It appears that Punxsutawney Phil was correct, and that winter weather will linger for quite a while. Nonetheless, the PLL membership has shaken off any vestiges of hibernation and is gearing up for a very active spring and summer, leading to the AALL Annual Meeting in Seattle!

First of all, THANK YOU to all who have responded to the Membership Committee's brief yet targeted survey, which will greatly assist Strategic Directions Chair Martha Goldman and the PLL Executive Board in fine-tuning the current Strategic Plan for our Section. This will also aid the various Committee Chairs and Group Heads in identifying next steps for them to accomplish their goals. In particular, many of the questions addressed member preferences for communication methods, and this is one of the areas which continue to remain challenging in both our work and professional environments. If you have not yet responded, please locate the email which contained the survey link, and reply to the questions as soon as you have a chance. IT WILL ONLY TAKE 5-10 MINUTES!

As previously announced, the AALL Committee on Bylaws and Resolutions and the PLL-SIS Board have approved a revision of our Section Bylaws, which was required due to changes to the Section Newsletter which have also impacted the Nominations process. You will receive a separate announcement of the vote to approve these changes by the membership shortly. The full revision is included in this issue of the PLL-SIS eNewsletter. Please be sure to respond to the request to vote to approve the Bylaws.

Nominations Chair Patricia Barbone is finalizing the slate of candidates to vie for the chance to assume the responsibilities for the next year of the Private Law Libraries Section. She and her Committee have done a great job, and we urge you to vote as soon as the election opens in April, however difficult it may be to choose among the undoubtedly well-qualified candidates. And yes, it IS an honor to be nominated, even if not selected!

And the hits keep coming: Following the extremely successful 5-Webinar series on Knowledge Management ("Aligning People, Process, & Technology for Knowledge Management Success," with Stephanie Barnes, a noted Consultant in this area of interest), which was made possible by a generous grant from the AALL/Bloomberg Continuing Education Grants Program, and in conjunction with the Law Library Association of Greater New York, the PLL-SIS Intellectual Property (IP) Group will offer a webinar on Trademark soon. Watch for a separate announcement about this IP Webinar.

The PLL Section has announced the availability of Travel Grants for both the Annual Meeting and for Summit IV in this issue, so please explore this opportunity for additional support for attending these very important events.

Speaking of which, the PLL-SIS Summit Saga continues with "SOS: Shaping Our Success!" A very dynamic and productive Committee, under the direction of PLL-SIS Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect Jean O'Grady and the intrepid Joan Axelroth are planning a stimulating and forward-looking program for Saturday, July 13th. Don't miss this valuable opportunity to envision your future, in the company of as many as 300 of your valued colleagues. Check out the PLL Summit 2013 blog  for more announcements and specifics as programs and speakers are confirmed.

Finally, we urge you to look at the just-released Preliminary Annual Meeting Conference Planner which offers a listing of the various programs and events which will fill your days (and nights!) July 13-16 in Seattle, Washington. Among the offerings are the PLL-SIS sponsored program: "Surrounded by Geniuses: Knowledge Management Learning from Other Industries." The co-presenters will be Stephanie Barnes and Connie Crosby, both seasoned experts in the field of KM, who will share invaluable insights based on their experiences with a variety of entities. Another highlight will be the PLL-SIS Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon, featuring Guest Speaker Don MacLeod, author of How to Find Anything: From Extreme Google Searches to Scouring Government Documents, a Guide to Uncovering Anything about Everyone and Everything, and a KM expert in his own right.

With so much to plan, you had better get started!