Law Librarian Blog

CBO Reports on Effects of the Federal Estate Tax on Farms and Small Businesses

Read all about it: Effects of the Federal Estate Tax on Farms and Small Businesses

Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Held Unconstitutional by 8th Cir.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a trial decision that the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act is unconstitutional. According to the article, even though the act had an exception for saving the life of the mother, it had no exception for the health of the woman.

The opinion is Carhart v. Gonzalez (04-3379)(pdf)

Mark Giangrande, DePaul Law Library

NSF Backs Next-Gen Internet Research

Writing in the June 17 issue of Federal Computer Week, Aliya Sternstein reports that The National Science Foundation has awarded MIT's David Clark a grant to begin preliminary research on developing a new architecture for the next Internet. Clark will focus his research on making the next Internet more secure. In the article,Clark says: "I don't want to have a sudden meltdown, blackout or have the Internet used as a vector for a widespread terrorist attack."

Over 150 Listservs Available Through Washburn Law School

Discussion groups have taken a back seat to blogs lately but they really shouldn't be neglected. Sometimes we subscribe to one listserv provided by some institution as a public service and never look back to that service to see if additional listservs have been established. Washburn Law School's  discussion groups service is one provider everyone should check out from time to time.

Follow these links for more information:

http://www.washlaw.edu/listservs/

http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/

Overview of OCLC Pilot Projects

OCLC Pilots Traditional Libraries into Web Services
by Barbara Quint
July 5, 2005, Information Today, Inc.

Over the next few months, a series of pilot projects will expand OCLCs Open WorldCat project into a full-featured, Web-integrated library service. In December 2004, OCLC (http://www.oclc.org) opened WorldCat, its master union catalog of library holdings, to Google, Yahoo! Search, and other outlets. Initially, the material accessible to the Web search engines was books and monographs. With the new eSerials pilot project, OCLC will begin expanding content to electronic journal collections. The reference services pilot will link Web searchers to reference librarianssometimes live onesthrough an Ask a Librarian feature. The bookselling pilot connects Open WorldCat searchers directly with book purchasing options made by OCLC with Baker and Taylor.

Opening: Head of Tech Services, Kentucky

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
Alvin E. Evans College of Law Library
Lexington, Kentucky

POSITION: HEAD OF TECHNICAL SERVICES - JOB # SL508967

AVAILABLE: July 1, 2005

The Alvin E. Evans College of Law Library, University of Kentucky seeks a Head of Technical Services. This is a tenure-track, faculty rank, University Libraries position.

Duties
Under the direct supervision of the Law Library Director, the Head of Technical Services will manage all Law Library technical services operations, including cataloguing, serials, processing, and training and supervising approximately 5 FTE Technical Services positions. The Head of Technical Services will also participate in acquisitions and collection development activities, and recommend revisions in Law Library technical and administrative policies, as needed. The Law Library shares a system with the University Libraries and works closely with them.

Qualifications
A Masters in Library Science (or equivalent) from an ALA-accredited program is required. A minimum of three years of supervisory experience and the requisite knowledge necessary to lead a technical services department is also required. Law library experience is strongly desired.

Qualified candidates will have experience with AACR2, MARC, OCLC, and LC classification and subject heading schemes. Voyager integrated library
system experience is strongly desired.

Qualified candidates will also have excellent oral and written communication skills; strong interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills; and the ability to lead and collaborate effectively with colleagues at any level.

Salary and Benefits
Salary and faculty rank within the University library tenure system are commensurate with experience and qualifications. Twelve month appointment, 22 days annual leave, TIAA/CREF, Fidelity, and Twentieth Century Annuity plans. Additional benefits information is available at http://www.uky.edu/HR/benefits/.

The University of Kentucky is an Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

To Apply: # SL508967.
Please submit a UK Online Application at https://ukjobs.uky.edu/. For questions, contact HR/Employment, phone (859) 257-9555, press 2, or email ukjobs@email.uky.edu.

Deadline for Applications: July 31, 2005, but may be extended if necessary.

Opening: Public Services Law Librarian - University of Mississippi Law Library

Brief Description: This person provides legal reference and research services to law school faculty and students, members of the university community, attorneys, and the public, in person and via the Internet, using a variety of print and electronic resources.

Responsibilities: shares in delivery of reference services; provides Internet and CALR training for faculty and students; participates in faculty liaison program; serves as webmaster for law library's website; participates in collection development; assists patrons in the use of computer hardware and software; may participate in teaching legal research and writing. Some evening and weekend hours are required. This position reports to the Assistant Director/Head of Public Services.

Qualifications: ALA accredited Masters degree in library or information science or ABA or AALS accredited law degree; 1 year of related experience. Fluency in written and spoken English. Strong legal research and computer skills, including knowledge and interest in web site development and maintenance, electronic research, the Internet, instructional software, and Windows 2000 and XP. Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communications skills. Ability to function effectively as a team player.

To apply for this position, visit the University of Mississippi's employment website. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted online.

The University of Mississippi is an EEO/AA/ADA/ADEA/Titles VI & IX/Section 504 employer.

Blog San Antonio!

The AALLamo Blog is now open for postings by registered users.  Bloggers of AALL, get your keyboards ready!

If you would like to blog throughout the meeting or simply post an occasional article or picture on the AALLamo News blog, you must:

1. be a member of AALL
2. request a login password by e-mail from: Terry Conaway or Barbara Fullerton
3. agree to the blogger guidelines, which will be sent to you in an e-mail after you receive your username and password

Anyone will be allowed to comment on posts.

And/or send me posts for publication in the Law Librarian Blog.

Penalties for FOIA Non-Compliance Being Considered

The Washington Post is reporting that Senators Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) are pushing a package of legislative proposals that would create, for the first time, penalties for agencies that ignore Freedom of Information Act requests. They also want to create a position for an independent arbiter -- an ombudsman for FOIA -- who would help referee conflicts between the public and the government.

Read all about it.

HP Labs Working on 'Semantic Blogging'

HP Labs demonstrates "semantic blogging" research efforts underway to make blogging "cooler" and more userful by organizing blog content in meaningful ways. See HP's Semantic Blogging Demonstrator

Very cool.

Foreign and International Law Events at the AALL Annual Meeting

The Foreign, Comparative and International Law SIS has a number of interesting programs and events lined up for the San Antonio meeting.  For a complete listing of events visit the FCIL-SIS website at: http://www.aallnet.org/sis/fcilsis/programs2005.html

FCIL-SIS sponsored educational programs include:

Saturday, July 16, all day: W-3: New Vistas and Values for Europe: Strategies for Researching European Law. This is a one-day workshop with separate registration, and the second in a workshop series.

Sunday, July 17, 10am: A-4: Treaty-making--Really , Part II

Tuesday, July 19, 10:15am: G-5: Mexican Americans and the Law

Tuesday, July 19, 4pm: H-1: Navigating the Maze of U.S. Treaty Research - Strategies for Finding Treaties, Treaty Actions and Interpretive Materials

Wednesday, July 20, 1:30pm: J-5: Researching International Marine Environmental Law

Other events include:
"The Executive Committee Presents," Monday, July 18, 5:15-6:15pm  Introduction to Latin American Legal Systems.  Speakers: Professor Stephen Zamora and Assistant Professor Antonio Gidi, both from Houston University.

Many FCIL SIS interest group meetings will provide presentations on substantive subjects. The AALL Handbook will not list these remarkable events and presentations, so please look for them! 

CIS and Eastern European Law Interest Group, Saturday, July 16, 2005, 4:15-5:15pm Featured speaker: Irma Aladashvili, Coordinator of the Law library and Information Centre for the Georgian Young Lawyer's Association in Tbilisi, Georgia.

African Law Interest Group Business Meeting, Sunday, July 17, 2005 5:30-6:30pm New Developments in African Legal Systems: Ghana. Speaker:  Victor Essien, International Law Librarian & Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham Law School, and African Law Interest Group Chair. 

Publication Committee Business Meeting, Monday, July 18, 2005, 9:00-10:00am  Selectors of Foreign Law in Foreign Languages. Anne Burnett, Reference/Foreign & International Law Librarian at the University of Georgia Law Library, Linda Tashbook , Foreign International Comparative Law Librarian at the University of Pittsburgh Barco Law Library, and Dan Wade, Associate Librarian for Foreign & International Law and Lecturer at the Yale Law Library will moderate a gathering of foreign law librarians and librarians in charge with acquisition of foreign law in the entire country. The meeting is being sponsored by the Northeast Foreign Law Librarians Cooperative Group.

Electronic Issues Interest Group Business Meeting, Tuesday, July 19, 2005, 7:45-8:45am New  Portals to Foreign and International Law.  Speakers: Marylin Raisch, International and Foreign Law Librarian at Georgetown University Law Libraries and the IG Chair, Mirela Roznovschi, Reference Librarian for International and Foreign Law at New York University Law Library, Emily  Allbon,  Law Librarian from the City University, London, England (she received the Betty Moys Award 2004 for her work on a student legal portal at http://www.lawbore.net/) and other special guests!

Teaching Foreign and International Research Interest Group, Tuesday, July 19, 2005,11:45am-12:45pm  Panel on FCIL Librarianship. This session, moderated by Patricia A. Kasting, Reference Librarian at Hofstra University Law School Library and Mary Rumsey, Foreign, Comparative, & International Law Librarian at the University of Minnesota Law Library, will be devoted to a question-and-answer gathering on FCIL librarianship, aimed at people interested in becoming FCIL librarians or learning more about FCIL librarianship.  Moderators will present questions to a panel of librarians including: Amy Burchfield, International and Foreign Law Reference Librarian at Georgetown University Law Library, David Merkin, Coordinator of Library Services at Shearman & Sterling and Lee Peoples, Associate Director for Faculty, Research and Instructional Services at Oklahoma City University Law Library.

Asian Law Interest Group Business Meeting, Wednesday, July 20, 2005, 12:00-1:00pm Looking Eastward: Researching Asian Trade Law.  Speaker: Chenglin Liu, Adjunct Professor of Law, Foreign and International Law Librarian at the University of Houston Law Center, and the IG Chair.

Content supplied by FCIL-SIS Chair Mirela Roznovschi; posted by Lee Peoples, University of Oklahoma City Law Library

New Titles from Cambridge Univ Press

Prosecuting International Crimes: Selectivity and the International Criminal Law Regime by Robert Cryer
- Series: Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law, No 41 This book concentrates on the legitimacy of the international criminal law regime.

Lawyers and Regulation: The Politics of the Administrative Process by Patrick Schmidt
- Series: Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
A close study of lawyers who practise occupational safety and health law in the US.

International Conflict and Security Law: Essays in Memory of Hilaire McCoubrey Edited by Richard Burchill, Nigel D. White, Justin Morris Hilaire McCoubrey wrote extensively on armed conflict law, collective security law and the law relating to arms control.

EU Enlargement and the Constitutions of Central and Eastern Europe by Anneli Albi
- Series: Cambridge Studies in European Law and Policy
This book explores the adaptation of the constitutions of Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) for membership in the European Union.

Oxford Journals launch Humanities Archive, Law Archive Forthcoming

Recently Oxford Journals, a division of Oxford University Press, announced the launch of its Humanities Archive: the first of five subject-based digital backfiles to be launched by early 2006.

With its earliest material dating from 1829, the Humanities Archive contains over 300,000 articles, including major papers in history, music, religion, philosophy, literary studies, and linguistics, from Volume 1 Issue 1 of each title to the end of 1995. Journals included in the project include Essays in Criticism, English Historical Review, Past & Present, and the Journal of Theological Studies.

The Humanities Archive is available for purchase or on subscription from July 1, 2005.

Four further subject-based archives in Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Science will be released over the coming months. The Complete Archive, which includes all 141 journals in the subject-based Archives (with no duplication of content), and an estimated four million article pages, is anticipated to be available from January 2006.

For further details on this major initiative, including a full list of titles in each Archive, please visit the Oxford Journals website.

Opening: Reference Librarian, Fordham

Fordham University School of Law Library will be performing preliminary interviews at AALL for its newly created reference position. 

Position: Reference Librarian

Responsibilities:
Under the direction of the Senior Reference Librarian,  participates as a member of the reference  department team of eight professional librarians.  Provides extensive general  reference and research assistance to law students and  faculty, develops and teaches online and traditional  legal research instructional programs, authors research  guides for the library's web site, actively participates  in building the library's print and online collections through participation in acquisitions meetings and  assists in the development, implementation and  evaluation of reference and public services policies,  procedures and publications.  In addition, provides general reference, backup to the circulation department on as necessary and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:
M.L.S. or equivalent from an A.L.A. accredited library  school  and a J.D. from an A.B.A. accredited law  school are required.  Substantial knowledge  of both traditional and online legal research systems [such as  Westlaw, LexisNexis and web based legal and legally related information] is required.  Experience gained through library school sponsored internship is preferred.  Ability to work  independently and cooperatively as part of a team in a  fast-paced environment is vital.  Strong service orientation, communication, organizational and interpersonal skills are essential.  Evening, weekend and holiday hours are expected.

Applications:
Please send a letter of application, a resume and the  names of three references to: Kathleen A. McLeod, Ass. Law Librarian for Public Services, Fordham University School of Law Library, 140 W 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023 or kmcleod@law.fordham.edu

FLASH: AALL Server Down

From the Association, time stamped 11:57 eastern:

AALL is currently experiencing network downtime due to problems with our Internet Service Provider. Our website, discussion forums, and email systems are currently unavailable. We expect the issue to be resolved within 6 to 8 hours. We will send a follow-up message once our services have been restored.

If you need to contact us, please call 312-939-4764.

EU Rejects Controversial Software Patents Proposal

The European Parliament on Wednesday morning put the final nail in the coffin of the European Union's controversial IT patenting proposal, voting overwhelmingly to reject the proposed directive. Read all about it.

AALLamo Blog Now Online!

Check it out ... bookmark it!

GPO Posts New Internal Policy Document on Web Harvesting

Per Judy Russell (jrussell@gpo.gov), Managing Director, Information Dissemination (Superintendent of Documents):

[Effective today,] the Information Dissemination (ID) staff will be operating under a new internal policy, ID 73: "Harvesting Federal Digital Publications for GPO's Information Dissemination (ID) Programs." This policy governs both manual and automated harvesting of publications from Federal agency web sites for inclusion in the Federal Depository Library and National Bibliography Programs.

ID 73 is accessible from the FDLP Desktop, Information Dissemination Policies

Readex Launches Digital Edition of American State Papers, 1789-1838

From Readex.com

Authoritative Collection of Legislative and Executive Publications from
First 14 U.S. Congresses and More Now Available for Online Search

NAPLES, Fla./Friday, June 24, 2005 — Readex, the leading provider of digital access to American historical documents, announced today the immediate availability of a fully searchable digital edition of the American State Papers, 1789-1838. A seminal set of legislative and executive publications from the first 14 U.S. Congresses and more, this rich source of primary material details many aspects of early American history.

Readex's digital edition of the American State Papers, 1789-1838 provides bibliographic records and extensive indexing for nearly 6,300 publications. It also offers superior images that have been created by digitizing each page of the print volumes. These features help ensure that researchers get the most fruitful and accurate search results possible.

Ron Jones, Univ of Cincinnati Law Library

“Researchers of political, social and military history, as well as cultural, ethnic and international studies, will find this set of U.S. government publications an essential resource,” said Readex Vice President August A. Imholtz, Jr. “These publications cover landmark events and a wide breadth of topics, including Lewis and Clark's expedition, Burr's conspiracy and arrest, conflicts with Native Americans, trade and exploration, speeches by Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison and much more.”

“The American State Papers, 1789-1838 illuminate key moments and influential decisions in early American history,” said Readex President David Braden. “It is a perfect complement to Readex's digital edition of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 and a significant addition to Readex's Archive of Americana.”

Readex's digital edition of the American State Papers, 1789-1838 can be cross-searched with Readex's Web-based Archive of Americana, a family of comprehensive, authoritative collections of American historical documents. The Archive of Americana offers researchers millions of pages of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers and government publications printed between 1639 and the late 20th century.

For more information on the American State Papers, 1789-1838, the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980, the Archive of Americana or other Readex products, visit www.readex.com.

Learn a New Management Tool - SPOT

E-5: Strength, Problems, Opportunities & Threats (SPOT): Analyzing the Dynamics of a Successful Library Organization (Monday, July 18th at 4:15 p.m.).  Learn to use SPOT to identify and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your library and your competitors.  Sandra Yancey of the eWomen Network is the featured speaker.

Read the complete program description in the Annual Meeting Program. 

Lee Peoples, Univ of Oklahoma City Law Library