While I'm not sure a joint AALL/SLA annual meeting could ever be organized,
LET AALL MEET IN PORTLAND.
This Pacific Northwest city has great summer weather. It's conference
facilities, hotels, innovative restaurants and local food (including local
cheeses, micro brew beers, red wines, fresh produce & fish), shopping,
scenic beauty, cultural and sports activities are wonderful. And I have
family there!
Lucy Curci-Gonzalez/ Morgan & Finnegan LLP NYC
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laura Orr [SMTP:lorr@willamette.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 1998 7:39 PM
> To: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
> Subject: SLA - AALL shared conference proposal (10/28 update)
>
> Many many thanks to all the librarians who emailed me. I apologize for not
> thanking each of you individually.
>
> I have heard from 27 librarians and most expressed enthusiastic support
> for the idea. Many also raised possible problems, some formidable. though
> few saw them as insurmountable. I include here comments elaborating on or
> in addition to the ones I listed in my previous Pro/Con posting.
>
> Many respondents asked that I keep their identities private, which I
> intend to do for all private responses even in the absence of a specific
> request.
>
> I have not heard from any publishers. I am guessing that they too (with
> AALL leadership) see this as an issue to originate from and to be debated
> first at the member level and that if it does survive then it needs to be
> given careful, and deliberate, consideration.
>
> I have not yet decided how to proceed with presenting this issue to more
> AALL members and eventually to SLA members. Possible strategies so far
> include one or more of the following: drafting an article on the subject
> for publication in the Spectrum, contacting AALL leadership directly for
> their input into the issue or advice on the best way to proceed to
> determine if there really are any insurmountable obstacles, gathering
> an informal group of "volunteers" to work with me on writing up a
> proposal, etc. Additional suggestions are welcome.
>
> Comments from law-lib librarians:
>
> Possible library staff coverage problems, if members of both SLA and AALL
> go together to a "joint" conference. Though the point was also made that
> staff coverage for many is a problem now and that a joint conference would
> just change the nature of the problem, not make it a bigger or different
> problem.
>
> One of my favorites on the issue of SLA and AALL leadership communications
> and exhibitor fees: "Negotiationg an equitable distribution of those fees
> would be as difficult as achieving true peace in the Middle East."
>
> Many folks poo-pooed ( a highly technical term no one can spell - pu-pued?
> poo- pood?) the idea that conference locations would be limited due to the
> size of the combined membership of AALL and SLA. Even combined, the two
> don't come close to the numbers of many conferences and more and more
> cities are adding conference space (my beloved Portland, Oregon to name
> just one :-)
>
> Member and association identity issues: Raising the issue of a "joint"
> (demi-joint, semi- joint? shared?) conference is a good one and requires
> members to rethink who we are and what we are doing. There were some very
> thoughtful responses here from librarians who have thought and read a
> great deal of the AALL and SLA association literature on the subject.
>
> Enthusiastic support for sharing the other associations programs and
> exhibits
>
> Even though SLA is the more practical professional association
> (especially for law firm librarians), strong emotional, intellectual, and
> loyalty ties exist to justify a desire for continued AALL membership and
> participation in association activities.
>
> Concerns about the increasingly vendor-dominated conferences - decisions
> shouldn't be based simply on money. Good conferences are possible without
> spending a lot of money (The Gov Docs librarians one (sponsored by GPO)
> for example).
>
> Questions about who would work around whom, i.e. would SLA work around
> AALL meeting schedules or vice versa. This may fit under the "peace
> negotiations" heading ;-)
>
> ******
>
> Please feel free to email me if you have additional comments. They are
> most welcome!
>
> Laura
>
> Laura Orr
> Visiting Reference Librarian
> Willamette Law Library
> Salem, Oregon
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