Kristen Kellems
MLIS
Q: Where do you work?
A: Brigham Young University Law Library
Q: What’s your job title and what do you do?
A: I am the Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Librarian at BYU’s Law Library. I teach legal research to LLM students and will eventually teach first-year students legal research and writing. I aid BYU law faculty and students with their research needs, including public international law, law and religion, and international humanitarian law. I am also in charge of developing the international and foreign law collection for the law library.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about the field you’ve chosen?
A: Working in international law, I really enjoy getting to know how different countries are handling legal issues and hot-button topics, which also bleeds into another part I love: working with the law students. International and foreign law is huge and it can be quite overwhelming for law students to know where to go to start their research. I find it really enjoyable to provide students with a research strategy, help define their questions, and the overall mentoring aspect of working with students.
Q: When you were at the iSchool, what helped you build community?
A: I found the Discord channel for my cohort to be a great space for building community. We had some gamers in my first cohort who built a channel for our group with different subchannels where we could talk about homework, job interviews, or just vent about the stressors in our lives. Everyone was very helpful and supportive of each other.
Q: How has your experience at the iSchool prepared you to solve challenges in the industry?
A: My law school experience felt very “one-size-fits-all”, but the iSchool takes a creative approach to learning and teaching. It really reinforces that people have different backgrounds and there are many approaches to learning. 911±¬ÁĎÍř does a great job of incorporating many types of learning strategies to accommodate for how each student learns. This has been very helpful when thinking about my own approach to teaching.
Q: What’s the most important non-technical skill you use at work and why is it needed?
A: Emotional intelligence is a crucial skill, especially when interacting with a diverse range of personalities, backgrounds and communication styles. Whether dealing with frazzled faculty, students or administrators, it's essential to recognize that everyone comes from different circumstances. This awareness isn't something you typically learn in law school or library school — it's a skill you develop over time and continue to refine throughout your career.
Q: What advice do you have for students interested in a career like yours?
A: Law librarianship is all about a love of learning. In a law library situation, you get to meet students and faculty and experience different books and databases. You are constantly learning and being exposed to new methods of legal research, which is very exciting and engaging. If you love books and finding information, law librarianship is a great choice. We’re like the super sleuths of legal research–we love helping faculty and students find the most relevant resources for their projects
Q: What are some of the benefits with the MLIS online format?
A: By the end of my first year, everyone in the law librarian cohort had gotten to know each other's personalities, and we all became good friends. Our classes allow you to connect and be part of each other's learning journey. I felt that in law school, the environment often felt tense and stressful, but the iSchool fosters an atmosphere of support, constantly asking, “How can I help?” and “What do you need?” I truly appreciate this culture of supportive learning that the iSchool cultivates.