John R. Austin
Director of the Law Library
and Associate Professor of Law
B.A., Queens College
M.L.S., Indiana University
J.D., DePaul University
email: jaustin@niu.edu / phone (815) 753-9493
John Austin became the library director in 1997. He joined the library faculty in 1984 as public services librarian. He is a past president of the Chicago Association of Law Libraries and has held many elected and appointed positions in that organization. He has served as moderator or speaker at many seminars on legal research or law librarianship and has taught basic and advanced legal research courses. In 1990 and 1996, he was selected Faculty Member of the Year by the students of the College of Law. He is a member of the Illinois Bar.
Gary L. Vander Meer
Associate Director
Technical Services Librarian
and Associate Professor
B.A., University of Illinois
M.S.L., Western Michigan University
M.A.P.A., Northern Illinois University
email: gvandermeer@niu.edu / phone: (815) 753-9495
Gary Vander Meer serves as the associate director of the Law Library. In this capacity, he is responsible for circulation activities, inter-library loan, and the budgetary activities of the library. In his position as technical services librarian, he is responsible for the acquisition of material, serials control, and the cataloging and physical preparation of library items. He has been with the Law Library since 1981. He has presented programs relating to library cataloging at local, regional, and national conferences, and has served as a member of various committees of local and national law library organizations. He assists in providing reference service, and has taught Illinois legislative history to advanced legal research students.
Benjamin Carlson
Instructional Services/Reference Librarian and Assistant Professor
B.A., St. John's College, Annapolis, MD
M.A., Drexel University
J.D., University of Notre Dame
email: bcarlson@niu.edu / phone: (815) 753-9492
Benjamin Carlson joined the law library faculty as an instructional services and reference librarian in March 2010. He also serves as an assistant professor. Previously, he was an access services and reference assistant at the Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law Library. He also worked as a litigation associate for the firm of Funk & Bolton in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition, he practiced as a contract attorney for the firm of Schiffrin, Barroway, Topaz & Kessler in Radnor, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Law Library Association as well as the American Association of Law Libraries. He is admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar.
Therese A. Clarke
Instructional Services/Reference Librarian and Associate Professor
B.B.A., Loyola University of Chicago
M.L.S., Dominican University
J.D., The John Marshall Law School
email: tclarke@niu.edu / phone: (815) 753-9497
Therese Clarke joined the law library faculty in 2000. She provides legal reference assistance to faculty, students, and other library users. Additionally, she teaches legal research and supports law faculty and students in their use of instructional technology. She has worked as a reference librarian in both law school and law firm settings. She is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries, the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries and serves on various committees within the Chicago Association of Law Libraries. She has presented and prepared materials for the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting. She is admitted to the Illinois Bar.
Frank Lima
Computing and Electronic Services Librarian
and Assistant Professor
B.A., Boston University
M.L.S., Simmons College
J.D., Western New England College of Law
email: flima@niu.edu / phone: (815) 753-9496
Frank Lima joined the law library faculty in 2006. He provides legal reference assistance to faculty, students, and other library users. Additionally, he supports law faculty and students in their use of electronic databases and instructional technology.
Sharon L. Nelson
Assistant Technical Services and Systems Librarian and Assistant Professor
B.A., Northern Illinois University
M.S., University of Illinois
email: slnelson@niu.edu / phone: (815) 753-2021
Sharon Nelson joined the Law Library in 2006. She is responsible for the implementation and use of all modules of the Voyager integrated library system, with particular responsibility for serials and acquisitions. In addition to her previous work in library systems, her experience includes positions in information technology and medical librarianship. She has been actively involved in the statewide I-SHARE library consortium and with the annual international conference for users of the Voyager system. She served as the interim Webmaster for the College of Law from November of 2008 through January 2010.