Law Librarian Blog

A Quick Look at LawPaths

LawPaths is a project to develop a resource bank of materials to support the learning and teaching of legal information research skills in universities and colleges. The materials will be based on the best existing examples and will consist of guides, tutorials, workbooks and other materials developed by librarians and legal academics and publishers in a form which can be re-used and customised by other institutions. 

The site is sponsored by the University of Kent, athe Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and the UK Centre for Legal Education, in collaboration with Bristol University Law Library, Cardiff University Law Library, and the Institute for Learning & Research Technology. The focus, if not already obvious, is UK and EU law.

Talk About CYA

Elder Law Prof Blog has republished the longest Confidentially Notice and Disclaimer I have ever seen. Check it out.

Top 10 List of Significant GAO Work Made Publicly Available in May 2005

New from the GAO:

• Social Security Reform: Answers to Key Questions. (GAO-05-193SP).
• Military Base Closures: Observations on Prior and Current BRAC Rounds. (GAO-05-614).
• Oversight of Food Safety Activities: Federal Agencies Should Pursue Opportunities to Reduce Overlap and Better Leverage Resources . (GAO-05-213 and GAO-05-549T).
• Energy Markets: Understanding Current Gasoline Prices and Potential Future Trends. (GAO-05-675T and GAO-05-525SP).
• Preventing Nuclear Smuggling: DOE Has Made Limited Progress in Installing Radiation Detection Equipment at Highest Priority Foreign Seaports. (GAO-05-375).
• Overseas Security: State Department Has Not Fully Implemented Key Measures to Protect U.S Officials From Terrorist Attacks Outside of Embassies. (GAO-05-642 and GAO-05-688T).
• Nonprofit, For-Profit, and Government Hospitals: Uncompensated Care and Other Community Benefits. (GAO-05-743T).
• Financial Audit: Securities and Exchange Commission's Financial Statements for Fiscal Year 2004. (GAO-05-244).
• Video News Releases: Unattributed Prepackaged News Stories Violate Publicity or Propaganda Prohibition. (GAO-05-643T).
• Amtrak: Acela's Continued Problems Underscore the Importance of Meeting Broader Challenges in Managing Large-Scale Projects. (GAO-05-698T).

View the rest.

Ron Jones, Unv Cin Law Lib

In re Michael Gorman

Karen Schneider (the Free Range Librarian) tackles the issue of how (in the hell) Michael Gorman got elected President of ALA in Parsing Gorman. It's a very sensible account of how name recognition trumps merit. Karen concludes:

If you're not happy with Michael Gorman, first, I trust you voted, and second, I trust you voted this year with maybe a little more wisdom and questioning than you did the previous year.

"Anti-terrorism" Search Tool Under Development

c|net is reporting on a new search technology being developed to sniff out terrorists. The engineering is being done at the University of Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences .

The technology, called a concept chain graph, is designed to mine a set of documents for associated ideas or connections -- connections between two unrelated concepts that might not otherwise be discovered as quickly.

Obviously there are other uses for such a search tool, some of them good ones.

World's Biggest Hacker Arrested in London

Slashdot reports:

"The London Evening Standard is reporting that the "worlds biggest computer hacker" has been arrested in London. Gary McKinnon, 39, was seized by the Met's extradition unit at his Wood Green home. The unemployed former computer engineer is accused of causing the US government $1billion of damage by breaking into its most secure computers at the Pentagon and Nasa. He is likely to be extradited to America to face eight counts of computer crime in 14 states and could be jailed for 70 years. Apparently he broke into US military computers to hunt for evidence of a UFO cover-up."

Ron Jones, Univ of Cincinnati Law Library

North Carolina's Louis Bilionis Appointed Dean at Cincinnati Law

We at Cincinnati are thrilled that Lou Bilionis, Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at North Carolina, has been named our next dean (subject to approval by the university's board of trustees).  From the provost's memo announcing Lou's appointment:

Professor Bilionis has amassed a distinguished publication record as a noted scholar and teacher in the fields of constitutional and criminal law and theory. As noted by his former dean of ten years, Professor Bilionis is "a scholar's scholar and a teacher's teacher."  The College of Law and the University are at an important juncture. Professor Bilionis will bring to the deanship a keen vision of the College's abundant opportunities for advancement especially as the University pursues the UC|21 agenda. The quality of the College's faculty and its deep, abiding commitment to scholarly excellence and quality instruction were highly attractive to him. He will work tirelessly to promote the College's advancement.

The Law School community is also excited that Lou's wife, Ann Hubbard, will be joining the faculty as Professor of Law.  Ann, a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun and D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia M Wald, is a distinguished legal scholar and teacher in the areas of disability law, employment discrimination, and contracts.

Florida A&M University Law School Professor Removed After Endowing Own Chair

The Chronicle of Higher Education is reporting that Professor Shirley A. Cunningham Jr., a Kentucky personal injury lawyer who gave the school 1 million dollars in exchange for his own endowed faculty chair and a salary of $100,000 a year plus benefits has been removed from the payroll.  The story reveals that Cunningham never taught a class or worked as a professor at the school.  The law dean at Florida A&M has been placed on administrative leave.

Lee Peoples, Oklahoma City University Law Library

Opening: Firm Reference Librarian, NYC

Dewey Ballantine LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New York City seeks an experienced reference librarian specializing in corporate and legal research to join a talented and collegial library staff.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: providing reference and research assistance to library patrons, ranging from quick reference to complex projects, managing electronic subscriptions, working with a team of librarians to enhance the library Intranet, and to prepare instructional materials and provide training to library patrons, expanding and enhancing the firm's electronic work product library, and assisting with collection development.

Requirements include: an M.L.S., and a minimum of two years' relevant professional experience; strong working knowledge of print and online legal and nonlegal research tools and methodologies; excellent communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, and analytical skills; strong service and teamwork orientation; ability to provide high-quality service in a fast-paced environment. This position requires a detail oriented and adaptable individual who can work independently, and prioritize requests. The applicant must have a proficiency with desktop software, and the ability to quickly learn new applications. Familiarity with SydneyPlus or other automated library system a plus.

Salary and benefits are competitive. Position available immediately.

Please send resume, cover letter, and salary history by email or fax to:

Gitelle Seer
Director of Library and Research Services
Dewey Ballantine LLP
1301 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
gseer@deweyballantine.com
Fax:212-259-6333

New Titles from the Brookings Institution

Unleashing Change: A Study of Organizational Renewal in Government by Steven Kelman

The Road Ahead: Middle East Policy in the Bush Administration's Second Term, Flynt Leverett, ed.

CALL/ACBD Awards 2005 Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing to CanLII

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries/Association canadienne des bibliothèques de droit (CALL/ACBD) is pleased to announce that the 2005 Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing was awarded to the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII). CanLII received the award at the 43rd Annual Conference of the association held in St. John's Newfoundland.

The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) is a not-for-profit organization founded by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, with the goal to make primary sources of Canadian law accessible for free on the Internet. The members of the Award Committee recognized CanLII for its commitment to excellence in legal publishing in the development of its publically accessible web-site, located at www.canlii.org. In the five years since its creation the site has dramatically improved the scope and depth of its collection of jurisprudence and legislation, which represents all Canadian jurisdictions, and has increased public access to, and the transparency of, law and justice in Canada. In consultation with the Courts and the judicial community, the CanLII team has worked cooperatively to develop standards such as neutral citation and file naming conventions.

Reminder: Copyright Infringement Symposium Set for June 16-17

The Center for Intellectual Property at the University of Maryland University College is hosting the following symposium for interested educators, administrators, attorneys and librarians.

Pirates, Thieves and Innocents: Perceptions of Copyright Infringement in the Digital Age

June 16-17, 2005

HOSTED by the Center for Intellectual Property and being held at the UMUC Inn and Conference Center in Adelphi, MD

THEME: The 2005 CIP Symposium will explore the various ways in which individuals and organizations think and talk about copyright infringement in our digital age and what actions they take based upon those perceptions. The symposium will focus on issues relevant to the higher education community and the delivery of third-party copyrighted content. Facilitating our exploration, discussion, and reflection will be representatives from the academy, library, law, corporation, nonprofit organization, technology sector, and Capitol Hill.

TOPICS to be addressed by speakers and panelists will include: -The Impact of Copyright Law and Policy on Academic Culture
-P2P File Sharing: Pirates or Revolutionaries?
-Culture and Copyright: A Creative Clash?
-Regulatory Copyright: How Will Universities be Affected?
-Copyright Infringement in the Digital Age: What Universities Need to Know
-Responses to Copyright Infringement at University Campuses: Best Practices -The Copyright Legislative Landscape

PARTICIPANTS will include: Clifford Lynch (Coalition for Networked Information); Jonathan Band (Morrison & Foerster LLP); Robert Brauneis (George Washington University Law School); Jon Baumgarten (Proskauer Rose LLP); Mark Luker (Educause); Patrick Ross (Progress & Freedom Foundation); Gigi Sohn (Public Knowledge); Siva Vaidhyanathan (New York University); Alec French (Office of Congressman Howard L. Berman).

REGISTER early since space is limited. Early registration (before May 16,
2005) is $275. Regular registration is $350. Please visit the website for details and to receive a $50 registration discount as a member of ACRL.

For more information.

New Titles from LexisNexis

PERM Guidebook for Foreign Labor Certification, by members of the Academy of Business Immigration Lawyers; edited by Stephen Yale-Loehr.

Price: $195.00
Publisher: Matthew Bender
Format: Softbound 8 X 11
ISBN: 0820563846

View Table of Contents

Description: This volume includes nine comprehensive chapters providing a complete analysis of the U.S. Department of Labor's Final PERM Rule issued on Dec. 27, 2004, and taking effect March 28, 2005, implementing the new system of labor certification for the permanent employment of aliens in the United States.

All aspects of the PERM rule are discussed, including the choice between EB-1/2 green cards and PERM (permanent residence strategies), job requirements involving on-the-job experience and foreign language, small-employer considerations, deciding whether to re-file old labor certification cases under PERM, strategies for avoiding audits, retention of documents, and case management.

Class Action Fairness Act of 2005: With Commentary and Analysis by Georgene M. Vairo of the Moore's Federal Practice Board of Editors 
   
Price: $11.95
Publisher: LexisNexis
Format: Pamphlet 
ISBN: 0820564230

View product information

Description: This pamphlet features in-depth commentary and analysis of the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 by Georgene M. Vairo, of the Moore's Federal Practice Board of Editors. The pamphlet also includes the full text of the Act.

Signed into law on February 18, 2005, the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 will profoundly impact class action practice by expanding federal courts' exercise of diversity jurisdiction over class actions, facilitating the removal of class actions from state court, and imposing new consumer-protection requirements for the settlement of class actions.

Friday Fun: The Hollywood Librarian

The Hollywood Librarian: Librarians in Cinema and Society, now in production, will be the first full-length film to focus on the work and lives of librarians in the entertaining and appealing context of American movies. Details at the website

Make a financial contribution to the production company, buy a t-shirt...

Librarians Relying on Public Pension Plans Beware

Dale Oesterle (Ohio State), editor of the Business Law Prof Blog, explains.

Law Firm Opening: Electronic Resources / Technical Services Librarian

Library Associates is seeking an experienced ELECTRONIC RESOURCES / TECHNICAL SERVICES LIBRARIAN for immediate consideration.  Librarian will be responsible for technical-services and electronic-resources management for a large law firm that is based in Los Angeles and that has multiple offices.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical-Services Responsibilities
*   Original cataloging
*   Cataloging clean-up
*   Assisting Technical Services leader in system administration
*   Special projects as they arise

Electronic-Resources-Management Responsibilities
*   Administering passwords
*   Setting up training and demos
*   Coordinating with vendors to review new products
*   Working with Technology to install products on the Intranet
*   Special projects as they arise

Other Responsibilities
*   Each professional member of the staff has reference desk tasks and
serves as backup to the reference staff.
*   Participating in cataloging library materials in print and/or electronic
formats
*   Participating in a dynamic collection maintenance
*   Familiarity with RLIN utility database
*   Familiarity with AACR2, USMARC, LCSH and LCCS
*   Working experience in an automated library environment
*   Familiarity with various aspects of technical services
*   Maintaining MS Access and Excel spreadsheets
*   Participating in library intranet

QUALIFICATIONS

1.  Master of Library / Information Science degree.
2.  Minimum of 3 years of experience in law or corporate library.
3.  Must be conversant with electronic resources including but not limited to: Westlaw, LexisNexis, Courtlink, Dialog, Pacer, and other third-party esources. 
4.  Experience in training others to use databases highly desirable. 
5.  Must have experience working with contracts, copyright compliance and licensing agreements.
6.  Horizon/DYNIX experience also highly desirable.

APPLICATION OPTIONS

*   To apply, Current Candidates may visit our Current Jobs Page, http://www.libraryassociates.com/index.php4?page=jobs.  From inside the job description, click INQUIRE.
*   New Candidates may apply directly via our website,
http://www.libraryassociates.com/index.php4?page=job_appl.
*   Otherwise, please email formal resume and cover letter to Keith Gurtzweiler, keith@libraryassociates.com, with a carbon copy to Joanne Schwarz, jschwarz@libraryassociates.com.

Preliminary Crime Statistics for 2004

From the FBI Press Room:

"Washington, D.C. -- Preliminary offense data reported to the Nation's law enforcement in all categories of violent and property crimes indicated a decline in 2004 compared to data from 2003, according to data from the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. Overall, violent crimes in the Nation decreased 1.7 percent in 2004 when compared to 2003 data, and property crimes fell 1.8 percent in 2004 compared to the crimes reported the previous year.

These preliminary data were collected from 12,715 law enforcement agencies that submitted 6 to 12 months of offense data to the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program in both 2003 and 2004. "

Read more about it.

Ron Jones, Unv Cin Law Lib

New Titles from Ashgate

Consumer Protection Law, 2d ed.
Geraint G. Howells, University of Lancaster, UK and Stephen Weatherill, University of Oxford, UK

June 2005 704 pages
Hardback ISBN 0 7546 2331 9 $114.95 / £75.00
Paperback ISBN 0 7546 2338 6 $69.95 / £35.00

This fully revised and updated second edition of Consumer Protection Law introduces the reader to the substantive law of consumer protection in the United Kingdom, the emphasis being on the place of United Kingdom law within an evolving European legal system and also on the need to draw upon comparative experience.

The Logic of Constitutional Rights
Eric Heinze, Queen Mary, University of London, UK

May 2005 122 pages
Hardback ISBN 0 7546 2538 9 * $99.95 / £55.00

Individual rights raise endless conflicts and spawn intricate standards and policies. Increasing involvement by courts has added still greater complexity. In this book the author argues that a fixed structure underlies that complexity, determining the kinds of arguments that can be made about individual rights.

Community Resources: Intellectual Property, International Trade and Protection of Traditional Knowledge
Johanna Gibson, University of London, UK

June 2005 396 pages
Hardback ISBN 0 7546 4436 7 $114.95 / £60.00

Protection of traditional knowledge and resources is of critical concern not only to the groups involved but also to the international trading community for which these resources are of increasing economic importance. This work examines the concept of 'community', intellectual property models and additional sources for protection at international law (including environmental and human rights frameworks).

Biotechnological Inventions: Moral Restraints and Patent Law
Oliver Mills, National University of Ireland, Galway

April 2005 214 pages
Hardback ISBN 0 7546 2420 X $99.95 / £55.00

Advances in modern biotechnology have produced profound and far-reaching implications for the relationship between humans, animals and the environment. This book examines the role of moral considerations in the patent system as a form of regulation. It questions why in the context of biotechnological inventions morality has become an important issue.

Deadline for Sunday ed of AALL San Antonio Newsletter

The deadline for submitting items to the Sunday, July 16, edition of the conference newspaper is: 1:30 p.m. (Texas Time), June 24.

The Sunday edition will actually be distributed in the registration packets, so if you would like to publicize events taking place Saturday, please send me some copy. Simple inline text or attachments in Word, WordPerfect, and most other word processors are absolutely acceptable. Send your information to AALLamo News editor Sharon Blackburn (Texas Tech) at sharon.blackburn@ttu.edu .

If you would like to have the information posted on the forthcoming Remember the AALLamo Blog as well, please let Sharon Blackburn know.

Opening: Librarian for Mahoning Law Library Assn, Youngstown, OH

Requirements:
ALA-accredited MLS, 5+ yrs. law library or comparable work experience., Skills: legal research, knowledge of library automation projects, online services, CD-ROM, Library management, budgetary and supervisory experience. Reports to Board of Trustees.

Benefits: life, health, PERS retirement, vacation.

Salary: Commensurate with experience.

Send letter of application, resume and names of three ref. to:

Atty. Christopher J. Schiavone, Sec./Treas.,
Mahoning Law Library Association,
c/o Friedman & Rummell Co., L.P.A.,
City Centre One, Suite 300,
100 Federal Plaza East.
Youngstown, OH 44503
or cschiavone@fandrlaw.com

Deadline: June 30, 2005.