The mission of this Special Interest Section is to help newer members of AALL become active participants in the organization and profession. It is our goal to facilitate the engagement of members by providing a forum for librarians from different organization types and departments to learn, contribute, innovate, and network.

This Special Interest Section is not limited to those members who are new in the profession. What made the Gen X/Gen Y Caucus so successful was the combined voice of our community- new and established, young and young at heart- working together to have a positive impact on our profession. In order to accomplish this goal, this Special Interest Section will focus its energy on 1) providing opportunities to increase the professional knowledge and abilities of our members through educational and leadership training and programs; 2) encouraging collaboration and exploration of new methods, resources, and technologies with other members, caucuses, and SISs; 3) providing networking and mentoring opportunities for newer and established members; and, 4) promoting and highlighting the contributions and innovations of our membership to the broader organization and profession.

The Gen X/ Gen Y Caucus was founded in December 2005 by Jennifer Marshall who saw a need for younger members of our profession to connect with one another and to have an additional voice in the organization. Marshall's early thinking was partly inspired by the AALL Task Force on Generation X and Generation Y in 2004 and its report "Generations in Law Librarianship: Results of AALL Survey." The Caucus' inaugural meeting was at the AALL conference in July of 2006 in St. Louis. Over 100 excited younger librarians attended this first meeting. At that meeting, various working groups were created to explore issues of importance to the next generation of law librarians. In 2009, the Caucus elected its first panel of officers.

Since its inception, the Gen X/ Gen Y Caucus has been committed to providing an environment for newer and/or younger AALL members to connect with one another, and to more established librarians, in order to develop into lifetime learners and innovators in the profession. The intention of this Special Interest Section is to build upon the work of the Caucus by providing an important additional voice in the AALL organization, increasing the knowledge and abilities of our members, and assisting them in their growth as they build rewarding careers.