From the Desk of Susan E. Fox

Remembering September 11, 2001

Two years ago we came together, spiritually if not physically, to memorialize the loss of our colleagues in the librarian community. Each year that passes since that horrific event we remember those we lost -- our family, friends, colleagues, and fellow citizens -- in a way that we hope will help us better understand ourselves and the society we live in. As law librarians your service to our legal system and to our democratic institutions strengthens the root foundations of this country. Every day you devote to work you are making our world a better place, and by doing so you offer the best testament possible to the memory and future of law librarians everywhere.

Nominations Committee Announces Candidates for Office in AALL's 2004 Elections

The Nominations Committee nominated the following individuals for office in AALL. We will publish full candidate profiles in the December issue of AALL Spectrum.

Vice President/President-Elect
Claire M. Germain, Cornell University Law Library, Ithaca, NY
Anne C. Matthewman, Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers Association, Toronto, ON

Treasurer
Joyce Manna Janto, University of Richmond School of Law Library, Richmond, VA
Ruth Levor, University of San Diego School of Law/Legal Research Center, San Diego

Executive Board
Edmund P. Edmonds, University of St. Thomas School of Law Library, Minneapolis, MN
Ruth J. Hill, William M. Rains Library, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, LA
Anne K. Myers, Pappas Law Library, Boston University, Boston, MA
Kathie J. Sullivan, Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC, Burlington, VT

In August, AALL filed an amicus brief in the case of Henderson v. Crosby in the District Court of Appeal in the First District in Florida. Written by Michael Kaye and Amy Hale Janeke, both of the San Diego County Public Law Library, the brief urges the court to recognize that an adequate law library is a corollary of the state constitutional provision guaranteeing a right of access to the courts. The appeal was brought on state constitutional grounds because in a series of recent decisions, the federal courts have weakened the right to access to legal information in federal prisons.

In addition to the constitutional argument, the brief also recognizes AALL’s extensive involvement and work in support of prison law libraries over a period of many years. The brief points out that many courts and the American Correctional Association have adopted AALL’s standard for prison libraries, first published in 1972 as “Recommended Collections for Prison Libraries” at 65 LLJ 367. The Association has also published two editions of O. James Werner’s Prison Law Library Manual. (AALL Publications Series, nos. 12 and 36) The brief urges the court to reinstate those widely accepted standards in Florida’s prison library system.

Michael and Amy deserve praise and thanks for their efforts on behalf of prison law libraries. We will all watch for the results of the case with great interest.

Last week, AALL, along with the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Special Libraries Association, sent a letter to Hon. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Hon. W.J. “Billy” Tauzin, Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, in opposition to the "Database and Collections of Information Misappropriation Act."

The letter says, in part, “The provision that purports to exempt non-profit, educational, scientific, or research institutions seems wholly inadequate to meet the needs of those institutions. Among other things, the determination of what such institutions are allowed to do is made post-facto and only when they have already been forced into a court under an allegation of misappropriation and a threat of quadruple damages.”

AALL/Aspen Publishers Grants Program Seeks Applications for $5,000 in Research Grants

The committee will award one or more grants to library professionals who want to conduct research that affects librarianship. The grants program funds small or large research projects that create, disseminate, or use legal and law-related information. Projects may range from the historical (indexes, legislative histories, bibliographies, biographies, directories) to the theoretical (trends in cataloging, publishing or new service models in libraries) to the practical (implementation models for collection, personnel or infrastructure management).

The Association's Research Agenda offers suggestions for research projects that cover the profession of law librarianship, law library patrons, law library services, legal research and bibliography, legal information resources, and law library facilities. However, projects are not limited to those described in the agenda; the committee will consider all applications and research projects. To review AALL's Research Agenda, please go to http://www.aallnet.org/committee/research/agenda.asp . More information on this grant can be found here

Frank Houdek, Editor of AALL’s Law Library Journal, is seeking favorite vignettes of Julius Marke, who passed away last June, from those who would like to share their memories of him in a tribute that will be published in the Winter 2004 issue of the Journal. These short vignettes will be included along with other material about Julius in that issue.

If you have a favorite Julius Marke memory or story that you would like to submit, please type it up in approximately 300 to 500 words, and send it directly to Frank Houdek. File attachments in either Microsoft Word or WordPerfect are acceptable. He will acknowledge all submissions received and will contact contributors directly if further information is needed. Because of space limitations, it may not be possible to publish all submissions, but all authors will be notified whether their contribution will be published in the tribute issue. Those selected for publication will be edited for length, style, and clarity; writers will have an opportunity to review and approve the edited version prior to publication. The submission deadline is September 19, 2003.

Pam Reisinger, Meetings Manager, knows how to rise to the occasion! This year she accepted the challenge of staging the Seattle annual meeting and all the details that go along with it, almost single-handedly. Working closely with Heidi Letzmann, Program Coordinator for Meetings and Special Events, Pam planned and developed the physical and operational arrangements for our annual meeting, and approximately 20 smaller meetings throughout the year. It’s no wonder she did such a fine job – prior to her employment with AALL she worked for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. Her big payoff: dancing on the field with the athletes during closing ceremonies!