Thursday, August 23, 2007
Rising to the Challenge in New Orleans
AALL's 100th Annual Meeting definitely "Rose to the Challenge." Nearly 1,700 attendees had the opportunity to attend 85 educational programs and workshops packed into four days. Keynote speaker Joan Biskupic, U.S. Supreme Court correspondent for USA Today, entranced the audience at AALL's first opening general session with her insights into the workings of the Supreme Court. The Exhibit Hall showcased products of almost 100 information vendors.
To help support the recovery of our host city, about 150 attendees volunteered prior to the conference to work at Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest food bank, and the Louisiana State Museum. The annual Social Responsibility Special Interest Section book drive was also a great success. "Re-Covering New Orleans: One Book at a Time" raised nearly $8,000 and more than 1,400 books for the New Orleans Recovery School District, and an article about it was featured in the Times-Picayune. The Friends of the New Orleans Public Library booth sold out all 200 fleur de lis pins, raising $9,000 for restoration of flooded branch libraries.
Photos from the New Orleans meeting are now available on AALLNET. And look for more Annual Meeting wrap-up and program reviews in the upcoming September/October issue of AALL Spectrum.
Apply for Funding for Your Next Education Programming
The AALL/BNA Continuing Education Grants Program is accepting applications for 2007-2008. Grant funding is available to assist AALL entities in providing ongoing quality continuing education programming. Applications for the next round are due September 7.
Timeline:
September 7 - Proposals due to AALL Headquarters
September 10-September 28 - Review of proposals
October 1 - Announcement of funded grants
October 12 - Disbursement of funds
June 30, 2008 - Deadline for expenditure of funds.
Watch for announcements of future grant application deadlines.
How Trustworthy are State-Level Primary Legal Resources on the Web?
AALL is pleased to announce the publication of the State-by-State Report on Authentication of Online Legal Resources that answers this important and timely question. The comprehensive report examines the results of a state-by-state survey investigating whether government-hosted legal resources on the Web are official and capable of being considered authentic. A hardcopy edition of the 241-page report is now available. Order your hardcopy edition today.
Get Your First Pick for Hotel Rooms in Portland
Dreaming of cooler climates during these dog days of summer? Get your pick of rooms now and support AALL by booking your housing for our 2008 Annual Meeting and Conference in Portland, Oregon. You have a choice of whether to stay in downtown hotels (including our Headquarters hotel), in the heart of great shopping, dining, and attractions, or to stay in hotels that are close to the convention center, but lack the downtown ambiance and attractions. Downtown and the convention center are connected by a short, free light rail. To help alleviate any inconvenience, most programs and daytime meetings will be scheduled in the convention center, and most early morning and evening events will be in the downtown Headquarters hotel.
By making your reservations through the AALL housing desk, you are helping to increase AALL's value in negotiating future Annual Meeting and Conference business. You can book online or by mail or fax, and you can view our map of AALL hotels, too.
Just think: Portland's average high temperature in July is a dry 79 degrees.
Former AALL President Claire Germain Awarded France's Highest Honor
For her efforts in bridging the American and French legal cultures, Claire Germain, 2005-2006 AALL president and Edward Cornell Law Librarian and Professor of Law at Cornell University Law Library, received the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur medal, France's highest honor. It was presented to her on July 17 by Vincent Lamanda, first president of the Cour de cassation, France's highest civil and criminal court.
The ceremony took place during the dedication of a collection of 13,000 volumes of American case law, a gift from Cornell Law School to the court. The collection is the only one of its kind in France.
Mark Your Calendar: Professional Legal Management Week, October 1-5
Professional Legal Management Week (PLMW) provides a forum for recognizing those in legal management for what they do and the roles they play in the success of their organization. AALL is one of eight associations co-sponsoring the event with the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA).
AALL members are encouraged to plan and promote events for the week. The Professional Legal Management Week Web site includes resources to help you set up events, including a fact sheet, suggestions for planning events, a flyer, logos, and advertisements.
New this year ALA published Professional Legal Management Week Magazine, which includes AALL member Mark Gediman's article, "Walking with Librarians: A Unique Journey."
Please join the fun in celebrating the 3rd annual Professional Legal Management Week.
WebWise Proceedings, Papers, and Podcasts Now Available
For the first time, the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services is offering a publication highlighting proceedings of its signature Web Wise conference. It contains summaries of each session, keynote speeches, project demonstrations, and brief biographies of the speakers. Also available for the first time are MP3 Podcasts of each conference session.
You can obtain a print version by e-mailing imlsinfo@imls.gov.
Sincerely,
Ann T. Fessenden
AALL President