Marin Dell LIT-SIS Experienced Librarian AALL Annual Meeting Grant 2025 Blog Post

Marin Dell has been a law librarian since 2005 and is an MLIS and Specialist graduate of The Florida State University College of Information. She has a JD with honors from California Western School of Law and LLMs in Taxation and International Taxation from the University of Florida. She is living her best life in Orlando, FL riding roller coasters, teaching AI/LegalTech, and working as the Head of Technical Services at Barry Law School.

I’d like to thank the LIT-SIS Awards & Grants committee for financially supporting my trip to the 2025 AALL Annual meeting this past summer. The host city was Portland, OR, and the seminars were exciting and informative, as they always are. I always come home from any AALL Annual meeting with memories and knowledge that have lasted a lifetime. I recall attending AALL’s annual meeting in Portland many years ago. It was wonderful to return to another vibrant and exciting conference, alongside my fellow librarians and other law library enthusiasts. I attended workshops on topics I would never have considered without the ingenuity and creativity of law librarians from all over the U.S. and abroad. But more than that, there is just something special about the City of Roses that makes you feel welcome from the moment you step off the plane. And that is what I want to highlight in my post about the 2025 AALL conference.

One of the things that struck me most about Portland is how genuinely inclusive it feels. Strolling through the Pearl District, exploring the quirky shops, or when grabbing a Voodoo donut, there’s a real sense that everyone belongs here. The city has this wonderful “come as you are” vibe that’s refreshing and authentic. I saw people from all walks of life going about their day, thanks to a free transit pass courtesy of AALL, and there’s a sense of community that makes visitors feel like temporary locals rather than tourists. In fact, while riding the bus to catch a unique and mouthwatering dinner in the Alphabet District with a friend, I found myself surrounded by commuters carrying cats and dogs in bags, people laughing and smiling, and one person in a complete furry outfit. It was a fantastic, convenient ride! The MAX light rail trains made it incredibly easy to get pretty much anywhere you want to go, and I hopped on them from my hotel to the convention center to an evening Portland Pickles game with the AALL Baseball Caucus members. Shoutout to the Pickles mascots who kept us entertained all evening! Another day, I visited OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, to see the LEGO Jurassic World exhibit. To get there, I used the city’s streetcar system. And if you’re feeling adventurous, the city is incredibly bike-friendly too, though I’ll admit I stayed a pedestrian this time around.

Portlanders are genuinely lovely and welcoming. It was evident everywhere I went, from the large sign in the convention center that said everyone was welcome to the people in cars who spontaneously stopped to let me cross the road at an intersection that had neither a stop sign nor a light. I chatted with a woman in her front yard about her flowers, and my smiles were returned as I made my way through the city to the late-night food trucks. There is a warmth and friendliness about Portland that makes the whole town feel like a collection of small neighborhoods, despite its population and size. I can’t wait to return to this jewel of a city. Thank you again to the LIT-SIS members and to the LIT-SIS Awards & Grants committee, who made my trip possible.

Marin Dell