VALL Fall/Annual Meeting 2008
Virginia State Law Library
November 7-8, 2008
Friday, November 7

Noon – 1 p.m.		Registration

1 – 1:45 p.m.	Tour of Supreme Court of Virginia Courtroom

1:45 – 2 p.m.	Welcome

2 – 3 p.m.           	Feeling the Power: A Sampling of Treasures from the Library of Virginia’s Special Collections
The Library of the Commonwealth of Virginia, established in 1823, is extraordinarily rich in its holdings.  Some of its most dazzling items are housed in the Library’s Special Collections department.  Tom Camden, Director of that department, will talk about “what’s so special about Special Collections”, sharing his own passionate interest in special materials while also sharing a few of the treasures of the Commonwealth.  On hand for private and up-close viewing will be items related to Thomas Jefferson, George Mason and Patrick Henry, to name a few.
Speaker:
Tom Camden is the Special Collections Director at the Library of Virginia.

3 – 3:15 p.m.               Break

3:15 – 4 p.m.               Energize Your Presentations: Taking Your Programs from Pitfalls to Perfection
Speakers:
Cindy Carlson is Manager for Librarian Relations in Virginia and District of Colombia at Thomson West, and Mark Schwartz is the National Program Manager for Librarian Relations at Thomson West.

4 – 4:15 p.m.		Address by Sandra G. Treadway, the Librarian of Virginia.

5:15-6:15 pm		Reception
Location: Christian & Barton, LLP
909 East Main Street, Suite 1200
	Sponsored by William S. Hein & Co., Inc.

Saturday, November 8

9 – 10 a.m.                   European Breakfast

10 -11 a.m.                  Where on Earth? GIS Application in Law 
Ever wonder which states are historically more likely to vote against gun control or abortion? Ever wonder if there's a correlation between the median wage of a county and the way it votes? Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, are one means of answering these questions. GIS connect data to maps in order to perform spatial analysis and to present data in a clear, compelling manner. GIS are used by a wide range of fields: epidemiologists use it to track the outbreak of disease, urban planners use it to site new homes, and biologists use it to find suitable new habitats for a species. Its use in law is growing and this presentation aims to provide a basic background in GIS with relevant examples for our field.
Speaker:
Jon Ashley is the Business Research Librarian at the University of Virginia Law Library.

11 – 11:15 a.m. 	Break

11:15 a.m. – 	Freedom of Information 
12:15 p.m.	This presentation will explain what the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is; the records, meetings, and public bodies to which it applies; the rights and responsibilities of requestors and custodians; and the purpose of the FOIA Council.
Speaker:
	Craig Fifer has been the E-Government Manager for the City of Alexandria, Virginia, since 2003.  Prior to this position, he served for seven years as the founding webmaster and electronic communications coordinator for the City of Roanoke, Virginia.  During Mr. Fifer's tenure, Roanoke became the only city in the nation to be cited three times by the Center for Digital Government as America's Top Digital City.  He spent two years as a technology trainer for the Roanoke City Public Schools, and served for three years on the board of directors of the Virginia Society for Technology in Education.  Mr. Fifer frequently delivers presentations on technology, legal, and ethics topics at local, state, national and international conferences.  He currently serves on the board of directors of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government and has been an appointee of the governor to the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council since 2004.  He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Virginia Tech and a master's degree in public administration from George Mason University.

12:15 – 1:15 p.m.	Lunch

1:15 – 2 p.m.	VALL Business Meeting

Virginia Association of Law Libraries
Fall/Annual Meeting, Nov. 7-8
Directions to the Virginia State Law Library
100 N. 9th Street, 2nd Floor

From the East to Richmond: I-64 West to the Fifth Street (Downtown) Exit.
Turn left at Broad Street, and take a right at the light at 8th Street (second stoplight). After crossing Grace Street, the Supreme Court Building is on your left at the intersection of 8th and Franklin Streets.

From the West to Richmond: I-64 East to I-95 South.  From I-95 South, take the Third Street (Downtown) Exit #75.  Stay in the right lane as you exit off of 95 South (don't get on I-64 East ramp ...).  Turn left at the second stoplight on Leigh Street and then right at 8th Street.  After crossing Clay, Marshall, Broad and Grace Streets, the Supreme Court Building is on
your left at the intersection of 8th and Franklin Streets.

From the North to Richmond: I-95 South to Exit #75, the Third Street (Downtown) Exit.  Stay in the right lane as you exit off of 95 South (don't get on I-64 East ramp ...).  Turn left at the second stoplight on Leigh Street and then right at 8th Street.  After crossing Clay, Marshall, Broad and Grace Streets, the Supreme Court Building is on your left at the
intersection of 8th and Franklin Streets.

From the South to Richmond: I-95 North to Exit #74C, Broad Street West Exit.  Follow Broad Street to Eighth Street and turn left on Eighth (Note: there is no left turn during the early morning and evening rush hours).  As you drive south on 8th and cross Grace Street, the Supreme Court Building is on your left at the intersection of 8th and Franklin Streets.

Richmond Parking Options
8th-9th and Franklin area

The Supreme Court Building occupies the city block bounded by 8th (one way heading south), 9th (one way heading north) and Franklin streets in downtown Richmond.  Unfortunately, there is no metered parking adjacent to the building.

The main entrance to the building is at 100 N. 9th Street, directly across from Capitol Square – this will be the entrance you use on Friday, November 7th.  On Saturday, November 8th, we will be using the 8th Street entrance to the Supreme Court Building at 101 N. 8th Street.

Most of you will be heading into town via 95-S, 64-E and 64-W and will end up heading south on 8th street (toward the river).  There are several parking garages within a block or two of the building and each charges approximately $8 per day to park.

Continuing south on 8th, after crossing Grace Street, there is a lot on your right:
Central Parking
	112 N. 8th Street

and one on your left:
Central Parking (formerly St. Paul’s church parking…)
	111 N. 8th Street

and if you turn left at the next light (on Franklin Street), there is parking immediately on your right:
Central Parking
801 E. Franklin Street

As an alternative, from Franklin Street, turn left at the next light, (now heading north on 9th Street) and left again on Grace Street.  There is metered parking on this street.

On weekends, on-street parking is FREE – on Saturday, November 8th, we recommend parking on the west side of 8th Street (across from the 8th street entrance to our building), on the south side of Franklin Street between 8th and 9th, or on Grace Street just north of the building.

HOTELS

The Commonwealth Park Suites hotel is located very close to the Virginia State Law Library, and there are other hotels within walking distance. Prices were obtained from the hotels’ websites; you may also wish to try third-party websites such as hotels.com, Travelocity, or Orbitz to compare prices or to find other hotels in the area.

Commonwealth Park Suites
901 Bank Street (corner of Bank & Ninth Streets)
1-(888)-343-7301 or 1-(804)-343-7300
Less than one block from Supreme Court Building
http://www.commonwealthparksuites.com/ 
Double bedroom $139/night; government rate for state employees; AAA discount available

Richmond Marriott
500 East Broad Street  
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ricdt-richmond-marriott/ 
Double room $169.95/night; AAA discount available

Omni Richmond Hotel
100 S. 12th Street (12th and Cary)
(804) 344-7000
5 blocks southeast of the Supreme Court Building
http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/Richmond.aspx
Double room $149/night; AAA discount available