Conference Information

2008 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim

Got Elections? Informing the Public Preconference

2008 Annual Program/Research Forum - Giving Voters a Voice with Direct Democracy

Which is best for voters: a representative system where elected lawmakers work within the constraints of legislative procedure, or a participatory system where voters themselves create laws and constitutional amendments by majority rule? Is — as a recent Los Angeles Times opinion piece claimed — a “hybrid democracy” in which voters and legislators share the work of deciding legislation the best route to effective government?

The 2008 program presented a panel discussion on ballot initiatives and referendums in state politics. Panelists explored both the history of citizen lawmaking in the U.S. as well as current trends and their significance with particular comments on the 2008 elections. Resources and approaches to researching primary materials and scholarship on ballot measures and initiatives were also discussed.

Speakers:

• Herbert Cihak, Associate Dean, Library and Information Services, Pepperdine University School of Law
• Kareem Crayton, Associate Professor of Law and Political Science, Gould School of Law, University of Southern California
• Romulo Rivera, Project Manager for PolicyArchive, Center for Governmental Studies

Conference pathfinder/bibliography: Direct Democracy Research: Background and Sources for Scholars and Voters.

Archived Conference Information

• 2008 Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia
  * minutes: Executive Committee | General Membership
  * Library Instruction Discussion Group, "The Political Science Information Literacy Standards"
• 2007 Annual Conference in Washington D.C.
  * minutes: Executive Committee | General Membership
  * Can Blogs Be Trusted? conference program pathfinder/bibliography
  * Blogs and related technologies panel presentation and discussion:
  --> Blogs for Anticipatory Reference and User Awareness, Jennie M. Burroughs
  --> Blogs...now Wikis? What's Next in Social Software, Cathy Carpenter
  --> Who Reads ‘em? presentation and handout, Jennie Gerke
  --> Philadelphia: City of Brotherly Love and Political Blogging, Julie Still
• 2007 Midwinter Conference in Seattle
  * minutes: Executive Committee | General Membership
  * Library Instruction Discussion Session, "Google Scholar and Wikipedia"
• 2006 Annual Conference in New Orleans
  * minutes
  * Beyond Katrina: Politics, Race and Law conference program pathfinder/bibliography
• 2006 ALA Midwinter Conference in San Antonio
  * minutes
• 2005 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago -
  * Making Sense of Public Affairs Research: What the Pros Can Teach Us conference program pathfinder, bibliography and Investigative Reporting and The Big Story presentations
• 2005 ALA Midwinter Conference in Boston
  * minutes
• 2004 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando
  * minutes
  * Interactive and Collaborative Curricular Learning Communities conference program pathfinder
• 2004 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego
  * minutes
• 2003 ALA Annual Conference in Toronto
  * minutes
  * Crossing New Borders: Globalization and Copyright conference program
• 2003 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia
  * minutes
• 2002 ALA Annual Conference in Atlanta
  * Librarians in the Big Leagues: Are You Ready for the Teaching Academy? conference program
• 2002 ALA Midwinter Meeting in New Orleans
• 2001 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco
  * agenda
  * conference program pathfinder
• 2001 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Washington, DC
• 2000 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago
  * agenda
  * Legal Websites Aren't Just for Lawyers conference program
• 2000 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio
• 1999 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans
  * agenda
  * Politics of Scholarly Communication conference program
• 1999 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia
• Historical information on older conferences