Welcome and Introduction

Tracy Thompson, FCIL-SIS Chair, called the meeting to order and welcomed the attendees. She thanked colleagues that helped her during her tenure. She gives special recognition to Jean Davis (immediate past Chair), Katherine Topulos (past Chair), Mirela Roznovschi, the Secretary/Treasurer, and Dennis Sears (Education Committee Chair). She thanks Rhonda Gold, the Chair of the Schaffer Grant Committee, 2002 and members of the Grant Committee. She thanks Marci Hoffman and Marie Louise Bernal for being instrumental in organizing the FCIL-SIS and ASIL program Creating Commercial Connections - Trade Laws of Latin America at the Library of Congress on March 2002. Tracy hopes similar programs will continue in the future. This program, sponsored by the Law Library of Congress, Law Librarians' Society of Washington D.C. (LLSDC), the American Society of International Law, and the AALL (FCIL SIS) was well attended, well-received, and well reviewed. It would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Marci Hoffman. The Chair thanks Stephanie Burke, the Editor of the Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Special Interest Section Newsletter , and Anne Burnett who is reorganizing the FCIL SIS Home Page. Tracy thanks all chairs of FCIL SIS interest groups.

The Chair announced that the 2002 Shaffer Grant recipient, Yemisi Dina, law librarian at the College of the Bahamas Law Library, Nassau, The Bahamas, was unable to attend the AALL Annual Convention. She was not granted a visa to enter to the US. Regarding the grants, the Chair discloses that no funding was available for this year. Only the registration fees for the annual Convention were covered. The Chair proposes that a subsidy be provided from the FCIL money saved by having the Newsletter published only online. This money, plus what will come from the Shaffer Grant, could guarantee that more applicants will send their applications in future years. Then, the Chair announced upcoming meetings on the next days of the convention, and especially the Strategic Planning meeting. Tracy Thompson reminded the FCIL SIS members that the proposals for the 2003 Annual Meeting in Seattle have to be sent to Jean Wagner and David Sears by August 12.

Announcements

Tracy Thompson, FCIL-SIS Chair, reminded the audience that Jean Davis started last year the "Spirit of the FCIL-SIS" award. Tracy Thompson wants to continue this tradition. The year 2002 recipients of the "Spirit of the FCIL-SIS" award are Marci Hoffman (Georgetown) for organizing the Creating Commercial Connections - Trade Laws of Latin America workshop; Jill Watson (ASIL) for hosting the Librarians’ Luncheon and Roundtable at the ASIL Annual Convention every year; and Mirela Roznovschi (NYU) for her work on LLRX.com and for her continuing outreach to librarians around the world. These three members epitomize the Spirit of the FCIL-SIS.

The Chair announced the calendar of FCIL- SIS related events scheduled for the next days of the Convention.

Approval of minutes

The members approve by unanimous vote the minutes of the 2001 meeting published in the October 2001 issue of the Newsletter.

The Secretary/Treasurer Report was presented by Mirela Roznovschi. The current balance as of 05/31/ 2002 was $4,737.50. The Secretary/Treasurer pointed out that the FCIL Newsletter switched to a “primarily electronic” format in pdf and html beginning with the October 2001 issue. This format change was supposed to provide significant savings to the section, which has devoted the majority of its budget in recent years to the printing and mailing of paper copies. The savings were not apparent in this financial statement because the 2000-2001 newsletter expenditures were reported in the year 2001-2002 financial statement. The savings will be evident in the next financial statement.

FCIL-SIS donated the excess $959.35 from the Creating Connections – Trade Laws of Latin America” workshop held on March 13, 2002 to the Friends of the Library of Congress. The Treasurer’s report was adopted unanimously.

Election results

Members approved in majority the election results. Chair Tracy Thompson announced that Jean Wagner has been elected as Vice Chair/Chair-elect and introduced her briefly. Jean serves as Reference Librarian for Government Documents and Foreign and International Law at the Cook County Law Library in Chicago. Jean Wagner gave her thanks for being elected Vice-Chair/Chair Elect.

Interest Group Reports

Lyonette Louis Jacques presented the Electronic Issues IG meeting agenda. One of the issues is related to the disappearance of French primary materials from Lexis. Pascal Petticollot from the French Prime Minister’s cabinet, present at the meeting as a guest and speaker in one of the FCIL SIS programs, discloses that all French primary materials and cases of the French supreme courts will become free of charge in the French database Jurifrance with an English interface starting September 2002.

Lyonette wanted to know if other libraries subscribed to the German database JURIS. If yes, she wants to have feedback regarding the efficiency of the database and searching features. Dan Wade from Yale Law Library and Mirela Roznovschi from NYU Law Library are familiar with this database as their libraries have subscribed to it. Mirela promises to write a tutorial for searching this database.

Strategic planning

The Chair invites the members to participate and energize the FCIL SIS activities. The incoming chair Ken Rudolf is planning to ask Jean Wagner to lead the strategic planning committee. The FCIL SIS already has a plan to implement the plan.

Interest Group discussion

Chair Tracy Thompson discovered that incorrect information related to the IGs is posted in the FCIL SIS website. The executive committee wants to reevaluate the IGs and their attributions. In recent years IGs handled more than acquisitions issues. They had speakers and interesting presentations. She suggests that the leadership for these groups be for two years. A mechanism to change the leadership of the groups has to be in place. The same person could chair an IG for more than two years if no other person is interested in becoming chair. A two year commitment to leading the group would energize IGs. Ken Rudolf wants to mention in the bylaws the two year tenure for IG group leaders and others related issues.

Seattle 2003 programming

Chair Tracy Thompson reminds the attendees that the 2003 AALL Annual Meeting and Conference Program Planner's Handbook and The Program Proposer's Form and the Workshop Proposer's Form are available.

The Chair discussed the four recommendations of the Annual Meeting Educational Program Committee (AMEPC). There are two recommendations with which we should be most concerned: #1 and #3.

SIS Members are encouraged to contact an AMPC representative to voice their opinions and ideas. Please see the AMPC roster.

New for the 2003 Annual Meeting will be 30 minute program slots. Program planners are encouraged to consider utilizing these time slots for updates or other programs.

The Chair and David Sears consider that there is a new generation of international and foreign law librarians that want to revisit the former Institutes of AALL FCIL SIS. The concept of continuing education for international and foreign law librarians is on the agenda for next year and years to come. Then, the Chair asked Rhonda Gold to explain the situation of the International Citator Project at the Nova Southeastern University Law School. Another partner of this project is the Association of Legal Writing Directors. The goal is to come up with a manual of legal citations for international organizations and foreign jurisdictions. The manual will be published by Aspen and it will be a comprehensive resource for international and foreign law researchers. Indigenous formats will be covered.

Adjournment

Chair Tracy Thompson officially turned over the FCIL SIS leadership to Ken Rudolf, the incoming Chair 2002-2003. He thanks Tracy Thompson. Ken announces what he intends to do during his leadership: changing bylaws, discussing vacancy issues, evaluating strategic planning concerns, and the implementation of a new committee for training the next generation of international and foreign law librarians. Ken Rudolf declares the meeting adjourned.