Join us in Chicago, Illinois as members of the Law Library team present at this year’s American Association of Law Libraries annual conference from July 20 to July 23, 2024. Additionally, we invite you to visit our exhibit space, booth number 730, for information about the Law Library of Congress, webinar schedules, and giveaways. Taylor Gulatsi from the Office of External Relations will be at the booth to greet conference attendees with staff from the Law Library of Congress who will be attending the conference.
On Sunday, July 21, Senior Legal Reference Librarian Louis Myers will participate in a discussion entitled “FCIL Cool Tools: Existing and Emerging Technologies Around the World.” In this program, panelists from various settings will talk about the existing and emerging technologies that academic, firm, and government librarians use to research foreign and international law, gather information about foreign corporations and institutions, translate documents written in foreign languages, monitor events occurring in foreign countries, and collaborate with colleagues overseas. Participants will be able to test existing and emerging technology in foreign, comparative, and international law research and practice. This program will benefit all library employees across all library types and sizes.
Additionally, on Sunday, July 21, Senior Legal Information Specialist Jennifer Gonzalez will participate in two presentations. The first presentation is entitled, “Partnerships to Increase Access to the Profession,” and the panelists will share innovative plans to increase the number of qualified legal information professionals, including individuals from minoritized and marginalized communities, through fellowships, internships, and/or grant opportunities in an attempt to expand and diversify the pool of legal information professionals. The second presentation is entitled, “Deep Dive: Simply Done: Managing Projects Big and Small for Work and Life.” Attendees of this discussion can plan on learning about the benefits of project management to both individuals and organizations and how librarians are using project management to enhance resources and services.
On Monday, July 22, Louis Myers will participate in a discussion entitled, “Obscenity, Authoritarianism, and Blasphemy: The Global Context of Book Banning.” This presentation will discuss the broader context of U.S. book bans by describing the law and history of book banning globally. Attendees of the presentation will learn how countries globally have banned books for a variety of reasons and how librarians, activists, and other defenders of freedom of information have pushed back. This presentation will coincide with the launch of a Law Library of Congress legal report on foreign laws related to banning books.
On Tuesday, July 23, Jennifer Gonzalez will be participating in the presentation “Changing Dynamics in the Workplace: Redefining What Is “Professional” in the Law Library.” This session will address how the amorphous definition of professionalism applies to librarianship and how it can be instilled, taught, and nurtured in new employees, interns, and students. This session will also open a dialogue examining and discussing the evolving definition and demands of professionalism, soft skills to foster a successful working environment, communication formats, and differing workplace courtesies, be they remote or in-person. Participants will be able to identify effective strategies for balancing differing views of professionalism, particularly including issues that may appear around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, generational viewpoints, and remote workers to address gatekeeping tendencies and foster inclusive spaces.
We look forward to the event-packed AALL conference and hope you will consider stopping by our booth!
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