From the President's Desk

November 2023

The following message was published in the November 2023 issue of In Session, the bulletin for CALL members:

Greetings CALL/ACBD members,

CALL/ACBD Town Hall
I am looking forward to participating at the next CALL/ACBD Town Hall scheduled for Wednesday November 22, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET. It will be an opportunity to engage and make important decisions about the future of our association. Please plan to attend. Materials for the meeting to be shared by the National Office soon.

IALL 41st Annual Course
Law librarians from different parts of the world gathered in Geneva, Switzerland for the 41st Annual Course of the International Association of Law Libraries from October 8 -11 with the theme “Like Clockwork?: Multilateralism and International Law in Geneva”. Major highlights of the conference include visits to the Palais des Nations (United Nations Office at Geneva), International Committee of the Red Cross Humanitarium (with the many scenes of humanitarian challenges) and the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne.  

The session at the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne reminded me about the early days of my career as a law librarian in the early 1990s. I was working with a graduate student who was researching sports law and arbitration. There was little or no jurisprudence at that time about this subject. I was highly impressed to see the evolution of this subject and how many resources were available in the library and on the Court’s website!

It was a very productive conference with many sessions and speakers focusing on various aspects of international law, international humanitarian law and the work of international organizations. It was a great opportunity to network with colleagues from all over the world.

Montreal 2024 Conference
The 2024 Conference Planning Committee have recently put out a call for papers and launched the conference website with information that will assist you with planning.

I am excited and looking forward to seeing as many CALL/ACBD members and other delegates in Montreal in June 2024.

Executive Board Retreat
As I am writing this piece, I am also preparing for the annual CALL/ACBD Board Retreat scheduled for November 17 & 18 in Toronto. I am looking forward to seeing my fellow board members who will be travelling from across the country to participate in the 2-day working session to plan and discuss the work of the association.

Happy (American) Thanksgiving
To our colleagues in the United States, here is wishing you a happy Thanksgiving as you celebrate in a few weeks!

Yemisi Dina