By Professor David G. Cowan, Vice President and Director of Library Services, South Texas College of Law Library, affiliated with Texas A & M University |
As noted in the Chair's column on page one of this newsletter, Ed Edmonds discussed the Strategic Planning Committee meeting held during the AALS conference in New Orleans in January. The committee members reviewed survey results solicited from the membership and discussed how to develop a plan of action which addressed members' concerns. The Strategic Planning Committee received 212 responses to the survey. Numerous responses suggested better planning and a more substantive business meeting at the annual AALL conference. Other respondents wanted more proactive leadership in areas where librarians are or should be leading the way. Some respondents suggested solicitation of member input for program topics at the annual meeting. (The Education Committee is soliciting suggestions currently.) Numerous specific suggestions were made by respondents as well. The Strategic Planning Committee used the surveys as a base point for discussing the mission and challenges of the Academic Law Libraries SIS. A checklist was created as a result of this discussion, and is being used as the basis for a plan draft. The Preamble and Mission Statement from this plan are reproduced in Ed Edmonds' column, supra. The Committee intends to have a document ready for discussion at the business meeting this summer in Washington, D.C. As the draft progresses, the plan will be available for review and suggestions on the ALL-SIS web page. As a further working point, you may wish to review "A Vision for the Academic Law Library," which appeared in Volume 14, Issue 4 (Summer 1994) of The ALL-SIS Newsletter, on pages 12-18. This document was created by a special committee chaired by Dick Danner to create a vision statement for the future of academic law libraries. The Committee plans to place this document on the ALL-SIS web page as well. Suggestions from the membership for the creation of a strategic plan are welcomed by the Strategic Planning Committee. You may send your comments to members of the committee:
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