The July 2013 edition of the bar exam is approaching, and law students will be spending late nights in the library. Jane Meland is prepared to make sure no last-minute question goes unanswered.
Meland is a librarian for the MSU College of Law. She has been in her current position for the last 11 years.
Her job is to make sure law students find answers to their research questions online or in a library book. She navigates law databases or consults government websites to help guide students to the answers they are looking for.
“I’ve always kind of been interested in a librarianship,” Meland said. “A lot of people don’t realize that you need a graduate’s degree for a professional librarianship.”
Meland received her undergraduate degree in accounting after starting her collegiate career as a dance student. After briefly working as an accountant, she decided to go to law school. After MSU hired her, she pursued her librarianship while working for the university.
Meland also has been teaching courses in legal research at MSU for nine years. She said it is rewarding when students tell her they applied her strategies to their research.
“I love helping people,” Meland said. “The interaction I get to have with these students –that’s the best part of my job.”