After this chilly start to spring, thoughts of the AALL centennial celebration and annual meeting in warm and sunny St. Louis this July may seem distant indeed. And yet, our ever active AALL members are stirring as preparations begin for the mind boggling number of programs and events that will occupy our week of July 8-12.
The plenary session on July 9th with Linda Greenhouse, Supreme Court Correspondent for The New York Times, looks especially engaging, as does the plenary session with our ever lively and thought provoking Bob Berring on July 12th.
Meanwhile, last week the Executive Board conducted its spring meeting. We began on Thursday with a Planning Day session facilitated by Cate Bower, Principal Consultant with the Tecker Group (some of you may have attended the strategic planning training session she gave at last year’s San Antonio annual meeting). This year we discussed how we can work together collectively across the association to execute the Strategic Directions adopted last summer.
Already we’ve made tremendous progress on one of our three pillars, education (the other two are leadership and advocacy). Following last September’s Education Summit attended by key leaders from AALL chapters, SISs, Executive Board and others, the board took the ideas and initiatives from that discussion and appointed three board task forces to develop logical next steps.
Some initiatives we accomplished quickly, such as the need for a self-populated Calendar of Events that gives you an overview of the educational offerings across the country. We will roll out a similarly managed Speaker’s Bureau in the very near future. Many thanks go to Executive Board member Lyonette Louis-Jacques for her leadership and stewardship of these two projects. Thanks are also in order for our Web Administrator Christopher Siwa, for his commitment to “make it so.”
If you are arriving at the Annual Meeting on Saturday, July 8th do make a point of attending the Diversity Symposium from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. It’s always one of the best program sessions of the entire meeting. This year, the Symposium celebrates pioneers in law librarianship and will honor the successes and contributions made by minority leaders in law librarianship. At the same time, the panel will explore the issues and challenges of increasing and maintaining diversity in the profession. A reception will immediately follow.
Are you a Gen X or Gen Y law librarian? Or, are you of any generation and are interested in the future of law librarianship? Come to the first meeting of the Gen X / Gen Y caucus which will be held at the AALL Annual Meeting on Sunday July 9th from 5:30 to 6:30pm. At this meeting, we'll be eliciting input from the group about our profession, where we see it heading, and how we want to be involved. Feel free to contact Jennifer Marshall at jennifer.marshall@hellerehrman.com if you have comments or questions.
The 2006 AALL Annual Meeting Program Committee is seeking program proposals for this year's "Hot Topic" program on Tuesday, July 11, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Members with program proposals about late-breaking or hot issues affecting law librarianship should send their proposals to Jean M.Wenger, AMPC Chair, by May 15, 2006. Please include program name, a clear program description, program objectives, and a list of potential speakers. If you need more information about developing a program proposal or wish to send a proposal, call Jean at (312) 603-5131, or e-mail at jwenger@cookcountygov.com. After reviewing all proposals received, the AMPC will announce the Hot Topic in early June.
A few years ago the Executive Board established an Emerging Opportunities Fund of $10,000 to encourage AALL members and entities to develop innovative programming for the association. If you, your Chapter, SIS, Committee, or other entity has a good idea that needs seed money, contact either President Claire Germain, Treasurer Joyce Janto, or myself.
The U.S. Associations of International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) announce a call for those interested in seeking the endorsement of the Associations for either President-elect or At-Large Member of the Governing Board for 2007-2009.
The U.S. Associations of IFLA are the American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association for Library and Information Science Education, Association of Research Libraries, Medical Library Association, and Special Libraries Association.
Beginning in 2004 the U.S. Associations have agreed to work together to cooperatively select and endorse possible nominee(s) from the United States for these positions.
If you are interested in seeking the endorsement of the U.S. Associations please send your interest in nomination to the executive director of the one of the Associations by June 1, 2006.
Your nomination should include a letter of interest, which states your qualifications, accompanied by a CV or resume.
Nominees will be interviewed by representatives of the Associations at the World Library and Information Conference in Seoul in August.
If you have any questions please contact Michael Dowling, Director, ALA International Relations Office, mdowling@ala.org
Congratulations to Sabrina Pacifici, who
Library Journal chose as one of its Movers & Shakers 2006, The People Shaping the Future of Libraries! Library Journal commends her online work with LLRX (one of the first on the web) and her daily web log beSpacific.
Kudos to Richard Matthews, Reference and Research Services Librarian and Assistant Professor at Wichita State University, who just accepted a Visiting Fellowship in Law Librarianship from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London. Cynthia Fellows, Alaska State Law Librarian, also served as Visiting Fellow from autumn 2003 to spring 2005 and as Associate Research Fellow since October 2005. She says, "I am very much enjoying my association with the Institute and encourage AALL members to consider applying for a visiting fellowship. It is a terrific opportunity for pursuing research interests, broadening professional perspective, and contributing to the Institute’s development."
Sincerely,
Susan E. Fox, CAE
Executive Director
American Association of Law Libraries
53 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 940
Chicago, IL 60604
312-939-4764, ext. 11
Fax 312-431-1097
AALL: Maximizing the Power of the Law Library Community Since 1906.
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