v.2, no.4, & v.3, no.1, Sum 1997

Asian-American Law

Librarians Caucus Newsletter

Volume 2, No. 4 & Volume 3, No. 1, Summer 1997

ISSN 1084-9068

Nancy Cheng

Even though some parts of the country areexperiencing temperamental weather, at least thecalendar tells us that Spring has arrived. I hopethat things are going well with all of you. It isalmost time to plan to attend the upcoming AALLconvention again. I just can't believe how timehas slipped by me in such fast fashion. I believethat this message probably will be my last as thePresident. I would like to take this opportunity tothank each one of you for your supportthroughout this year. I know that we are all verybusy with our own jobs. To take time to be involved in the Caucus' activities is commendable.

There are a couple of issues that have been discussed among members. Wei Luo ofSouthernIllinois University has suggested that we stop mailing the Newsletter and Directory ofMembership to save costs of photocopying and mailing since these publications are alreadyposted on the web, which most of our members have access to (for those who don't have accessto the web, a hardcopy of these publications will continue to be distributed through the postalservice). This is a wonderful suggestion since our operating funds are very limited. However, Iwould like to have this matter discussed fully at our next annual business meeting so thatmembers can participate in the decisionmaking process. 

Everything we do in life seems to involve money. This brings about another issue thatneeds tobe addressed. That is the collection of voluntary dues. Since we define that our Caucus's duesare voluntary donations, we have had hard time collecting it. I believe that everyone can spare$10.00. Timing is a crucial point. If we collect the donations during the annual Convention, wewill have a better chance of achieving our goal. Our minds are with the Caucus during theconvention. Unless you are involved in committee work, we have the tendency to forget aboutour promises to support the Caucus when we go back to our jobs. We need to pass the hat at ourannual meeting for donations. Please keep this in mind that the Caucus needs your monetarysupport!

Before we know it we will be meeting in Baltimore. I look forward to seeing you again inJuly.

Nomination of a Presidential Candidate

The Nomination Committee, chaired by Wei Luo, has formally nominated MonYin Lung,Public Services Librarian at University of Kansas School of Law Library, Lawrence, Kansas, asVice President/President-Elect for 1998, and Mon Yin has accepted the nomination. Mon Yinhas been instrumental in starting up the Caucus, and is widely deemed as the founding mother ofthe group.

Congratulations, Mon Yin!!!

Diversity Symposium

Chiao P. Chao

It is with great pleasure and expectation that Cossette Sun, Chairperson of the CommitteeonDiversity (COD) cordially invites all Asian-American law librarians to attend the DiversitySymposium to be held at the 1997 AALL Convention. The Symposium is scheduled forSaturday, July 19, from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. The theme of the program will be: "Preparing forthe Twenty-First Century: Workplace Diversity."

The highlight of the Symposium will be an address by Dr. Ching-Chih Chen, Professor andAssociate Dean of the Simon College Graduate School of Library and Information Science and acandidate for ALA President in 1996. Dr. Chen is a famous scholar on library and informationtechnology and a consummate professional in the field. She is also an international consultant tomore than two dozen countries, and is a much sought after international speaker on cutting-edgetechnology application in information related fields. She has made presentations in over thirtycountries. She has written or edited more than twenty-six books and over one hundred journalarticles. Her speech is "Participation in Professional Organization for Personal Growth andProfessional Advancement." The opportunity to listen to a scholar and professional of Dr.Chen's stature should make your trip to Baltimore a worthwhile learning experience. Followingthe half-day Symposium we will have a reception party and dinner. You are highly encouraged toattend either or both functions to mingle or catch up to old times with colleagues.

In addition to the Symposium, COD will sponsor two educational programs at the 1997Convention, and the dates/sessions are:

Monday, July 21

A-2 Navigating Your Career for Optimal Success and Satisfaction: The Art of Smart MovesandSmart Choices

Wednesday, July 23

H-3 The High-Tech. Law Library: Diversity's Friend of Foe?

Furthermore, COD will co-sponsor with AALLC a program titled "Asian-American FacingDiscrimination" on Tuesday, July 22. For more information about these programs, please reviewthe January 1997 Spectrum

and its supplement.

We are looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, July 19, for the Diversity

Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland. We encourage everyone to spread the word about thisevent to all of your colleagues. Thank you for your support and suggestions.

From the Editor's Desk

Exciting things are taking place in and out of our Caucus. Read thecolumn on "People and Happenings," you should feel proud of the latestachievements of some of our members. Outside of our ownorganization, encouraging developments are unfolding as well. A fewexamples come to my mind: last November Mr. Gary Locke was electedthe nation's first Asian-American governor of Washington, an unprecedented event in history. InFebruary this year, the National Law Journal published a major article featuring Asian-Americanlawyers, extolling their historical professional achievements (see "Asian-Americans Find Placein the Profession," The National Law Journal, Feb. 17, 1997, p1-). We, as members of theAsian-American Law Librarians Caucus, all should feel encouraged by the developments and getmore active and involved in our association's activities. Together we can elevate ourorganization and ourselves to a new height.

Welcome a New Member

Jin Wang (Reference Librarian, Legal Research Center, University ofSan Diego,wang@pwa.acusd.edu) recently joined the Caucus. Jin has been a law librarian since 1993, firstas a law firm library manager and then as a reference librarian with the University of San Diegolaw library.

People and Happenings

Wei Luo, Assistant Technical Services Librarian and Assistant Professor,Southern IllinoisUniversity School of Law Library, has published an article "How to Find the Law of the People'sRepublic of China: a Research Guide and Selective Annotated Bibliography," in LawLibraryJournal (Vol. 88, no.3, Summer 1996: 402-426).

Also, Wei has recently accepted a position of Reference Librarian atWashington UniversityLaw Library in St. Louis, Missouri. He will begin the new post in July, 1997.

Jonathan Franklin, Reference Librarian and Foreign Law Selector,University of MichiganLaw Library, has gotten an article published in Law Library Journal (Vol. 88,no.3, Summer1996: 352-381). The article is titled "Why Let Them Go? Retaining Experienced Librarians byCreating Challenging Internal Career Paths: Introducing the 'Executive Librarian'."

Helena Lai, Reference/International Law Librarian at City University ofNew York LawLibrary, was part of the panel on Minority Librarians in Law Librarianship, which was held atthe1997 SEAALL annual meeting in April, 1997 in Tallahassee, Florida.

Mon Yin Lung, Public Services Librarian at University of Kansas Schoolof Law Library,Lawrence, Kansas, has been appointed the Interim Director of the library for one year. Herappointment began in December 1996. 

Frank Y. Liu, Director of the Law Library and Professor of Law,Duquesne University,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the incoming President of our Caucus, recently visited Beijing,China, to attend the inauguration of the China Center of International Legal Study, which wasjointly established by the Chinese Ministry of Experts and the State Bureau of Foreign Expertsand run by China University of Political Science and Law. Frank was named as a vice chairmanof the Board of the Center. On the same trip, he also was named an Honorary Professor by theNorthern Jiaotong University, a leading school in China.

Nongji Zheng, formerly working at Harvard Law School Library inCambridge, Massachusetts,has recently become the Bibliographer for East Asian Law at Harvard Law School Library.

Marielena Fina, formerly Reference Librarian at Northeastern UniversityLaw Library, Boston,Massachusetts, is now the Head of Reference at Edward Bennett Williams Library, GeorgetownUniversity Law Center, Washington, D.C.

From the Editor's Bookshelf 

Asian Americans and Congress: a Documentary History. Edited by Hyung-chan Kim; forewordby Thomas E. Stuen.Westport, CT: Greenwood Press,1996.

The Legal System of Singapore. By Helena H.M. Chan. Charlottesville, Va.: Butterworths Asia,1995.

Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History. By BruceCumings. New York: Norton, 1997. 

The Indian Constitution and International Law. By P. Chandrasekhara Rao. Delhi : Taxmann;Norwell, MA, U.S.A.: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1995.

Legal Developments in China: Market Economy and Law. Edited by Wang Guiguo and WeiZhenying. Hong Kong: Sweet & Maxwell,1996.

Civil Justice in China: Representation and Practice in the Qing. By Philip C.C.Huang.Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1996.

Chinese Law: Sociological, Political, Historical, Business, and JudicialPerspectives. 4volumes. Edited with introductions by Tahirih V. Lee. New York: Garland Publishing, 1997. 

Foreign Investment in China: the Administrative Legal System. By Peter H. Corne. Irvington-on-Hudson, NY: Transnational Publishers, 1997.

Intellectual Property Laws of East Asia. Edited by Alan Gutterman and RobertBrown. Singapore: Sweet & Maxwell Asia, 1997.

Commercial Laws of East Asia. Edited by Alan Gutterman and Robert Brown. Singapore: Sweet & Maxwell Asia, 1997.

In order to cut down costs, we are seekingmeans of distributing the Newsletter through web posting, as we already do, or electronic mail. For this purpose, we need to know if members allhave access to the Internet and/ or an email server. So please let the editor know (by email, faxor U.S. mail) as soon as possible if you do NOT have access to the Internet oran email serverand wish to continue receiving the Newsletter by U.S. mail. Your response beforeAugust 31,1997 will be appreciated.