Law Librarian Blog

New Content Added to the SAGE Full-Text Collections

Sage Publications’ full-text database, Criminology: A SAGE Full-Text Collection, is being enhanced this month by the addition of four new titles. Georgia State University’s Criminal Justice Review and International Criminal Justice Review, the European Society of Criminology’s European Journal of Criminology, and Crime, Media, Culture (a new SAGE title) are being added.

Also, the official publication of the American Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology, Criminal Justice and Behavior, has been added to Psychology: A SAGE Full-Text Collection.

Read the press release.

Sage on FIrstSearch: Sage Publications has given OCLC permission to provide per-article access to their 300+ titles available via FirstSearch Electronic Collections Online. There are now over 3,900 items available for per-article access.

For more information, see www.oclc.org/electroniccollections/options/pau/default.htm

Opening: Instructional Services Librarian, U Arkansas

NB: Interviews for this position will not take place at the AALL Annual Meeting in San Antonio.   

University of Arkansas, Leflar Law Center, Young Law Library
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Position Title:  Instructional Services Librarian

Description:  Full-time 12 month appointment in a law library faculty tenure-track position.  Assists with instructional services for the Law Center community.  Salary range: $40,000-48,000.   Excellent fringe benefits.  Opportunity to live in the foothills of the scenic Ozark Mountains.  The Fayetteville, Arkansas area is routinely ranked one of America’s best places to live.                            

Responsibilities:  Plans, develops, schedules, and presents instructional programs to meet the information technology needs of the Leflar Law Center faculty, staff and students.  Trains staff, faculty and students in the use of electronic resources.  Works with Law Center faculty to prepare classroom and presentation materials.  Researches and recommends instructional equipment purchases.  Oversees collection, maintenance, development, and access of electronic resources.  Serves as the primary contact for electronic resource vendors.  Performs traditional reference duties as a member of the Instructional Services Team.  Assists with oversight of library content on the Law Center website.  Reports to the Director of the Law Library.

Qualifications: MLS or JD and legal information experience is required.  Knowledge of legal electronic resources and an ability to work independently and as part of a team is important.  Strong communication and interpersonal skills are necessary.  Must have a desire to become an expert and a leader in all aspects of legal information technology as related to academic law libraries.  A commitment to outstanding customer service is essential. 

Application Process:   Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.  Start date is negotiable. Candidates should submit a resume and the names and telephone numbers of at least three references to:   

Professor Herbert E. Cihak, Young Law Library Director
University of Arkansas Leflar Law Center
213-A Waterman Hall
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701-1201
hcihak@uark.edu

The University of Arkansas is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and applications will be accepted without regard to age, race, color, sex, or national origin.  Applicants must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States.

New York Times Announces National Awards Program to Honor Public Librarians

The New York Times ( http://www.nytco.com/  ) has announced  that it is accepting nominations for the fifth annual  New York Times Librarian Awards. The deadline is September 2, 2005.

The Times will recognize twenty-seven public librarians  from across the United States who provide outstanding  community service on a consistent basis. Each winner will  receive $2,500 and a commemorative plaque in recognition  of his or her achievements.

Nominations should come from the general public. Nomination forms will be available at participating library  branches until September 1. The nomination form can also  be accessed at  the New York Times Community Affairs  Department Web site or at:
http://www.nytco.com/community/nomination.pdf

Opening: Cataloger, DC Firm

Are you looking for a permanent position in a prominent law firm library?  Better yet, do you have cataloging experience in a law library?  TRAK Records and Library is working with a top international law firm in the recruitment of a Cataloger.  The Cataloger provides bibliographic control of library holdings; catalogs new materials promptly and in accordance with national standards; provides expedited cataloging when necessary; maintains SydneyPLUS online catalog; keeps abreast of new technologies; participates in the selection of software for the Technical Services Unit; works closely with other staff members. Qualified candidates should have a MLS and a minimum of two years of cataloging experience in a law library.  Experience in original cataloging of monographs, serials, audiovisual, electronic, and Internet resources is required.   Experience updating and maintaining an online catalog or integrated library system is needed. The salary for this position is very competitive, the benefits are outstanding and the firm office is located near the metro.  For consideration, please send your resume to Daniel Hurd at Daniel.Hurd@TRAKRecordsandLibrary.com.  Send your resume today!

TRAK Records and Library
Visit our website at http://www.trakcompanies.com
202-659-2990

Significant New D.C. Court of Appeals Rulings Today

The Washington Post is reporting on two unrelated cases that are of interest out of the D.C. Court of Appeals.

The first story involves a case dealing with the war on terror. The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled that the Bush Administration can try detainees using military tribunals.  The Court overturned the ruling by District Judge James Robertson who said the tribunals were illegal.  The Court of Appeals disagreed stating that the Geneva Convention does not apply to al-Qaida.  The case involves Salim Ahmed Hamdan, who is identified as Osama bin Laden's driver. The opinion, Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld

The second story involves the campaign finance law passed in 2002. Rules generated by the Federal Election Commission were overturned at the District Court level as opening loopholes that would essentially gut the law.  The Commission appealed, and, in a 2-1 decision, the D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling. The opinion, Shays vs. FEC

Mark Giangrande, DePaul Law Library

AmLaw Tech's Annual Survey of Law Firm Libraries

This year's AmLaw Tech's survey of law librarians is now available. It includes:

• Average salaries for top law librarians
• Average library expenses
• Librarian satisfaction with the major information providers
• Library staffing, resources, physical space, and finances of the libraries of the largest law firms

From the article highlighting the survey results:

Contrary to popular expectations, the digital age didn't supplant print. It complemented it. And it hasn't rendered librarians obsolete, either. In ALM's fourth annual survey of Am Law 200 librarians, 71 percent of respondents reported bigger budgets in 2005 than 2004, while 24 percent say their budgets are about the same. Spending on library staff salaries has risen to an average of almost $916,000 in 2004 (up from $783,000 in 2003). And despite recent accounts of university libraries eliminating books altogether, 75 percent of respondents report spending more on print products last year than in 2003.

The survey results also show that, increasingly, librarians are contributing to the bottom line. As partners and clients alike realize librarians often track down information more efficiently than associates and paralegals, more firms are billing for their research time. "There is an acknowledgment that it is much more cost-effective to have expert researchers," says Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr chief librarian Jean O'Grady. Therefore, most firms have boosted their hiring standards. It's not unusual to find librarians with advanced degrees in law, business, the physical sciences, and information technology, as well as library sciences. Even library paraprofessionals are expected to have a bachelor's degree from a top school, plus library or legal experience, says Ruth Carter Armstrong, director of information resources at Goodwin Procter.

As the caliber of the library staff has improved, the work they are being called on to do has become more sophisticated. Instead of shelving and minding card catalogs, librarians now spend more time doing advanced research -- often in support of the firm's marketing or information technology departments. Survey respondents report that their staffs spent 29 percent of their time in 2004 researching nonlegal information compared to 26 percent on legal research.

Law Firm Library Finances | Space | Staffing

Order Survey, $99.

SCOTUS Update

The Washinton Post is reporting that "Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist emphatically denied yesterday that he intends to step down from the Supreme Court in the near future."

Meanwhile there are rumors that politicians have been asking Justice O'Connor to reconsider her retirement. As you may recall, the Justice is retiring to take care of her husband who is in poor health. File this under "why people are disgusted with politicians."

Westlaw Provides 50 State Surveys Feature

The 50 State Surveys feature in westlaw.com gives you an alternative to piecemeal online searches (or even more laborious manual research) for comparable statutes in other states. Now you can retrieve a single document comparing your statute section to related statutes from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. And many of the survey documents also have an attached PDF file containing an easy-to-read chart with the topic broken down, column by column, into subtopics, and every state's treatment of that subtopic.

To retrieve a 50 State Surveys document while viewing a statute, simply click 50 State Surveys on the Links tab under Statutes. Some statute sections may retrieve links to two or more survey documents, depending on the subject matter of the section. If there isn't a survey document available for a statute section, the 50 State Surveys link will not be displayed in that section.

Read more about it. Thanks to the always useful WisBlawg for the tip.

Download San Antonio Educational Program Handouts

The Educational Program Handout Materials Book is no longer included in your registration bag, so you will need to download and print these materials in advance to bring with you to San Antonio. Attendees who purchased the Collection in print or on a CD at the time of pre-registration should pick up their copy on site.

The posted materials include all files submitted to AALL for inclusion in this collection in PDF format. Files were solicited, but not necessarily received for all programs. Additional materials may be provided on site by the programs' speakers.

Opening: Research Librarian, Minnesota Law Firm

Faegre & Benson LLP, a leading Minnesota law firm, has an exciting opportunity in our Information Resources department.  As a Research Librarian you will provide reference services; perform in-depth legal and non-legal research; develop and implement training sessions for electronic and print services, along with conduct library orientation sessions for incoming lawyers/paralegals and existing staff.  Candidates must possess a Bachelor’s Degree; MLS degree preferred.  You must also be knowledgeable about a wide variety of information sources and be able to evaluate their appropriateness or usefulness for the Firm. Our ideal candidate will be people-oriented, possess excellent organizational and communication skills, along with a team-oriented, flexible work style.  3 to 5 years of law or corporate library experience is preferred.

For additional information about Faegre & Benson or to apply on-line, visit our web site at www.faegre.com.  You may also send your resume and salary history to Faegre & Benson LLP, ATTN: Human Resources, 2200 Wells Fargo Center, 90 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402 or fax to 612-766-1763.  EOE.

Internet Archive Party to Copyright Lawsuit

From the New York Times:

In preparing its client's defense in a trademark case, Harding Earley Follmer & Frailey used the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine to turn up old Web pages - some dating to 1999 - originally posted by the plaintiff. Last week, the plaintiff sued both the Harding Earley firm and the Internet Archive, saying the access to its old Web pages, stored in the Internet Archive's database, was unauthorized and illegal.

The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Philadelphia, seeks unspecified damages for copyright infringement and violations of two federal laws: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

A Quick Look at CIMEL and INTERIGHTS 'Honour' Crimes Project

The CIMEL (Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law) and INTERIGHTS Honour Crimes Project attempts to combat crimes of honor through “data, documentation, networking and development of strategies.”  The joint project formed in 2000 to share information and facilitate cooperation among lawyers, activists, academics, and other interested parties on the issues of honor crimes and forced marriages.  In support of this mission, the project has created a website containing a wealth of information.  The “Bibliography on ‘Crimes of Honour’” consists of two regularly updated sections:  an annotated bibliography of published material from books and journals, and case summaries from honor crime litigation around the globe.  Realizing that many individuals and groups were working without knowledge of each other, the project created a global directory of the contact information for people and organizations working in the field, as well as descriptions of their activities.  To facilitate information sharing and research, the abstracts and/or full-texts of scholarly and topical articles are provided, as are pertinent news reports.  This is an excellent site to assist researchers interested in the area of honor crimes, forced marriages, and women’s human rights.

Source: Cornell Law Library's InSite for July 11, 2005

Opening: Reference Librarian/Business Intelligence, NYC Law Firm

Nixon Peabody, a national law firm with 15 offices, has a challenging position for an experienced and energetic reference/research librarian to support its expanding business development and marketing initiatives. This position will be a member of a multi-office Information Services Library team with responsibility for providing business intelligence research support to the Marketing Department and for providing legal and business research support to the attorneys and staff. This position is located in the New York City office.

Key Responsibilities: As a member of a business intelligence research team, spend 50% of time providing in-depth business, industry, and competitive intelligence research support to the Marketing Department. Synthesize, analyze, and present a summary of research findings to Marketing staff and attorneys to facilitate business planning, sales and decision making
Participate in business development planning and implementation meetings with marketing staff and attorneys. As a member of the firm-wide library reference team, spend 50% of time providing reference and research support to attorneys and staff in the New York City office and other offices as workload demands.  Assist with promoting the library services and conducting library training and orientations. Assist with evaluating and selecting electronic and print resources for library collection development purposes. Work with other library staff to provide local technical services support. Actively participate in and contribute to Information Services and Marketing department meetings and special projects.

Qualifications: MLS and 3-5 years experience in a law firm or corporate library.  Solid experience conducting business, industry and legal research through utilization of electronic, print, interlibrary loan and document delivery resources. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Strong interpersonal skills. Proven ability to prioritize and manage multiple time sensitive and diverse projects. Ability to excel in a fast paced environment under tight deadlines. Strong analytical and critical thinking skills. Demonstrated commitment to providing high quality client service. Self-motivated, detail oriented and organized with the ability to work independently and collaboratively. Superior knowledge of business and industry resources. Solid proficiency in the use of Lexis, Hoovers, and other internet and online resources. Successful candidates will bring energy, creativity and initiative.

Compensation: Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Excellent benefits.

To apply please send cover letter, resume and salary requirements to:

Kristin Montensano
Nixon Peabody LLP
Clinton Square
P.O. Box 31051
Rochester, NY 14603
isrecruit@nixonpeabody.com
fax: 718-887-7284

No phone calls please.

Reminder: Foreign & Int'l Law Events @ AALL

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

Opening: Law Librarian, State of Connecticut Judicial Branch

LAW LIBRARIAN I/II – New Haven Area

The Connecticut Judicial Branch is seeking a qualified individual to perform professional to advanced library duties which include providing legal reference and research guidance, instruction in database searching, catalog and collection maintenance.  Minimum Qualifications: A Master’s degree in Library Science or Information Science from a graduate school accredited by the American Library Association.  Starting Salary: $49,241/$51,572 – plus benefits.  In-state travel required for a minimum of two days per week.  Resumes must be received by July 25, 2005. 

Please reference AD ID #05-1000-076.

Please mail resumes to:

Judicial Branch
Human Resources
90 Washington Street
Hartford, CT 061206

Or

Fax to: (860) 706-5091

E-mail questions to: Human.Resources@jud.state.ct.us

SLA 2005 Conference Presentations

From the Special Libraries Association:

The following are PowerPoint presentations of sessions held at the annual conference that are available at no cost!

Business & Finance Division

Business Intelligence in a Changing World (PPT)
Combating Money Laundering (PPT)
Statistics for Business Planning (PPT)
Statistics from International Organizations (PPT)

Information Technology Division

60 Tips in 90 Minutes (PDF)
Blogging RSSing the Librarian Way Introduction (PPT)
Blogging RSSing the Librarian Way Professional Development (PPT)
Blogging RSSing the Librarian Way Trends (PPT)
Technical Standards Update - Harris (PPT)
Technical Standards Update - Kaplan (PPT)
Technical Standards Update - Porta (PPT)
Technology Petting Zoo (PDF)

Military Librarians Division

Knowledge Sharing to Provide Security - Marlatt (PPT)
Knowledge Sharing to Provide Security - Robinson (PDF)
Return on Investment (PPT)

Science-Technology Division

Open Access Evaluating and Participation - McVeigh (PPT)
Open Access Evaluating and Participation - Suber (PPT)
Vendor Update on Document Delivery (PPT)

Other

Best of the Web (PPT)
Winner's Best Web Sites (PPT)
SLA Scholarship Winners and Certificate of Merit Awards Speech (DOC)

Ron Jones, Unv Cin Law Lib

Save the Date: IOM Webcast on the Assessment of the US Drug Safety System, July 19 and 20

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies will be webcasting the second meeting for it's Assessment of the US Drug Safety System. Here are the details:
Drug Safety: Meeting Two - Webcast

IOM Project:   Assessment of the U. S. Drug Safety System
Event Date:   July 19, 2005 - July 21, 2005         

Meeting Two

Meeting two of the committee will be held on July 19 - 21, 2005 at the National Academy of Sciences Building, 2101 Constitution Ave, NW (Entrance on C Street), Washington, D.C., Lecture Room.

The meeting will be open to the public on Tuesday, July 19th from 3:00pm - 6:00pm & Wednesday, July 20th from 1:00pm - 5:30pm. The committee will be in closed session on Wednesday, July 20th from 8:00am - 1:00pm & Thursday, July 21st from 8:00am - 3:00pm.

Webcast

If you cannot attend the meeting in person on July 19th or 20th, you may participate in the meeting by listening to a live audio webcast and submitting questions using an e-mail form at http://national-academies.org. (The link for the webcast will be available the day of the meeting at http://national-academies.org.) The webcast requires RealPlayer software, available free at http://www.real.com/player. For more information on setup and hardware requirements, see the Real.com Web site. Registration is NOT required to listen to the Webcast.

Please note that the network capacity at the National Academies will limit the number of simultaneous listeners to this Webcast. Because we anticipate a high level of interest in this event, you may initially have difficulty connecting to the streaming audio file. Please be patient and continue trying to connect; as other listeners leave the event, you may be able to join it in progress.

Gov't Websites and Democratic Deliberation

The July 2005 issue of First Monday (volume 10, number 7) has a very interesting article entitled "E-deliberation and local governance: The role of computer mediated communication in local democratic participation in the United Kingdom (by Joss Hands). Here is the abstract:

This paper focuses on the use of local government Web sites in the United Kingdom to encourage and facilitate democratic deliberation. The question addressed is to what end, and on whose terms, citizens are being encouraged to engage local government via computer-mediated communication. After an initial investigation into the legislative framework of local e-democracy, this paper examines opportunities available for citizens to deliberate by examining 469 local government Web sites. This information is then reviewed in the context of empirical evidence on the practices and attitudes of those responsible for the management and upkeep of the specific sites under question. It appears that while interaction is being encouraged, it is limited and tends towards an individualistic liberal model.

Reminder: 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.

Opening: Reference Librarian, George Washington

The Jacob Burns Law Library seeks a librarian to provide legal reference and research assistance to the law school community and other library patrons.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Include participating in daily reference desk duties, performing legal research projects, participating in the faculty liaison program, drafting legal research guides, participating in collection development, and planning and mounting library exhibits. Some evening and/or weekend reference services are required.

REQUIRED: MLS (or equivalent) from an accredited institution or substantial work toward completion of the degree and JD (or equivalent) from an accredited institution or substantial work toward completion of the degreeis required. 

PREFERRED: general legal reference background, excellent oral and written expression, superior service orientation and team spirit, flexibility, self starter.

Informational interviews will be conducted at the AALL Annual Meeting in San Antonio. Review of applications will begin August 8, 2005, and continue until the position is filled.  To apply for this position, please send a cover letter, resume, and the names of three professional references by
postal mail to Ms. Leslie A. Lee, Assistant Director for Administration; The George Washington University Law School, Jacob Burns Law Library; 716 20th Street, NW; Washington, DC 20052; by e-mail to llee@law.gwu.edu; or by fax to 202-994-1430.

The George Washington University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.