Seattle Annual Meeting
AALL Advocacy Training Workshop
The Government Relations Committee and Washington Affairs Office are cosponsoring the fourth AALL Advocacy Training Workshop in conjunction with our 2003 Annual Meeting in Seattle, and we sincerely hope that you can join us for this exciting event! The half-day workshop will be held the morning of Saturday, July 12th, from 8:30 to noon, and there is no registration fee. The goals of the workshop are twofold: to introduce you to the most important current issues on AALL’s legislative agenda, and to give you the skills you need to participate effectively in our advocacy program.
This year, the hottest issues on our agenda include:
While all these issues are extremely important to law libraries, the last issue, AALL’s advocacy initiative on permanent public access, is brand new and very exciting! The Government Relations Committee and Washington Office have been very active this past year in doing a state survey to determine whether state governments have begun to ensure the permanent public access and preservation of state government information, especially "born digital" publications. One of the goals of the study is to coordinate efforts in the states to educate officials about the need for PPA and, where possible, to work with legislators to enact PPA legislation. This is a major AALL initiative and we need a great turnout of members who share our concerns about the loss of electronic state government information and are willing to begin to work in their home state to do something about it!
Speakers for this session include the 2003-04 GRC chair, Elizabeth LeDoux; GRC members Richard Matthews, Judy Meadows and David McFadden; and Mary Alice Baish, Associate Washington Affairs Representative. In addition, Carolina Rose, president of Legislative Research, Inc., will talk about her 7-years of experiences as a staff member in the California state legislature and share practical tips about the do's and don'ts of lobbying.
In addition to providing updates on these current issues, the workshop will also cover the best methods of capturing your legislators' attention; how to approach a meeting with your legislators or their staff; how to set legislative priorities; and how to work with your chapter and other state organizations on any of these important issues. If you are tired of sitting on the sidelines and want to add your voice to make AALL a stronger player on the legislative front, now is the time to join our advocacy efforts. Our speakers will energize and guide you to action!
We are limited to the first 60 registrants and hope this year to have broad coverage from every chapter and every state. If you have attended a previous workshop, please help us by inviting others in your state who might share your interest and enthusiasm in our advocacy efforts. We need to continue to build a dedicated core group in each state to help us coordinate our efforts.
AALL recognizes the importance of these training sessions as a benefit for our members and will cover the costs of this session so there is no registration fee. If you are interested in attending the July 12th session, all you need to do is send an e-mail message with your contact information as soon as possible to baish@law.georgetown.edu, subject line: 2003 Advocacy Training.
We look forward to seeing you in Seattle for this fun event. Thank you!
Elizabeth LeDoux, 2003-2004 GRC Chair
Mary Alice Baish, Associate Washington Affairs Representative