Frank G. Houdek, 1948 –

Hall of Fame Induction: 2011

Significant AALL Service

Frank Houdek

  • President, Southern California Association of Law Libraries, 1981–1982
  • Organizer and First Chair, Council of Chapter Presidents, 1981–1982
  • Editor, Houston Daily (first-ever annual meeting newsletter), 1983
  • Editor, San Diego Daily (annual meeting newsletter), 1984
  • Chair, AALL Publications Committee, 1984–1987
  • Chair, Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section, 1987–1988
  • Chair, Law Library Journal and AALL Newsletter Advisory Committee, 1990–1992
  • Chair, Council of Law Library Consortia, 1990–1992
  • AALL Public Relations Coordinator, 1992–1994
  • Chair, History of Law Librarianship Special Committee, 1994–1996
  • Editor, Law Library Journal, 1994–2007
  • AALL President-Elect, 1995–1996
  • President, 1996–1997
  • Immediate Past President, 1997–1998
  • Chair, Committee on Relations with Information Vendors, 1998–2000
  • Chair, Fair Business Practices Special Committee, 2000–2002
  • Member, AALL Centennial Planning Task Force, 2001–2002
  • Member, AALL Centennial Celebration Special Committee, 2003–2006
  • Chair, Hall of Fame Selection Special Committee, 2009–2010
  • Chair, Awards Committee, 2014–2015

Professional Honors and Awards

  • Southern Illinois School of Law Faculty Award for Outstanding Public Service, 1997
  • AALL Presidential Certificates of Appreciation, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2009
  • Frederick Charles Hicks Award for Outstanding Contributions to Academic Law Librarianship, 2001
  • Mid-America Association of Law Libraries Recognition Award, 2006
  • Marian Gould Gallagher Distinguished Service Award, 2011
  • AALL Hall of Fame, Inductee, 2011
  • Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature Award, 2020

Selected Publications by the Inductee

  • “Admission to the Bar: An Annotated Bibliography of Law Review Articles, 1966–1976,” Bar Examiner 46 (No. 5–6, 1977): 112–32.
  • “Automated Legal Research at the Los Angeles County Law Library,” Los Angeles Bar Journal 53 (July 1977): 46–54 (with William T. Ford).
  • The Freedom of Information Act: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Law-Related Materials. Austin: Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas at Austin, 1978. [subsequent editions published in 1981 & 1985]
  • “Sports and the Law: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Law Related Materials.” COMM/ENT Law Journal 2 (1979): 177–20.
  • “The Federal Election Campaign Act and Its Amendments: A Selected Legal Bibliography with Annotations,” Law Library Journal 72 (1979): 194–208 (with C. Vernon Ford).
  • “Theatrical Motion Pictures and the Law: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Law-Related Materials,” COMM/ENT Law Journal 3 (1980): 117–59 (with James L. Gunderson).
  • “Video Technology and the Law: A Bibliography of Law-Related Materials on Cable Television, Subscription/Pay Television, Direct Broadcast Satellites, Video-recording, and Videotext,” COMM/ENT Law Journal 5 (1982–83): 341–98.
  • Introducing the American Association of Law Libraries. Rochester, N.Y.: Lawyers Co-Operative Pub. Co., 1983. [2d edition published in 1986]
  • “Constitutional Limitations on Libel Actions: A Bibliography of New York Times v. Sullivan and Its Progeny, 1964–1984,” COMM/ENT Law Journal 6 (1984): 447–79.
  • “Career Development in Law Librarianship: Thoughts on the Occasion of Becoming A Law Library Director,” Legal Reference Services Quarterly 6 (1986): 81–94.
  • “Legal Research Tools for the Illinois Practitioner: An Annotated Bibliography,” Southern Illinois University Law Journal 11 (1987): 857–84.
  • “Nonbroadcast Video—Programming and Distribution: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Law-Related Periodical Articles,” COMM/ENT Law Journal 9 (1987): 307–46.
  • Protection of Cultural Property and Archaeological Resources: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Law-Related Materials. New York: Oceana Publications, 1988.
  • AALL Annual Meetings: An Annotated Index of the Recordings. Littleton, CO.: Fred B. Rothman & Co., 1989–. (AALL Publications Series No. 32) (with Susan D. Goldner).
  • “Research Tools for the Illinois Practitioner Revisited: An Updated, Annotated Bibliography,” Southern Illinois University Law Journal 13 (1989): 683–721.
  • Index to AALL Newsletter, Volumes 11-20, September 1979 to June 1989. Chicago: American Association of Law Libraries, 1990. (AALL Occasional Papers, No. 9)
  • Law for the Layman: An Annotated Bibliography of Self Help Law Books. Littleton, CO.: Fred B. Rothman & Co., 1991.
  • “The History of AALL and the Law Library Professional.” In The Spirit of Law Librarianship: A Reader, Roy Mersky & Richard Leiter, eds., 19–36. Littleton, Colo.: Fred B. Rothman & Co., 1991.
  • “An Index to Memorials Published in the Law Library Journal, 1916–92”, Law Library Journal 84 (1992): 769–86.
  • “Researching the Right of Publicity: A Revised and Comprehensive Bibliography of Law Related Materials.” Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal (COMM/ENT) 16 (1994): 385–423.
  • AALL Reference Book: A Compendium of Facts, Figures and Historical Information about the American Association of Law Libraries. Buffalo, N.Y.: William S. Hein & Co., 1994–.
  • “Stories of ‘My First Annual Meeting,’” Law Library Journal 88 (1996): 9–81.
  • “A Day in My Law Library Life, Circa 1997,” Law Library Journal 89 (1997): 157–237.
  • “‘Meet My Mentor’: A Collection of Personal Reminiscences,” Law Library Journal 91 (1999): 177-255.
  • “Top 10 Tips on Writing for Professional Journals,” AALL Spectrum 6 (July 2002): 7.
  • “AALL in the Roger Parent Years,” AALL Spectrum 7 (October 2002): 10–12.
  • State Practice Materials: Annotated Bibliographies, general editor. Buffalo, N.Y.: William S. Hein & Co., 2002–.
  • “An Index to Memorials Published in the Law Library Journal, 1993 –2005 Supplement,” Law Library Journal 97 (2005): 701–08.
  • “Frequently Asked Questions about AALL’s First Hundred Years,” Law Library Journal 98 (2006): 157–67.
  • “AALL History through the Eyes of Its Presidents,” Law Library Journal 98 (2006): 299-347.
  • “From the Reference Desk to River City: A Bibliography of the Writings of Robert C. Berring,” 99 Law Library Journal 99 (2007): 413-23.
  • “The Essential Law Library Journal,” Law Library Journal 100 (2008): 137–68.
  • “A Law Library Journal Centennial Time Line: Highlights from One Hundred Years of LLJ History,” Law Library Journal 100 (2008): 541–54.
  • The First Century: One Hundred Years of AALL History, 1906–2005. Buffalo, N.Y.: William S. Hein & Co., 2008.
  • Legal Information and the Development of American Law, coeditor with Richard A. Danner. St. Paul, Minn.: Thomson/West, 2008.
  • “Introducing the AALL Hall of Fame,” AALL Spectrum 14 (July 2010): 12–15.
  • “Memorial and Appreciation for Earl C. Borgeson (1922–2010),” Law Library Journal 103 (2011): 507–14.
  • “Introducing the Hall of Fame Class of 2013,” AALL Spectrum 17 (June 2013): 28–29.
  • “AALL Recognizes Two Outstanding Publications: Announcing the 2014 Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature Awards,” AALL Spectrum 18 (June 2014): 32–33.
  • “AALL Honors Four with Its Top Award: Coggins, Hazelton, Holterhoff, and Wiant Chosen for the 2015 Gallagher Award,” AALL Spectrum 19 (June 2015): 26–28.
  • Baseball Meets the Law: A Chronology of Decisions, Statutes and Other Legal Events. Jefferson,
    NC: McFarland & Co., Inc., Publishers, 2017. 319 p. (with Ed Edmonds).
  • Business and Legal Aspects of Sports and Entertainment. HeinOnline database. Getzville, NY: William S. Hein & Co., 2019. (with Ed Edmonds).

  • Celebrating the First Fifty Years of Southern Illinois University School of Law. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2024.

Selected Publications about the Inductee

  • Merle J. Slyhoff, “Houdek Tapped for Frederick Charles Hicks Award,” AALL Spectrum 5 (July 2001): 1.
  • Judy Meadows, “Gasaway, Houdek, and Price Honored with 2011 Marian Gould Gallagher Award,” AALL Spectrum 15 (June 2011): 28–29.
  • Frank G. Houdek Interview. In An Oral History of Law Librarianship, interviewed by Patrick E. Kehoe, Sept. 19, 2012, videorecording. Spinelli’s Law Library Reference Shelf, HeinOnline.

  • “Leader Profile: Frank G. Houdek, Preserving AALL’s History and Leaving His Own Mark on the Profession,” AALL Spectrum 28 (May/June 2024): 20–23.

Professional Positions

  • Reference Librarian, Los Angeles County Law Library, 1975–1979
  • Lecturer, UCLA Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 1978–1984
  • Librarian, Lawler, Felix & Hall (Los Angeles), 1979–1982
  • Associate Director of the Law Library and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law, University of Southern California, 1982–1984
  • Law Library Director and Professor of Law, Southern Illinois University School of Law, 1985–2007
  • Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor Law, Southern Illinois University School of Law, 2007–2009, 2010–2014
  • Interim Dean and Professor of Law, Southern Illinois University School of Law, 2009–2010
  • Professor of Law Emeritus, Southern Illinois University School of Law, 2014–present

Education

  • BA, University of California at Los Angeles, 1971
  • JD, University of California at Los Angeles, 1974
  • MLS, University of California at Los Angeles, 1976

Selected Professional Activities & Achievements (outside AALL)

  • Admitted to the practice of Law, California, 1974
  • Chair, Mid-America Law Library Consortium, 1988–1990
  • Member, Editorial Board, Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing, 1992–2007
  • Editor, Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing, 1994–2000
  • Chair, Committee on Libraries and Technology, Association of American Law Schools, 2009
  • Member, Data Policy and Collection Committee (formerly Questionnaire Committee), ABA Section of Legal Education & Admissions to the Bar, 2010–present