Femi Cadmus Named Yale Law Librarian

Femi Cadmus began as the new director of the Lillian Goldman Law Library and Professor of Law at Yale Law School on July 1, 2021.

Her three decades-long professional career in law libraries spans both academic and law firm libraries where she has taught legal research and analysis, and technology in law practice to students and attorneys.

Cadmus comes to the Law School from the Michael J. Goodson Library at Duke Law School, where she was also Archibald C. and Frances Fulk Rufty Research Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Information Services and Technology.

Cadmus returns to New Haven and the Law School after serving as Associate Director for Administration from 2008 to 2011. Following her time at the Law Library, she served as Edward Cornell Law Librarian and Professor of the Practice at Cornell Law School before joining Duke Law as its library director.

“I am thrilled to rejoin the library’s dedicated team of librarians and support staff who have a wonderful sense of adventure and are not afraid to try out initiatives that improve and enhance the experience of library users in our community and beyond,” Cadmus said. “I am also excited by the rich intellectual stimulation flowing from the deep embedment of the Law Library in the scholarly life of the Law School, the significant arenas in which we are impactful in the world of legal information and our active collaborations in providing access to information both locally and afar.”

Cadmus likened returning to the Law Library to the way one returns to a favorite restaurant or vacation destination — a place where one had a good experience or which evokes pleasant memories.

“While the Lillian Goldman Law Library is neither a restaurant nor a vacation spot (although I would gladly linger with a book in our breathtaking reading room), it has a distinct culture and tradition of excellence, exploration, innovation, and creativity,” she said.

Law libraries continue to face challenges and major industry disruption, and the profession has become increasingly technological and data drive, according to Cadmus.

“Progressive and forward-thinking libraries view these as opportunities to reimagine the world of legal information access, discovery, and delivery,” she said. “In terms of support for research, teaching and scholarship, the diversity of the skills and expertise of librarians translates to an expanded and deeper scope of support for faculty and researchers.”

Cadmus’s research focus, publications, and presentations cover topics such as law and technology, the evolving role of the modern-day law library, open access to legal information, and law library management and administration.

In a 2020 blog post, Cadmus wrote that the profession has progressively become infused with digital tools, and librarians lead strategies in competitive intelligence, knowledge management, artificial intelligence, and legal analytics.

“The world of legal research and analysis has changed markedly and academic law librarians are central to helping law students develop strategies to effectively navigate the ever-changing terrain,” Cadmus said.

The Lillian Goldman Law Library is located within the heart of Yale Law School and provides the Law School community with access to one of the world's finest collections of printed legal materials.