Affiliated and Associated Organizations. American Association of Law Libraries | The American Library Association Archives

Name: Affiliated and Associated Organizations. American Association of Law Libraries

Historical Note:

The American Association of Law Libraries is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and cultivating the science of librarianship, increasing the effectiveness of law libraries, and fostering cooperation among members. Membership includes persons and institutions interested in law libraries -- academic, association, private, judicial, or legislative. On July 2, 1906, during the conference of the American Library Association at Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island, twenty-four librarians, responding to a call from A.J. Small, Curator at the Iowa State Law Library, formed the American Association of Law Libraries. The first issues of the Index to Legal Periodicals and the Law Library Journal were published in December 1908. In 1930, William Roalfe of the University of Southern California Law Library proposed that the Association establish a full-time staff at a permanent headquarters, seek foundation support, and expand its publishing program. On June 29, 1934, the membership unanimously accepted the "Roalfe Plan." In 1939, the AALL's first chapter was established with the North Carolina Law Librarians. In 1953, the AALL held its first institute apart from an annual meeting, on law library administration. In 1953, the AALL initiated a Scholarship and Grants Program to assist recipients in attending institutes and annual meetings. In 1964, Chicago became the location of AALL's permanent headquarters. In 1966, the Association adopted a plan for the certification of law librarians. In 1976 it passed bylaws providing for the creation of special interest sections. In 1980, the Executive Board signed an agreement establishing the AALL Archives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1981 the AALL appointed its first executive director. Additional publications and periodicals that the AALL has established include the President's Newsletter (1954; supplanted by the AALL Newsletter, established in 1970, and then Spectrum, established in 1996); the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (1960); and the Biographical Directory of Law Librarians in the United States and Canada (1964). In 1979, the AALL contracted with Information Access Corporation to develop a new legal periodical indexing service to replace the Index to Legal Periodicals. Legal Resources Index and Current Law Index began publication in 1980. In the same year, LAWNET I, the initial phase of a unified law library database, was completed.

(Information taken from Introducing the American Association of Law Libraries, Frank G. Houdek, editor, The Lawyer's Co-Operative Publishing Company, September 1983 & January 1986.)

The following classification system is based on the AALL administrative

structure as described in the 1978 Constitution and By-Laws.

85/1/1 to 85/1/99 -- Executive Board and Officers

Including series for Executive Board Minutes;

agendas; President's correspondence; Secretary's

correspondence; Treasurer's correspondence; annual

reports; financial reports.

85/1/100 to 85/1/199 -- Headquarters Office

Including series for Administrative Secretary's

and Executive Director's correspondence; reports;

conference and meeting arrangement files,

directories and other administrative publications.

85/1/200 to 85/1/299 -- Presidential Papers

Papers of past Presidents documenting their term

in office.

85/1/300 to 85/1/399 -- Personal Papers

Papers of AALL members. Papers of past presidents

are filed here if they contain little documentation

of presidential service.

85/1/400 to 85/1/499 -- Committees - Standing and Special

Including Nominations; Elections and Ballots;

Cooperating with: ALA, ABA, Latin American Law

Libraries, State Libraries, American Association of

Law Schools; Civil Service Positions; State Bar

Association Publications; Education and Placement; Index to Legal Periodicals; and Law Library Journal.

85/1/500 to 85/1/599 -- Special Interest Sections

These are constitutionally distinct from

Committees. They are established with approval of

the Executive Board and have a separate membership

fee, budget, by-laws, and reports.

85/1/600 to 85/1/699 -- Chapters and Regional Associations

The current AALL Directory lists 31 such offices.

85/1/700 to 85/1/999 -- Open

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