FROM: Jenny S. Silbiger, AALL Vice President.
“I am so grateful to all of our members who make AALL an informed, educated, and wholehearted organization. I know we are not alone in the work that we do, as access to legal information impacts all aspects of the legal profession, and I am heartened to know that we are just one organization of many who are working diligently to make a positive difference in the world.”
STATEMENT:
The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) affirms our unwavering commitment to access to legal information—a cornerstone of an informed and educated society—as well as to centering our members as experts in the legal information field. We have consistently advocated for the legal information profession over our 119-year history, and today is no different. We stand with libraries and our colleagues whose ability to carry out their professional duties is obstructed due to recent government action. Our work intersects with all aspects of the broader legal profession, and these actions negatively impact our ability to provide access to reliable, authoritative legal information. We advocate that legal information from all three branches of government are meaningfully available for analysis, education, discussion, and research.
The past month has been full of executive orders that have affected our AALL members, colleagues, and friends. Plans to eliminate and defund departments and agencies holding critical government documents and carrying out government activity, as well as withdrawing information from government websites, is alarming. AALL recognizes that access to legal information is crucial for civics and legal education and central to the pursuit of access to justice and practicing law in our country.
AALL respects and applauds dedicated efforts to preserve access to legal information in our respective sectors and communities. We are grateful to our members who continue to share and support legal information access and preserve legal information resources, participating personally in these efforts, as well as leveraging them in their work. Further, we invite our members to stay informed of the fast-moving developments shared and updated in our AALL Advocates Community, where any member can join. We extend our sincere gratitude for our Government Relations Committee leadership and members who volunteer their time to keep abreast of legal issues affecting our organization, engage in discussions with membership, and who encourage this exchange of valuable information.
AALL supports and celebrates our members as a whole, recognizing that each member works in a variety of settings and represents an extensive range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Our members bring unique skills, gifts, and talents to our profession. Indeed, the “whole” of our membership is enriched not only because of our shared values with regard to the preservation and stability of legal information, but also because of our many differences and viewpoints, which inspire us to learn from one another and move our legal information field forward. All of these qualities elevate our ability to make a positive impact on our legal information stakeholders nationwide.
AALL encourages our membership to come together as a touchstone of thoughtfulness, civility, and care, to center ourselves in our fundamental values of respect, dignity, and professional connection. The current climate of executive orders impacting government entities—and thereby access to reliable government and authentic legal information—will not change our efforts to elevate access to legal information. We embrace this work in tandem with our pursuit of professional excellence, education, connection, and service to each other and our communities.