Many law librarians do not feel that they have the power, savvy, or information needed to act as strong advocates for their libraries and push back against administrators and other stakeholders when being asked to make changes to their budget or services.

Law librarians and legal information professionals are in an excellent position to help close the growing access to justice gap. In particular, academic and government law libraries that are open to the public may be interested in partnering with public libraries to provide greater access to legal information and support for navigating legal services. Law librarians can also assist public librarians with expanding their knowledge and improving their skills to respond to legal questions. This webinar will highlight different partnership models and introduce current opportunities and resources.

Government law libraries are funded in a variety of ways: through local, state, or federal budgets, court fees and fines, subscriptions, or a combination of all of those. Many court systems are currently re-evaluating the impacts of court fees and fines on members of the public, and government budgets are facing significant cuts due to the pandemic.​ Now more than ever, government law librarians and their allies must effectively advocate for full funding of their libraries. This webinar will empower participants with successful advocacy strategies they can implement at their institutions.

Access the recording from the overview of the AALL eLearning platform on December 15, 2020.

Louisiana is unfortunately a state with a high percentage of its residents who don't have access to the justice system, yet earn too much to qualify for legal aid. The state also lacks a parish law library system. The four law school libraries and one Supreme Court law library are concentrated in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, with the rest of the state lacking law libraries. Civil legal aid funding from the Legislature doesn't meet the state's needs. How do law librarians assist this population with so few resources? This session will cover how Louisiana law librarians ensure access to justice in a state with far fewer resources than most.

Many law librarians have trouble speaking openly and frankly about some of their failures and mishaps and miscommunications with law library outreach attempts. This session, presented as true-life stories told as cautionary tales, is about outreach and engagement fails.

Everyone wants to reach underserved communities or connect with new audiences that have not taken full advantage of library services. This session will discuss this difficult balance, highlight outreach successes and failures, and provide practical tips for librarians from all types of law libraries on effective ways to creatively reach out while preserving the professionalism expected of us.​

The AALL Law Librarianship as a Career Guidance Review Special Committee has been working over the past year to investigate the visibility and potential roadblocks to law librarianship as a career path, and has recently issued a thought-provoking report detailing their recommendations. This program will showcase successful instructional, outreach, and mentorship options in a variety of sectors that help advance collaborations and career awareness, build a successful pipeline of future law librarians, and ensure the sustainability of the profession.

Creating video content in support of outreach and instruction has moved from novelty to necessity. Whether you manage a website or social media presence, create content for an on-demand CLE program, or use video as a component of distance learning, the ability to generate quality footage and edit content into a polished final product can make or break the endeavor. This program will address the basics of creating raw content (video recording, screen captures, photos, etc.) and an overview of video editing tools for any budget.

The business of living can be traumatic, and our patrons come into their library interactions with their own histories of trauma. A trauma-informed library is a place where staff understands the perspectives of people who have experienced trauma and provides positive and unbiased service. This session explores ways for libraries to incorporate trauma-informed techniques into patron interactions by discussing what it means to be trauma-informed.