This week’s interview is with Hope O’Keeffe. Hope works in the Office of General Counsel of the Library of Congress. There are many attorneys who work in the Library of Congress who work outside of the Law Library. Among other duties, she helps work out agreements so we can use social media like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Describe your background.
I was raised in a Navy family, moving up and down the East Coast and Gulf Coast in a series of Navy towns that pretty much had only two other things in common — they all had beaches, and they all had public libraries. This led to my always having a sunburnt nose in a library book. My husband and two sons will tell you that hasn’t changed in the least.
What is your academic/professional history?
I graduated from Amherst College with a degree in economics, and then moved down to DC to change the world. I answered an ad in the Post for “Feminist/Activist,” worked for women’s organizations as a fundraiser for a few years, took a class called “What do you want to be when you grow up,” and promptly signed up for the LSAT. I went to George Washington University Law School, and spent a good chunk of time at the Law Library doing research. After law school, I clerked for Chief Judge Spottswood W. Robinson, III on the D.C. Circuit, then worked for a small labor law firm, Bredhoff & Kaiser, and then a D.C. megafirm, Arnold & Porter. From A&P I joined the National Endowment for the Arts and stayed there 13 years, initially in the Office of General Counsel and for the last few years on the program side in the Office of National Initiatives. I came to the Library as Associate General Counsel in November 2006.
How would you describe your job to other people?
Best legal job on the planet, especially for a right-brained lawyer. I’m in charge of all the legal issues involving Library collections — and no, that doesn’t mean collecting overdue fi