While I agree with many of Prof. Surrency's observations, I believe
it is time to revisit the delivery of the information that the LLJ
provides. He states, "At one point in time, several decades ago, the
Journal was the very essence of AALL." That was true. Is it true
today? I hope not. If we as an Association have not changed in several
decades, we are in serious trouble. I believe that the educational
function, of which LLJ is a part, reflects the essence of AALL
today. Granting that the information in the LLJ is valuable and
necseeary can we, as modern information professionals, tolerate the
Journal's publication schedule? Is there a better faster format
available? Can we fold the Journal into an expanded newsletter? Should
we provide an electronic version of this "new" newsletter (thus saving
postage, trees, and shelf space) at the members option? Rather then
making this a black or white choice, I am for graying the issue. Any
other ideas? I wholeheartedly agree with Prof. Surrency that the
membership should review and ratify the benefits of AALL membership.
Continuation of activites, such as Washington Representative and Program
Coordinator should be approved by the membership. The membership should
have a vote of ratification on any reorganization or Association policy.
In a similar vein, will we as members have the opportunity to vote on the
Task Force on Citation Format recommendations? This is a major issue for
our Association, are we limited to comments or will we be counted? Are
we an Association of approximately five thousand members too big for
direct democracy? Al Podboy, Baker & Hostetler, Cleveland, Ohio 44114,
216-861-7101 (speaking for myself)
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