Thomas Sneed

Thomas Sneed

Professor/Director of Law Library
RoomRm 252BPhone785.670.1658

Degrees & Certifications

  • University of Evansville, Bachelor of Arts
  • University of Kentucky, Juris Doctor
  • Kent State University, Master Library Science
  • Emory University, Master of Business Admin.
Professor Sneed became director of the Washburn Law Library in 2017. Previously he was the Associate Law Librarian for Research and Electronic Services at Emory University School of Law. Prior to that Professor Sneed was a Reference Librarian at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Following law school he served as a law clerk in the 4th Judicial Circuit of Kentucky and practiced for several years as a real estate and title insurance attorney. Professor Sneed is admitted to practice in Kentucky.

"The Effect of COVID-19 on Law Libraries: Are These Changes Temporary or a Sign of the Future?" 60 Washburn Law Journal 107 (2020).

"Leadership and Librarians: A New Pedagogical Direction," 89 UMKC Law Review 89 (2020).

"The Academic Law Library’s Role in Cultivating the Rural Lawyer," 64 South Dakota Law Review 213 (2019).

"Changing the Law Library Instructional Curriculum, Part I: The First Year and Student Demographics," 23 Trends in Law Library Management & Technology 37 (2013) (with Amy Flick and Elizabeth Christian).

"Changing the Law Library Instructional Curriculum, Part 2: A Different Schedule and the Management Perspective," 23 Trends in Law Library Management & Technology 45 (2013) (with Amy Flick and Elizabeth Christian).

Chapters in Books

"When YOU are the Change," in The Library Workplace Idea Book: Proactive Steps for Positive Change (Heather L. Seibert, Amanda Vinogradov and Amanda H. McLellan, eds.) (ALA Editions, 2020).

Book Review

Review of Justice in Blue and Gray: A Legal History of the Civil War by Stephen C. Neff (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2010), 103 Law Library Journal 142 (2011).

Other Publications

"Why I Love Casemaker," 83:1 Kentucky Bar Association Bench and Bar Magazine 42 (January 2019).

The Collaborative Law Librarian, The ALL-SIS Newsletter, (creator and recurring columnist)

  • Working with LLMs (Fall 2016)
  • It's a Small World After All (Spring 2016)
  • Who are the People in Your Neighborhood? Networking to Teach Future In-House Counsel (Winter 2016)
  • Networking Outside the Box (Fall 2014)
  • The Growing Trend of Library Involvement in Teaching Technology (Spring 2014)
  • If You Could Have One Wish Come True (Fall 2013)
  • Should This Actually Be Called The Collaborative Law Librarians? (Spring 2013)
  • How Important is Business Research? (Winter 2013)
  • The Collaborative Law Librarian (Fall 2012)

RIPS (Research, Instruction, and Patron Services) Law Librarian Blog, (blogger)

  • Working with Summer Research Assistants: Has It Changed for Everyone? (May 7, 2015)
  • Not Another Survey! (April 10, 2015)
  • Do you Bring Practicing Attorneys into Your Classroom? (March 6, 2015)
  • The Art of Delegating (February 3, 2015)
  • Why Do I Do This? (December 16, 2014)
  • How Creative is Your Legal Research Instruction? (November 13, 2014)
  • Working with Non-law Students from Your University (October 14, 2014)
  • What is a Reporter? (September 10, 2014)
  • Teaching Graduate Students (June 18, 2014)
  • What About Teaching Something Different? (April 21, 2014)
  • Should All Legal Research Instruction Look the Same? (March 5, 2014)
  • What Are Your Plans for 2014? (December 18, 2013)
  • How Much Time Do You Spend Preparing for __________? (October 29, 2013)
  • Thoughts on Team Teaching (September 13, 2013)
  • I Found Looking at Research Sites for Two Hours to Be Dull but I Learned a Lot… (February 25, 2013)
  • Introducing New Legal Research Classes into the Curriculum (September 18, 2012)

Bloomberg Businessweek (recurring article in MBA Journal)

  • A Helping Hand for Part-Timers (April 29, 2013)
  • Putting What I've Learned to Use (March 4, 2013)
  • Seeking Balance (December 31, 2012)
  • From Law to Business (September 24, 2012)

"Australia, Libraries and Barbeque," 27:3 FCIL (Foreign, Comparative and International Law) Newsletter 1 (May 2013).

"AALL (American Association of Law Libraries) Program Reviews: Law Library Research Assistant Programs: Two Different Models," ALL-SIS (American Association of Law Libraries - Special Interest Sections) Newsletter (Fall 2012).

"Annual Meeting Poster Sessions," AALL (American Association of Law Libraries) Spectrum Blog (August 3, 2012).

"Tips for Administrative Regulations Research: Online Resources," All Rise (The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law) (Spring 2011).

"Is Critiquing Advanced Legal Research Courses a Worthwhile Endeavor?" ALL-SIS (American Association of Law Libraries - Special Interest Sections) Newsletter (Winter 2011).

"Where to Find Business Filings: Where are the Best Sources for this Information," All Rise (The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law) (Spring 2009).

 

Presentations

Panelist, "Bringing Legal Research to Rural Communities," American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference, July 16, 2020.

"Legal Research Update for the Efficient and Economical Research," Kansas Department of Administration, CLE presentation, June 2020 (recorded via Zoom).

"Whole-Building Approach to Leadership Development of Law Students: Role of Librarians," Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting, Section on Leadership, Washington, D.C., January 3, 2020 (based on paper, "Leadership and Librarians: A New Pedagogical Direction").

"Ethical Leadership Basics," 2019 Selected Topics and Miscellany CLE, Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas, June 28, 2019.

"Teaching Leadership – from the Librarian!," Institute for Law Teaching and Learning Summer conference, Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas, June 5, 2019.

"The Library’s Role in Training the Rural Lawyer," Mid-America Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting, Memphis, Tennessee, October 12, 2018.

"An Overlooked Resource: Opportunities for the Library in the Law School Curriculum," 2018 Society of American Law Teachers Teaching Conference, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, October 5, 2018.

"Legal Research Update: Kansas Research Tips and What is New with Federal Research Resources," 2018 Selected Topics and Miscellany CLE, Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas, June 22, 2018 (with Creighton Miller).

"The Law Librarian in the B-School: The Value of an MBA," Southeastern Chapter American Association of Law Libraries / Southwestern Association of Law Libraries, Joint Annual Meeting 2016, Dallas, Texas, April 16, 2016.

"Meeting the Needs of a Diverse Graduate Population in a Specialized Area: Examples from a Law Library," Conference on Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students, Kennesaw, Georgia, April 1, 2016.

"If You Ask, They Will Come: Bringing the Professional Community Into Library Instruction," Atlanta Area Bibliographic Instruction Group Annual Meeting 2015, Athens, Georgia, June 12, 2015 (with Christina Glon).

"Big Data and the Library: How Do You Handle Both the Project and Expectations?," Southeastern Chapter American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting 2015, Lexington, Kentucky, April 17, 2015 (with Christina Glon).

"Student Library Use Data and Class Standing," Access Services Conference 2014, Atlanta, Georgia, November 14, 2014 (with Felicity Walsh).

Panel Presentation, "Competitive Intelligence in the Law Firm and Academic Setting," Atlanta Law Libraries Association, Atlanta, Georgia, November 11, 2014.

"Are Your Teams Transforming Your Libraries?," Georgia Council of Media Organizations Conference 2014, Augusta, Georgia, October 3, 2014.

"The Pitfalls of Hiring a New Librarian: Expectations, Reality and Moving Beyond the First Day," Southeastern Chapter American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting 2014, Knoxville, Tennessee, April 3, 2014 (with Felicity Walsh).

Panel Presentation, "Workplace Stress and Dealing with Difficult Co-Workers," Atlanta Law Libraries Association, Atlanta, Georgia, March 10, 2014.

"Embrace the Marketing of Your Library – You Won’t Regret It!," Southeastern Library Association / South Carolina Library Association 2013 Joint Conference, Greenville, South Carolina, November 15, 2013 (with Richelle Reid).

"Show Your Worth: The Library Is the Place to Be," Georgia Council of Media Organizations Conference 2013, Macon, Georgia, October 10, 2013 (with Richelle Reid).

"Why Can’t I Just Fire These People?," Southeastern Chapter American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting 2013, Decatur, Georgia, April 19, 2013 (with Felicity Walsh and Louella Randall).

Panel Presentation, "Career Transition," Atlanta Law Libraries Association, Atlanta, Georgia, April 9, 2013.

"Find it Free and Fast on the Net: Strategies for Legal Research on the Web," National Business Institute CLE Program, Atlanta, Georgia, December 19, 2012 (sessions included: Discover the Invisible Web, Finding Practice Tools, and Locating Companies for Due Diligence and Background Information).

"QR Codes: The MacMillan Law Library Project," Georgia Council of Media Organizations Conference 2012, Macon, Georgia, October 5, 2012 (with Felicity Walsh).

"Creating a Faculty Bibliography," American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting Poster Session, Boston, Massachusetts, July 22, 2012.

"What Should We Try Next? The Life of the Electronic Services Librarian," CALI (The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) Conference for Law School Computing 2012, San Diego, California, June 22, 2012.

"Xtranormal Workshop," Ohio State University Digital Union, Columbus, Ohio, July 19, 2011.

"A Flip Video Camera, Lady GaGa and the Tax Courts: The Use of Technology in the Classroom," CALI (The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) Conference for Law School Computing 2011, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 24, 2011.

"Ohio Cases and Citation Format," Columbus Bar Association 2011 Summer Associate Legal Research Seminar, Columbus, Ohio, June 3, 2011.

"The Quest for Enhancing Student Engagement: A Classroom Case Study on the Use of Technology Workshop," Ohio State University Digital Union, Columbus, Ohio, May 11, 2011.

"When You Tube Isn’t Enough: Instructor-Created Video Hypotheticals for the Professional Classroom," Digital Media in a Social World 2011, Columbus, Ohio, April 1, 2011.

"Why Academic Librarians of the 21st Century Must Be Conversant with Online Governmental Resources," Academic Library Association of Ohio 36th Annual Conference Poster Session, Columbus, Ohio, October 29, 2010.

Professional Service

Member, Management and Business Acumen team, Annual Meeting Planning Committee, American Association of Law Libraries, Washington DC, 2018-2019.

Member, American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), Southeastern Chapter American Association of Law Libraries (SEAALL), Atlanta Law Libraries Association (ALLA), Georgia Library Association (GLA), Southeastern Library Association (SELA), Kentucky Bar Association.

Member, AALL (American Association of Law Libraries) Spectrum Editorial Board.

Member, ALL-SIS (American Association of Law Libraries - Special Interest Sections) Newsletter Editorial Board.

Past member, Ohio Regional Association of Law Libraries.

Washburn CTEL

Certificate of Teaching and Learning 2022-2023

Certificate of Inclusive Teaching and Learning 2022-2023