Recommended Citation
Susan Azyndar, Earl C. Borgeson and the Image of the Law Librarian (2011), https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/law-lib_borgeson/4
Graduation Year
2011
Document Type
Article
Abstract
In a career spanning four decades, Earl C. Borgeson admirably served a range of institutions. During his initial exploration of law librarianship as a career option, Earl C. Borgeson wrote letters to many in the profession,establishing a central motif of his professional life: a people-centered approach. Indeed, in later years, he would trumpet this facet of law librarianship: “we love to help each other!” Part and parcel of this focus, Borgeson’s career expressed itself less in academic publishing than in personal relationships. Rather than shaping law librarianship by developing a sharp focus on an emerging aspect of collection development, for example, Borgeson most often shaped the profession through mentoring, advising, and colloquy. This essay will sketch out the major arcs of Borgeson’s career: defining law librarianship, mentoring, and serving the profession primarily through the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). Because so much of this professional activity relies heavily on personal relationships, however, it seems appropriate to begin with a brief, personal biography, many of whose strands will reappear as we turn to an examination of Borgeson’s professional life. Borgeson was a man of many stories; we will begin with his own.