Slowly but Surely -- AALL Membership Continues to Increase

For Immediate Release
June 6, 2002

With more than 5,000 members, the American Association of Law Libraries continues to experience record membership growth overall and in specific membership categories, attracting more members from the legal and library communities than ever before.

This past year AALL membership has soared to its highest count on record -- 5,264 -- consisting of 5,193 dues-paying members, three honorary members and 68 life members. Since June 1, 2001, 658 new members, including 103 students, joined AALL.

Ever since AALL officially began standardizing it membership records in 1993, the Association has also witnessed its membership surge in specific areas. The following categories reflect AALL's growing membership as of May 31:

• Law firm and corporate librarian membership in AALL increased again to 2,115 members -- AALL's highest number of private librarians since 1993 when AALL membership included 2,048 firm and corporate librarians.
  
  
• AALL members work for 2,158 different institutions, compared to 2,148 institutions in 2001 and 2,146 institutions in 2000.
  
  
• Special Interest Section memberships totaled 6,672 -- a record number since 1993. According to analysis conducted in May, 3,733 AALL members, or 70.9 percent, maintain membership in one or more SISs, compared to 3,703 members (72.7 percent) in 2001 and 3,652 (73.9 percent) in 2000.

AALL attributes the membership increase to the two innovative membership marketing campaigns it implemented in the past two years. Last year's Make the Connection campaign attracted 187 new members. As part of the program, law library directors and members who paid their own dues by July 1 each received a coupon that could be redeemed during the 2001-2002 year by anyone who had never been a member of AALL. The 2000 First Year Free marketing initiative attracted more than 176 new members. The program invited law library directors to offer a free one-year membership to someone who had never been a member of AALL. Of the members who joined AALL through this program, 56 percent renewed their memberships. Thanks to the success of both of these marketing campaigns, AALL now counts among its members more clerks, library assistants, judges and trustees than ever before.

For more information about AALL membership, please contact Membership Coordinator Rachel Shaevel at membership@aall.org.