Point – Counterpoint accepting vendor contributions

The February 2011 issue of AALL Spectrum at p 28 and available now and has a pair of provocative pieces. The first by law firm librarian Michael Ginsborg argues that AALL should play a greater role in consumer advocacy and that accepting vendor donations creates a conflict of interest. The second piece, by 2 former AALL presidents, Judy Meadow, a court librarian and Kay Todd, a law firm librarian counter that consumer advocacy is not part of AALL’s mission and that vendor donations don’t compromise individual members impartiality or the positions AALL takes on information policy matters.

What do you think? Please share your comments.

AALL Launches New Advocacy Toolkit for Members and Chapters

The AALL Government Relations Office and Government Relations Committee are pleased to announce a dynamic new resource to help AALL members and chapters become effective advocates for law libraries. The Advocacy Toolkit for the 111th Congress: 2009-2010 is designed to offer a one-stop shop for law librarians who want to learn more about AALL’s information policy issues and take action on the federal and state levels.

The Advocacy Toolkit provides AALL members and chapters with:

• Ways to get involved in advocacy
• Specific actions you can take immediately to promote our efforts in Washington, D.C.
• A comprehensive look at the issues and bills AALL is currently working on
• The tools you need to become effective advocates on both the federal and state levels

An RSS feed is available to help you keep track of the latest action alerts, bills, and other updates.