President’s Letter

As my term as CALL president comes to an end and I reflect on the past year I find myself wondering how it went by so quickly, but also how we were able to accomplish so much in only 12 months. I have no answer to how we can slow down time, but I do know that our accomplishments are entirely possible because of the strength of our members. I was deeply disappointed that Covid finally caught up with me and prevented me from attending the May Business Meeting. I regret not being able to personally thank the Board members, committee chairs, and committee members who made this year such a success.

Always a highlight of the May meeting, we were thrilled to honor this year’s award winners. I would like to extend my congratulations to them all:

  • Joe Mitzenmacher – Agnes and Harvey Reid Award for Outstanding Contribution to Law Librarianship
  • Nancy Henry – Agnes and Harvey Reid Award for Outstanding Contribution to Law Librarianship
  • Emily Byrne and Emily Barney, IIT Chicago-Kent Law Library – Award for Outstanding In-House Publication

I don’t have space here to recount all the amazing activities, events and achievements from the past year, but we will be sharing the chapter and committee annual reports shortly.  In my view, one of the highlights of the year was the Board’s approval of an extension to our Strategic Plan to carry us through 2023. Most notably, the updated plan included a new strategic goal to “Implement policies that ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness, support, and initiatives are a priority for CALL.” We plan to work toward this goal via two main objectives: 1) creating a new CALL Diversity & Inclusion Committee and 2) Review formal and informal CALL policies to determine if any policies need to be amended to better promote DEI. The new Diversity & Inclusion Committee is charged with the following:

  1. To identify issues related to maximizing the diversity of CALL membership
  2. To recognize and celebrate the richness of an active, diverse membership
  3. To advise the Board on mechanisms and programs that encourage a diverse and complex membership
  4. To encourage active participation by the whole membership including identifying barriers and how to remove them

Scott Vanderlin will soon be putting out the call for volunteers to serve as committee chairs and members for 2022-2023 and we encourage all who are interested to serve on the new Diversity & Inclusion Committee or any of our other 13 committees.

I would like to end by extending a special thank you to the outgoing Board members. Lindsey Carpino, Past President, I could not have made it through this year without your counsel and guidance. Tom Keefe, Treasurer, thank you for keeping our finances in order. It was a joy to work with you again after all these years. Mandy Lee, Director –> Vice President/President Elect, you’re not leaving after all! Thank you for agreeing to continue your service to CALL. I am thrilled to see what lies ahead for the association under your leadership.

Added thanks to our continuing and new board members. Scott Vanderlin, the association could not be in better hands as we begin our 75th anniversary celebrations. Sarah Andeen, a million thanks for keeping such detailed minutes. You were essential to keeping us on track this year. Carrie Port, thank you for all your inspired ideas. Your energy and enthusiasm were always appreciated. Finally, thank you to Todd Hilmer and Jill Meyer for stepping up and serving as Treasurer and Director. Best wishes to this new group of talented individuals!

Thank you,

Jamie Sommer