By Mark Engsberg
President, International Association of Law Libraries
taken from the Ekebergrestauranten, site of IALL’s Annual Dinner.
Photo by Mark Engsberg
The 42nd Annual Course of the International Association of Law Libraries (IALL) was held in Oslo, Norway from Sunday, June 16, to Wednesday, June 20, 2024. Hosted by the Law Library at the University of Oslo There was also an Optional Day at the Norsk Folkemuseum on Thursday, June 21, 2024. This year’s theme was From Vikings to Autonomous Ships: Past, Present, and Future Law in a Norwegian and International Context. The 2024 Annual Course was organized by staff from the Law Library at Oslo University.
Taking the lead of the Local Planning Committee (LPC) was Rebecca J. Five Bergstrøm. Rebecca is a Academic Librarian in the Law Library and a member of the IALL board. Rebecca and the other members of the LPC team prepared and delivered a truly excellent program of substantive content, local excursions, and other networking events and opportunities which are the hallmarks of every IALL Annual Course. The Association is extremely grateful to the members of the LPC for everything they did to make this conference so successful. The other members of the LPC for Oslo were:
- Hilde Westbye, Director, Law Library
- Anne Gunn Berge Bekken, Head Librarian, Law Library
- Karen Danbolt, Head Librarian, Law Library,
- Sigrid Østbye, Academic Librarian, Law Library
- Fredrik Løken, Senior Librarian, Law Library
- Tormod Andersen, Academic Librarian, Law Library
- Thorstein Sjursen, Academic Librarian, Law Library
Additional thanks go to the IALL Board Liaison for the Oslo conference, Jean Wenger, Director of the Law Library and Senior Lecturer, Chicago-Kent Law School, Chicago, Illinois. Jean is also Treasurer of IALL and did a great deal to build momentum for the Oslo conference. Her insights and experience were invaluable as the team prepared for the sold-out conference.
On behalf of the entire Association, I also wish to thank each program speaker and each member of the exceptional Local Planning Committee for their contributions to this outstanding experience. Thank you! A quick review of the Conference Program reveals the truly exceptional caliber of speakers who provided such a fantastic Annual Course.
And, of course, this excellent Annual Course would not have been possible without the support of IALL’s generous sponsors. Sponsors for this year’s Annual Course in Oslo were:
Gold Sponsors
- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory
Silver Sponsors
- ICLR
- Lefebvre/Sarrut
- Taxnotes
Exhibitors
- De Gruyter Brill
- Jus Mundi
- Lovdata
- LLMC Digital
- Hein Online
- Nomos
- Trade Law Guide
- Erasmus
Thank you again to our returning (and new) sponsor-colleagues!
Looking forward, the 43rd Annual Course of the International Association of Law Libraries will take place in Houston, Texas, USA from 19-23 October 2025. The South Texas College of Law – Houston is the host for the conference and its modern building in the heart of Houston will also serve as the main conference venue. IALL board member, Lyo Louis-Jacques, will serve as Board Liaison for the 2025 Annual Course. Watch the IALL website for additional details about the 2025 Annual Course in Houston.
We hope you plan to attend the Houston Conference. I have seen a draft of the program. The only word to describe them is amazing! Occurring in October, it is also pleasant time of year in Houston, one of America’s most diverse cities. And with a trip to the Johnson Space Center for the Optional Day, you won’t want to miss the Houston Annual Course!
This Blog contains entries by members of the International Association of Law Libraries on issues germane to the Association’s areas of focus. Views expressed in an individual entry only represent the views of the author, and not those of the International Association of Law Libraries or the author’s employer.