firm, as well as law librarians and other professionals outside the firm.

“I want to make my attorneys be as efficient and effective as they can get when they are doing their own research,” she said.

Her educational efforts have included working actively with the Law Librarians Association of Wisconsin, as well as other groups, such as Wisconsin Association of Legal Professionals and the International Association of Administrative Assistants.

“Between October and November, I am speaking or have spoken to five different groups,” she noted.

Debbie Boyden
Information Assistant, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.

“Debbie Boyden is a library filer extraordinaire. There are never any errors. She routes all the mail, over 2,000 items a month. She is also our go to person for locating lost books.… [S]he is also a wonderful firm ambassador. She welcomes all new employees with a smile and offers to help. She is a fabulous example of what ‘client service’ means. After more than 20 years, she still retains her enthusiasm and joy,” writes Carol Bannen, Director Information Resources, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.

Tony P. Chan
Knowledge Management Liaison/Information Specialist, Quarles & Brady LLP

“Tony brings a unique combination of technical aptitude, information savvy skills and a fierce commitment to customer service that have made him an indispensable member of the firm’s Library Services and Knowledge Management teams. Tony is just as comfortable conducting sophisticated research or giving a presentation on complex topics like Competitive Intelligence as he is working one on one with a firm colleague to empower them to use information efficiently and effectively to meet their client’s needs,” writes Ann Murphy, Milwaukee Office Managing Partner, Quarles & Brady LLP.

Barb Dichter
Librarian, O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong S.C.

“She usually arrives at the office in the early morning hours and often completes her daily responsibilities while most people are still brewing their morning coffee.… She proactively seeks out ways to reduce costs, improve systems, and bring value to our firm. In the last year alone, Ms. Dichter actually generated positive case flow for the firm by creating efficiencies in our library budget that fully offset the expense of having her on staff,” writes Patricia A. Van Antwerpen, Director of Administration, O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong S.C.

JoAnne Meyer
Director of Library Services, von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

“JoAnne is an outstanding legal researcher and librarian and is extremely dedicated to meeting the needs of the firm’s attorneys. She often far exceeds their expectations, finding cities, references, treatises and pertinent case law that, in some cases, the attorney didn’t know existed and are directly on point to their needs. She routinely monitors new rulings and case law in areas she knows will be particularly pertinent to various attorneys and forwards that information onto them,” writes Anne Wagner, Director of Administration and Human Resources, von Briesen & Roper, s.c.