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Current Issue
SR-SIS Newsletter, vol. 12, no.2 (June 2002)
In This Issue:
Orlando
SR-SIS Schedule- Mark Your Calendars!
Update: Directory of Law Libraries
Offering Services to Prisoners
2002 SR-SIS Elections
It's official! The 58 ballots have been counted, and Emily
Greenberg and Elvira Embser-Herbert have been elected vice-chair/chair-elect
and secretary-treasurer of Social Responsibilities. Along with our incoming chair Alison Alifano
they make a wonderful team to lead us during the new year. Just be thinking about what you would like to
volunteer to work on, and also about possible program proposals for
Orlando
SR business meeting: Sun, July 21,
Standing Committee on Lesbian and
Gay Issues Business Mtg: Mon, July 22,
Standing Committee Reception: Tues,
July 23,
Ramblings from the Chair
By Carol Billings
The law
professor wasn’t joking when he replied to the radio host’s question about a
controversial issue of the day, but I couldn’t help laughing. “Well,” said the professor, “it depends upon
whether you want me to answer as a lawyer or as a regular, moral human
being.” His inadvertent put-down of his
profession made me think about why it is so important that our Social
Responsibilities SIS continue to exist
among all the myriad activities that go on within AALL. Among the thirteen special interest sections,
we are unique. The other twelve either
focus upon the concerns of particular types of libraries or upon various
specialized duties or areas of expertise practiced by fellow law
librarians. Almost all of us who are SR
members belong to at least one and probably several of the other sections. But
in addition to concentrating on doing our jobs well and making our libraries
excellent places for those of use them, we want to emphasize issues that affect
our lives as individuals in a free society and the quality of our society as a
whole.
I have always been proud to tell
non-law librarians who inquire about the nature of our profession that I’ve
found it to be populated by an extraordinarily caring, liberal-minded, socially
conscious number of people. None of us
entered law librarianship to get rich, although a great many of our number
possess the talent to have been successful in more lucrative jobs. The ultimate mission of our profession is to
facilitate people’s access to justice.
An important aspect of attaining our goal is to keep extraordinarily
well-informed about matters of public policy--health, education, national
security, civil rights, and the quality of life. And that’s where our SIS comes in. Each year it is our job to propose
educational programs and work on initiatives that bring these issues to the
attention of law librarians so that we can apply the knowledge we gain both in
our jobs and in our everyday lives.
None of this is new to members who
have been around for a while. But I
think we need to keep reminding ourselves that in order to keep our SIS going,
we need more members to be involved in our leadership. We are extremely fortunate to have an
excellent incoming chair , Alison Alifano, and two excellent candidates on our
slate of nominees for office, the very experienced Emily Greenberg and the very
new and enthusiastic Elvira Embser-Herbert.
I am grateful to all three for their willingness to serve although their
professional and personal lives are already filled with other important
work. When I posted an e-mail on the SR
listserv asking for suggestions for nominees or for volunteers, the response
was embarrassingly sparse. For too long,
we have had a very small core of active members, and we must work hard this
coming year to invigorate the troops and recruit more leaders.
The brief biographical statement
that Elvira submitted for inclusion with the mail ballot is a wonderful
reminder of how much the leadership of an individual SIS member can mean to the
rest of us. Last summer’s Annual Meeting
in
I look forward to being with you in
Carol
Billings
Update: Directory of Law Libraries Offering Services to Prisoners
The AALL
Social Responsibilities SIS Standing Committee, Library Service to Institution
Residents, is revising its Directory: Law Libraries Offering Services to
Prisoners. This Directory was first published in 1972 and has been
updated periodically since that time. Since the last update in 1993, many
changes have occurred, both in law libraries and prisons, making an update of
this Directory a priority for the SIS Standing Committee.
The 2002
update is available online at a free website, http://weblaw.barry.edu/llsp/. The
database is searchable by state, city, county, or library name.
If you
provide any services to prisoners, and wish to be included in the new Directory
update, please complete the form below, and send it via email, regular mail, or
fax to Ann Hemmens (hemmens@u.washington.edu). You may also complete a form
online, http://weblaw.barry.edu/llsp/submit.htm.
Announcements
regarding this Directory update are being made through email lists and
print publications, but we are asking that you forward this information to any
law libraries that may be interested in being included in the Directory.
Thank you
for your assistance with this project.
Standing
Committee on Library Service to Institution Residents
Rebecca S.
Trammell, Chair
Library
Director
rstram@uky.edu
(859)
257-8346
Ann Hemmens
Reference
Librarian
hemmens@u.washington.edu
(206)
543-7672
(206)
685-2165 Fax
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FORM: LAW LIBRARIES SERVING PRISONERS
1. Law Library Name:
2. Contact Person (not displayed online):
3. Email Address (not displayed online):
4. Street Address:
5. City:
6. State:
7. Zip Code:
8. County:
9. Website Address:
10. Patrons Served:
(For example: "Serve prisoners and other institution
residents located at institutions in Arkansas", "Serve prisoners in
Alameda County only")
11. Services Provided:
(For example: "No material loaned",
"Limited reference work done")
12. Photocopy Costs:
(For example: "$.10 per page; minimum charge of
$2.00. Limit of 5 requests per letter. No copyrighted materials. Prepayment
required. Payee:
13. Special Requirements:
(For example: "Correct citations required",
"Requests not filled are forwarded to Prison Legal Aid program in the law
school clinic")
Table Stuff Wanted
Since I want to make sure I'm not
forgetting anyone, this is a last call for
"table stuff" for the
CONELL and Activities tables. If you have a flyers,
bookmarks, buttons, or something
else that you would like us to have at the
CONELL and Activities tables please
send it to me. Either e-mail it to
eembser@wmitchell.edu <mailto:eembser@wmtichell.edu>
or mail it to Elvira
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