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InfoPro Home > Professional Development > Monthly Column
Adjusting to Global Information Demands
(January 2004) By Julie Webster Matthews, Librarian Relations Consultant
Disney did it. Federal Express did it; and recently Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has joined the ranks. And what exactly did they do? They went worldwide!
Law firms and other businesses around the world are expanding their enterprises to every corner of the globe. As technology continues to advance, the barrier that location once presented is slowly diminishing. For those of us in the information industry that means the expectation for providing services to support these worldwide demands will increase. As information professionals, we must be positioned to support our businesses and customers in a way that reflects that we are knowledgeable and capable of managing their needs for global information.
In 2004, The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), LexisNexis and the LexisNexis® Librarian Relations Group have taken steps to help information professionals to broaden their ability to conquer the demand for global information.
Recognizing the role that librarians play in the global information arena, AALL has selected the theme for the 2004 Annual Meeting and Conference, Boston to Mumbai: The World of Legal Information. The Boston meeting will focus on working in an era that demands legal information from around the globe.
In the September/October issue of AALL Spectrum Magazine, AALL President Janis Johnston, stated that "law librarians are being called upon to provide legal information from the far reaches of the world". The 2004 meeting will underscore the need for becoming adept at working in this larger world of legal information and to capture the far-ranging nature of the environments in which law librarians work. The programs and events will reflect the ever-expanding nature of the skills and knowledge that law librarians must possess. The meeting hopes to welcome a large number of foreign and international law librarians to Boston. Pres. Johnston noted that many of us have highly valued AALL participation for the great networking opportunities it provides. Now is the time for each of us to begin to build our own global networks.
Building our global networks is a critical piece in transforming our libraries into an arsenal for worldwide information. The LexisNexis Librarian Relations Group knows the importance of relationships, and therefore wants to contribute to helping our fellow law librarians become acquainted with some of our colleagues around the world. Beginning in February 2004, and each following month during 2004, the Infopro Web site will spotlight a law librarian from another country or a U.S. law librarian that specializes in international law. Our goal is to provide opportunities to introduce law librarians from around the globe to one another. Through these articles, perhaps you will be introduced to a new information resource for a research project, read about someone you'd like to meet face-to-face at the AALL meeting in Boston, or find a much-needed contact in a particular country. At the very least, you will learn something about law librarians in other parts of the world and some of the challenges they face.
For 2004, if you have not started to prepare for the American Association of Law Libraries 2004 Annual Meeting and Conference, you should. If the need for global information is not knocking on your door, it will. So, why not take advantage of the great programs that will be provided at the conference in Boston. In the meantime, LexisNexis will continue to supply you with content and enhancements to help make your search for worldwide information easier and easier.
And remember to look for the "Boston to Mumbai" logo each month on the Infopro website and learn about the featured international librarian.
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