TO: Automation & Scientific Development SIS Members (and
all others interested)
FROM: Tom Fleming, Gary Gott, and Mark Folmsbee
RE: Annual Business Meeting and Momentum 95: Sculpting Law
Internet
DATE: June 29, 1994
_________________________________________________________________
Please mark your calendars to attend the annual SIS business
meeting in Seattle on Sunday, July 10th, from 3:00 to 4:30 PM.
Check your programs for the room number.
This is your SIS, and we need your input.
The following is the schedule for the meeting.
Business meeting
Financial report - we are doing all right.
Newsletter - What should it cover and who will help.
Programs - Volunteers for the 1995 programs.
Internet - How can we become more involved.
New Technology in the Law Library
This year we are adding an educational presentation
following our regular business meeting. Representatives from
Lexis, Westlaw and Wave (a CD Rom company) will show the latest
developments in their respective areas. Historically, the
problem had been to integrate all the electronic information with
your work product. These representatives will show how their
companies are providing the end user with solutions.
Also attached is Mark Folmsbee's message that went over the
Internet, if you missed it. We encourage your comments and
responses to Mark's ideas.
_________________________________________________________________
From: Mark Folmsbee
Subj: Momentum 95; Sculpting Law Internet?
I have the pleasure of being elected Chair-elect of the
Automation and Scientific Development Special Interest Section of
the American Association of Law Libraries. The Automation and
Scientific SIS is one of the largest in the American Association
of Law Libraries, and has a very diverse membership. Over the
years it has been on the forefront of sponsoring various
"technology oriented" programs at the annual AALL convention.
As the Chair-Elect, I am concerned with a 2 year period. During
the first year, I will be chair "elect" while Gary Gott serves as
the chair. In that spirit, and with your help, I want to begin
the process of "sculpting" a plan that would mature in 2 years.
All of us, owe Tom Fleming (outgoing Chair) a debt of gratitude
for his assistance over years, and we look forward to Gary Gotts
ideas for this year. I suspect that Gary may have some thoughts
for the immediate year that will help us all.
2 Year Discussions?
As a leader, I believe my highest obligation is to be a servant.
As I indicated earlier, the Automation SIS includes many diverse
interests that are not always fully reconcilable. It is
important that all segments are represented at all times, and
that we find common ground, helpful to all. In that spirit, I
would encourage those of you who are not members of the SIS, to
join. It costs only $12 (get your library to pay), and it is
well worth it. Contact Peter Beck (AALL) at (312) 939-4764 for
details.
My second priority is to understand the needs of the group. I
have included an outline that describes a vision to assist us to
move forward into new areas of technology and specifically,
Internet.
Please feel free to "flame" or otherwise discuss the
possibilities below. I believe that "good always comes from
fire"; and I will take nothing personally. The "fire" (scrutiny)
that the ideas will have to endure will be test enough of
validity. I can be reached at zzfolm@acc.wuacc.edu. I will post
this to both LAWLIB and TEKNOIDS since it affects both technical
and non technical interests.
The ideas are intended to be proposals for growth and change. As
consensus builds around a particular point, it will be apparent
that the point is valuable enough to pursue. If there is no
consensus in a particular direction, then I will simply drop that
part of the proposal.
It is critical for us to effectively move forward. I need your
ideas and participation.
I also believe it is important to identify all "groups" with
similar agendas, so that as a larger team, we can learn from one
another. I am aware of the hard work of the Internet Task Force,
and believe that the Copyright Committee, National Legal
Resources, Government Relations Committee, Government Documents
SIS, and the Special Committee to Advance the Electronic
Interchange of Legal Information have an interest in this matter.
In the future, I believe it to be vital to work with these groups
for our common interest and vision. Of particular interest to
me, is the possible formation of a consortium of internet law
publishers that is an outgrowth of teknoids and the Chicago CALI
convention (AELSP).
If you are a member of such a group, please speak up. It seems
to me that there is room for all of us to grow on Internet. In
this category of other "groups", I include the "democratic
groups"(organizations with elected or appointed
leaderships), semi-commercial groups (CALI), and commercial
groups (groups planning to sell access to services).
Proposal: Momentum 1995-Internet
Possible Future Objectives of the SIS
The SIS could:
1) Explore ways that it can operate as a technical service and
support unit of other SIS's, Chapters, as well as the AALL
itself. In short, the SIS mission would be to facilitate the
individual*technical* success of all AALL members on
Internet. In this matter, the SIS could:
a) Encourage at least one librarian from each member site to
join the teknoids listserv
b) Create/design/carry out a survey designed to identify
larger internet needs.
c) Assign liaison members to each SIS and Chapter
2) Facilitate and encourage effective delegation (on Internet)
of responsibility for maintaining substantive areas of law at
institutions that have demonstrated an interest or history of
expertise.
a) Identify nation wide subject areas of interest and
expertise at specific institutions.
b) Provide training opportunities to facilitate growth.
c) Link up sites (by analogy, perhaps standardize on using
Will Sadler's NCSA gateway to law related resources).
3) Facilitate effective communication between all
subgroups,(local, regional, and national) by creating listservs,
usenetgroups, or other mail based schemes. As has been suggested
by Prof. Triffin, perhaps designing a model that efficiently
filters larger lists (where appropriate), so that information is
disseminated to smaller sub groups). However, I believe that it
is critical to respect the valid privacy and commercial interest
of the smaller group to set up their own listserv.
4) Facilitate continued growth on Internet for all members of
the law profession (practicing bar, governmental institutions):
a) by creating inexpensive or free information systems,
b) by refining means of effective electronic communication
between groups,
c) by proposing continual training programs at relevant
conventions.
d) encourage members to join nettrain listserv and other
training projects undertaken by Jim Milles.
5) Explore reciprocal membership/project opportunities in the
SIS(encouraging partnerships with members from other technically
oriented law related associations or groups in the AALS, the ABA
and other related organizations as well as commercial entities).
Appoint liaison positions to those groups. Encourage the
groups to appoint liaisons to the SIS. Encourage the AALL
executive board and others leadership to more formally adopt
existing Internet liaison assignments.
6) Explore or identify grant funding to foster continuing
research on ways to effectively and inexpensively disseminate law
related information on Internet for the SIS and related groups.
7) Facilitate adoption/creation/acceptance of standards (loosely
defined) on how to efficiently disseminate information on
Internet.(work toward standardization on http/gopher/gn/?)
8) Encourage the AALL to continually expand and disseminate
information about itself electronically on LAWNET
(newname=AALLNET). Perhaps after consulting with
the AALL Executive Board about specific issues, the SIS could
have a more direct roll in the design of AALLNET.
9) Implement a scheme that will enhance/encourage quality control
of data disseminated on Internet.
a) encourage/facilitate registration of www or gopher
servers, and see that all announcements go to the LAW-SRC
listserv at Cornell.
b) Suggest/encourage that responsibility for data locally
loaded comes with responsibility that the data will be kept
current.
10) Facilitate/adopt copyright standards helpful to effective
Internet publishing.
11) Create an annual user enhancement request for Lexis and
Westlaw
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