AALL Annual Meeting and Conference

Registration - Saturday

In these difficult economic times, it’s more important than ever before to develop skills to effectively prove your value to stakeholders and advocate for law libraries and the issues that impact our profession.

As you can see from our agenda, this year’s Advocacy Training will give you a unique opportunity to hear from an official at the Administrative Office of the United States Courts on new PACER functionalities that will help you find court information more efficiently. Leslie Street and Government Relations Committee member Julie Kimbrough will then share tips on creating useful PACER research guides and developing popular PACER training programs.

After this practical presentation, 2010-2011 Electronic Legal Information Access & Citation Committee Chair Timothy Coggins and AALL Advocacy Communications Assistant Emily Feldman will lead an exciting discussion of AALL’s involvement in the National Inventory of Legal Materials, celebrating the significant contributions of AALL’s Federal and State Working Groups during the past year. We’ll present findings from the preliminary data from the inventory and draw initial conclusions.  We’ll also summarize the most recent developments regarding NCCUSL’s uniform act, Authentication and Preservation of State Electronic Legal Materials Act, in preparation for one of the breakout sessions.

Participants will then choose between two important breakout sessions: the first on creative ways to promote digital authentication to state policymakers when NCCUSL’s uniform act is rolled out in your state; and the second to brainstorm ideas on how to sustain the role of law libraries in the Federal Depository Library Program.

To register for the Advocacy Training, which is sponsored by the Government Relations Office and Government Relations Committee and available at no cost to our members, please contact Advocacy Communications Assistant Emily Feldman by June 17.

The Supreme Court and Free Speech 

How the Supreme Court is fracturing over speech issues, and how the press and the public are both causing it, and suffering for it

Dahlia Lithwick is a senior editor at Slate, and in that capacity, writes the "Supreme Court Dispatches" and "Jurisprudence" columns. She is a biweekly columnist for Newsweek. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Harper's, The Washington Post, and Commentary, among other places. She received the Online News Association's award for online commentary in 2001 and again in 2005, for a series she coauthored on torture, and was the first online journalist invited to serve on the Steering Committee for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She is the co-author of "Me v. Everybody: Absurd Contracts for an Absurd World," a legal humor book, and "I Will Sing Life: Voices from the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp", a book about seven children from Paul Newman's camp with life-threatening illnesses. She lives in Charlottesville, VA with her husband and two sons.

This session will be webcast live here.

Target Audience: Electronic services librarians, acquisitions librarians, solo librarians, library directors

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to identify and list the best practices to employ when considering the acquisition of a new electronic resource.
2. Participants will be able to design and conduct an electronic resource trial using a focus group comprised of stakeholders within their institution.

This program will highlight the best practices to use when evaluating a new electronic resource for acquisition. These best practices are gleaned from the library literature, published surveys, and the experiences of the presenters. Best practices include: "try before you buy," obtaining stakeholder involvement, benchmarking, and using an electronic resource evaluation checklist, among others. The program will focus on four areas: 1) the electronic resource evaluation checklist, 2) selection and coordination of a trial focus group, 3) the cost-benefit analysis, and 4) subscription versus ownership and other licensing options. Other considerations to be examined include: authentication, user interface, content appropriateness, search capability, browsing capability, currency and archives, vendor support, training, user statistics, bill back mechanisms, online documentation, and formatting. In addition, the program will present questions to be asked of other stakeholders in the acquisitions process (e.g., the IT department, catalogers, public services). Program materials will include a sample electronic resource evaluation checklist and bibliography.

Target Audience: Technical services librarians, electronic resources librarians, library directors

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of various ERM systems in order to select a system that best meets their institution's needs.
2. Participants will be able to list workflow and implementation tips from different ERM systems users and to plan a smooth and positive installation of a new ERM system.

As libraries add more electronic resources to their collections, there will be a greater need to manage and maintain these resources effectively and efficiently. By viewing what ERM systems are available in the market place and identifying special features of each system, librarians responsible for electronic resources will be better equipped to select an ERM system that best fits their institution's needs. Librarians with limited resources will benefit from the demonstration of a locally developed, or an open source, ERM system. Insights into the pros and cons of using different ERM systems will also be shared.

Target Audience: All librarians

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will learn the rationale and learning theory for embedding librarians in support of clinical teaching in law schools.
2. Participants will be able to analyze the tools and techniques needed for starting an embedded librarian project at their law schools.

This program describes the Mason Law Library's experience of embedding librarians in clinics at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, rated second highest in the nation for clinical teaching. The project's rationale is based on adult learning theory, teaching at the point of need, and recommendations from Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law (2008) for teaching legal research as a part of lawyers' "expert performance." Embedding librarians in a practice environment enables users to learn and integrate advanced legal research skills, professional judgment, and ethics through modeling, practice, coaching, and feedback. The panelists include the embedded librarians and clinic directors, who will discuss the effectiveness of this experiment.

SR-SIS Standing Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues Reception (sponsored by BNA, LexisNexis, William S. Hein & Co., and Wolters Kluwer Law & Business) at Valanni Restaurant and Lounge

Target Audience: Directors, public services librarians, IT professionals, and non-catalogers in technical services in all types of libraries

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to understand RDA's new approach to relationships between authors and works, how this new approach needs to be accommodated, and how it can be utilized by public services librarians.
2. Participants will be able to assess RDA's new approach to dealing with publishing patterns and resolving challenges posed by diversification of electronic and online media, and how this approach can be utilized by acquisitions and serial librarians.

Resource Description and Access (RDA), the new cataloging code published in June 2010, is based on a recently formalized philosophy for providing access to materials. It is written with the international world of computers and online access strongly in mind along with the relationships of information elements. Librarians, other than catalogers, may not know much about this new code, nor may they know how these new standards for metadata creation will affect public services and technical services areas other than cataloging. Most may also not be aware of its possible applications outside of integrated library systems. "RDA for Everyone" will bring together a respected law cataloger/RDA tester, a well-known associate director/professor of legal research, and a reference and technology librarian (who is also the Chair of the Education Committee of the CS-SIS), to relate a brief history and description of RDA, explaining how it affects discovery and use of information, and how it has potential use outside the traditional library catalog.

Target Audience: Law library managers and public services librarians interested in disseminating information about the library and library services to technology-savvy patrons

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to describe what smartphone tags are, what types of information they encode, and how they can be used to extend library services.
2. Participants will be able to analyze the pros and cons of implementing a smartphone tag reader project in their own libraries.

In the fall of 2010, the University of Colorado's William A. Wise Law Library implemented a project to post smartphone readable tags in strategic places throughout the library using Microsoft Tag Reader software. These tags lead users to web pages, pdf files, PowerPoint presentations, text messages, and contact information relevant to the tag's location. The law library used these tags to extend library services by providing instruction on how to use collections and equipment; awareness of electronic resources and current acquisitions in specific subject collections; and marketing of library services. During this practical program, project manager Robert Linz will explain all aspects of this inexpensive patron outreach project, including planning; implementation; advertising; and analyzing the successes, surprises, and lessons learned.

Target Audience: Librarians who work with metadata, metadata frameworks, and controlled vocabularies

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to assess various sources for authority control of elements and vocabularies in the world beyond the MARC format and OCLC authority files.
2. Participants will be able to judge which vocabularies fit their library's needs for metadata organization.

Barbara Tillett and John Mark Ockerbloom will explore the real potential behind linked library data by providing an informative overview of acronyms like RDF, LCSH/SKOS , VIAF and the RDA Registry and by highlighting how the linked data from id.loc.gov is being used to power searches in the Online Books Page and the main library catalog, Franklin, at the University of Pennsylvania.

Any member who wants to submit a resolution for consideration by the membership at the Business Meeting must do so no later than July 1. Resolutions can be submitted by any AALL entity or member concerning substantive matters for consideration by the membership.

During this year's Members' Open Forum, which immediately follows the Annual Business Meeting, the AALL president and other officers will be available to respond to member questions regarding AALL and its programs and activities. In addition to accepting questions from the floor, members can also submit questions in advance of the meeting.

To submit a question in advance for this year's Open Forum, email ambusmtg@aall.org.

Target Audience: All librarians who have a role in vendor contract negotiations

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to analyze contract terms to better understand how those terms affect the end results of their negotiations.
2. Participants will acquire the tools to negotiate a favorable contract with a services vendor.

Vendor contracts are getting more complex, with finer print. Many librarians are involved in the contract negotiation process and need to be able to read and comprehend often complex contracts in order to get the most favorable terms for their libraries and institutions. Two attorneys who are involved in their large firms' vendor contract negotiations, along with their library directors, will discuss contract best practices, what elements to look for in a contract, and which clauses or provisions will render a contract unworkable. They will offer practical tips on negotiation skills, and on reaching a workable agreement with service vendors.

Regardless of how widely it is adopted, the newly-developed cataloging code, Resource Description and Access, will affect all of us in libraries profoundly - even if we’re not responsible for cataloging materials. Please join Jean Pajerek and Pat Sayre-McCoy as they lead a lively discussion on the recent information from the three U.S. national libraries, the decisions libraries need to make about RDA, and the impact of the new code on our institutions - especially in the area of library technical services.

Target Audience: Reference librarians, library directors and managers

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to list at least five business tools typically available at public and academic libraries open to the general public.
2. Participants will be able to identify the libraries in their communities that are likely to provide access to free or inexpensive business resources.

Even the best legal collection may not answer every question asked by attorneys, legal support staff, and public law library patrons. Business resources better answer questions about starting a new business, competitor intelligence, writing business plans, locating industry reports, SEC filings, working with contractors, and economic or demographic profiles. Especially in today's economy, it may be impossible to justify purchasing expensive business materials your patrons use periodically but infrequently. Join a panel of public and academic business librarians who will examine a variety of free or inexpensive business tools typically available in libraries open to the public in your community. Patrons may have to visit another library, or online resources may be accessible from a library website with a borrower's card. Learn to be savvy about business resources on a shoestring!

Target Audience: Law librarians who want a step-by-step plan for conducting medical legal research in medical databases

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will learn the strategies and skills necessary to perform comprehensive medical searches in specialized medical databases, including MEDLINE.
2. Participants will become familiar with the different levels of medical proof found in the medical literature.

Most law librarians will have to locate and find appropriate medical or health-related research during the course of their careers. However, many are intimidated by medical or scientific information and do not know how to start. This program will provide an introduction for law librarians to locating and evaluating medical information. Topics include: defining evidence-based medicine, applying the methods of evidence-based medicine to the process of medical research, and evaluating retrieved information. Effective searching of MEDLINE, using the controlled vocabulary MeSH (the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings), will also be covered.

Comprehensive and reliable statistics on patent prosecution and litigation will form the basis for future patenting strategies, and IP attorneys will rely on librarians to give them a broad picture of worldwide patenting activity. This program will address the basic strategies in finding necessary data, and will educate librarians about both free and subscription sources for this data. Current limitations of the data will also be addressed.

Target Audience: All librarians

Learning Outcomes:
1. Librarians will analyze and apply the information provided to evaluate which of these new legal research products will be appropriate for use within their organizations.
2. Librarians will use the information provided to assist them in determining how best to implement these new legal research tools in their organizations.

During January 2010 (Legal Tech-NY), with much fanfare, WestlawNext and Lexis for Microsoft Office were unveiled. Lexis Advance arrived in late 2010. WestlawNext for the iPad is now here. Eighteen months after the first debuts, it’s time to examine their impact. How did the rollout of WestlawNext go in law schools? Have law firms embraced WestlawNext? What are the reactions, the benefits, and the burdens? What synergies exist between the schools and firms and other law organizations with regard to the introduction of WestlawNext? Have those synergies been explored? What has happened to Lexis for Microsoft Office? Presenters will take an in-depth look at the experiences two law schools and two law firms had with these products.

This program will be webcast live here.