The Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress has served as the Association’s connection to and voice of the legal profession concerning the continued development and effective operation of the Law Library of Congress (LLC) since 1932. The LLC is the world’s largest collection of law books and associated legal materials, with a growing electronic database to access those resources. Over the years, the Committee, working directly with Members of Congress and their staffs, has managed to obtain higher levels of funding for LLC. In addition, working with other nationally recognized professional societies, the Committee facilitates efforts to increase Law Library visibility and supports the digitization of legal materials and other efforts that improve access to legal literature and resources. The Committee has continued to work toward the development of LLC as a national resource serving not only the Congress, but also the legal profession, universities and law schools, and the public.
Our principal mission is to support several defined ABA goals through the work we accomplish:
- ABA Goal I - to serve ABA members by providing benefits, programs, and services which promote members’ professional growth and quality of life. Our obligation in this regard is to promote awareness of the Law Library throughout the ABA and in other institutions likely to benefit from the Library’s services; and to aid in maintaining and expanding the legal resources and services available to the legal profession from the Law Library of Congress and its acclaimed Global Legal Information Network (GLIN).
- ABA Goal IV - to advance the rule of law by our promotion of GLIN within the federal government, international bodies, and institutions likely to employ and support GLIN’s services worldwide. The Committee collaborates with both ABA and outside entities in this regard, allowing it to reach new segments of the legal community—specifically, law librarians and lawyers both in the United States and abroad.