In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our colleague Victoria Szymczak from the University of Hawaii School of Law will be speaking to WestPac members on May 26 from 12pm-1pm PST. Her presentation will look at the origins of Pacific Island legal systems, the legacies of colonialism in the Pacific region, and will celebrate the unique legal frameworks found in the Pacific region that help protect indigenous cultures in the face of Western creep. As we explore the origins of these new countries’ legal systems, we will watch a documentary on the historical practice of blackbirding and how this practice affects displaced Pacific Islanders today. This sinister slice of history is not well known and serves to demonstrate the obstacles under which Pacific Islanders have struggled in their reach for independence. Key constitutional provisions will be reviewed as we bring our discussion forward to the 21st century.
We thank Vicki for offering this program to our members which is brought to you by WestPac’s newly formed Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
If you are interested in attending, please reach out to Tawnya Plumb for the Zoom link.
Congratulations to our incoming Vice-President/President-Elect Anna Blaine, and re-elected Treasurer Lee Van Duzer! Each received 100% of the votes cast for their respective offices. The election results are linked here (note: please right click and open link in a new tab).
Thank you to Secretary Sharalyn Williams and the Nominations and Elections Committee (Annalee Hickman and Youngwoo Ban) for all of their work on this year’s election.
The WestPac Nominations and Elections Committee is seeking nominations for the positions of Vice-President/President-elect and of Treasurer. Don’t be shy about nominating yourself. If your library has a rigid institutional structure with not a lot of room for upward movement, executive roles in professional organizations are an excellent way to fill leadership gaps on a résumé.
Here are the position descriptions:
President
· Lead the business meetings
· Get Board approval for Local Arrangements Committee proposals
· Update committee memberships
· Organize the business meeting lunch at AALL
· Communicate with AALL on behalf of the chapter
VP/Pres-elect
· Line up all the educational programming for the Annual Meeting. VPs differ in terms of how much assistance they’ve asked for/received from the Education Committee in organizing the programming.
Secretary
· Take notes at business meetings
· Receive any proposed amendments to the WestPac Constitution
· Prepare the official ballot for elections & run the elections
· Keep track of membership records: send written notice of dues to members, let the Membership Committee know about new WestPac members, send the names of new members to the Newsletter editor, inform the WestPac webmaster of new members
Treasurer
· Manage bank account
· Track membership
· Track income and expenses
· Tax return
To nominate yourself or a colleague, please email Annalee Hickman,
WestPac Nominations and Elections Committee Chair, at HickmanA@law.byu.edu by Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
We are preparing the Spring edition of WestPac News, and we need your help to make it interesting and informative!
Please share with us your library news, insights, and photos. Committee chairs, please share the latest news from your committees, too. Submissions do not need to be lengthy.
Please send your submissions to WestPac News at news.westpac@gmail.com by Friday, April 9th.
Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you!
It’s time to renew your WestPac membership, which runs from January through December! By renewing your membership, you are able to hold elective office, serve on committees, vote in WestPac elections (may vary by category of membership), connect with colleagues, apply for grant funding to attend AALL and our annual WestPac conference!
Dues Categories
Active Member: $20
Associate Member (individuals or organizations not officially connected with a law library): $25 Student/Retired Member: $12.50 Life/Unemployed Member: Dues waived
Please avail yourself of the dues waiver policy for unemployed members if it applies.
You can use the Membership Application/Renewal Form accessible on the WestPac website and return it with your payment to Treasurer Lee Van Duzer at the address provided on the form OR use the online form and pay via PayPal.