AALL Centennial Celebration Toolkit:
"Overheard at the Bar" Programs
Want to increase the knowledge of your current members about who did what, why they did it, and what happened in the history of the your chapter? Consider producing a program commonly called "Overheard at the Bar."
The goal of such programs is to expose attendees to the knowledge, wisdom, and wit of some of chapter's most valued and "experienced" members in an informal, informative, and entertaining session of "live" oral history. The "speakers" sit together as if at a table in a hotel bar and chat about their experiences in the chapter, law librarianship, and wherever else the conversation leads. The audience "eavesdrops" on the relaxed exchange as if they were at the next table.
This type of program, perfectly presentable in an hour or even a shorter session, may involve many levels of membership to set up and will involve the attendees in the history of the chapter on a much more personal level than they would otherwise.
Programs may be used for regular meetings or as parts of special meetings. "Overheard at the Bar" programs will feature current or past members with special stories to tell.
Contact local members and encourage them to participate. Past members might need to be flown in because former members may have moved about, so there could be some cost involved. Often, however, the program may be produced with only local members.
Participants should be encouraged to talk about the "good old times" that were had when the chapter was being formed. They may need encouragement so a moderator should be prepared with prodding questions such as:
- Who were the driving members in the formation of the chapter?
- Were there any personal conflicts or issues leading up to the formation?
- Was there a predecessor organization to the current chapter that was insufficient, causing the formation of the chapter?
- What were the major issues confronting the chapter during your period of active involvement?
- How did you get involved in the chapter? Who were some of the "memorable" chapter members?
Record these sessions and, if possible, make transcripts of the recordings for filing in your local archives and, later, at the AALL Archives.
If you have difficulty finding members privy to the early years, you might want to consider hosting "listenings" to the audiotapes of the "Overheard at the Bar" programs that have been conducted at AALL Annual Meetings. Created and moderated by Frank Houdek, these programs offer fascinating "deep" background on AALL:
- "Overheard at the Bar: Eavesdropping on AALL History" [1989, Program A2], featuring Harry Bitner, Earl Borgeson, Marian Gallagher, Julius Marke, Bill Murphy, Mary Oliver, and Erwin Surrency
- "Return to the Bar: More Eavesdropping on AALL History" [1990, Program C4], featuring Morris Cohen, Jack Ellenberger, Mort Schwartz, Lorraine Kulpa, and Babe Russo
- "Can't Stay Out of the Bar: Even More Eavesdropping on AALL History" [1991, Program C3], featuring Jane Hammond, Viola Bird, Dan Henke, and Stan Pearce
- "Don't Close the Bar Yet: Still More Eavesdropping on AALL History" [1992, Program H4], featuring Connie Bolden, Leah Chanin, Mike Jacobstein, Bethany Ochal, and Marie Wallace
- "The Centennial Bar is Now Open: Pour Another Round of AALL History" [2004, Program F3], featuring Carolyn Ahearn, Albert Brecht, Lolly Gasaway, Roger Jacobs, Gitelle Seer, and Betty Taylor