AALL Centennial Celebration Committee
Annual Meeting Programs
2006 — St. Louis 
E-5 Beer and Pretzels: Eavesdropping on AALL History at the Centennial Brewery
Monday, July 10, 2006, 2:00–3:00 pm
Contributing to the culmination of AALL's yearlong Centennial Celebration, this program will offer attendees another opportunity to “eavesdrop” on an informative and entertaining session of “live” oral history. Following the “Overheard at the Bar” format used so successfully with programs in 1989–92 and 2004–05, several AALL “veterans” will sit together as if at a table in a hotel bar and chat about their experiences in AALL and law librarianship. As if they were at the next table, audience members will be treated to the knowledge, wisdom and wit of some the profession's most renowned leaders—and maybe even a tidbit or two of law library “gossip.”
- Frank G. Houdek, Coordinator, Moderator and Speaker, Southern Illinois University Law Library
- Carol D. Billings, Law Library of Louisiana
- Donald J. Dunn, University of La Verne College of Law
- Penny A. Hazelton, University of Washington, Gallagher Law Library
- Kamla King Hedges, Bureau of National Affairs Inc.
- Roy M. Mersky, University of Texas at Austin, Jamail Center for Legal Research
- Alvin M. Podboy, Jr., Baker and Hostetler LLP
SPONSOR: AALL Centennial Celebration Committee.
Other Centennial-Related Programs
Diversity Symposium: Pioneering Minority Law Librarians:
Echoes of the Past, Directions for the Future
Saturday, July 8, 2006, 2:00–5:00 p.m.
The 2006 AALL symposium on diversity celebrates pioneers, either in person or in spirit, in law librarianship. Through presentations and discussions by select prominent minority law librarians, the symposium will honor the successes and contributions made by minority leaders in law librarianship while exploring the issues and challenges of increasing and maintaining diversity in the profession.
B3: Dred Scott in St. Louis: Freedom Pioneer
Sunday, July 9, 2006, 2:45–4:00 pm
In 1846, Dred Scott sued for his freedom in St. Louis, the city where AALL will gather for its Centennial Celebration. His lawsuit, which eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court, pioneered change by contributing greatly to the rising tensions between free and slave states just before the American Civil War. In this program, Paul Finkelman, a distinguished scholar of slavery in America, will discuss the Dred Scott case and its significance to American history. Lynn Jackson, a descendant of Dred Scott, will also discuss her extensive research on the topic. Finally, a speaker from the Archives Division of the Office of the Secretary of State will explain efforts made to preserve original documents from this historical case.
- Marguerite Butler, Coordinator, Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law Library
C3: Colonial Virginia’s Legal History
Sunday, July 9, 2006, 4:15–5:15 pm
Virginians made an important contribution to both legal and political thought in American history. Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Virginia in 2007, this session will offer participants a view of colonial Virginia history from the viewpoint of two distinguished historians. Dr. Warren Billings, one of the leading scholars on 17th-century Virginia history, will discuss English influences on legal thought of the era. Dr. David Konig, an expert on Anglo-American legal history, will present the originalism debate among historians over influences on the framers of the Constitution by examining certain Virginian authors like St. George Tucker, who was an important early contributor to American legal thinking through his edited works on Blackstone's Commentaries, and other authors who affected the debates over the Second Amendment.
- Joel Fishman, Coordinator and Moderator, Duquesne University Center for Legal Information, Allegheny County Law Library
- Warren M. Billings, University of New Orleans
- David T. Konig, Washington University
TS-SIS Discussion: Conversations Across the Cubicles:
Pioneering Change in the TS-SIS 1978-2006
Sunday, July 9, 2006, 4:15–5:15 pm
As part of AALL's Centennial celebration, this program will explore the development of the TS-SIS in a relaxed and entertaining conversation between five senior members of the section. Created from a merger of two existing entities within AALL, the TS-SIS has been a catalyst for change in its nearly 30-year history. The conversation will touch on the role of the TS-SIS in blending the traditional functions of cataloging, serials and acquisitions with technological advances in access, management and preservation of library resources, in pioneering advances in publishing opportunities for technical services librarians, in supporting the development of national bibliographic standards and in educating librarians about the need for preservation of resources. The audience will be invited to participate in the conversation by sharing reminiscences and insights.
D4: Promoting the Past to Assure the Future: The Lure of Legal History
Monday, July 10, 2006, 9:00–10:00 am
As many of our traditional clientele increasingly rely upon electronic access to legal materials in their homes and offices, law librarians are seeking creative ways to reinvent their libraries' services to attract and keep patrons. By digging into older materials in their collections and exploring the history of their institutions, they are unearthing fascinating subject matter to feature in exhibits, publications and educational programs. Not only scholars, but also judges, lawyers, students and the general public are using and appreciating the treasures in these collections. Law libraries are welcoming the public for tours, lectures and films, and are collaborating with court historical societies to recruit supporters. This program will discuss how to make these projects possible by expanding research skills and gaining expertise in the legal, political and cultural history of their states, localities and institutions so as to attract patrons.
- Carol D. Billings, Coordinator, Moderator and Speaker, Law Library of Louisiana
- Paul R. Baier, Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center
- Katherine I. Hedin, University of Minnesota Law Library
- Anne C. Peters, Social Law Library
SCCLL Centennial Committee Program: Making the Impossible Possible
Monday, July 10, 2006, 2:00–3:00 pm
The SCCLL Special Committee on Centennial Celebration is organizing a “law librarians read” effort. We have chosen the book The Impossible Will Take a Little While by Paul Loeb. This inspirational anthology presents the voices of many who have struggled for change, how hard it was for them, and what kept them going. Jean Holcomb will coordinate a panel of SCCLL librarians discussing how they have brought about change in their libraries and communities. Share your own stories or comments on the book during the program. Whether you have read the book or not, this program will provide a thoughtful conversation about our future and how we can lead change in our libraries, our communities, and our profession during the next one hundred years. Read more (Word document)
2005 Annual Meeting Programs.