Robert R. Newlen has been appointed assistant law librarian for collections, outreach and services, a new position within the Law Library of the Library of Congress.
Here’s the press release in full…
Currently the assistant director of the Knowledge Services Group in the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in the Library of Congress, Newlen will join the Law Library in mid-August.
The assistant law librarian for collections, outreach and services will focus on collection development and management, outreach to the Law Library?s diverse constituencies, and research and reference services. He will also oversee the Law Library?s development and fundraising initiatives.
In announcing the selection, Law Librarian of Congress Roberta I. Shaffer said, “With nearly 35 years of experience in CRS and serving the Congress, Robert brings a keen understanding of the unique research needs and ever-rising expectations of legislators and their staff members. Through his own academic record and work in professional associations, he also appreciates the research needs of the Law Library?s diverse clienteles.”
A cum laude graduate of Bridgewater College with a bachelor?s degree in political science and French, he earned a master?s degree in art history from American University and a master?s degree in library science from The Catholic University of America.
In his current position in CRS, Newlen manages a staff of more than 100 information professionals who provide research to CRS analysts and attorneys as well as to the Congress. As head of the CRS Legislative Relations Office from 1999 to 2007, he managed CRS outreach activities to the Congress, including congressional staff training and public-policy seminars and workshops.
Newlen has served as a member of the Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA) and most recently as senior trustee of the ALA Endowment. He has served in leadership positions in the District of Columbia Library Association and currently serves on the Board of Advisers of the library school at the University of South Carolina.
Founded by an act of Congress in 1832, the Law Library makes its resources available to members of Congress, the Supreme Court, other branches of the U.S. Government and the global legal community, and sustains and preserves a universal collection of law for future generations. With more than 2.6 million volumes, the Law Library contains the world?s largest collection of law books and other resources from all countries and provides online databases and guides to legal information worldwide through its website at www.loc.gov/law/.
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation?s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library?s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.
