Access, Aloha, and AI with Jenny Silbiger
About this episode
Jenny Silbiger discusses her journey in librarianship and the evolution of law libraries in Hawaii.
Jenny Silbiger, State Law Librarian and Access to Justice Coordinator for the Hawaii State Judiciary and President of the American Association of Law Libraries, shares her path from being a Korean adoptee raised in the Midwest to teaching English in Korea, moving to Hawaii for graduate study, and unexpectedly entering librarianship before earning her MLIS and leading library services. She describes the Hawaii Supreme Court Law Library’s long history and how the 2008 recession accelerated a shift from primarily internal court support to stronger public-facing access-to-justice services, partnerships, and self-help resources. Jenny discusses major changes in law libraries, from CD-ROM-era systems to generative AI, including a judiciary website chatbot, AI-informed outreach and trainings, and potential uses like transcription backlogs and plain-language resources—while emphasizing ethical, cautious adoption. She closes with leadership lessons centered on collaboration, inclusion, and lifting others up.
More episodes of Practising Law Librarian
- Innovation in the Stacks with Jenny Wondracek
- Carla Wale on Law Libraries, AI, and Leading Through Change
- Unlocking Legal Access with Valerie Salazar
- The Leadership Lens with Susan Hesse, Natalie Loeb, and David Sarnoff
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