Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated: October 2022
General Information
Advocacy
Education
Executive Board
GENERAL INFORMATION
HOW LONG HAS AALL BEEN IN EXISTENCE?
The 黑料社区 (AALL) was founded in 1906.
HOW MANY MEMBERS DOES AALL HAVE?
AALL currently has approximately 3,500 members.
DOES AALL HAVE A MISSION STATEMENT?
The 黑料社区 advocates for access to legal information and support the legal information profession by cultivating the growth of our members, connecting them with each other, and championing the value of legal information and legal information professionals.
DOES AALL KEEP A RECORD OF ITS HISTORY AS AN ASSOCIATION?
Yes. All pivotal moments in AALL’s history may be found in AALL’s Chronology.
DOES AALL OFFER VOLUNTEER/LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR ITS MEMBERS?
AALL encourages members from all library types and all levels of experience to volunteer. Review the committee and award jury charges. The period to volunteer opens in November and closes in December each year.
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHAPTERS?
AALL has 29 chapters that provide legal information professionals with education, networking, and leadership opportunities.
WHAT ARE SPECIAL INTEREST SECTIONS?
AALL’s 14 special interest sections (SISs) provide members with the opportunity to participate in groups dedicated to specialized areas of law librarianship.
DOES AALL OFFER ANY AWARDS?
The AALL Awards program publicly recognizes the achievements of law librarians, institutions, companies, and partners for significant contributions and innovation in the legal information profession.
Does AALL provide information about how to find reliable online legal materials?
础础尝尝鈥檚 Online Legal Information Resource includes information about online primary legal materials for U.S. states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, the U.S. Federal Government, and Canada. Compiled by the AALL Advancing Access to Justice Special Committee, the OLIR includes links to session laws, statutory codes, registers, administrative codes, and court opinions. To help users easily identify reliable online sources, the OLIR contains information about whether the legal materials are official, authentic, preserved, and copyrighted. The OLIR also includes contact information for state and local public law libraries, covering whether services to incarcerated people are provided.
WHERE CAN I FIND AVAILABLE JOBS/POST A JOB?
AALL’s Career Center offers both members and nonmembers a highly targeted resource for finding employment and recruiting top talent, it is designed specifically for legal information professionals and those that employ them.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT BECOMING A LAW LIBRARIAN?
AALL provides information about the law librarianship profession, including tips for finding law library jobs on our About the Profession page.
DOES AALL OFFER ANY OPPORTUNITIES TO WRITE/PUBLISH?
Yes. AALL has a variety of publications available for members and nonmembers to write on topics important to the profession.
AALL Spectrum is AALL’s bimonthly member magazine designed to further professional development and education within the legal information industry.聽Those interested in submitting an article for consideration should fill out the Author Submission Form.
Law Library Journal has been the official peer-reviewed journal of the 黑料社区 since 1908. Scholarly articles on law, legal materials, and librarianship are the mainstay of the聽Journal.
Additional information on article submission format can be found on the Editorial Policy page.
New Voices is a space where members can share their insights and experiences.
AALL’s special interest sections also have newsletters that are a great avenue for newer members as well as experienced members to contribute.
DO I HAVE TO BE AN AALL MEMBER TO ACCESS AALL’S PUBLICATIONS?
No. AALL Spectrum, Law Library Journal, and our New Voices posts are accessible to members and nonmembers.
WHO ARE AALL’S MEMBERS?
AALL members are Law Librarians; Chief Knowledge Officers; Competitive Intelligence Analysts; Legal Information Managers; Allied Professionals; Heads of Outreach Services; Marketing & Business Development Research Analysts; Students; Web Content & Materials Managers; Business Intelligence Specialists; Judges
I HAVE QUESTIONS RELATED TO MEMBERSHIP, WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
Find answers to frequently asked questions about membership.
I HAVE QUESTIONS RELATED TO AALL’S MENTOR PROGRAM, WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the mentor program.
ADVOCACY
WHAT ADVOCACY RESOURCES DOES AALL PROVIDE TO MEMBERS?
The AALL Advocacy Toolkit provides resources to help members advocate for the legislative issues that have an impact on law libraries and the legal information profession. AALL also provides an annual legislative advocacy training and other advocacy opportunities. Any upcoming advocacy training will be listed on AALL’s Calendar of Events.
DOES AALL HELP MEMBERS WITH VENDOR ISSUES?
础础尝尝’蝉听Committee on Relations with Information Vendors聽(CRIV) facilitates communications between information vendors and AALL members by monitoring complaints and providing constructive suggestions to vendors of information in any format. AALL also conducts semiannual calls with the four largest vendors鈥擝loomberg Law, LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters, and Wolters Kluwer鈥攏otes are included in the聽.
EDUCATION
DO I RECEIVE CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR ATTENDING AALL CONFERENCES, OTHER LIVE EVENTS, OR SELF-PACED COURSES?
AALL currently does not offer educational credit for conferences, other live events, or its self-paced courses. However, a certificate of attendance/completion will be provided after the conference, event, or course has been completed.
COULD YOU TELL ME ABOUT AALL’S WEBINARS AND ELEARNING OPPORTUNITIES?
AALL offers webinars, coffee chats, and self-paced courses throughout the year. For more information and a detailed schedule, please visit for more information. Upcoming coffee chats, programs, and webinars are also listed on AALL’s Calendar of Events.
WHO CAN APPLY FOR AN AALL SCHOLARHIP?
Scholarships are available to assist individuals studying to become law librarians as either a library or law school student, or to library school graduates seeking an advanced degree in a related field.
DOES AALL OFFER ANY SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MINORITY LAW LIBRARIANS?
Yes. The George A. Strait Minority Scholarship & Fellowship is designed to provide students from underrepresented groups with a unique opportunity to obtain meaningful and practical law library experience.
AALL EXECUTIVE BOARD
HOW OFTEN DOES THE AALL EXECUTIVE BOARD MEET?
The AALL Executive Board meets three times during the leadership year鈥揊all (November), Spring (April), and Summer (July).
HOW DO I CONTACT THE BOARD?
If you are an AALL member and would like to contact the AALL Executive Board, please fill out the聽following form.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE BOARD BOOKS CONTAINING THE AGENDA AND ITEMS OF DISCUSSION FOR AALL EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS?
AALL Executive Board meeting agendas and related materials are made available to all members prior to each Board meeting. In addition, all the Board meeting minutes are made available to members after they are approved by the Board, following each meeting.