Businesses have become international; the practice of law has become multinational; so too has law librarianship become a profession that reaches beyond its own borders. In today’s world, law librarians are asked to access foreign, comparative and international legal information on an almost daily basis. With this reality in mind, I’ve chosen a theme for the Boston 2004 Annual Meeting and Conference that reflects the exciting challenges law librarians face in the 21st century: “Boston to Bombay: The World of Legal Information.” Whether you work in public services, collection development, technical services or administration, each of us is called upon to develop an expertise in adapting to this larger world.

Gail Warren, chair of the Annual Meeting Program Committee for Boston, and her committee will be selecting programs that reflect this broad theme as well as programs that focus on individual development and the ongoing challenges that our work provides. I hope that you will consider submitting a program proposal (due Aug. 15). The committee can’t select every one, but even sending in a proposal allows you to participate in a way that enriches the process for everyone.

And to make submitting a proposal easier than ever, this year we are pleased to debut our new online proposal submission process! Just go to http://www.aallnet.org/proposal/PROPOSALSadd.asp and follow the five easy steps. The contents of your proposal will automatically go into our database, and you will be sent an e-mail confirmation that it was received.

Please join me in Boston, where we will explore the world of legal information from Boston to Bombay and beyond!

Sincerely,

Janis L. Johnston
AALL Vice President/ President-Elect