Academic law librarians and law libraries have played a central role in AALL since it began almost 100 years ago. To be sure that academics are a part of the centennial celebration of the founding of AALL, ALL-SIS Chair Carole Hinchcliff appointed an ALL-SIS Centennial Celebration Committee charged with planning and carrying out activities in the ALL-SIS to celebrate the AALL Centennial. Committee members include Nancy Adams of Georgia State (nanadams@gsu.edu), Margaret Christiansen of Regent University (margchr@regent.edu), Rick Donnelly of the University of Florida (donnelly@law.ufl.edu), Christopher Knott of Georgetown (cak9@law.georgetown.edu), Kumar Percy of the University of Texas (kpercy@mail.law.utexas.edu), and chair Rosalie Sanderson of New York Law School (rsanderson@nyls.edu).
At this point the committee is exploring appropriate ways to celebrate the centennial. While we are developing a plan, we would love to hear your ideas. The centennial will be celebrated over the next two annual meetings, beginning in 2005 and culminating with the 100th anniversary of AALL in 2006. Ms. Hinchcliff suggested that we might begin by developing a list of “100 firsts in academic law libraries.” We need your help to create a good list. These firsts can be serious bibliographic or information milestones as well as fun firsts. For example, we might ask which law school library was the first to install a WESTLAW terminal? Which law library was the first to be directed by a woman? In a less serious vein we might want to know which law library was first to open a coffee bar on the premises.
At this point there are many possibilities. We might plan to celebrate the centennial with events, parties, awards, articles, or any number of other activities. To develop our centennial celebration plan, we need your ideas. This will be a celebration by the entire section and all academic law librarians, so stand up and be counted. Tell us what you think. Send any of us an email. If you have an academic law library first in mind, let us know. We look forward to hearing from you. As our plans develop, you will be the first to know! Let’s make this a memorable centennial. Our predecessors deserve it!