Thursday, June 26, 2003
AALL Annual Meeting Just Days Away!
The AALL Annual Meeting in Seattle is now just 17 days away! Registrations continue to come in strong, as of June 20th we’ve received 1816 registrations. We also currently have 52 international registrants, including 33 from Canada, nine from the United Kingdom and two from Australia. Coupled with a total to date of 161 exhibit booths, this meeting promises to give you a rich blend of professional development, networking, and social activities. I’m looking forward to welcoming you to this beautiful city on Elliot Bay.
Important Annual Meeting Badge and Ticket Information
If you registered for the 2003 AALL Annual Meeting by mail or fax by June 20 or will complete online registration by June 26, you will receive your badge credentials and tickets in the mail. Please bring this envelope of credentials with you when you come to Seattle because you will need to present them to expedite your registration check-in.
After June 26, you must register onsite; only a limited number of tickets will be available for purchase by then for the Opening Reception, Association Luncheon and Closing Banquet. Any registrations received after June 26 will be handled as onsite registration, and selected tickets are not guaranteed.
The Registration Desk will be located in the Washington State Convention and Trade Center on the 4th level, South Lobby. Registration opens at 4 p.m. July 11.
Don’t forget -- look for your badge credentials to arrive in the mail. If you are not going to be able to receive your mailed badge/tickets close to the meeting, you may call 508/743-0115 and request that your tickets be held for you onsite to be picked up.
Seattle Excursions Enhance Annual Meeting Experience
Maximize your 2003 AALL Annual Meeting experience by taking an excursion of Seattle. AALL offers several tours and extended trips in and around the Seattle area during the Annual Meeting. If you haven't signed up for one of the many exciting excursions, ACT NOW -- the deadline is July 1. More information is available here.
New Programs Added to Annual Meeting Schedule
The following programs have been added to an outstanding array of educational programs for the 96th AALL Annual Meeting and Conference in Seattle.
Monday, July 14 -- 4:15-5:15 p.m.
F-6: Envisioning Justice: American Indian Law — Six Issues in 60 Minutes
Issues of American Indian law are entering the legal mainstream and are more likely to be encountered by lawyers, judges and law librarians than in the past. This presentation will review six emerging legal issues in federal Indian law. Nancy Carol Carter, the 2003 winner of the Law Library Journal Article of the Year Award for her paper, “American Indians and Law Libraries: Acknowledging the Third Sovereign,” will be the speaker for this program.
Tuesday, July 15 -- 2:15-3:45 p.m.
H-6: Law Librarian Compensation: Can the Looming Human Resources Crisis Be Averted?
Demographic and economic forces are creating a potential for a shortage of professionally trained law librarians. One cause of this pending crisis is that librarian compensation is inadequate to provide sufficient incentive for entry into the profession. This program will examine the causes and potential solutions to this pending crisis. The results of the recent AALL membership survey on this issue will be discussed. Maurice (Mitch) Freedman, immediate past president of the American Library Association, along with Luis Acosta, AALL member, and Virginia Grant of the consulting firm Altman Weil, Inc., will be the speakers for this program. Barbara Bintliff, immediate past president of AALL, will serve as moderator.
Hot Topic Program – Don’t Miss!
Monday, July 14 -- 10:15-11:30 a.m.
E-6: Inclusion of Copyright Matters in Free Trade Agreements: A Debate
The Hot Topic program at the AALL Annual Meeting in Seattle will focus on the attempts of the United States Trade Representative to expand U.S. copyright term extensions beyond present international requirements under TRIPS and Berne agreements. Although the information industry applauds this expansion, public access advocates find the current TRIPS and Berne requirements adequate and further expansion unnecessary. Earlier this year, AALL and other library associations filed objections with the USTR to the expanded scope of the copyright provisions in the draft of the Free Trade Area of the Americans Agreement (FTAA). Should Congress yield legislative authority to the president that imposes U.S. standards on its trading partners, short-circuits domestic legislative processes, and locks-in current standards? Don’t miss this lively debate that will feature both sides of these complex issues. Speakers will include Eric Smith, president of International Intellectual Property Alliance and Jamie Love, director of the Consumer Project on Technology, Center for Study of Responsive Law. Samuel Trosow, member of the AALL Copyright Committee, will serve as moderator. Keith Ann Stiverson, chair of the Copyright Committee, is the program coordinator.
Correction
In last week’s message, AALL mistakenly reported that the Association and West awarded $9,500 in George A. Strait Minority Scholarships. We awarded $10,000 from the Strait Minority Scholarship Endowment. In addition, Strait scholarship recipient Filiberto Govea’s name was spelled incorrectly.
Sincerely,
Carol Avery Nicholson
AALL President