by David Isom
Member of the IALL Board; International and Foreign Law Reference Librarian, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, USA
Registration for the 2026 IALL Annual Course at the University of Cambridge opened last week, so I thought it would be timely to write a post about who should attend the Annual Course—hopefully providing some insight about what the conference is like and dispelling some myths for those who have not attended.
I asked Google Gemini to create an image “in the style of a Godfrey Kneller painting that depicts the 2026 International Association of Law Libraries Annual Course in Cambridge, UK,” and this was the result. Note: resemblance to the actual course is not guaranteed!
Firstly, I think the course is valuable to anyone with an interest in foreign and international law—you do not need to be an IALL member, and you do not need to be an FCIL specialist. It’s worth noting that the sessions are primarily about law—typically involving topics in international law or the law of the jurisdiction hosting the course—rather than law librarianship, so anyone with an interest in international and foreign law could find value in attending. To get a sense of the kinds of topics that have been discussed in previous years, you can see summaries of many Annual Course sessions on the AALL FCIL-SIS blog, and for a list of this year’s sessions, see the 2026 Conference Program (still under development at the time of this writing).
Secondly, the structure of the Annual Course makes it welcoming for newcomers. There is a single track of sessions, which means that you don’t need to worry about choosing between conflicting sessions, and that everyone can attend the same sessions, coffee breaks, lunches, and social events throughout the conference, making it easier to get to know your fellow attendees. It’s also a relatively small conference, with typically about 120 people. Combined, I think these factors can make it more accessible to first-time attendees than large conferences can be. And, in all honesty, I’ve always found IALL to be a welcoming bunch—that was certainly my experience in attending my first Annual Course in 2017, which has kept me returning ever since.
Thirdly, the cost of attendance: there’s no disputing that it can be expensive to attend a conference, particularly if you’re traveling internationally. That being said, IALL Treasurer Jean Wenger wrote a post for the IALL Blog a couple of years ago (“Getting to ‘Yes’ for Annual Course Attendance”) that discussed the value of attending the Annual Course along with suggestions on how to persuasively argue for financial support from employers. In addition, I’d strongly recommend considering applying for an IALL grant (available both to IALL members and non-members), which can provide up to US$3,000 to support attending the Annual Course. The application period for grants for this year’s conference begins this month—keep an eye on the IALL Grants Information page for updates and to submit an application. It’s also worth investigating whether other organizations of which you are a member may offer grants or scholarships that might help subsidize the cost of attending the Annual Course.
I hope this might have convinced anyone on the fence about attending to give it a go. Feel free to e-mail me with any general questions about IALL or the Annual Courses, and contact the Cambridge Local Planning Committee directly for specifics about the 2026 Annual Course. The Local Planning Committee has also prepared a video preview of the course that is well worth watching. I hope to see you in Cambridge!
This Blog contains entries by members of the International Association of Law Libraries on issues germane to the Association’s areas of focus. Views expressed in an individual entry only represent the views of the author, and not those of the International Association of Law Libraries or the author’s employer.