by Valentina Spiga, Law Information Specialist, European University Institute, Fiesole, Italy
If someone had told me that my job as a law librarian, working in a library perched on a hill in Florence, would one day take me all the way to NASA, I would have smiled politely and said it was impossible.
And yet it happened, thanks to IALL, and above all thanks to the Members Grant I was awarded, which allowed me to attend the Annual Course held last year at South Texas College of Law Houston. With registration now open, I would encourage both members and non-members not to miss the opportunity to join the next IALL Annual Course in Cambridge. The experience goes well beyond travel, offering professional growth, inspiration, and lasting connections.
Saturn V at George W.S. Abbey Rocket Park. (Image courtesy of the author).
There are many law conferences out there, and many librarians’ conferences, and most of them are of excellent quality. But there is something truly unique about an international conference of law librarians coming together from different legal systems, cultures, and professional realities like the IALL annual course.
But before looking ahead, let me take you back to Houston.
Two elements truly defined the 43rd IALL Annual Course for me, beyond the unforgettable visit to NASA: the strong focus on professional identity and development, and the way the programme celebrated the transformative role of libraries and librarians.
The reference to our profession in Houston was central throughout the programme.
To start with, the pre-conference programme in Houston deserves special mention. We received practical and immediately applicable insights, such as the tech tips shared by Barbara Fullerton. Equally impressive was the presentation by Professor Dru Stevenson, a true expert in educational video and online teaching, whose session offered concrete advice that many of us can apply straight away in our daily work (such as investing in a good lighting umbrella).
One session, I must admit, left a particularly lasting mark on my mind and heart: Donna Davis, Assistant Dean and Title IX Coordinator at South Texas College of Law Houston, speaking on the value of inclusive leadership. She challenged us to reflect deeply on how we exercise our professional responsibilities and on the biases we may carry into our work. Her message was powerful: creating a genuine sense of belonging is at the core of effective leadership and highly-performing teams. I left the room with practical tools and strong motivation to put them (and see them put) into practice.
As always at IALL events, informal moments played an important role as well. Coffee and lunch breaks turned into valuable opportunities for exchange on topics ranging from collection development and teaching experiences to research support and information literacy programmes. I returned to Florence inspired by the generosity and expertise of colleagues from all over the world.
Although many excellent blog posts already reflect on the full programme, I would like to highlight a few sessions that particularly emphasized the transformative role of librarians.
The session on the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the trial of the Buffalo Soldiers, presented by Terri R. Zimmermann and Heather Kushnerick, was especially inspiring. It clearly showed how librarians and archivists can help reshape historical narratives and contribute to social justice through access to and careful interpretation of sources.
The “hot topic” session on encouraging and training future international and foreign law specialists, including the challenges of recruiting new professionals as the previous generation approaches retirement was also highly engaging. Speakers Kim P. Nayyer and Hilde Westbye reminded us of our responsibility toward the next generation of law librarians.
The session on “Banned Books, Censorship, and the Battles Libraries Face,” delivered by Chloe Kempf from the ACLU of Texas, was both sobering and energizing, reinforcing why our work matters so deeply in current days.
And finally, no honest account of Houston would be complete without mentioning the air conditioning. For an Italian accustomed to surviving heat and humidity, the fully air-conditioned conference rooms felt almost heroic in their intensity. Salvation came in the form of a raffle prize I was lucky enough to win: a beautiful NASA blanket, which quite literally kept me alive and warm through the conference days.
I am deeply grateful to IALL for the grant that made this experience possible. Attending this conference was professionally enriching and personally transformative. I warmly encourage my fellow colleagues to attend the Annual Course and remain open to where this profession may lead you.
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.