AALL Notices...by Julia O'Donnell
New Advocacy Toolkit for the 111th Congress
The AALL Government Relations Office is pleased to announce an exciting new resource to help AALL members and chapters become effective advocates for law libraries. The Advocacy Toolkit for the 111th Congress: 2009-2010 is designed to help you learn more about AALL’s ambitious legislative agenda.
The purposes of the Advocacy Toolkit are to:
- illustrate the many ways in which you can get involved in advocacy;
- notify you of the latest action alert so that you can promote our legislative efforts;
- present you with a comprehensive look at the issues and legislation we are currently working on; and
- provide AALL members and chapters tools you need to become effective advocates on both federal and state levels.
The Advocacy Toolkit is available as a live document and as a PDF on the AALL Government Relations Office Web site. I encourage you to sign up for the RSS feed to receive valuable updates, learn about AALL’s latest action alert, and monitor our legislative priorities.
New Tools for Success Added to AALL Wiki
Many law librarians have been hit hard by the economic crisis. AALL is here to offer resources to help you get through it, especially the Tools for Success in Today’s Economy wiki. We encourage you to both use the resources and add more that would help our colleagues in law librarianship. Thanks to the members who have added resources so far. Here are a few examples of recent additions:
- Saving Costs May Save Jobs – Take it Seriously
- Networking is Key to Navigating Recession
- Take Proactive Steps to Avoid a Layoff
- Finding Our Voices in an Internet World
- Ask a Librarian—We’re at Your Service
- PDL’s Public Displays of Law Library Books
AALL Dues Help for Unemployed Members
AALL dues invoices for the 2009-2010 membership year were mailed out in mid-March. To help in these tough times, AALL is offering a discounted membership rate for AALL members who are recently unemployed. The discounted membership appears online and in all public records simply as an “Active” membership, but is billed at the student/retired rate ($55 instead of $218). The discounted rate is good through May 31, 2010.
Unemployed AALL members should fill out the online form or contact AALL Membership Services Coordinator Hannah Phelps (hphelps@aall.org or 312-205-8022) to sign up.
Archived Webinars Available on AALLNET
AALL members now have the chance to view six popular Webinars presented October 2008-February 2009 in the Members Only Section of AALLNET:
- Twenty Essentials for the Effective Speaker
- How to Train Without Showing Up
- Law Firm Library Budgeting for Hard Economic Times
- Take the Lead: Journey to Authentic Leadership (free for AALL members)
- C-ing is Believing- Next Steps for Library Success
- Guided Tour of your AALL Membership (free for everyone)
The links above are available for AALL members only. Nonmembers can access the 2008 Webinars and 2009 Webinars for a higher fee.
Ready, Set…TWEET!
AALL is now on Twitter. Get up-to-the-minute AALL news by joining the AALLNET Twitter Feed. A separate 2009 Annual Meeting Twitter Feed is dedicated to updates on this summer’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Sign up and stay connected!
Save the Dates for Upcoming AALL Webinars
May 20: Libraries and Social Software
Time: 12 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Sarah Glassmeyer, Reference Librarian at the University of Kentucky Law Library
June 9: The Shared Electronic Resource Understanding (SERU): Can It Work in My Library?
Time: 1 p.m. EDT
Speakers: Judy Luther, President of Informed Strategies, and Karla Hahn, Association of Research Libraries
Check the AALL Calendar of Events for more details coming soon.
Take the Lead: Apply for the 2009 AALL Leadership Academy
Law librarians in the early stages of their careers can get ahead in the profession by attending the 2009 AALL Leadership Academy, October 16-17, at the Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Train for leadership roles by acquiring both the self-awareness and strategies you need to emerge as a leader within your organization and the profession. Academy participants will use self assessment tools, group exercises, case studies, and skill practice to develop key signatures of leadership. Selected fellows will participate in pre-engagement exercises, be matched with a mentor, and receive ongoing leadership development opportunities.
Applications will be accepted May 1-June 30. For more information, visit www.aallnet.org/prodev/event_leadershipacademy.asp.
Leadership Academy flyer: http://www.aallnet.org/prodev/docs/AALL-Leader-Academy-2009.pdf
Free CALI Lessons
AALL now provides members free access to the full set of online lessons hosted by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI). With more than 600 lessons covering 32 legal subject areas, these online learning opportunities feature a variety of interactive formats that make for an engaging, effective user experience. They are particularly helpful for new law librarians with little or no exposure to legal research. Obtain the access code through the Members Only Section of AALLNET.
Coming Soon: AALL2Go
AALL is proud to announce it is adopting a new, powerful, state-of-the-art learning technology, which will provide a new learning gateway to all AALL members. The new AALL2Go site will provide members with:
Online access to the AALL Annual Meeting program recordings, as well as archived Webinars, audio recordings, and video recordings Continuing educational program handouts distributed electronically, adding convenience in an environmentally-friendly way Advanced search capabilities, which will allow you to focus on your key areas of interest with maximum flexibility to find the materials where and when you need them Online profiles so you can keep track of the continuing education programs in which you participate and determine areas where you need more education
Stay tuned for more news about when the AALL2Go site will be available.
Julia O’Donnell is Director of Publications for the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL) in Chicago.
