Stephanie Grace
MLIS Law, '24
Q: Where do you work?
A: University of California, Davis
Q: What’s your job title and what do you do?
A: I’m a Research Law Librarian at UC Davis School of Law, supporting law students, law faculty, the broader campus community, and members of the public with legal research. My day-to-day work includes reference services, instruction, research assistance, collection development, and student outreach.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about the field you’ve chosen?
A: My favorite thing about being a law librarian is the opportunity to help equip law students with the research skills they need to navigate legal information. I love the combination of teaching, tech, and critical thinking in this field. Being able to guide students through their learning process, whether it's helping them find the right resource or talking with them about the impact of generative AI on the legal profession, is incredibly rewarding. Plus, I get to be a perpetual student myself, constantly learning about everything from 19th-century admiralty law to the latest in AI ethics. It's a career that keeps my curiosity piqued daily.
Q: What’s the biggest challenge you overcame to get to where you are today?
A: One of the biggest challenges I’ve overcome to get to where I am today was transitioning from a career in college athletics, where I worked for 20 years, into the world of law librarianship. Embracing my unique background, and recognizing the value of my diverse experience — that was my Everest. It took a supportive network and a lot of self-reflection, but I finally internalized that I not only belong here, but that my unconventional path actually enriched what I brought to the table. It wasn’t about fitting into the librarianship mold. It was about mentally reshaping the space to include me.
Q: When you were at the iSchool, what helped you build community?
A: My law librarianship classmates became my digital village. We came from wildly different backgrounds to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and carve out our own online spaces to get to know and support each other. I’m especially grateful to Carla Wale, whose ability to recognize and reveal each person’s strengths made a huge difference in building that sense of connection. Working virtually as a reference intern with my peers and the amazing librarians at also strengthened my experience and relationships. Those connections helped me feel supported and motivated throughout the program.
Q: How did your experience at the iSchool prepare you to solve information challenges in the industry?
A: Working a lot together as classmates was really impactful for me. Collaboration gave us the opportunity to talk to people with different backgrounds and we all brought different levels of experience in librarianship, law and life to the table. I think being allowed to work in those groups with different people was really impactful, as well as the internship with Gallagher. It really taught me the practical skills of what I do in my work today, like recording a reference question in a piece of software. That led to me getting my first librarianship job here.
Q: What’s the most important non-technical skill you use at work and why is it needed?
A: Being able to communicate empathy. We tend to get bogged down in the legal profession with all the analysis, and the elements of what we are researching and we forget that these are real people asking the questions and real people impacted by the answers. It’s especially important when interacting with new students who are learning this for the first time, in the high pressure environment that law school is in. I want to approach them where they are and where they are coming from when they ask questions.
Q: What advice do you have for students interested in a career like yours?
A: Academic law librarianship in a role like mine is a mix of research, teaching and tech, so you have to enjoy that blend. Be open to changes and stay curiously skeptical — it’s a delicate balance of embracing the new and side-eyeing it just enough to ask the right questions. Don’t shy away from stretching your comfort zone (that’s where the fun is). Build connections and be confident in the fresh perspective you have to offer to the profession. Always keep in mind that this job is all about helping people, so go into it with a service-oriented mindset. Embrace diversity in all its forms — in your colleagues, in the resources you curate, and in the communities you serve.