Proposed 2019-2021 CS-SIS Strategic Plan

I offer thanks to Ken Hirsh and his Strategic Planning Committee consisting of Kenton Brice, Kincaid Brown, Susanna Leers, Darla Jackson, Kris Niedringhaus, Amanda Watson, and Jean Willis for developing this strategic plan.  The plan has the unanimous support of the CS-SIS Executive Board as proposed and will be discussed and voted on by our membership at the CS breakfast meeting at the AALL conference in DC.

2019-2021 COMPUTING SERVICES

SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION

STRATEGIC PLAN

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Computing Services Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries is:

• To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, information and knowledge about technology among law librarians.
• To serve a leadership role in the ongoing professional development of law librarians as they evaluate, implement, and use new forms of technology at their organizations.
• To assist law librarians with demonstrating to their organizations the important roles librarians play in advancing the understanding and use of technology in legal education and the practice of law.

OBJECTIVE:

Become the leading AALL source for continuing education opportunities for librarians and library staff that work with and have an interest in technology.

RATIONALE:

In the past decade there has been strong interest in the teaching of practice technology to law students and lawyers, as well as in classroom and courtroom technologies. This is evidenced by discussion among section members, by additional law school course offerings; by social media discussions focusing on the topic; by the creation of a Section on Technology, Law and Legal Education in the Association of American Law schools; and by the creation of a Teaching Technology Caucus within AALL. There is an overlap between the section and the Digital and Educational Technologies SIS in the narrow area of presentation technologies. Digitization has been an interest of a significant portion of our membership but has not commanded a large part of our focus in recent years.

The 2019 survey of section membership found continuing strong interest in educational programming by the section, and in developing substantive papers in topics of interest, as would a think tank. The survey also showed members are interested in more effective communication within the section and reaching out to librarians outside of academia.

GOAL I: SECTION EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

OBJECTIVE:

Advance and align section educational programming according to membership interest and need.

STRATEGIES:

1. Align educational programming with AALL’s Body of Knowledge.
2. Continue to create and promote excellent programming at the AALL annual meeting.
3. Develop and offer educational webinars and other programming throughout the year.

GOAL II: COMMUNICATION, ENGAGEMENT & OUTREACH

OBJECTIVE:

Actively engage members, both virtually and in person, throughout the year. Recruit new members.

Strategies:

1. Appoint a special committee to consider whether to change the section’s name. The committee’s deliverable will be a recommendation to the board whether to change the name and, if the recommendation is positive, to accompany it with one or more options for a new name. The committee shall make its final report within six months of appointment.
2. The chair or designated board members shall reach out to leadership of Digital and Educational Technologies SIS and the Teaching Technology Caucus to identify areas of shared interest and potential collaboration. If those organizations are willing, leadership shall discuss whether some form of organizational consolidation is desirable.
3. Identify potential new members among existing AALL members and law librarians who are not yet AALL members.
4. Implement an online annual business meeting.

GOAL III: EXECUTIVE BOARD AND COMMITTEE GOVERNANCE

OBJECTIVE:

To provide more structure to the work of the Executive Board and SIS projects; and, to provide more leadership and guidance to the Committee chairs in regard to Committee projects and goals.

STRATEGIES:

1. Assign to both board members-at-large the responsibility to manage a section-sponsored social event at the AALL annual meeting. While this event presently is Karaoke with Ken, board members should plan for an alternative event when that becomes necessary.
2. Continue efforts to develop effective governance continuity from year-to-year with cloud-based archiving of reports and other programmatic and governance documents. Continue succession planning efforts by the Executive Board.