Allow me to be the last person to wish you a happy new year!

I would also like to thank all the people who have responded to my requests for volunteers during the past several months. FCIL-SIS membership has increased over the past five years. As one benefit of that increase, more members are available to help out with Section activities. In the past, work was spread among too few people. Not surprisingly, some of them burned out. Neil Young once said "it's better to burn out than to fade away," but the SIS has lost some great volunteers from overuse.

The benefits of volunteering include

But I'd also like to address the value of not volunteering. We all have times when other priorities--family, extra work, teaching, job searches, our health, etc.--demand our full attention. I have great respect for people who know their limits, and who take on only those responsibilities that they can perform on time and to their full ability. Saying "no" to volunteer work contributes to an SIS where no one burns out or fades away.

Read on for a way to contribute without giving up your time.

One of the FCIL-SIS's most valuable projects has been the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians, initiated by Ellen Schaffer in 2000. The Grant has enabled law librarians from Egypt, Georgia, the Philippines, Ghana, and the Kyrgyz Republic to participate in the AALL Annual Meeting. SIS members have benefited from the chance to meet librarians from such a variety of home countries.

Despite valuable support from AALL, FCIL and vendors and from individual AALL members, the Grant Fund does not fully cover the cost of transportation, lodging, and food for grant recipients. Your tax-deductible donations can keep the Grant alive. Contribute online at https://secure.aallnet.org/giving_online.asp or send contributions to AALL, 53 W. Jackson, Suite 940, Chicago, IL 60604, and make sure to designate them for the FCIL Schaffer Grant fund. A form to mail with your contribution can be printed at http://www.aallnet.org/about/giving_opportunities.pdf .

As always, thanks to newsletter editor Amy Burchfield and webmaster Heidi Kuehl for everything they do to keep us connected within the SIS.

I hope to see you in New Orleans, and laissez les bons temps rouler!