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American Association of Law Libraries |
Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section |
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 Seattle. Hope to see you in Orlando!
Orlando SR-SIS Schedule- Mark Your Calendars!
SR business meeting: Sun, July 21, 5:30 to 6:30
Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues Business Mtg: Mon, July 22, 6:15-7:15
Standing Committee Reception: Tues, July 23, 7:30-10:30
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 Minneapolis was the first one Elvira, a young circulation/reference librarian at the William Mitchell School of Law, had ever attended. As her statement emphasizes, Elvira had the good fortune to be mentored by one of our most stalwart, longtime members, Carol Alpert, who retired from the New York University Law Library in December. Carol introduced Alvira to many AALL members and notably to our SIS and to the Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues. As a result Elvira participated actively in our business meeting and program planning session. She volunteered to co-chair our CONELL and Activities Area exhibits and is now busy getting them ready for Orlando. And now she has agreed to stand for the office of secretary-treasurer. The impression that Carol Alpert made on Elvira was a wonderful gift to our SIS--a new leader. Carol will be sadly missed at our future meetings, but her example of what good mentoring can mean should be an inspiration for us all.
I look forward to being with you in Orlando. Have a good summer.
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
University of Kentucky Law Library
620 S. Limestone Street
Lexington, KY 40506-0048
rstram@uky.edu
(859) 257-8346
Ann Hemmens
Reference Librarian
University of Washington Gallagher Law Library
1100 NE Campus Pkwy.
Seattle, WA 98105
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: Western University School of Law")
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
Embser-Herbert/William Mitchell College of Law/871 Summit Avenue/Saint Paul.MN 55104. v
Comments to: Jim Murphy, Editor