Volume 18,
No. 2
February 2004
From the Chair
Jean Wenger, Chair
Welcome to the New Year. I hope 2004 brings health, happiness and peace to all. January is upon us and for some, with a wintry vengeance. Never fear. It is only six months until warmer weather and the 2004 Annual Meeting: Boston to Mumbai: The World of Legal Information. On behalf of the SIS, I would like to thank all those who worked on and developed FCIL-sponsored proposals. They were all first-rate. Many thanks to the Education co-chairs, Mirela Roznovschi, Vice-Chair (New York University) and Dennis Sears (Brigham Young University), who despite blackouts and computer glitches reviewed and delivered all fourteen programs to AALL by the deadline. As a member of the Annual Meeting Program Committee (AMPC) I, along with AMPC member Marci Hoffman (UC Berkeley), had the opportunity to review all the proposals submitted to AALL. AALL members submitted more than 230 proposals for 69 program slots. I am thrilled to announce that AMPC accepted the workshop, five programs and the cosponsored program. Shopping in the Global Marketplace: Information Sources for International Trade is a one-day workshop on Friday, July 9, which requires separate registration. The other accepted programs cover diverse world regions and topics: Treaty-Making–Really; Hijab, Jihad, Riba and Hudud: Islamic Law in the 21st Century; Globalization Moved my Cheese: Or, How Do I Find Foreign Law?; The European Union at a Crossroads: Freedoms in a Federated Europe; Envision New Possibilities for Research Training and Collections for International LLM Students; A Current Appraisal of Chinese, Japanese and Korean Legal Research (Asian Law Librarians’ Caucus, cosponsor FCIL SIS). Just a reminder, it is never too early to start thinking about program ideas for the 2005 Annual Meeting in San Antonio!
The FCIL Nominations Committee, Tracy Thompson, Chair (NELLCO), Louise Tsang (Georgetown) and Bill Ryan (American University) did an outstanding job this year in nominating a slate of candidates for the 2004 election. Pursuant to Art. VI, Sec. 1 of the FCIL SIS Bylaws, as amended, the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect is the only open position to be slated in even numbered years. Congratulations to Stephanie Burke (Boston University) on her nomination. Stephanie is the Senior Reference Librarian at Boston University and has been the FCIL Newsletter Editor-extraordinaire, commencing with the October 2001 issue. Stephanie is an active and enthusiastic member. Please read her biography and remember to vote!
The FCIL SIS Executive Committee is very pleased to announce that Velma Newton, Law Librarian at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill will be the guest speaker for the Executive Committee Presents Program. Velma will address Caribbean legal systems and new technology initiatives in the region. Many thanks to Rhonda Gold (Nova Southeastern University) for her work in contacting Velma and making the introductions. Look for more information on Velma’s program in the May issue and on the FCIL website and listserv.
Ellen Schaffer (International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) is exploring avenues for additional funding for the Schaffer Grant, given the financial markets’ negative effect on the grant’s annual income. The 2004 Schaffer Grant Committee is chaired by Nona Beisenherz (Loyola University School of Law Library, La.). Information and the application will be posted on the FCIL website, listserv and are available at page 8 of this Newsletter.
Watch for the gradual evolution of the FCIL SIS website. Anne Burnett (University of Georgia), our intrepid webmaster, who put the FCIL SIS on the virtual map and has maintained our presence, is working to migrate the site to the AALLNET server. New information is being added and a new design is in the planning stages. The goal is to make the FCIL SIS website a destination website for information and activities of the SIS and the place to find resources and contacts for international law research.
The FCIL SIS is also pleased to be cosponsoring an upcoming one-day workshop, Islamic Law in a Changing World: Traditions and Transitions. This workshop will be held on Wednesday, March 31 at the Law Library of Congress, before the ASIL Annual Meeting. Many thanks to Malo Bernal (Law Library of Congress) and Herb Somers (George Washington University) for spearheading this program.
The FCIL SIS is planning an AALL Professional Development moderated listserv discussion. Topic? Foreign, comparative and international law librarianship. When? Scheduled for April 12-25, 2004. This will be a great educational experience for our members and AALL members interested in foreign and international law. What do you want to discuss? How can we share our individual and collective knowledge with our colleagues? Look for future announcements for suggested topics on the FCIL listserv. This will be another great opportunity to introduce our SIS to AALL. Many thanks to Stephanie Burke for this great idea!