The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) was formed in 1969, during a period of great critical self-examination in the British library world. On the library scene as a whole, ad hoc remedies had, for some time, been applied to the deficiencies of a system which had evolved out of a more static age, and it was widely apparent that the whole machinery required overhaul and rationalisation at national level if scarce resources were to be effectively used, and if the expensive new technologies were to be fully utilised by libraries of all kinds and sizes throughout the country. The appointment of the Dainton Committee in March, 1969, to examine the role of the national libraries, was the Government's response to this situation and was the culmination of a series of earlier enquiries into both public and university libraries. The principal recommendation in the report of this Committee – for a unified national library organisation to administer several previously autonomous bodies – was clearly one which, if accepted, would affect all types of library, including law libraries. The earlier history of law libraries in this country had been one of relative isolationism – a reflection, perhaps, of the profession they served. But times were changing rapidly and many libraries were facing new challenges, often with inadequate staff or financial support. Increasingly, the problems could be solved only by sensible policies of co-ordination and co-operation between libraries. Clearly one of the most urgent tasks of the new Association was to establish co-ordinated policies for such co-operation and to formulate an agreed approach vis à vis national developments.

In the spring of 1906 the librarian of the Iowa State Library wrote to a few of his colleagues suggesting that at the next meeting of the American Library Association they should join in establishing an organization of law librarians. Accordingly, in July of that year, they gathered at Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island, and organized the American Association of Law Libraries. The twenty-four original members were almost equally divided between States libraries, law school libraries, and local or county bar associations. These groups still form a large part of the membership, although government libraries and private firm collections are also strongly represented.

In the twenty years that the scholarship program has been in operation it has undergone many changes but has experienced a steady and meaningful development. It came into existence in 1953 when funds contributed by law book publishers made it possible for three young members to attend the first institute and annual meeting. In spite of the changes which have been made since then, the program has never lost sight of its initial purpose: “to give financial assistance to people who possess potential ability in law librarianship and who show promise of future usefulness and permanence in the profession.”

Librarianship is comparatively one of the latest professions in Nigeria. The relative scarcity of libraries can therefore be fully appreciated. Librarians anywhere in the world have never earned recognition for the mere asking: recognition has to be fought for through all channels of communication, by inundating the State House with tons and tons of petitions and memoranda and occasionally by triggering off a small storm of public discussion on the subject. Nigerian librarians have fought successfully to gain recognition in the universities and other institutions of higher learning, by pressuring the Federal Government for a national library of repute. This struggle was brought to a glorious end by the magnanimous National Library Decree of 1970. In the sphere of public and school librarianship, obvious evidence exists proving state neglect and indifference. The main preoccupation of the Nigerian Library Association at the moment is to convince the Nigerian Federal and State Governments of the value and usefulness of library services so that library development may attract a substantial vote for their annual budget. Librarians thus still expend their energy on writing petitions and memoranda and on sending deputations to the authorities. This period of consolidation demands that all efforts should be harnessed and directed into building up a dynamic and formidable National Library Association so as to put librarianship generally on a proper footing. Professional associations for specialized libraries, other than an all-embracing Association, do not exist in Nigeria. An Association for Law Librarians, as desirable as it is, will have to wait till a more sophisticated library system is organized in Nigeria.