By MARIE-LOUISE BERNAL
Law Librarian Rubens Medina headed the delegation of the Law Library, which attended the 94th Annual Meeting and Conference of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) in Minneapolis on July 14-19. Because of Minnesota's record heat wave, attendees took full advantage of the city's 5-mile system of skyways, built mainly to protect people from the cold.
Annual attendance at the AALL meeting enables the Law Library to share its experiences with colleagues from around the nation and the world. Following a tradition of several years, the Law Library kicked off the Annual Meeting with a reception, sponsored by the Friends of the Law Library of Congress, on the Marquette Hotel's 50th floor. The venue provided a spectacular panoramic view of the city as the participants enjoyed meeting their colleagues. In his welcome remarks, Mr. Medina offered to share the Law Library's expertise with other institutions and outlined possible areas of cooperation in information technology. He also told of opportunities for internships and scholarships for national and international professionals.
AALL President Robert L. Oakley chose "New Realities—New Roles" as the theme for the 2001 conference. Educational programs were offered to help members cope with the challenges of the information age and learn about the latest trends in law librarianship as well as the many new opportunities and challenges that have emerged.
Professor Oakley challenged his colleagues to be proactive. "Information is our business, and information is the center of the new economy. Since the law will play a central role in the development of the new economy, law librarians who are innovative, thoughtful and somewhat entrepreneurial will be positioned to play a significant role in reinventing both library and legal services."
During a session focusing on "New Realities for Developing Global Collections: New Approaches and Cooperative Projects," Mr. Medina presented a paper describing how the Law Library's electronic initiative GLIN, the Global Legal Information Network (www.loc.gov/glin), in collaboration with foreign governments, captures authentic legal texts at their source and makes them available in electronic format. The panel was coordinated by Jules Winterton, director of the Library of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London, and moderated by Marci Hoffman, foreign and international law librarian at the Georgetown University Law Center Library.
Christa McClure of the General Counsel's Office spoke on how to conduct research in German law on a panel presentation focusing on "The New Reality of a United Germany: German Legal Sources and Research Strategies."
Ms. Bernal is special assistant to the Law Librarian.