American Association of Law Libraries

American Association of Law Libraries
Name	American Association of Law Libraries
Abbreviation	AALL
Formation	1906
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Location	United States
Membership	Academic, court, corporate, government, and private law libraries

Contents

American Association of Law Libraries The American Association of Law Libraries is a professional association representing law librarians, legal information professionals, and law library staff across the United States, Canada, and internationally. Founded in 1906, it connects practitioners from institutions such as the Library of Congress, Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, and the New York Public Library to promote access to legal information, resource sharing, and professional standards. The Association collaborates with entities like the American Bar Association, Federal Judicial Center, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Archives and Records Administration, and the State Bar of California on issues affecting legal research, access, and preservation.

History

The Association was founded in 1906 amid contemporaneous developments at institutions such as Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, University of Michigan Law School, and the New York State Library. Early leaders included librarians affiliated with the Library of Congress, Boston Public Library, University of Chicago Law School, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, who navigated legal publication changes involving the United States Reports, Federal Reporter, West Publishing Company, and the Legal Information Institute. Throughout the 20th century the Association engaged with milestones such as the creation of the Social Security Act’s administrative frameworks, the expansion of law reviews at Yale Law School and Stanford Law School, and technological shifts exemplified by partnerships with vendors like LexisNexis, Westlaw, and initiatives at the National Center for State Courts. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries it responded to developments at the Supreme Court of the United States, legislative reforms involving the Freedom of Information Act, digitization programs at the Smithsonian Institution, and global legal information networks connected to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.

The Association operates through an elected Board of Directors and Executive Committee with officers drawing from universities such as Georgetown University Law Center, University of California, Berkeley, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and the University of Texas School of Law. Governance includes standing committees and special interest sections that interface with bodies like the Federal Communications Commission, the United States Copyright Office, the American Library Association, and state supreme courts including the California Supreme Court and the New York Court of Appeals. Annual meetings and strategic planning align with calendared events at venues in cities such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Membership comprises librarians from academic institutions such as Cornell Law School, University of Michigan Law School, University of Chicago Law School, and private firms including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Latham & Watkins. Chapters and local affiliates operate in regions tied to entities like the District of Columbia Circuit, the First Circuit, the Ninth Circuit, and state bar associations including the New York State Bar Association and the Texas Bar Association. Specialized memberships include staff from the Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service, state law libraries, court law libraries of the United States Courts, and international partners affiliated with institutions such as the British Library and the National Diet Library.

The Association provides continuing education programs modeled after offerings at Harvard Law School and Georgetown University, conferences paralleling those hosted by the American Bar Association, and cooperative projects with the Legal Services Corporation, the Public Library Association, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Services include reference guides comparable to those produced by the Library of Congress, training on legal research platforms like LexisNexis, Westlaw, and open-access initiatives tied to the Legal Information Institute and the Directory of Open Access Journals. It also facilitates interlibrary loan networks similar to collaborations among the Association of Research Libraries and supports archival preservation practices used by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Association publishes scholarly and professional materials including a flagship journal, research reports, bibliographies, and guides that echo the scope of periodicals such as the Law Library Journal, law reviews at Yale Law School and Harvard Law School, and treatises published by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. It sponsors research on legal information access, metadata standards related to the Dublin Core and initiatives comparable to the Open Archives Initiative, and contributes to standards referenced by the American Bar Association and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Collaborative studies involve partners such as the Pew Research Center, the Brennan Center for Justice, and university research centers at Columbia University and Stanford University.

Advocacy efforts focus on access aligned with litigation and policy matters involving the Supreme Court of the United States, legislative activity in the United States Congress, and administrative rulemaking at the United States Copyright Office and the Federal Trade Commission. Professional development includes CLE-style programming, mentorship modeled on initiatives at ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, leadership training similar to programs at Harvard Kennedy School, and scholarship opportunities connected to foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. The Association engages with coalitions including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Knowledge Foundation, and the American Civil Liberties Union on information access and privacy issues.

The Association confers awards recognizing achievements comparable to honors from the American Library Association, the ALA Grolier Award, and prizes akin to the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award. Awards acknowledge contributions by individuals affiliated with institutions such as Georgetown University Law Center, University of Chicago Law School, Yale Law School, and corporate partners including Thomson Reuters and Google. Honors include lifetime achievement recognitions, innovation awards related to digital projects similar to those from the Knight Foundation, and grants supporting research with collaborators like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.