Mercer Law School Welcomes Three to the Furman Smith Law Library Team
Since coming to campus in August 2024, Michelle Dewey, director of Mercer Law School’s Furman Smith Law Library, has been working to rethink the library’s space and services to meet the needs of an ever-evolving law school community. Part of her work has been to hire new library staff.
Jaelynn Gillis joined the team in March as circulation manager. She previously served as the library media specialist at Georgia Military College’s Warner Robins campus. Gillis holds an Associate of Arts from East Georgia State College and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Georgia Southern University. Her interest in library services began early—she worked as a student assistant in the East Georgia State College library and volunteered at the Nola Brantley Memorial Library in Warner Robins while in high school. Gillis brings valuable experience in academic library operations and a strong commitment to public service to her role at Mercer Law. Dewey said, “Jaelynn’s role as circulation manager is pivotal as circulation is the face of the library. In addition, she oversees out student workers as they man the main service portal for the library and work on special projects to help keep the collection in order. We are lucky to have her on our team.”
Additionally, the hiring of two new librarians has allowed Dewey to rethink the instructional offerings of the library. This is an important task as law schools begin to admit a new generation of lawyers and the bar begins to administer a new generation of licensure examination.
Savanna Nolan recently joined Mercer Law as associate librarian for administration and public services. A legal research educator with broad experience, she has served in academic law libraries at Georgetown, the University of Baltimore, and, most recently, the University of Georgia.
Nolan holds degrees from the University of Southern California, the University of Georgia School of Law, and the Catholic University of America’s Department of Library and Information Science. At UGA, she taught first-year and advanced legal research and developed undergraduate courses on media literacy and the law.
Her work explores the intersections of legal research education, media literacy, and occasionally baseball. She is active in the American Association of Law Libraries and its Southeastern chapter, where she serves as treasurer. At Mercer, Nolan supports students and faculty through inclusive instruction and a focus on critical legal research.
Dewey said, “Savanna’s background in faculty services will allow us to grow scholarly support services as we bring on new faculty. She is truly an asset to the library staff.”
Hamaseh Roozbeh joined Mercer’s Furman Smith Law Library in July as a reference law librarian. An Atlanta native, Roozbeh brings a strong academic and professional background to her role. She earned her undergraduate degree in history with a minor in political science from Georgia State University, followed by a Juris Doctor from Valparaiso University Law School.
After practicing law in Chicago, Roozbeh discovered her passion for working with law students and pursued a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. She is an active member of the American Association of Law Libraries, the Southeastern Association of Law Libraries, and the Atlanta Law Library Association.
“Hamaseh’s passion for student services will help us reenvision how the library’s collection, spaces, and activities can support student learning and wellness. We are looking forward to incorporating her vision,” Dewey said.
