Mary Kate Hunter is the Government Contracts Librarian at GW Law. We had the pleasure of speaking with Mary Kate about her fascinating educational background, her path to becoming a specialized law librarian, and all the great resources she can provide to our students and faculty.
Interview with Mary Kate Hunter
What is your hometown? How did you become interested in the law?
I’m from St. James, which is a small town on the north shore of Long Island. I became interested in the law while in college at the University of Georgia, where I had the opportunity to study the history of crime and punishment.
Can you tell us about your impressive educational background and what led you to become a law librarian?
The wonderful law librarians that I met while I was at Louisiana State University for law school were the first ones to suggest this career path. While in library school at Long Island University, I interned at the Fordham Law Library and from that point I knew this was the right career for me.
I’ve always had a love of libraries from a young age. I remember fondly my parents taking me to my public library to check out tons of books and to participate in the summer reading program. Later, I would go on to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award where my project was collecting and organizing mini collections for local shelters and ESL programs. I think my becoming a librarian was meant to be!
What does a reference librarian do?
So many things! Here at GW Law, the reference librarians field questions from students, faculty, and alumni. We can assist in finding a particular source, as well as provide more in-depth help on how to research a particular paper topic. We also select books, journals, and databases for the collection, create research guides, teach classes, and coordinate outreach events. Each reference librarian at GW Law specializes in a particular subject area, so they know the resources extensively and can better assist our patrons, especially the LLMs and journal students.
How did you discover the government procurement field?
When I began at GW Law, I was a generalist librarian. When the opportunity to be a subject specialist librarian in government contracts arose, I jumped at the chance. Even though I wasn’t familiar with government contracts law when I started, the field appealed to me since many of my family members worked for a government contractor, specifically Grumman. Now students know why I use Grumman in my sample searches!
As the government contracts reference librarian, you are a great resource for our students. What types of projects can you help them with, and how should they get in touch when they need your help?
I’m always happy to help our law students! I offer one-on-one appointments for students working on their notes, doing research for their paper classes, working as faculty research assistants, completing internship research projects, and more. The best way to reach me is via email (mkhunter@law.gwu.edu). For a more in-depth research consultation, we can set up a time to meet in person or over Zoom.
Our library boasts the largest collection of government procurement materials in the world. Can you tell us about some of those amazing resources and how students can access them?
The best way to discover all the materials that the library has to offer is by using our catalog, JACOB, to search from books, ebooks, and more. Students should also check out the government contracts research guides that I’ve created. These guides bring together the various books, databases, and other resources to get them started with their research.
Some of my favorite parts of the collection are the Nash & Cibinic e-Series through VitalLaw, The Dembling NASA and Government Procurement Collection, and our ebook collection of the seminal work, A History of Government Contracting, which we have made freely accessible for all members of the government procurement community.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in government procurement and working on papers or student notes?
Be sure to take advantage of all of the resources available! Not only does GW Law have the best government contracts collection in the world, but we also have an amazingly supportive community of people who want to help you succeed in law school and beyond.
While at GW Law, I encourage students to take a moment to learn more about the databases they have access to through the library, many of which they will be using in practice. This will give them a leg-up once they graduate and start to practice.