Category: AALL

News from the Government Relations Committee Co-Chairs

Greetings LLNE advocates,

We have a few items to report:

First, the AALL Government Relations Committee is looking for nominees for two awards it administers:  the Robert R. Oakley Award and the Public Access to Government Information Award. The Oakley Advocacy Award is given to recognize an AALL member or group who has been an outstanding advocate and has contributed significantly to the AALL policy agenda at the federal, state, local, or international level. The award honors the memory of Robert L. Oakley, AALL’s Washington affairs representative from 1989-2007.   The Public Access to Government Information (PAGI) Award is given to recognize persons or organizations that have made significant contributions to protect and promote greater public access to government information.

Official descriptions of the awards and nominating procedures, along with lists of past winners, are available on the AALL website via these links:

PAGI: https://www.aallnet.org/community/recognition/awards-program/public-access-to-government-information-award/

Oakley:  https://www.aallnet.org/community/recognition/awards-program/robert-l-oakley-advocacy-award/

Nominations are due by Tuesday, March 1, 2022. 

Second, if you didn’t have a chance to attend the live event on January 27, 2022, we recommend that you check out the 2022 AALL Chapter Advocacy Training recording (available on AALL eLearning) for great takeaways on local advocacy.  The training included presentations by AALL members who have been active in their chapters advocacy efforts, including Sarah (Sally) Holterhoff (Chicago Association of Law Libraries), Benjamin Keele (MidAmerica Association of Law Libraries), and David McFadden (Western Pacific Association of Law Libraries and Southern California Association of Law Libraries).

Finally, here in New England it’s still early in the legislative sessions of many states, but we’re continuing to monitor developments of interest to law librarians.   We’ll keep you apprised.

Best,

Catherine Biondo and Emilie Benoit, LLNE GRC Co-Chairs

Ending My Year of Service

By Nicole P. Dyszlewski, Immediate Past President as of 7/1

Dear LLNE Members,

Monday was leadership training at AALL for new SIS and chapter leaders and I was asked to speak about LLNE’s diversity and inclusion activities over the past year or so. It is with great pride that I talked about the statements we have written or signed, the executive board retreat focused on antiracism, the educational content we have produced, the money we raised, the awareness we raised, and the ongoing work of the taskforce that was formed. Although it was an exciting discussion and fun to talk about all of the amazing things we have done, I was quick to point out that this was not just the work of our organization’s leaders, but the work of our organization’s members.

As I end my year of service as President of this organization, I want to express my gratitude to all of the members who served in some way. Whether you volunteered to be on a committee, or chair a task force, or be an officer, or give money to a worthy cause, or attend an event, or speak at a panel, or decorate a bag for Meals on Wheels, your work was important and I am grateful. I am especially grateful to those who are ending their terms as officers or committee chairs or committee members. Thank you for your service to our organization. You will be missed, but the opportunities for volunteerism are always here if you wish to re-engage with the work.

This has been a difficult year personally and professionally for many. Many of us have suffered losses and tremendous change. But through it all, LLNE members continued to give and serve. Beyond work on diversity initiatives, we have had online meetings, a large online successful LRIP class, service projects, increased engagement on our blog and listserv, interviews with our pets, maintenance on our website, continued work on UELMA advocacy, the creation of a new archives policy, and monthly activities organized by our Fun Ambassador. LLNE is more active now than ever. We are a community working together, in spite of the demands on our time, our burnout, and fatigue.

In closing, a note about grace. We might not have gotten done all the things we wanted to in our jobs or house projects or committee service this year. And that is ok. At the same leadership training on Monday, I heard Jenny Silbiger and Taryn Marks both speak about giving yourself grace in the moments when you haven’t gotten everything done you set out to get done. And so that is the message I want to close with. Working intentionally toward the mission of this organization and giving grace to ourselves and those around us has been critical in this last year. And it needs to be critical going forward, as well. I have learned not just from what I have gotten done, but what I have failed to get done this year. I hope that I am able to finish out my term as Immediate Past President with this same grace.

Events Scheduled in June by Asian American Law Librarians Caucus

This month, the LLNE Executive Board signed onto the Asian American Law Librarians Caucus Statement on Anti-Asian Incidents. We encourage you to review the statement and refer to the valuable resources it links to. The Caucus is now hosting a series of guest speakers, live music, movie watch parties, and a book discussion throughout the month of June. We hope you find an opportunity to participate in any number of these events. Please see the schedule below. 

Wednesday, June 2

12:00-1:00 PM Central

Anti-Asian Violence Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: New Episode in the Long History of Anti-Asian Violence in the United States and Educational Implications. Presentation byProf. Sohyun An

Dr. Sohyun An, Associate Professor at Kennesaw State University, researches social studies education. In the NBC News article, “Illinois House passes bill mandating Asian American history in schools,” Dr. An cautions, “if we don’t teach [Asian-American history] or teach it in a misrepresented way it can lead to violence” (April 15, 2021). Bio/presentation description and article attached.

Register for Prof. An’s presentation here

Friday, June 4

12:00-1:00 PM Central

Donut King Watch Party! (We’ll gather via Zoom, then each watch the film on our own computers, but with Google Jamboard open so that we can watch “together” and post sticky notes to communicate during the screening. Film is free on PBS.)

Genre: Documentary

Film Duration: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes (We will watch the first hour together)

Ted’s story is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. It’s the rags to riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living the American Dream. But, in life, great rise can come with great falls. (https://www.donutkingmovie.com/synopsis/)

Register for Donut King watch party here 

Thursday, June 10

2:00-3:00 PM Central

Asian American Studies High School Course Curriculum, Presentation by Albert Chan

Niles North (Skokie, Illinois) High School teacher Albert Chan teaches one of the only  Asian American studies high school courses in the United States. He will describe his course curriculum. In the article, “TEAACH Act could make Illinois first state to mandate teaching of Asian American history in public schools,” he observes, “the lack of Asian American representation in school courses leads non-Asian students to fall back on stereotypes about their Asian and Asian American peers.” (The Daily Northwestern, April 20, 2021). Article attached.

Register for Albert Chan’s presentation here

Wednesday, June 16

2:00-3:00 PM Central

Simon Tam of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band, will speak about his Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court, in Matal v. Tam. With live music featuring Simon and The Slants’s guitarist, Joe X. Jiang!

Simon Tam is best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band. He helped expand civil liberties for minorities by winning a unanimous victory at the Supreme Court of the United States for a landmark case, Matal v. Tam, in 2017. He also leads The Slants Foundation, a nonprofit that supports arts and activism projects for underrepresented communities.

Joe X. Jiang is a filmmaker and musician who has called Portland home for nearly ten years. His movies, which range from intimate documentaries to artistic narratives, have been featured at film and art festivals around the world. He plays guitar for The Slants as well as other groups based in Portland, OR.

Register for Simon’s talk & live music here

Thursday, June 24

2:00-3:00 PM Central

Kumu Hina – Amazon Watch Party! (Requires each participant to rent the movie on Amazon for $3.99)

Official website, with trailer

Genre: Documentary

Film duration: 1 hour 17 minutes (We will watch the first hour together)

KUMU HINA is a powerful film about the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaiʻi. It is told through the lens of an extraordinary Native Hawaiian who is both a proud and confident māhū, or transgender woman, and an honored and respected kumu, or teacher, cultural practitioner, and community leader.

Amazon Prime membership not required.

Register for Kumu Hina watch party here


Wednesday, June 30

2:00-3:00 PM Central


AAPI Book Discussion – Choose your favorite (or any) AAPI book and come prepared to “show and tell” us about it!

Some suggested titles are on these documents:

·  Asian Pacific American Resources (pages 7-8)

·  Books by/about Asian American lawyers/judges

·  Books by/about Asian American politicians, civil rights activists, non-legal scholars

Register for AAPI book discussion here

AALL New Voices

Hello, everyone:

In the latest New Voices post, member Ana Delgado shares information on the development of a librarian-led initiative that monitors legal responses to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Librarians have a pivotal role when it comes to information, especially during a pandemic. Finding relevant and trustworthy information and resources around a specific topic can make the difference between life and death. Access to justice, human rights, and access to information in the time of COVID-19 is now more relevant than ever, and law librarians should be at the forefront of information dissemination. With this in mind, Marcelo Rodríguez, a Research and Training Librarian at the Second Circuit Library in New York, developed a librarian-lead initiative called Monitoring the Legal Response to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Read the full post here: conta.cc/3i8Bw4K

About AALL New Voices: AALL welcomes members to share their reflections on any aspect of law librarianship. Some examples include: Recommending a resource, professional development interests, a day in the life at your organization, or starting a new role. If you would like to participate, please send your submission of about 100-600 words to Megan Mall, AALL’s director of content strategy, with “AALL New Voices” in the subject line. 

Nominations for the Emerging Leader Award

Hi LLNE Members,

AALL is now accepting nominations for the Emerging Leader Award. This award recognizes newer members who have made significant contributions to the profession and have demonstrated the potential for leadership and continuing excellence. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.

Selection criteria

The nominee must: 

·         be a member in good standing of AALL

·         have 10 or fewer years of law library experience

·         have made a significant contributions to the Association and/or the profession

·         have shown outstanding promise for continuing service and leadership (please provide specific examples of his/her continuing activities)

·         not have previously received an Emerging Leader Award

The nomination deadline is January 31st. Letters of recommendation can take some time to gather and holidays are approaching, so we encourage you to begin the process as soon as possible in order to meet the deadline.

More details on the award, including a link to the Nomination Form, can be found here: Emerging Leader Award (https://www.aallnet.org/community/recognition/awards-program/emerging-leader-award/)

Member Articles in AALL Spectrum

Some of our members have been hard at work publishing articles in AALL Spectrum. Below are two articles that have recently been published in the September/October edition. Please give them a read and join us in congratulating the authors!

http://epubs.aallnet.org/i/1159178-aall-spectrum-september-october-2019-volume-24-number-1/0?

Announcement from AALL’s Government Relations Office: free training!

Emily Feltren, Director of AALL’s Government Relations Office, announces that registration for AALL’s free online training, Advocating for Information Policy Change on Capitol Hill,

(April 11 at 11:00 a.m. CDT), is now open. This training is designed to sharpen your advocacy communication skills and prepare you to take action on AALL’s hottest policy priorities, including passage of the FDLP Modernization Act (H.R. 5305) and the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (H.R. 4631).

Emily says: You’ll leave this bite-sized 30 minute session prepared to contact your member of Congress with a pro-law library message during AALL’s Virtual Lobby Day on April 12, all from the comfort of your desk. I hope you’ll join me!

Members of Congress are currently debating key information policy issues that could change how law libraries access, use, and preserve government and legal information.

Join AALL’s online advocacy training to learn how you can influence your members of Congress to modernize current laws to benefit law libraries and their users. The training will prepare you to take action during AALL’s Virtual Lobby Day on April 12, 2018.

(Hat tip to Anne McDonald for passing this along to the blog!)

LLNE’s 2017 AALL Award Winners

The LLNE Membership Development Committee would like to recognize the following LLNE members who have won awards granted by AALL:

  • AALL Spectrum Article of the Year: Pat Newcombe, Western New England University School of Law Library
  • LexisNexis/John R. Johnson Memorial Scholarship: Alisha Hennen, Roger Williams University Law Library
  • Marcia J. Koslov Scholarship: Jessica Lundgren, Maine Law & Legislative Reference Library
  • AALL Annual Meeting Grant: Elaine Apostola, Maine Law & Legislative Reference Library
  • AALL Annual Meeting Chapter Grant: T.K. Adkins, Boston University Fineman & Pappas Law Libraries
  • LISP-SIS Kathy Garner Grant: Jessica Almeida, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth School of Law Library
  • SR-SIS Alan Holoch Memorial Grant: Joshua LaPorte, University of Connecticut School of Law Library

See more details on the awards at http://www.aallnet.org/mm/Member-Resources/AALLawards/2017AALLawardsbrochure.pdf

Congratulations all!

Raquel M. Ortiz & Jenna Fegreus

LLNE Membership Development Committee Co-Chairs