by Marci Hoffman, University of Minnesota Law Library,
and Gail Partin, Dickinson School of Law Library,
Co-Chairs, FCIL SIS Education Subcommittee
Once again it is time to start planning the programs for the 1998 Annual Meeting in Anaheim. The theme chosen for the meeting is "New Horizons." This year we have been given a Program Planner's Handbook by the Annual Meeting Program Selection Committee (AMPSC) in order to assist in the planning process. So, it is time to get those ideas flowing. The Education Subcommittee would like input from the members in advance of the meeting. The time between the meeting and the deadline for turning in proposals is always so short, so we need you to come to the meeting with ideas in hand (and on paper). This is your opportunity to share ideas for your continuing education. I have heard that folks are not happy with the program offerings, so let us know what you want to learn about. Better yet, write up a proposal. Anyone can do this and the subcommittee will help you fine tune your proposal. This is your opportunity to get involved!!
You may be wondering how to choose a topic for a program. Well, in the
Program Planner's Handbook, the AMPSC selected four broad subject themes for the 1998 meeting. Listed below are the themes and some of the topics they have suggested under these themes.
New Horizons in Management
New Horizons in Information
New Horizons in Technology
New Horizons in Law
These are a few of the many topics listed in the Handbook. The topics with an * denote programs "preapproved by AMPSC" (yes, they have preapproved programs). Our programs should be based on topics that are of interest to our SIS members. Start by taking notes on the topics which are in the literature you review every day, or things that come across the listservs on foreign and international law. Think about areas that you want to learn more about. Even if you do not want to write up a program proposal, you can submit an idea to the Subcommittee.
Here are some other points to consider when writing up a program. First, pick up a copy of the Program Planner's Handbook, it is supposed to give guidance and suggestions for program planning. For a copy of the Handbook, please contact AALL Headquarters. While we may not agree with some of the requirements, we have to live with them. Second, be sure to have clear and concise "issue statements" and "learning outcomes." There are samples in the Handbook. Third, there are a variety of formats available, so you don't have to use the standard "talking heads" program. The Handbook contains program and workshop proposal forms. Some of the information from the Handbook as well as the forms will be available on AALLNET ( http://www.aallnet.org /index.html). A listserv is also being established to disseminate information about programming. To subscribe, send a message to: listserv@aall.wuacc.edu. Leave the subject line blank and type in the body of the message: "subscribe AnaheimEdProg@ aall.wuacc.edu" (no quotes).
If you are interested in seeing what has been proposed in the past, please see the FCIL website at http://www.lawsch.uga.edu/fcil/fcil.html. There is also a section on this website for submitting questions and comments regarding programs for Anaheim. If you are interested in serving on the subcommittee, please contact either one of us. We would love to have you participate. Program planning is one of the most important functions of our SIS.
If you proposed a program last year and it was not accepted, we encourage you to resubmit the program (you may need to tweak it a bit) to the subcommittee. Please let us know if you are interested in doing so. There were many good ideas and some of them just need some refining.
The FCIL Education Subcommittee is scheduled to meet on Sunday, July 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. I don't think this should conflict with other FCIL SIS meetings. Check your program for the location. We strongly urge you to participate in the continuing education of our SIS membership. Please do not hesitate to contact either one of us with questions, comments, etc. We look forward to hearing from you all.
Sunday, July 20, 1997, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
FCIL Education Subcommittee meeting.
Tuesday, July 22, 1997, 5:00–6:00 p.m.
Annual Meeting Program Selection Committee (AMPSC) Open Forum.
Monday, August 18, 1997
Program Proposal Forms due into AALL HQ by close of business.
Early September, 1997
AMPSC meets for final selection.
Marci Hoffman
University of Minnesota Law Library
Phone: (612) 625-0740
Fax: (612) 625-3478
hoffm019@maroon.tc.umn.edu
Gail Partin
Dickinson School of Law Library
Phone: (717) 240-5294
Fax: (717) 243-4443
gpartin@dsl.edu
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