Johanna Bizub
AALL Annual Meeting, Denver, 2022
Well, it finally arrived: our first in-person Annual Meeting in 3 years! I must say, as excited as I was to head off to Denver to see my fellow law librarians, I was a bit apprehensive about flight cancellations. United delivered with only a short weather-related delay each way and not an empty seat in sight either way.
I awoke to a bright, beautiful Saturday and walked to the Convention Center for check-in. What a sight the Colorado Convention Center is to behold, with the Big Blue Bear peeking in the window and beautiful flowers outside the main entrance. AALL was here ten years ago but I forgot how the city sits high in the mountains with many taller mountains all around. I headed in, anxious to see who I would know at registration. As always, I was warmly greeted by the local hosts and AALL staff. I grabbed my credentials, checked out the Convention Center and headed over the Hyatt for my Chapter Leadership session. We enjoyed a nice breakfast buffet and a bit of networking, with lots of Vice Presidents and Presidents attending. The Chair and Incoming Chair kicked the meeting off by explaining AALL communications, which are now almost exclusively done using the Council of Chapter Presidents Community on AALLnet. They discussed Chapter business, such as Chapter visits, programs, and insurance. They also discussed how the Chapters are a bit more autonomous than the SIS’s and caucuses and can program without approvals from AALL but of course, there is lots of support from AALL if needed.
The next topic for discussion was spot on to every Chapter’s need post-pandemic — membership. We delved into all aspects of membership: engagement, retention, board participation, volunteering, virtual programming, burnout and attracting new members.
I have to say I felt total relief! It wasn’t just us — every chapter is experiencing the same issues and are looking to re-engage members and create programming that drives members to re-connect. We discussed how the pandemic affected work/home life. With many members feeling overwhelmed, many became disconnected. I heard many of my colleagues mention that they felt overwhelmed by the number of meetings required by their bylaws and how they struggled to keep committees and members engaged, and how hard it was to create virtual programs when everyone was burned out with Zoom/Webex meetings.
We did breakout groups and discussed what worked and what didn’t for each chapter. I have to say we were successful in getting members to attend our programs, but I have a few ideas to take back to the Board, Program, and Membership Committees.
The next topic was Strategic Planning, right on point for NJLLA as we are reviewing our Strategic Plan this year. Our Plan is right on target with objectives, but our speaker, Amanda Watson, pointed out that we need to approach it the same way we would in the first 30 days, first 90 days etc. Make the objectives doable and don’t overcommit to lofty goals. Amanda also stressed that we need to learn to say NO; we pile work upon ourselves as we don’t think that newcomers will step in and continue “the ways things were done.” What we really need to do is “LET GO” and not be afraid that change will happen, if newcomers change the way things get done but the organization continues to thrive, so be it.
After we wrapped up this meeting, we had the Leadership Luncheon, where we joined the SIS leadership and other special guests for lunch. To mix it up I selected an empty table and waited to see who would join me. I lucked out with a very friendly group and the conversations were upbeat and enthusiastic.
After the afternoon session with the SIS Leadership, I walked back to my hotel to get ready for the Opening Reception at the Exhibit Hall in the Colorado Convention Center.
I was looking forward to mingling in person with my law library colleagues for the first time in two years. When I walked in, the Convention Center was bustling with people and noise. I saw faces I knew and stopped to hug and chat. It was like attending a wedding and meeting up with relatives I hadn’t seen since I was little.
The Exhibit Hall looked great and there were many familiar vendors and representatives. I made sure to stop and say hello and welcome back. I visited as many vendors as I could and made certain to thank them for their support. I saw many of our members there, including Lucy Curci-Gonzalez, Kathy Agno, Zoe Michaud, Gayle Lynn-Nelson, and Dennis Prieto.
After the Opening Reception, I headed over to the PLLIP Leadership Appreciation dinner at Tamayo, located in Larimer Square in the Lodo neighborhood of downtown Denver. This was a first-time event for PLLIP and they invited all their volunteers. It was well attended and a treat to enjoy dinner at the “best Mexican restaurant in Denver.” We had some drinks and appetizers on the second-floor deck overlooking a courtyard replete with a Bastille Day Celebration. I was able to finally meet face-to-face with people that I have worked with for years. We briefly discussed work but mostly talked about what we discovered about our new normal, discovering new hobbies, adopting pets, letting go of things that consumed us, and our new future. A few people have entered retirement or semi-retirement — enjoying travel to exotic places, trying out new hobbies and sports (pickleball seems to be gaining new fans), and some are not ready to retire yet as the pandemic has changed their workstyle. It was interesting to see that many retirees are still actively volunteering. After this relaxing dinner and social hour, we all walked back to hotels to re-charge for Sunday. I attended the Keynote Address by Keynote Speaker Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye. She spoke of the vital role law libraries play in the justice system. I hit a couple of programs and then had to depart for my red-eye flight but wished I could have stayed longer as this year’s programming was very strong.
Thanks for the opportunity that the grant provided, and I look forward to our upcoming Chapter Anniversary celebration and seeing everyone.
AALL’s recap of the 2022 Conference is here: AALL 2022 / Tying It All Together.
See if you can find the names of NJLLA Members in AALL’s listing of membership anniversaries.
