Miguel-Stearns to Become Head of YLS Library

Teresa Miguel-Stearns has been appointed as Law Librarian and Professor of Law for the Lillian Goldman Law Library at Yale Law School. She succeeds Blair Kauffman, who will retire in June 2016 after 22 years at the helm of the library.

Miguel-Stearns earned her JD from the University of Richmond School of Law and worked as a public defender before earning her MA in library and information science from the University of Arizona. She has been with the Law Library since 2005 and has served as its Deputy Director since 2011.

Miguel-Stearns says she is inspired by the work being done by faculty and students at Yale Law School. She draws a parallel between her work as a public defender and as a law librarian: service. “We might be working with an individual student or an individual professor at any given time, but we’re really working toward a larger mission, which is to serve the faculty and students and the teaching and scholarship mission of the Law School,” said Miguel-Stearns. She is committed to continuing the vision of the Law Library to be the best academic law library in the world. “Probably the single most important strength of the Lillian Goldman Law Library, aside from the collection, is the staff,” Miguel-Stearns said. “We have a diverse, talented, and brilliant staff of librarians, lawyer librarians, and support staff who work closely with our faculty and students to navigate the ever-changing information landscape.”

Blair Kauffman has been the longest serving librarian in the history of Yale Law School. “He is honored throughout the world for his ability to re-imagine the function and service capacities of the modern law library, as well as faithfully to conserve its traditional research mission,” said Dean Robert C. Post ’77. Kauffman is an active participant in law library professional organizations and has taught, written, and consulted extensively on a wide array of topics, ranging from legal research to law library administration.

“I feel very comfortable turning over the reigns of the Lillian Goldman Law Library to Teresa Miguel-Stearns. I have worked closely with Teresa for over a decade and have been continuously impressed by her sharp intellect, strong work ethic and collaborative leadership style,” said Kauffman. “She quickly became recognized throughout the profession as a rising star and has earned the well-deserved support of the entire YLS community, especially among those who know her best—her librarian colleagues. Those of us who love the Yale Law School feel fortunate to have her here ready to seamlessly take over the leadership of this great library.”