The 42nd Annual Course of the International Association of Law Libraries took place at the University of Oslo Law Faculty in June, attended by librarians from around the world who work with foreign and international law material. The conference title was From Vikings to Autonomous Ships: past, present and future law in Norwegian and international perspective.
The keynote address was an introduction to the law of the Vikings by Prof. Jørn Øyrehagen Sunde (University of Oslo). The Vikings had an oral legal culture in which designated ‘law speakers’ knew the law and remembered previous legal rulings. Peace was sacred, but violence could be used to preserve it if necessary: you could kill someone who did not help to defend the community against attack, or someone who had killed or injured one of your kin; this right to vengeance was seen as a deterrent. Mediation at the public assembly, or þing, was used to resolve most disputes. Both parties were heard, then twelve wise men discussed the issues and proposed a ruling, assisted by the law speaker. There was no judge: the whole assembly would decide the case.
Associate Professor Ánde Somby (University of Trømso) spoke about the rights of his people, the indigenous Sámi, to a past, present and future. Wearing traditional dress, he electrified the room by singing a traditional song (yoik). Sámi society is traumatised by the assimilation policies of the past and the Sámi are now collecting the remaining fragments of their culture – music, clothing, food, storytelling and so on- and working to revive them.
Norway, Sweden and Finland have each established a Sámi Parliament in recent years. These representative and consultative bodies are an attempt to rebuild trust between the Sámi and the nation states. Somby made it clear, however, that there are still threats to the Sámi way of life, including the construction of wind farms on Sámi land. He stressed that all must be prepared to make sacrifices in the cause of combatting climate change – the burden must not fall disproportionately on indigenous peoples.
Other conference sessions covered, among other things, the Svalbard Treaty, Norwegian citizenship and the Norwegian state’s role as a shareholder. There were also a number of papers on aspects of artificial intelligence. Ayoub Tailoussane outlined the regulatory implications of the use of AI by ships and Runar Hilleren Lie spoke about using AI in legal research and legal education. Inger Berg Ørstavik, covering the training of AI models on copyright-protected works, showed us the result of her request for AI to produce a picture of “happy librarians dancing”: an improbable depiction of women in high heels and a man in tight trousers, all young and slim – and one with three legs!
As well as conference papers and updates from publishers, there were visits to the Supreme Court of Norway and the map collection at the National Library, and delegates enjoyed a reception and guided tour at Oslo City Hall, an evening cruise on the Oslo Fjord and dinner at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the city. The hard work and hospitality of the organisers - librarians from the University of Oslo Law Library – and the IALL Board is much appreciated.