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.
really hope this goes through. i met all my best librarian friends through this group