Asian-American Law Librarians Caucus Newsletter
Volume 2, Number 1, Summer 1996 ISSN 1084-9068
The President's Message
Kai-Yun Chiu
This past year has gone by in a big blur in the life of this particular law librarian. I can
hardly believe that the Annual Meeting of the AALL for 1996 is upon us. To those of you
who are creatures of habit, please take note that our Caucus meeting this year is changed
from the usual Tuesday to Monday, July 22, between 5:15 pm - 6:30 pm. And, instead of
our traditional post-meeting dinner, we have arranged for a luncheon on Wednesday, July
24, at a nearby Chinese restaurant. The three speakers of the afternoon program
"Hong Kong 1997" (presented by Mila Rush and her hard working Program Committee)
will be our guests at the luncheon. Mark your calendars, and let's have a sumptuous
luncheon together.
One of our Caucus members, Cossette Sun, was recently appointed by Frank Houdek,
the incoming AALL President, to be the Chair of the Committee on Diversity for
1996-1997. In the Strategic Plan of AALL, Initiative 2 recommends that the Association
"Foster diversity among membership and AALL leadership, including minority
members in activities such as leadership, programs, and alliances." Grace Mills, the
Committee's past Chair, stated in one of her messages that the Committee on Diversity
should "be seen, by the many minority groups within AALL's structure, as the
AALL committee paramount with their interests in mind and ready to advocate for
voices not 'traditionally' heard within AALL's governing body." It is clear from these
statements that the Committee on Diversity has a lot to offer to members of our Caucus.
Therefore, I strongly urge Caucus members to actively participate in the workings of the
Committee on Diversity. The Committee is sponsoring a symposium on Saturday, July
20, to address the issues of diversity and multiculturalism in the legal information
profession and the AALL. No registration fee is required of the symposium, but pre-
registration is necessary. There will also be two business meetings of the Committee:
Sunday from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm and Wednesday from 7:00 am to 8:30 am. Let
us give Cossette our wholehearted support by attending these meetings.
As my term to serve as President of the Caucus is coming to an end, I want to say
how much I appreciated all the good work done by the Caucus Committees and their
Chairs. It is only through their work that the Caucus can move ahead. My thanks to
Haibin for his patience and perseverance in order to get the Newsletter produced; to
Paul for presenting such a strong slate of nominees for the coming year; to Mila for
putting together a wonderful program for the Annual Meeting; to Dan for producing that
beautiful Caucus brochure; and to Heija for doing the ground work on the Directory.
Last, but not the least, thanks to Wendy, whom I drafted at the last minute, gracefully
stepped in as the Secretary/Treasurer. Guys and gals, it was truly a job well done. Thank
you all from the bottom of my heart.
Stay well and see you in Indianapolis.
The Convention Calendar
Saturday, July 20
1 pm - 5 pm Diversity Symposium
5 pm - 6:30 pm Reception
7 pm Scholarship Dinner
Sunday, July 21 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Committee on Diversity meeting
Monday, July 22 5:15 pm - 6:30 pm
Caucus Business Meeting
Wednesday, July 24
7:00pm -8:30am Diversity Committee mtg
Noon - 1:15 pm Caucus luncheon
1:30 pm - 3 pm Hong Kong 1997
Hong Kong 1997
Mila Rush, Chair
Program Committee
By now most, if not all, of you know that the AALLC is sponsoring an educational
program entitled "Hong Kong 1997" at the Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. The FCIL-
SIS is co-sponsoring this program. I hope that you have reserved 1:30 to 3:00 pm on
Wednesday to participate in this very timely and interesting topic. You will not only hear
William McCloy, Frankie F. L. Leung and Professor James Feinerman, but also may
direct questions to them. They are all eminently qualified to speak on this topic.
Don't miss this great opportunity!
Bill, whom we know has been the sole facilitator of the Asian Law Working Group
since the group's first meeting in July 1991 and the Assistant Librarian for East Asian
Law at the University of Washington Gallagher Law Library, will be providing a
background for the topic by discussing the common law as practiced in Hong Kong at
the present time. Mr. Frankie Leung, a partner at the Los Angeles office of Lewis,
D'Amato, Brisbois & Bisgaard, is a lecturer on Chinese law at Stanford University andan
adjunct professor at Loyola Law School. He can boast of a truly international experience -
schooled in both England and Hong Kong and being admitted to the bars in England
and Wales, Hong Kong, Australia, and California. He is a prolific author, and has
recently published writings on the this topic. He will discuss the Sino-Britain agreement
on Hong Kong and its implications for Hong Kong and international law. Professor James
Feinerman teaches at Georgetown University Law Center. Yale-educated (holding both
Ph.D and J.D degrees), he did post-doctoral work at Beijing University, China, which he
also visited as a lecturer. He was Director of East Asian Legal Studies at Harvard, and is
an Asian law expert active in numerous professional organizations. He will present
the U.S. perspective on the transfer of Hong Kong from Britain to China: How will this
affect the relations between the U.S. and Hong Kong? How does the U.S. prepare for
the change?
Our speakers will be joining members and friends of the Caucus for lunch immediately
preceding the program. Hope to see you all at both the program and the lunch!
Congratulations!!! Congratulations!!!
@ Paul S. Fu, former president of AALLC nd Librarian of the Supreme Court of Ohio
Law Library, received the Columbus Bar ssociation's Award of Merit at the bar
association's Law Day celebration on May 1, 996. The professional service award was in
recognition of Paul's "outstanding service and commitment to the central Ohio legal
community."
@Wei Luo (Southern Illinois University Law Library at Carbondale) is winner chosen
by the AALL Call for Papers Awards Committee, New Member Division, for his
article "How to Find Laws of the People's Republic of China: A Research Guide
with Selective Annotated Bibliographies." A cash award of $750 will be presented to
Wei at the annual meeting on Wednesday July 24, 1996, from 1:30 to 2:30 in the
afternoon.
Directory Committee Report
Heija B. Ryoo, Chair
The Directory Committee has been printing a membership directory every other year, and
the last one was printed in 1995. This year, especially due to the financial situation, we
will not print a hard copy of the directory. The Committee, however, has been updating
the membership information mainly through the Minority Law Librarians section of the
AALL Directory & Handbook 1995-1996. We will take this updated copy to the annual
meeting to verify or make any corrections.
It is our hope that after the annual meeting, we will have the updated copy available in an
electronic format which is accessible from the AALLC home page maintained by Jie Su
at Washburn University. In the meantime, if you have moved or have changes to be made
to your current listing, please let us know by e-mailing either Mrs. Clair Lee (University of
Minnesota Law Library) at c-lee@ maroon.tc.umn.edu, or myself (Southern Illinois
University Law Library) at hryoo@siu.edu. The Directory can be accessed from: http://
lawlib.wuacc.edu/asianllc/caucus.dir.html.
The Financial Report
July 1995-June 1996
Wendy Hu, Secretary/Treasurer
Beginning Balance $223.10
Member Donations $210.00
Disbursements $233.22
Newsletter #2 $86.62
Newsletter #3 $67.20
Newsletter #4 $79.40
End Balance (6/30/96) $199.88
A Diversity Symposium
Cossette Sun, Chair
Committee on Diversity
As the incoming chair of the Committee on Diversity (COD) and a long-time member of
the Asian-American Law Librarians Caucus, I would like to invite you to participate in the
activities sponsored by the COD during the AALL Convention in Indianapolis.
The Committee changed its name in 1993 from the Committee on Minority to the
Committee on Diversity, which is open to all groups including African-American, Asian-
American and other minorities. One of the items in the AALL's Strategic Plan is to
"foster Diversity among membership and AALL Leadership, including minority
members in activities such as leadership, programs, and alliances." Presidents Pat
Kehoe (1996) and Frank Houdek (1997) are both committed to foster diversity within the
Association. I hope you will come to the Diversity Symposium on Saturday, July 20
from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. The COD Reception will be held from 5:00 p.m. until
6:30 p.m. The Annual Committee on Diversity Scholarship Dinner will be held at
Ahsanti Room beginning 7:00 p.m. I'd also like your input for next year's symposium
and programs. There will be two COD meetings during the convention. The first
will be held in Room 201 at the Convention Center on Monday, July 21, and the second
will also be held at the Convention Center on Wednesday from 7:00 am to 8:15 am (Please
check the program for the room number).
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, 1996
May 6, 1996
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation*
Our national character has been enhanced by citizens who maintain and honor cultural values and customs brought from other lands. Americans of Asian and Pacific
Islander ancestry have long been a part of that tradition, enriching the fabric of our
society with their unique talents and abilities. This month provides a welcome opportunity
to recognize these gifts and to celebrate the daily contributions that Asian and Pacific
Americans make to our country's progress.
Every sector of American life has benefitted from the extraordinary leadership of those
who trace their roots back to Asia and the Pacific Island region. In the arts and
sciences, the business world, law, academia, and government, these remarkable
individuals have expanded our horizons, achieving exceptional success and
demonstrating a dedicated belief in equal opportunity. Asian and Pacific Americans
have worked to overcome challenges, often in the face of discrimination and prejudice,
and have successfully embraced the opportunities of the American Dream.
As we stand on the threshold of the 21st century, ready to compete in theglobal
marketplace and strengthen our partnerships with the nations of the Pacific Rim, let us
draw on the strengths added by Asian and Pacific Americans and applaud their proud
legacy of service and dedication to this country.
To honor the accomplishments of Asian and Pacific Americans and to recognize their
many contributions to our Nation, the Congress, by Public Law 102-450**, has
designated the month of May as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month."
Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America,
do hereby proclaim May 1996 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. I call
upon the people of the United States to observe this occasion with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of May, in the year
of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and twentieth.
William J. Clinton
Editor's note:
* The Proclamation is numbered 6892. The text is available from Weekly Compilation
of Presidential Documents, v. 32, no. 19, May 13, 1996, p 804, or Federal Register,
v. 61, no. 90, May 8, 1996, p. 21045, or the White House home page at http: //
www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/library.
** Public Law 102-450, codified as 36 U.S.C. 169k, was passed on October 23,
1992.
Application for Caucus Membership
Name______________________________
Institution__________________________
___________________________________
Mailing Address_____________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Phone No.__________________________
Fax No.____________________________
E-mail_____________________________
[ ] I have enclosed a check of $10, as a voluntary
contribution to the Asian- American Law Librarians
Caucus. (Please note that your check must be made
payable to American Association of Law Libraries,
instead of the Caucus. However, you should note on
the back of the check "for AALLC".)
Please send your completed application to:
Wendy Hu
Secretary/Treasurer of AALLC
U.S. Court of Appeals Library
2801 U.S. Courthouse
40 Centre Street/Foley Square
New York, NY 10007-1595
