SR-SIS has had a very productive and busy two years under the leadership of Past-Chair, Alison Alifano. I would like to thank her for agreeing to continue in the position of Chair for the two years following Emily Greenberg's retirement. I would also like to personally thank Alison for her patient guidance in ushering me into the position of your new Chair.

Here are some of the SR-SIS highlights of 2004: providing two engaging educational programs in Boston, proposing a resolution opposing constitutional amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman (which was passed by the membership at the AALL Business Meeting in Boston), distributing two Alan Holoch travel grants to attend AALL 2004, and migrating the Directory of Law Libraries Serving Prisoners to AALLNET (http://www.aallnet.org/sis/srsis/llsp/). It looks like 2005 will be an exciting year as well. Two programs have been accepted for AALL in San Antonio. We're investigating the amendment of our by-laws to allow for electronic voting and non-contested elections. Updating of the publication Recommended Collections for Prison and Other Institution Law Libraries is in progress.

If you see any activities described below (or elsewhere on the SR-SIS website) that you would like to contribute to, please contact me. I look forward to working with our many enthusiastic and dedicated members this year.

Ann Hemmens, Chair
Social Responsibilities SIS
hemmens@u.washingotn.edu

As you all know, the final numbers from the Make Way! Book Drive 2004 sponsored by the Social Responsibilities SIS were beyond outstanding! This year's book drive raised a total of 562 books and $1721 in monetary donations - nearly triple the previous year's donations. This was an incredible gift to this year's recipient - Read Boston. The Book Drive went smoothly, thanks to everyone's generous support!

As co-coordinator of this year's book drive, I would like to extend a special thank you to a number of people who volunteered their time to support this initiative, including Ann Hemmens, Alison Alifano, Janet Katz, Karen Moss, Juliana Hayden and the Association Luncheon Committee, Stephanie Burke and the LLNE Service committee, Jill Robin Roff, Beth Adelman, Jim Gernert, Andrea Rasmussen, Katherine Coolidge, Carol Wellington and other volunteers who lent a last-minute hand with the final wrap. THANK YOU sincerely for your hard work! Thank you also to AccuFile Inc. for their donation.

Watch for next year's Book Drive - and let's continue to make this terrific initiative grow in future years!

Annette Demers
2004 Book Drive Coordinator

Social Responsibilities SIS
Boston, MA, Sunday, July 11, 2004

The following people were in attendance:

SR-SIS OFFICERS:
Alison Alifano, Chair
Ann Hemmens, Vice Chair/Chair Elect
Elvira Embser-Herbert, Secretary/Treasurer
Scott L. Fisher, Chair of the Standing Committee for Lesbian and Gay Issues
Rebecca Trammell, Chair of the Standing Committee on Library Service to Institution Residents

SR-SIS MEMBERS:
Annette Demers, Courtney Selby, Ann Puckett, Stephanie Davidson, David Bachman, George R. Jackson, Marilyn Nicely, Laura Whitbeck, Ellen Platt, Bill Ketchum, Jeff Berns, Ron Wheeler, Prano Amjadi, Leslie Campbell, Carl Romalis

The meeting was called to order by Alison Alifano.

The 2003 meeting minutes were approved, and will be attached to the 2004 minutes at next year's meeting.

The treasurer's report was given by Elvira. This year we had excess revenue over expenses totaling $2,494.65, which gave us an ending balance of $15,095.37 as of April 30, 2004.

We reviewed the 2003-2004 annual report which highlighted various activities including:

• The SR Executive Board decided to publish the newsletter two times per membership year in electronic format only.
• The SR had an educational program chosen for the 2004 Boston meeting entitled HIV/AIDS: A Global Epidemic and an Issue of International Law. Additionally, the SR-SIS Hot Topic proposal entitled Same-Sex Marriage: the Legal Issues, which was originally rejected, was subsequently added to the Boston educational programming as the second Hot Topic.
• Bookless in Seattle, the 2003 Book Drive, was a resounding success with over 200 books donated and $1140 in cash and bookstore gift certificates collected and donated to First Place School Library.
• SR-SIS and the Legal Information Services to the Public SIS submitted an amicus brief on behalf of prisoners in a Florida prison law library case where prisoners were being denied access to legal materials needed to prepare their legal pleadings.
• The SR's Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues awarded two Holoch travel grants to help members attend the Boston meeting.

A resolution was drafted early in 2004 opposing constitutional amendments defining marriage as between only a man and a woman. The resolution was originally intended to be passed by the SR-SIS membership and then read into the official AALL record at the Members Open Forum in Boston. However, after much discussion, the SR-SIS membership decided to take the resolution to the AALL Business meeting for the AALL general membership to vote on. The resolution was revised and re-drafted. Ron Wheeler agreed to read the resolution at the AALL Business Meeting.

Both the Same-Sex Marriage Hot Topic program and the HIV-AIDS program were described. Members were encouraged to attend these sessions.

Reports were given.

• Holoch Grants were awarded to Scott Burgh and Dennis Harlow.
• The Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues Reception is to take place at Club Café. Vendor contributions included $1000 from Lexis, $1000 from West, and $500 from CCH. A $10 fee will be charged at the door.
• The Standing Committee on Library Service to Institution Residents' Directory of Library Services to Prisoners is now available online through AALLNET.
• The SR-SIS is sponsoring a joint roundtable with LISP and RIPS on serving pro se patrons and prisoners. This roundtable is to be held on Monday.

Updating the Web site was discussed. It was decided that the Web site will be updated when the newsletter is done.

Alison Alifano and Ron Wheeler represented the SR-SIS at the CONELL marketplace. They reported that it was loads of fun.

Annette Demers, the coordinator of the 2004 Book Drive, Make Way!, which benefits Read Boston, had collected 157 books from the Wish List on Amazon.com and received $521 in donations as of the date of this meeting.

SR-SIS Election results were reported. Ann Hemmens is the new Chair. Leslie Campbell is the new Vice Chair/Chair Elect. Ron Wheeler is the new Secretary/Treasurer. Jeffrey Berns is the new Chair of the Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay issues. Rebecca Trammell agreed to remain Chair of the Standing Committee on Library Service to Institution Residents.

Program proposals are due on August 15th for the 2005 annual meeting in San Antonio. The theme is Strategize: Values, Visions and Vistas. Leslie is the contact person.

There was a motion to donate $1000 to the book drive. This motion was seconded and passed.

There was some discussion of amending our bylaws to allow for electronic voting and to allow non-contested elections. Prano Amjadi and Alison Alifano agreed to coordinate the effort to update the SR-SIS bylaws.

Prano Amjadi proposed the creation of an Award for AALL members who have contributed to social issues. There was some discussion of having an awards committee and presenting an award at the annual luncheon.

There was a motion to adjourn. It was seconded and passed.

Respectfully submitted by
Ron Wheeler, SR-SIS Secretary-Treasurer

Staying true to the history of the SR-SIS involvement in timely issues, the members present at the SR-SIS Business Meeting in Boston voted to bring a resolution opposing any proposed federal and state constitutional amendments defining marriage as only between a man and a woman before the AALL membership. SR-SIS members burned the midnight oil polishing the language of the resolution to present it to the entire membership. The Resolution was placed on the agenda for the first AALL Business Meeting ( July 12, 2004 ) and voted on in the second Business Meeting ( July 13, 2004 ). Ron Wheeler made a statement in support of the Resolution, on behalf of the SR-SIS, which was followed by time for debate on the issue. No other members present commented on the topic. AALL President Janis Johnston called for a vote, and the Resolution passed.

“It was a historic moment” said Ron Wheeler, “More than anything, I felt an immense sense of affirmation to have my AALL peers overwhelmingly pass this resolution and take a stand against discrimination against LGBT people by opposing these kinds of constitutional amendments.”

Many people were involved in this process. A special thanks to a few of the people who helped bring this issue forward (Elvira Embser-Herbert, Alison Alifano, Ron Wheeler) and to those who helped with the last minute logistics (Stephanie Davidson, Leslie Campbell, Mary Whisner, Ann Hemmens and Elvira Embser-Herbert).

The Resolution is copied below and is available on AALLNET, http://www.aallnet.org/about/resolution_amendments.asp.

American Association of Law Libraries Membership Resolution
Initially Proposed by the Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section
July 12, 2004

WHEREAS the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and

WHEREAS AALL adopted, seventeen years ago, a Membership Resolution including sexual orientation in its non-discrimination policy, and

WHEREAS AALL has a Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section (SR-SIS), which addresses issues of social change and social responsibility that are of concern to AALL members both personally and professionally, including equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, and

WHEREAS these goals continue to be achieved through annual meeting educational programs, publications, AALL professional activity, and social opportunities, and

WHEREAS other professional organizations such as the American Bar Association and the American Association of University Professors have enacted resolutions opposing a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, and

WHEREAS the U.S. Constitution has served historically to expand the scope of democratic liberty and increase the number of people entitled to claim that liberty, and

WHEREAS constitutional amendments at the federal and state level defining marriage as only between a man and a woman intentionally discriminate against lesbians and gay men by denying them access to the protections, benefits, and responsibilities extended automatically to married couples, and

WHEREAS a viable democracy does not depend on defining marriage solely as a heterosexual institution, and

WHEREAS the proposed constitutional amendments appeal to Americans' prejudices and fears rather than to their higher values of equality and justice,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the American Association of Law Libraries strongly opposes any proposed federal and state constitutional amendments defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.

SR-SIS sponsored the program HIV/AIDS: a Global Epidemic and an Issue of International Law at AALL 2004 in Boston. Amy Bloom of the US Agency for International Development spoke on the current state of this rapidly changing epidemic and initiatives currently in place to fight the spread of HIV and help those afflicted. Jay Krishnan, Associate Professor of Law from William Mitchell College of Law, discussed his research on HIV/AIDS jurisprudence in India and the "new untouchables" the disease has created. Mary Rumsey, Foreign, International, and Comparative Law Librarian from the University of Minnesota Law School, educated the audience on how to find legal information on the epidemic. She emphasized starting with secondary sources and cautioned against the Internet trap that may seem to be leading to sources, but hours later has led to little or nothing. Mary also created an incredibly useful bibliography which is available on AALLNET. The session was well-attended and a great success despite some early technical problems.

SR-SIS sponsored a Hot Topic program (one of two Hot Topics), Same-Sex Marriage: the Legal Issues. Excellent speakers and a lively audience contributed to the success of this late addition. The program included three speakers - two academic legal scholars and a practitioner. Professor Libby Adler focused on the proposed federal and Massachusetts state constitutional amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman, Professor Joe Singer discussed the conflict of laws issues, and Ben Klein of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) discussed the Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health case from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In response to a question from the audience about marriage ceremonies performed in Massachusetts and other locations around the U.S., Singer noted that the legal status of these marriages remained as yet unchallenged, and thus unsettled. He added that practitioners await challenges on a variety of Federal/State tax and other grounds. Some comments from audience members include – “Quality of speakers' presentations was superior. Explanations of complex legal issues was wonderful,” “Great program, panel was excellent and I thought professors covered all sides of the issues well,” “Thanks for both hot topics! Both were excellent, the best of the meeting.”

The SR, LISP and RIPS SIS's jointly sponsored a Roundtable on the topic of Service to Pro Se Patrons and Prisoners at AALL 2004 in Boston. More than 60 people, from various types of law libraries, attended the session and contributed to the animated discussion. Materials distributed at the session are available on the RIPS website: http://www.aallnet.org/sis/ripssis/roundtable.html.

Submitted by
Elvira Embser-Herbert & Ann Hemmens

We have wonderful news: of the six wonderful programs submitted by the SR-SIS two were accepted for the 2005 Annual meeting! We want to thank all who contributed program proposals; each program proposed was worthy of inclusion in next year's program, it is always a shame that they cannot all be chosen!

As you know the theme for the San Antonio meeting is: STRATEGIZE! VALUES VISIONS VISTAS. The two programs accepted for San Antonio combined practical strategies with social issues, stressing the need to be a visionary librarian!

• Visionary Collection Development: Strategies for Building Legal Collections on Emerging Social Issues (Program Coordinator: Larry Reeves, Senior Reference Librarian, Loyola Law School. Moderator: Courtney Selby, Collection Development Librarian, University of Tulsa Law Library)
  • This program will focus on collection development in changing times and the impact of trends in societal values on collection development strategies which need to be responsive to the social realities of the society in which we live. Three librarians will speak about why and how their special collections were started. Amy Atchison will discuss The Williams Project, a collection of gay and lesbian resources at the UCLA School of Law which facilitates scholarship in the area of sexual orientation law and public policy. Marlyn Robinson will discuss the Law in Popular Culture collection at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Finally, Brian Keough will share information about the National Death Penalty Archive at the University at Albany (State University of New York) which supports research on the history of capital punishment.
• Realizing Visions and Valuing History: Twenty Years of the Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues (Program Coordinator & Moderator: Elvira Embser-Herbert, Circulation Librarian, University of Minnesota Law Library)
  • This program promises a "campfire reminiscence" by librarians whose pioneering spirit helped to create and foster the growth of the SR-SIS Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues, founded in 1985. Together these visionaries demonstrate how the visions of individuals brought and continue to bring value to AALL. We hope this will also be an entertaining and fun program, bringing the audience into this casual campfire reminiscence, listening to the panelists' experiences, visions, and ideas for the future. The visionaries will include the following: Camille Broussard, Acting Director/Associate Librarian for Reader Services at New York Law School Library; George Jackson, Reference/Documents Librarian, University of Minnesota Law Library; Albert Brecht, Associate Dean, Chief Information Officer and John Stauffer Professor of Law at University of Southern California; and Laura Gasaway, Director of Law Library and Professor of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Law Library.

There were several other very exciting programs proposed and, though it was disappointing that not all of our programs could be accepted, we hope and encourage the proposers to offer these again next year! Each of these proposals would make terrific programs and we want to thank those who worked so hard putting them together.

• Larry Reeves, Loyola Law School, actually proposed two programs this year. In addition to the Visionary Collection Development program that was accepted, he proposed Changing Visions of Family: New Developments and Research Strategies in Queer Family Law.
• Thanks to Amy Hale-Janeke, Reference Librarian, San Diego County Public Law Library, and Ann Hemmens, Reference Librarian, University of Washington Gallagher Law Library, for the proposal, Pen Pals? Prisoner Mail and How to Handle It.
• Ann Hemmens also proposed The Changing Vista of Death Penalty Law: the Present and Future of Capital Punishment.
• Lee Sims, Reference Librarian at Tulane Law Library, offered Providing Services to Pro Se Users: Web site Strategies.

Thanks again to everyone for contributing to this year's strong collection of educational program proposals.

Submitted by
Leslie Campbell, Education Committee Chair

The SR-SIS tradition of collecting books to donate to school libraries in the city hosting our Annual Meeting will continue into its seventh year in San Antonio, Texas. It is one small way we say thank you to the community and reach out to support children's literacy. This year we have three coordinators: Jessica Alexander, Barbara Lah, and Ron Wheeler. Look for future announcements about the Book Drive 2005.

Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues

The Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues met on July 13, 2004 for its annual business meeting. The group discussed on-going issues with the Holoch travel grant, updating the bibliography of sexual orientation and the law, and possible programs for the next AALL annual meeting in San Antonio. Items for future discussion centered on possibly reworking the Standing Committee bylaws to eliminate the Treasurer position and to consider creating a new committee award. If you want to help with the Standing Committee, please contact Jeff Berns (bernsj@bskb.com) or Stephanie Davidson (stephanie.davidson@yale.edu).

Standing Committee on Library Service to Institution Residents (prisoners)

At the AALL 2004 meeting this group discussed a busy agenda of tasks including adding more libraries to the online Directory of Law Libraries Serving Prisoners, updating the title, Recommended Collections for Prison and Other Institution Law Libraries (1996 ed.), surveying prison law libraries following Casey v. Lewis, 518 U.S. 343 (1996), and creating a webpage with information on donating books to prison libraries. If you are interested in helping with any of these activities please contact Rebecca Trammell, Chair (rstram@uky.edu) or Ann Hemmens (hemmens@u.washington.edu). Incidentally, the 3rd edition of Werner's Manual for Prison Law Libraries is now available from Hein, updated by Rebecca Trammell.