Save the Date
Join us for Iowa's second annual Law Collections Symposium, a two-day event dedicated to exploring the evolving landscape of law library collections and our responsibilities as their stewards. Mornings will be dedicated to paper discussions. In the afternoons and evenings, expect engaging workshops, practical learning sessions, and in-depth discussions with colleagues.
Registration, travel, programming, and accommodations information will be available this summer. As with the last year, registration will be free. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will all be freely available to attendees.
In addition to the Law Collections Symposium on October 2–3, the Law Library is excited to welcome the Society of Academic Law Library Directors for a hybrid meeting on October 1, and members of the New Org for their inaugural meeting on October 4.
Tentative Schedule
Wednesday, October 1
| Time | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| TBD | Society of Academic Law Library Directors | Hybrid |
| 6:00 p.m. | Dine arounds | TBD |
Thursday, October 2
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m.– 8:45 a.m. | Shuttle service |
| 8:30 a.m.– 9:15 a.m. | Optional library tours |
| 8:30 a.m.– 9:15 a.m. | Breakfast and check-in |
| 9:15 a.m.– 9:30 a.m. | Welcome address |
| 9:30 a.m.–10:15 a.m. | Iowa Statement on Collections |
| 10:15 a.m.–11:15 a.m. | Paper 1 |
| 11:15 a.m.–11:30 a.m. | Break |
| 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Paper 2 |
| 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:30 p.m.– 2:30 p.m. | Paper 3 |
| 2:30 p.m.– 2:45 p.m. | Break |
| 2:45 p.m.– 5:15 p.m. | Option 1: Collection Development Camp |
| 2:45 p.m.– 5:15 p.m. | Option 2: Unconference using breakout spaces Breakout area 1: Writing Den Breakout area 2: Benchmarking and Using Data in Collection Analysis Breakout area 3: Collaborative Collections: From Theory to Reality Breakout area 4: Preservation |
| 5:30 p.m.– 6:30 p.m. | Reception |
| 6:00 p.m.– 6:45 p.m. | Shuttle service |
Friday, October 3
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m.– 8:45 a.m. | Shuttle service |
| 8:30 a.m.– 9:15 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 9:15 a.m.–10:15 a.m. | Paper 4 |
| 10:15 a.m.–11:15 a.m. | Paper 5 |
| 11:15 a.m.–11:30 a.m. | Break |
| 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Paper 6 |
| 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:30 p.m.– 2:30 p.m. | Planning for next year’s symposium / Open forum / Iowa Statement on Collections Statement |
| 2:30 p.m.– 2:45 p.m. | Break |
| 2:45 p.m.– 5:15 p.m. | Option 1: Collection Development Camp |
| 2:45 p.m.– 5:15 p.m. | Option 2: Unconference using breakout spaces Breakout area 1: Writing Den Breakout area 2: Legislative actions and challenges to government information Breakout area 3: Leading and executing collection projects Breakout area 4: Using data for education and advocacy |
| 5:30 p.m.– 6:00 p.m. | Shuttle service |
| 6:30 p.m. | Dine Arounds |
Saturday, October 4
| Time | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 am–11:30 am | New Org Meeting | TBD |
Registration Information
Register here for the Law Collections Symposium! Registration is free and will be open until September 13th. Please complete the registration form to help us plan for spaces as well as food and drink offerings.
Travel and Accommodations
Hotel information
We have arranged a block of rooms at The Graduate in Iowa City for $109/night from September 30–October 4, 2025. To take advantage of this discounted rate, use this Hilton booking link to make your reservation by September 13, 2025. When you select "Book a Room," the dates will initially default to a check-in date of September 30 and a check-out date of October 5. To change these dates, select "Edit stay" from the bar near the top of the screen. Alternatively, book your room by calling (319) 337-4058 and referencing the Iowa Law Collections Symposium.
Parking is available in the adjacent public ramp.
Airport Information
The closest airport to Iowa City is the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids (CID). There are a variety of ground transportation options for the short trip (less than 30 minutes) from the airport to Iowa City.
Selected Papers
We were fortunate to have many excellent submissions for this year's Symposium. Our panel of experts selected the following papers through an anonymous review process. Click on a working title below to access the abstract.
Benjamin Carlson, The Collecting Missions of Law Repositories
Jennifer Chapman, Protecting Vulnerable Knowledge Globally
Rebecca Kite & Paul McLaughlin, Pro Se Patrons and the Digital Divide: How the Shift to Electronic Resources in Law Libraries Leaves Public Patrons on the Wrong Side of the Gap
Leslie Street & Frederick W. Dingledy, Deciphering State Statutory Publication
Michelle Trumbo, AI and the Post-Custodial Future: Implications for Law Library Collection Development
Jane Woldow & Susan Drisko Zago, Small but Mighty: The Care and Maintenance of Specialty Legal Collections by Small Academic Law Libraries
Call for Papers
Abstract Submission Deadline: Monday, June 30, 2025
We invite proposals, in the form of abstracts of no more than 400 words, addressing issues around any of the following topics:
- Institutional Assessment & ABA Standard 315: How do we meaningfully assess the law library's work now that the Standards have changed to move this function under the broad umbrella of institutional assessment in Standard 315?
- Collection Development in a Changing World: Navigating the challenges of access, ownership, and preservation in the face of evolving information landscapes and disappearing data.
- Law Libraries & the Preservation of Democracy: Exploring the vital role of law libraries and their collections in upholding the rule of law and democratic principles.
Please email your abstract to the University of Iowa Law Library at law-ilcs@uiowa.edu by June 30, 2025. Proposals will be reviewed by the selection committee based on relevance, originality, and potential for fostering meaningful discussion. We welcome diverse perspectives and encourage submissions regardless of the author's scholarly record or project stage.
Participants will be notified of their selection by August 1, 2025. Selected participants will be invited to present at the Symposium and have their completed work published in the Iowa Law Review Online. Substantially completed draft papers (5,000–10,000 words) will be due September 15, 2025. Final versions of papers will be due November 14, 2025.
Questions?
Please contact the co-organizers, Carissa Vogel (carissa-vogel@uiowa.edu) or Amanda Runyon (arunyon@law.penn.edu).
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Alexis Hull in advance at alexis-hull@uiowa.edu.