Summer 2022, Government Relations

CALL Government Relations Committee 2021-2022 Annual Report

Chair: Sarah Reis

Members: Sally Holterhoff, Jeffrey Meyerowitz, Joe Mitzenmacher, Sarah Walangitan

Board Liaison: Mandy Lee

Committee Charge:

Government Relations Committee keeps apprised of government activity pertaining to libraries and information policy by staying informed of the work of the AALL Government Relations Committee and the Government Relations Office. Shares updates with the CALL community and promotes equitable access to justice and access to information. Advocates policy interests and views of CALL on issues affecting law libraries and legal information professionals in the Chicago area, Illinois, and neighboring states.

Meetings:

The GRC met via Zoom on August 5, 2021, to discuss projects/activities for 2021-22. The Chair met with the Board on December 14, 2021. 

 Committee Accomplishments: 

  • Conducted a review of projects and events offered by Government Relations Committees in other AALL chapters around the country. We explored the websites and/or annual reports of other AALL chapters to see whether there were any activities or programs pertaining to government relations (including access to information and access to justice initiatives) that may be useful for our committee to similarly pursue for our own Chicago-area community. We shared a summary report of our findings with the CALL Board in December 2021.  
  • In collaboration with the Public Relations Committee, investigated platform options to create a dynamic web version of Finding Illinois Law to improve accessibility. The guide is currently available in PDF on the CALL website. We conducted some initial tests of exporting content to PressBooks to explore the platform’s tools and features. The web version project will be continued into the new CALL year. 
  • In collaboration with the Continuing Education Committee, brainstormed possible speakers for a joint program with the Special Libraries Association (Illinois). Joe Mitzenmacher reached out to various potential speakers, including those at AALL, ALA, and ILA. This joint program will likely be scheduled in Fall 2022.  
  • Kept apprised of legislative developments and government activity affecting libraries from the AALL Government Relations Committee to inform the CALL community about advocacy opportunities. Two members of the CALL GRC (Sarah Reis and Sarah Walangitan) also served as members of the AALL GRC this term. One development affecting some members of the CALL community was that UELMA was enacted in March in Indiana (effective July 1), which was the 24th UELMA enactment. 
  • Promoted GRC-related events to the CALL community, including the AALL Virtual Legislative Advocacy Training (September 2021) and AALL Chapter Advocacy Training (January 2022). CALL GRC member Sally Holterhoff served as a panelist for the AALL Chapter Advocacy training.