Law Librarian Blog

AALL Spectrum Seeks Annual Meeting Reviewers

Publication opportunity posting from Mark Estes, AALL Spectrum Editorial Director:

AALL Spectrum seeks people to write reviews of selected educational sessions at the Annual Meeting in Portland for publication in the September/October issue of Spectrum. The copy deadline for the September/October issue is July 24 - a week after the meeting ends.  I am looking for authors to write reviews of the following sessions:

• Diversity symposium
• Plenary
• A2: The Evolving Role of Law Librarians with Self-represented Litigants*
• B3: Evolving Fair Use Policies in the Private Law Firm*
• C1: Conflict Resolution -- In Search of the Holy Grail: "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"*
• D2: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Rethinking Bibliographic Services in the 21st Century
• E2: A Century in the Making: Researching Legal Ethics Today
• F1: Flashlights, FOIA and Advocacy: Tools for the Explorer in Search of Disappearing and Restricted Federal Documents
• G4: The Fourth E: The Environment and Law Libraries*
• H4: How to Produce a Legal Bibliography Play: An Actors' Workshop for Law Librarians
• I5: Battling Employee Burnout? Explore Tools and Techniques to Assess and Address Employee Burnout
• J4: The AALL Salary Survey: What It Can--and Cannot--Do For You
• K1: CRIV Tools: Useful Resources for Working with Information Vendors
  *Program will be video recorded.

In writing the review you can, and should, express your own opinion about the topic and about the quality of the presentation itself - including whether or not you recommend buying the recording of the program.

May 16, 2008 Deadline. If you are interested in writing about the Annual Meeting for Spectrum, please reply directly to me at mark.estes@hro.com  as soon as possible, but by May 16 at the latest. Please indicate which session(s) you are interested in reviewing. Also please tell me what type of law library you work in and what type of work you do. We will select authors and assign sessions to be reviewed by the end of May.

Alan Holoch Memorial Grant Available for AALL Annual Meeting

The Alan Holoch Memorial Grant Committee is now taking applications for the 2008 AALL annual meeting.

The Alan Holoch Memorial Grant is available to help SR-SIS members defray the cost of travel or registration for the AALL Annual Meeting in Portland.  Individuals chosen to receive the grant have the potential to make significant contributions to law librarianship through their involvement with AALL and the Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section's Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues.

For more information, please see the application on the SR-SIS website.

Reminder: AALL Scholarships Applications Due April 1st

Need money to support your educational goals?  The AALL Scholarships Committee wants to give you that opportunity. Every year, AALL awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to law school and library school students and AALL members. The following scholarships are awarded annually. The application deadline for all scholarships is April 1st. 

General Educational Scholarships, supported by AALL and the LexisNexis John R. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund:

• Graduate Library School Scholarships, for students with JD degrees or for students without JD degrees
• Law School Scholarships, for students with MLS/MILS degrees or for those seeking a dual JD/MLS degree
• Scholarships for Library School Graduates Seeking a Non-Law Degree
• Scholarships for Continuing Education Classes

Additional Scholarships include:

• AALL and Thomson West George A. Strait Minority Scholarship
• James F. Connolly LexisNexis Academic and Library Solutions Scholarship

Visit AALLNET for complete information, instructions, and applications at http://www.aallnet.org/services/scholarships.asp.  Spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

Seeking Nominations for the 2008 Spirit of Law Librarianship Award

Each year the Spirit of Law Librarianship Award Committee honors one law librarian for his or her service to the community. Please help us recognize law librarians by nominating a worthy individual who has made a meaningful contribution to a social or charitable cause or concern.

The committee believes that law librarians who contribute to society through volunteer work or by somehow serving their communities not only benefit the recipients of their hard work, but also the profession as a whole through their examples of service.

The award, established by Roy Mersky, Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and Richard Leiter, Schmid Law Library at the University of Nebraska, was created in order to give special recognition to individual law librarians who might not otherwise be recognized by their peers for their important work. The award was established in lieu of accepting royalties from their book, published in 1991 by the Fred B. Rothman Company (now a division of the Wm. S. Hein and Co. Inc.), The Spirit of Law Librarianship. The second edition was published in the spring of 2004 by Alert Publications Inc. The award is presented to the recipient at a reception during the AALL Annual Meeting.

An award will be given only when an outstanding individual is nominated. In its 16-year history, there has only been one year when an award has not been given because a worthy nominee was not brought to the committee’s attention. The committee encourages nominations from anyone with information regarding individuals who might fit the profile of an award recipient.

Please help the committee recognize the people who represent a special dimension of the Spirit of Law Librarianship. The deadline for nominations is June 1.

To make a nomination, please contact:

• Professor Roy Mersky, Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas, 727 E. Dean Keeton Street, Austin, TX 78705; rmersky@mail.law.utexas.edu; or
• Professor Richard Leiter, Schmid Law Library, University of Nebraska College of Law, Lincoln, NE 68583-0902.

Washington Blawg from AALL

Check out the new blog from the Washington Affairs Office of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL).  [RJ]

Librarians Without Easily Granted Permission to use Without Borders

Check out the latest issue of Compass, the offical newsletter of Librarians Without Borders. Download compassjanuary20081.pdf This once small student group now numbers over 500 members. The group, however, is still too small to resist bullying from Doctors Without Borders, which issued a "cease and desist" order because of the use of "without borders" in its name. Librarians Without Easily Granted Permission to use Without Borders will be changing its name soon. Where's the harm done? [JH]

AALL FCIL-SIS Schaffer Grant Applications Due March 1

AALL's Foreign, Comparative and International Law Special Interest Section (FCIL) is now accepting applications for the 2008 FCIL Schaffer Grant. Details and Application. The application deadline is March 1, 2008.

The Grant provides a waiver of the 2008 AALL Annual Meeting full registration fee and a grant of a minimum $2,000 to assist with accommodations and travel costs for the Portland meeting.

Applicants must be law librarians or other professionals working in the legal information field currently employed in countries other than the United States with significant responsibility for the organization, preservation or provision of legal information. 

Survey on AALL's Draft Guidelines for Evaluating a Legal Website Closes Feb. 19th

AALL's Access to Electronic Legal Information Committee would like some input of their draft Guidelines for Evaluating a Legal Website. The guidelines are designed for people without extensive legal research experiences, such as members of the general public, scholars in other disciplines, and first-year law students. To contribute to the Committee's project, please review the draft (pdf) and take the survey by Tuesday, February 19. [JH]

AALL's 2008 A Day in the Life Photo Contest Is Now Underway

...and US law librarian productivity comes crashing to a halt this month as staffers make plans to win this most cherished AALL award!

Six Category Winners and One Overall Winner. The 2007-2008 AALL Public Relations Committee, chaired by Law Librarian Blog contributing editor Julie Jones (Cornell), will judge the entries and select the top five winning entries for each of the following six categories, plus one overall winner:

• Librarians as Information Evaluators and Managers
• Librarians as Expert Researchers
• Librarians as Teachers and Trainers
• Librarians as Trailblazers in New Technology
• The Artistry of Librarianship
• Most Humorous

Deadline. Entry forms must be completed online or postmarked by February 29, 2008. [Details] Winners will be announced at the 2008 AALL Annual Meeting in Portland. [JH]

IALL 2008 Website Award Competition Now Underway

The International Association of Law Libraries recently announced that the competition for its annual website award is now open. The winner will be announced at the 27th Annual Course in International Law Librarianship in San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 30 to December 3, 2008. The 2007 IALL Website Award Winner was GlobaLex.

From the announcement:

IALL wants to recognize valuable freely accessible legal information websites by this award. The Association would like to encourage the development of useful, authoritative, reliable, and user-friendly sites, that represent new thinking in the area. The selection panel will make its decision on this basis. Selection is not restricted to English language sites and sites based on all languages are encouraged to apply.

The selection panel for this year's Award is Ligita Gjortlere (Riga Graduate School of Law), Halvor Kongshavn (University of Bergen), and Xihn Luu (University of Virginia).

Please send the name and address of your suggested website and your argumentation for how the website meets IALL's criteria by the closing date of 30 September 30, 2008 by mail or e-mail to:

Ligita Gjortlere
Riga Graduate School of Law - Library
Strelnieku 4K-2
Riga LV-1010
LATVIA
E-mail: ligita@rgsl.edu.lv

[JH]

Nominations for AALL's Public Access to Government Award Due Feb. 1

Call for Nominations:

The AALL Government Relations Committee invites members to nominate an individual, organization or institution for the Public Access to Government Information (PAGI) Award. The Association presents the award annually to recognize special efforts in promoting or preserving public access to government information.

Last year, two winners were acknowledged. Cathy Hartman of the University of North Texas was recognized for the government documents web site, including the Cyber Cemetery, which preserves the web sites of defunct federal agencies, boards and commissions. John Joergensen of Rutgers University Law School Library was honored for his creation of the Rutgers-Camden Law School Library Digital Project that made thousands of Congressional hearings and committee prints freely available on the web.

The committee received a record-breaking number of nominations last year and picking the winners was especially difficult.  Please help make our work even more difficult this year by nominating a great public access pioneer or project that you know about!

For details, see http://aallnet.org/about/award_information.asp

[JH]

Reminder: 2008 AALL/Thomson West Excellence in Marketing Awards

Have you conducted a successful PR campaign at your library?  Had great results reaching your audience with a newsletter?  Used technology to promote your library services and resources?  Created a wonderful brochure?  Or put a variety of marketing strategies to use in increasing the visibility and value of your organization? 

There's still time share your achievements and prepare your entry for the 2008 AALL/Thomson West Excellence in Marketing Awards.  Entries are due February 1, 2008.   More details can be found on the website, and in the contest guidelines and application. 

These awards serve to recognize exceptional public relations efforts in raising the visibility and value of law librarianship, as well as provide examples of successful marketing strategies for all AALL members.  The contest is open to any individual, group, library, Consortium, SIS, Caucus, Chapter, or any other group affiliated with AALL.  Award categories include:

• Best Brochure
• Best Newsletter
• Best Campaign
• Best PR Tool Kit
• Best Use of Technology

Please feel free to contact Julie Jones, AALL Public Relations Committee Chair, with any questions you might have.

[JJ]

AALL Election Results Are In

Vice President/President-Elect (July 2008 - July 2009): Catherine Lemann
 
Secretary (July 2008 - July 2011): Ruth J. Hill
 
Executive Board (July 2008 - July 2011): Carol Bredemeyer and Christine L. Graesser

Congratulations! [JH]

Polls for 2007 AALL Online Elections Close December 1

The 2007 AALL Online Election for vice president, secretary, and Executive Board members is currently in progress. Polls will close at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, on Saturday, December 1. Vote here. Where did I put my password?[JH]

AALL Research Committee Research Grant Applications Due by Nov. 27

The AALL Research Committee is accepting applications for research grants from the AALL/Wolters Kluwer Law and Business Grants Program. A single grant of up to $5,000, or multiple grants totaling $5,000, may be awarded. The committee will award one or more grants to library professionals who wish to conduct research that supports the research and scholarly agenda of the profession of law librarianship. The deadline for applications is November 27. Details (pdf).

AALL LexisNexis Call for Papers Awards

The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Call for Papers Committee seeks submission of papers for its annual competition. The objectives of the contest are threefold: 1) to promote scholarship among practicing law librarians and in areas of interest to the profession; 2) to provide a creative outlet for law librarians and a forum for their scholarly activities; and 3) to recognize the scholarly efforts of established members, new members, and potential members of AALL.

The winners of the competition will receive a cash award of $750, generously provided by LexisNexis®.

The recipients will be recognized during award ceremonies at the AALL Annual Meeting. Co-authors of winning papers will share the award. Winners also will be given the opportunity to present their papers in a program at the Annual Meeting of the Association. Papers will be forwarded to the Editor of the Law Library Journal for publication consideration.

Call For Papers Application

Eligibility:

Open Division: Active and Retired AALL members who have been members for five or more years.

New Members Division: Active and Retired AALL members who have been members of AALL for fewer than five years.

Student Division: Currently enrolled students in library school, information management school or the equivalent, or law school. Students need not be members of AALL.

Substantive Requirements: No paper, or portion of a paper, that has been published or accepted for publication before March 1, 2007 will be eligible for consideration. Before submitting a paper, all authors are responsible for having conducted a preemption check to ensure that a substantially similar paper has not been published elsewhere. Papers submitted for courses are acceptable provided that they otherwise comply with the requirements of this contest.

The papers may address any subject relevant to law librarianship. The papers may be scholarly or practical in substance and tone; the subject should be explored in depth with appropriate reference to sources and documentation of assertions. Submissions for the Student Division should also include a supporting letter from an instructor at the institution at which the student is enrolled (preferably the supervising faculty member of the paper).

Co-authored papers are acceptable, however, each and every author who submits a co-authored entry in the student category must meet the student eligibility requirements of this category. Winners of a co-authored paper will share the $750 award. Entrants may submit more than one paper, but may win only one prize per year. To encourage as wide participation in the competition as possible, authors may win a prize only twice in the same division before March 1, 2007.

This is Banned Book Week

ALA is promoting Banned Book Week and Jessamyn West of Librarian.net has compiled a list of of ways others are doing the same. [JH]

ALA 2007 Conference Videos: Freedom to Read Litigation and Whistleblowing in the Post-9/11 Age

I hope law librarians find the following videos of ALA sessions of the Association's 2007 annual meeting of interest:

Freedom to Read Foundation: Status of Recent Litigation Affecting Libraries. Theresa Chmara, Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) Counsel, Jenner & Block, Washington, D.C., updated librarians on the status of litigation and non-litigation projects recently undertaken or monitored by the FTRF. She also provided practical information on how these court cases affect the daily operations of libraries. Cosponsored by ALA's Intellectual Freedom Committee and FTRF.

Paul Reveres or Benedict Arnolds: Whistleblowing in the Post-9/11 Age. Sibel Edmonds, President, National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, discussed being fired by the FBI in March 2002 for reporting shoddy work and security breaches that may have prevented the 9/11 attacks. She explained firsthand how government secrecy can be abusive and why defending whistleblowing is a free speech issue. Cosponsored by ALA's Intellectual Freedom Committee and the Committee on Legislation.

Why Not Schedule AALL Annual Meetings So More Firm Librarians Can Attend?

July in New Orleans. OK, it was hot; it was humid. But the city was a great host. It also was a good (albeit poorly attended) conference. Many of us who enjoyed the annual meeting and the city's many attractions could attend because our workload allowed us to leave our institutions in the summer, particularly academic law librarians whose flocks of student had flown the coop. But why do we schedule our annual meetings during the summer when a not inconsequential portion of our membership cannot attend because it is the busiest time of year for them? I'm referring to law firm librarians whose libraries become the summer migration point for our law students and new nesting place for our recent grads?

I think we want our law firm colleagues with us, don't we? As a former law firm librarian, I certainly do. But many law firm libraries send no librarians to our annual meeting because their institutions are simply too busy while some firms send just one librarian. Don't we want to make it possible for firms to send as many law librarians as possible? (Just imagine the improvement in the conference agenda.)

Eons ago there was some talk of changing the schedule of our annual AALL meeting so that more law librarians could attend. That went nowhere. I suggest it is time for a change and offer a proposal. Why doesn't AALL schedule our annual meetings to follow on the heals of the American Association of Law Schools annual meeting in early January. It's not a busy time for firm or academic law librarians (probably also so for state, county and bar law librarians) so many more librarians would be able attend our meetings; a fair number of academic law librarians, by the way, already attend AALS. Many of our vendors would love it. They're already working AALS. If we have to let AALS select the city, so be it. What's the worst that could happen? (A much better group rate at conference hotels than AALL has been able to negotiate for us.)

Yes, yes, I know AALL has made venue commitments for several future annual meetings but before any more are made, shouldn't this issue be considered?

Stepping down from my soapbox now... [JH]

Tracy Thompson, 2007-08 Chair of CRIV

Nina Pratt reports that Tracy Thompson , Executive Director of the New England Law Library Consortium (NELLCO), has accepted an appointment as chair of CRIV for 2007-2008. In a Law-lib post, Nina writes:

Tracy has been a member of CRIV for the last two years where she served first as assistant editor and then as editor of the CRIV Sheet.  While on the committee, she also was instrumental in developing programming at the annual meeting and CRIV’s recent webinar.  In addition, she has held other leadership positions within AALL.  I know that Tracy will bring enthusiasm and leadership to CRIV and I look forward to working with her on a smooth transition.

Congratulations to Tracy on her appointment, and kudos to Nina for her great job as the 2006-07 chair of CRIV. [JH]

Going to New Orleans? Check out the AALL Second Line Blog

With AALL's New Orleans meeting fast approaching, it's time to remind attendees to check the conference blog frequently. Visit AALL Second Line Blog. The blog is edited by Vicenç Feliú, Foreign Comparative and International Law Librarian, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University. Great job! [JH]

James G. Milles to receive CS-SIS Kenneth J. Hirsh Distinguished Service Award

The CS-SIS Awards Committee (Susan Boland, James E. Duggan, Chair, and Eric Young) has announced that James G. Milles has been selected as the 2007 recipient of the CS-SIS Kenneth J. Hirsh Distinguished Service Award.  Jim, Vice Dean for Legal Information Services, Director of the Charles B. Sears Law Library and Professor of Law at the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York, was nominated by a group of CS-SIS current and past chairs, including Liz Glankler, Dominick J. Grillo, Kenneth J. Hirsh, Sheri H. Lewis, June Hsiao Liebert, and Kristina L. Niedringhaus.

This award honors a CS-SIS member who has made outstanding contributions to the SIS, to AALL, and who is well regarded for their service to the profession.  The inaugural award recipient was Ken Hirsh, for whom the award was subsequently re-named.  Jim is well known for his contributions to both CS-SIS and AALL.  Jim served as chair of CS-SIS in 1996-1997 and was also AALL SIS Council Chair the following year. According to his nominators, "one of Jim's most important contributions to law librarianship has been the role of mentor he has played for many colleagues and newcomers to the field.  Jim regularly introduces new librarians to AALL, CS-SIS, and CALI gatherings and mentors students in his library school classes. He makes it a point at every annual meeting to set aside time to meet with new librarians and introduce them to the section."

The 2007 CS-SIS Kenneth J. Hirsh Distinguished Service Award will be presented at the CS-SIS Business Meeting on Sunday, July 15, 2007, during the AALL Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Editor's Note: Congratulations Jim! [JH]

LLSDC's Law Library Lights' Summer Issue Now Online

I'll probably get in trouble for saying this but the DC Chapter produces the best AALL chapter newsletter. In the Summer issue of Law Library Lights find out what DC law librarians do when they're not researching legislative history, trying to figure out the latest Thomson West bill, or hunting down that elusive 20-year old 2nd edition of XYZ treatise. [JH]

Lee Peoples, Recipient of the 2007 AALL ALL-SIS Outstanding Service Award

Congratulations to Lee Peoples, Associate Director, Oklahoma City University Law Library (and Contributing Editor of Law Librarian Blog)! Lee has been named the recipient of the 2007 ALL-SIS Outstanding Service Award, which honors an ALL-SIS member who has made outstanding contributions to the SIS in areas of section activity and in professional service.

Editor's Note: Lee, by the way, did not toot his own horn by telling me about this much deserved recognition. How rare is that! [JH]

Congratulations to the A Day in the Life of the Law Library Community Photo Contest Winners

Doesn't the 3rd Place photo in the Most Humorous category remind you of something? Like this! [JH]

• View the AALL award winning photos.

National Library Week Video from Stephen Colbert

My bad, I forgot National Library Week. Stephen Colbert didn't. [JH]

Applications for AALL's 2007 Minority Leadership Development Award Due by April 2

The AALL Committee on Diversity would like to remind everyone that applications for the 2007 Minority Leadership Development Award are due April 2.  This award, which was created in March 2001 to assure that AALL's leadership remains vital, relevant and representative of the Association's diverse membership. The Award shall consist of the following benefits: travel, lodging and registration expenses for one recipient to attend the Annual Meeting of AALL; an experienced AALL leader to serve as the recipient's mentor for at least one year; and an opportunity to serve on an AALL committee during the year following the monetary award.

Qualifications:

• Upon submission of the application, an applicant must meet all of the following criteria to be considered for the award:
• Be a member of a minority group as defined by current U.S. government guidelines;
• Have a strong academic record and have earned a Master's degree in Library/Information Science;
• Have no more than 5 years of professional (post-MLS or post-JD) library or information service work experience;
• Be a current member of AALL at the time application is submitted;
• Have been a member of AALL for at least 2 years or have 2 years of full time, professional law library work experience; and
• Demonstrate leadership potential.

Instructions:

Submit an application package containing:

• A complete, legible application form.
• An official transcript from all relevant graduate programs attended, i.e., library/information science and law school.
• Three letters of reference from individuals who can evaluate your law library employment experience or relevant graduate education.
• A personal statement discussing your professional interests, goals and leadership potential.
• Copy of current resume is optional.

Application Form: Download the MLDA Award Application (PDF format)

Deadline: The complete application package must be received by April 2. Send package to address below.

Chair, Committee on Diversity
American Association of Law Libraries
53 W. Jackson Blvd Suite 940
Chicago, IL 60604

Previous Winners:

2005 Recipient

Ronald E. Wheeler Jr.
Head of Faculty and Public Services, Lecturer III
University of New Mexico Law Library, Albuquerque, NM

2004 Recipient

June S. Kim
Reference Librarian
UCLA School of Law, Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library, Los Angeles, California

2003 Recipient

Christopher Bloodworth
Access Services Librarian, Arthur Neef Law Library
Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

2002 Recipients

Tanya Brown
Head Librarian, Spiegel & Mcdiarmid, Washington, D.C.

Donna Nixon
Reference Librarian, Katherine W. Everett Law Library
University Of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Librarians Without Borders Announces New Board of Directors and Executive Officers

Read all about it in LWB's The Compass. As noted in an earlier post, Librarians Without Border's Angola Project (Oct. 25, 2006), LWB helped establish a library in Africa. The group's brick-and-mortar approach is, I believe, unique. It highlights the need to make information available in far-off places where information is not now readily accessible. See UN calls for development of libraries in Africa.

I believe I am the only US law librarian who is a member of this group at this time. Please consider joining. There are plenty of law librarians who are more talented, more energetic, and much more capable of giving their time than I am. I hope you will help LWB achieve its objectives. [JH]

Seeking Nominations for the AALL's 2007 Spirit of Law Librarianship Award

From the Committee:

Each year the Spirit of Law Librarianship Award Committee honors one law librarian for his or her service to the community.  Please help us recognize law librarians by nominating a worthy individual who has made a meaningful contribution to a social or charitable cause or concern.

The committee believes that law librarians who contribute to society through volunteer work or by somehow serving their communities not only benefit the recipients of their hard work, but also the profession as a whole through their examples of service.

Past recipients of the award have been:

• Wes Daniels, for establishing a resource center for legal work on behalf of the homeless
• Jesse L. Matthews, for developing the Patient Learning Resource Center at the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia
• Deanna Harragarra Waters, for her work with the Native American Rights Fund libraries
• Frank Liu, for his work with U.S.-Chinese academic exchange programs and in the Chinese American community
• Mickie Voges, for her work with the ExTEND program at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
• David Gunn, for his work with Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Austin, Texas, Unit
• Marvin Anderson, for his work with the "Everybody Wins" reading program at the Benjamin E. Mays Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota
• SCALL Inner City Youth Program Committee, for its work offering inner-city youth the chance to learn new skills and meet new challenges by training, mentoring, and hiring them to intern in law libraries and law firms
• Catherine Lemann, for her work with AIDSLaw of Louisiana
• Frosty Owen, for his work with public school libraries
• Joan Howland, for her work with Native American law students and for her work with ALA and AALL in support of creating opportunities for minorities in libraries
• Kimberli Morris for her work with law schools in Iraq as they strive to rebuild their legal education system
• Kristin A. Cheney for her work in Seattle establishing and operating Seniors With Pets Assistance
• CALL Community Service Committee for outstanding accomplishments in keeping its membership active in a wide variety of local and national charities.

The award, established by Roy Mersky, Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and Richard Leiter, Schmid Law Library at the University of Nebraska, was created in order to give special recognition to individual law librarians who might not otherwise be recognized by their peers for their important work. The award was established in lieu of accepting royalties from their book, published in 1991 by the Fred B. Rothman Company (now a division of the Wm. S. Hein and Co. Inc.), The Spirit of Law Librarianship. The second edition was published in the spring of 2004 by Alert Publications Inc. The award is presented to the recipient at a reception during the AALL Annual Meeting.

An award will be given only when an outstanding individual is nominated. In its 15-year history, there has only been one year when an award has not been given because a worthy nominee was not brought to the committee¹s attention. The committee encourages nominations from anyone with information regarding individuals who might fit the profile of an award recipient. Please help us to recognize the people who represent a special dimension of the Spirit of Law Librarianship.

The deadline for nominations is June 1. To make a nomination, please contact:

Professor Roy Mersky
Tarlton Law Library
University of Texas
727 E. Dean Keeton Street
Austin, TX 78705
512/471-7735
fax: 512/471-8398
rmersky@mail.law.utexas.edu;

or Professor Richard Leiter
Schmid Law Library
University of Nebraska College of Law
Lincoln, NE 68583-0902
402/472-5737
fax: 402/472-8260.

Editor's Note: In my opinion, the Spirit of Law Librarianship award recognizes the very best members of our profession have to offer to society. Professors Mersky and Leiter do a great service to law librarianship by making the award of this honor possible. [JH]

Congratulations to Mary Jane Kelsey, 2007 Recipient of the Renee D. Chapman Memorial Award

AALL's TS-SIS Awards Committee recently announced that the recipient of the Renee D. Chapman Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions in Technical Services Law Librarianship for 2007 is Mary Jane Kelsey, Associate Director for Technical Services at the Lillian Goldman Law Library, Yale Law School

The Committee noted Mary Jane Kelsey's many contributions to the field of technical services law librarianship including

• 16 program presentations delivered since 1994 at AALL annual conference and at various Innovative user group meetings, as well as at other venues;
• 9 publications (articles and book chapters, some of which reside in the category "Humor" on her c.v.); and
• Service on AALL Special Committee to Develop Performance Standards for Law Librarians, AALL Price Index Advisory Committee, and on various SIS, chapter, and Innovative user groups.

Information about the award and past recipients can be found on AALL's website. [JH]

Time is of the essence! AALL Scholarship Applications Due by April 2, 2007

AALL offers a number of different scholarships that provide financial assistance to individuals who are pursuing a career in law librarianship. If you, or anyone you know, are currently working toward a career in law librarianship and could use some assistance with the related educational expenses, consider applying for one of the many scholarships that are available.

The scholarships are designed to address the needs of the many types of individuals and their different educational backgrounds as they work on their goal of becoming a law librarian.  Below is a brief description of the types of scholarships that are available.

AALL EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS & the LEXISNEXIS JOHN JOHNSON MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT

• Scholarships for Library School: Both for those attending with JD and without a JD
• Scholarships for Law School: For those already with MLS/MLIS degree, or for those seeking a dual degree
• Scholarships for Library School graduates seeking a non-law degree
• Scholarships for Continuing Education Courses

AALL & THOMSON WEST - GEORGE A. STRAIT MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP

• Awarded to college graduates with law library experience who are members of a minority group and are degree candidates in accredited library or law schools and who intend to have a career in law librarianship.

You can visit the AALL Scholarship web page at http://www.aallnet.org/services/scholarships.asp to see a complete description of the different scholarships and to fill out an application.  Please note that time is of the essence!  Applications must be received by AALL no later than April 2, 2007.

Woman’s Day asks women entrepreneurs to share stories on how the library helped them start their businesses

From March 6th until May 10th, Woman’s Day magazine, in conjunction with American Library Association’s (ALA) Campaign for America’s Libraries, has been collecting stories on how its readers have used the library to start their small businesses.

Women readers, aged 18 and over, were asked to submit their stories in 700 words or less.  Librarians are promoting this initiative locally by downloading sample promotional materials from The Campaign for America's Libraries’ Web site at www.ala.org/@yourlibrary.  The tools include a press release, newsletter copy and Web button.

Featured in the March 6th issue are the four winners of the "how the library changed my life" initiative.  The stories include a mother who turned to the library during a bout of post-partum depression, an Indonesian immigrant who used books from her childhood public library to learn English, a mother who used the library to help find her place in a new community, and a blind writer and teacher who uses the free books-on-tape service from the Library of Congress as an everyday escape.

Woman’s Day received nearly 2,000 essays in response to the call for entries, the most it has ever received in response to an initiative of this type. Later this spring, ALA will make many of these stories available through a searchable online database.

Woman’s Day is a Founding Partner of The Campaign for America’s Libraries, the ALA’s multi-year public awareness and advocacy campaign to promote the value of libraries and librarians in the 21st century. Other Founding Partners include Dollar General, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Campaign is made possible in part by ALA’s Library Champions, ALA’s highest level of corporate members, who support public awareness and advocacy for America’s libraries.

Karen R. Schneiderman, Research and Instructional Services Librarian, Drexel University College of Law Library

Editor's Note: I'm delighted to announce that Karen Schneiderman has joined the editorial board of Law Librarian Blog as a contributing editor. Before joining Drexel, Karen's most recent law library experience was in the Cleveland office of Baker & Hostetler, an international law firm. Karen has over twenty years of legal experience and practiced in a variety of settings including a legal aid office; a labor union; a private law firm; and a judicial legal department.

Karen also has a great sense of humor which she may need when she learns that I worked the other side of labor-management relations when I worked for Seyfarth, Shaw back in the 1980s. [JH]

Nominations for Kenneth J. Hirsh Distinguished Service Award Due by March 30, 2007

The AALL CS-SIS Awards Committee (Susan Boland, James E. Duggan, Chair, and Eric W. Young) invites nominations for the Kenneth J. Hirsh Distinguished Service Award. This award honors a CS-SIS member who has made outstanding contributions to the SIS, to AALL, and who is well regarded for their service to the profession.  The inaugural award recipient was Ken Hirsh, for whom the award was subsequently re-named.

Criteria:

• Outstanding leadership through committee work, service on the executive board, involvement in special projects or other activities
• Participation in professional development activities in furtherance of the section and its interests, including educational programming planning and presentations
• Involvement with mentoring activities to foster interest and participation in the section and its activities
• Evidenced commitment to the section, its purpose, and its role within the association in furtherance of the law library profession

To be eligible for the award, a nominee must be an active or retired member of the section. Section officers are not eligible for this award during their term of office.

Submission Procedure:

Nominations must include:

• A letter of nomination, including the candidate’s full name, title, and institution name and address. If the candidate is retired, include name, home address, and most recent former employer;
• A narrative supporting the nomination, to include a discussion of the candidate’s contributions to academic law librarianship;
• The name, e-mail and phone number of the nominating party.

Nomination materials may be sent electronically or in paper to:

James E. Duggan
CS-SIS Awards Committee Chair
Southern Illinois University School of Law Library
1150 Douglas Dr.
Carbondale, IL 62901
duggan@siu.edu

Deadline: All nominations must be received by March 30, 2007.

Participants Needed for AALL Mentor Project

Matching newer law librarians with more experienced members of the profession is a major goal of the Mentoring Committee. But the Committee needs your help. Now is the time to apply to be a mentor or a mentee. The application deadline is May 13, to allow matching to be done in time for the Annual Meeting. On the Mentor Project site you’ll find more information and separate application forms for mentors and mentees.

AALL's Alan Holoch Memorial Grant Available for New Orleans

The Alan Holoch Memorial Grant is available to help SR-SIS members defray the cost of travel or registration for the AALL Annual Meeting in New Orleans.  Individuals chosen to receive the grant have the potential to make significant contributions to law librarianship through their involvement with AALL and the Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section's Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues.

For more information, please see the application on the SR-SIS website:
http://www.aallnet.org/sis/srsis/lgbt/index.html

AALL Grants Available!

The AALL Grants Committee invites qualified applicants to apply for AALL’s Annual Meeting/Workshop Grants and the Minority Leadership Development Award. The AALL Grants Program provides financial assistance to law librarians or graduate students who hold promise of future involvement in AALL and the law library profession. Vendors, AALL, and AALL individual members provide the funds for grants.

Annual Meeting and Workshop Grants are awarded to cover the Annual Meeting registration fee or the registration fee for workshops presented at the Annual Meeting. Preference is given to applicants who are new to the profession and are active in AALL or one of its chapters.  For more inforamtion, visit the AALL Grant Committee’s web site at http://www.aallnet.org/committee/grants/grant_application.asp.

The Minority Leadership Development Award was created to ensure that AALL’s leadership remains vital, relevant, and representative of the Association’s diverse membership. The award provides up to $1500 toward the cost of attending the Annual Meeting, an experienced AALL leader to serve as the recipient’s mentor, and an opportunity to serve on an AALL committee during the year following the monetary award. For more information, visit the Grant Committee’s web site at http://www.aallnet.org/about/award_mlda.asp.

Application deadline: April 2, 2007.

Submitted by Connie Lenz.

AALL Mentoring Committee Seeks Mentoring Project Participants

Are you a new law librarian or an experienced law librarian interested in meeting and advising those who are new to the profession? Are you considering a move to another type of law library, or do you need advice to advance your career? The AALL Mentoring Committee invites you to become involved in a mentoring relationship. And since it is up to the participants to decide how long to continue their mentoring relationship, previous mentors and mentees are welcome to reapply for a new match.

Application Deadline is May 13, 2007. The Mentoring Committee will work with the Academic Law Libraries; Private Law Libraries; and State, Court, and County Law Libraries Special Interest Sections to provide the best matches possible. The application deadline is May 13, 2007, to permit matching in time for the Annual Meeting.  Applications are available at www.aallnet.org/committee/mentoring/mentor_project.html.

AALL LexisNexis Call for Papers Awards

The deadline is March 1st and all the information you need is available on the AALL site. [JH]

Librarians Without Borders Issues Annual Report

Librarians Without Borders (LWB) has a mission -- to put information in the hands of the world, to make information readily available where no such access previously existed, and to do this by building and stocking libraries wherever they are needed. This is a noble goal, one all librarians share. I hope you will read the latest annual report and volunteer to help achieve LWB's objectives by making a small donation and joining LWB. [JH]

National Library Agenda Draft Available for Comment

From the ALA:

"The result of 12 months of conversations and two days of intensive planning, American Library Association (ALA) President Leslie Burger has rel