Law Librarian Blog

She's 83 Percent Happy

Using emotion-recognition software, scientists at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have determined the exact breakdown of Mona Lisa's emotions, as captured by Leonardo da Vinci. She's 83 percent happy, 9 percent disgusted, 6 percent fearful, and 2 percent angry. Damn, that sounds like my wife on a very, very good day.

Hat tip to Tech Law Prof Blog.

Job Opening: Reference Librarian, Florida Coastal School of Law

The Florida Coastal School of Law Library is accepting applications for a Reference position. The Florida Coastal School of Law is fully accredited by the ABA. We are a stand-alone institution known for collegiality and strong teaching. This is a wonderful opportunity to become part of an innovative team with a commitment to great service.

Description: The Reference Librarian reports to the Head of Public Services. The Reference Librarian assists the Head of Public Services to develop the library’s reference program policies and is primarily responsible for their implementation.

Compensation: Salary is dependent on qualifications. Full benefits package. Jacksonville is a major metropolitan area of Northeast Florida. We have beautiful ocean beaches and a low cost of living.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participate in rotation at the Library’s Reference Desk, including some evenings and weekends.
• Work with faculty in support of scholarly research and class instruction. This includes developing and providing class research modules.
• Develop and present formal and informal library instruction for full range of available resources.
• Assist patrons in the evaluation and use of print, electronic, microform, and other resources.
• Produce and maintain instructional materials (such as pathfinders and guides) to aid library patrons in their research.
• Participate in collection development.
• Keep current on developments in information technology that could be used to improve library reference and instructional services.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• MLS and JD or significant law library experience will be considered in place of JD.
• Strong service orientation and ability to work well with others in a team atmosphere.
• Enthusiasm, flexibility, and a positive attitude.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Detailed knowledge of print and electronic legal research tools
• Experience in the training and instruction of groups is preferred.

To Apply: We will consider applications immediately as we receive them. Send letter of application, resume, and the names, addresses and phone numbers of three references to Colleen Manning, Head of Public Services, Florida Coastal School of Law, 7565 Beach Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32216. Electronic applications may be sent to cmanning@fcsl.edu

The Katrina Index: Tracking Variables of Post-Katrina Reconstruction

From the Brookings Institution:

Three months since Hurricane Katrina it remains difficult to ascertain what progress has been made in rebuilding New Orleans and its region. Using a wide array of about 50 economic and social indicators, the Metropolitan Policy Program has compiled The Katrina Index: Tracking Variables of Post-Katrina Reconstruction (pdf) the first in a series of monthly snapshots of economic and both short term and long term reconstruction trends, finding that the area remains mired in a state of emergency still.

Job Opening: Law Cataloger, Columbia

The Arthur W. Diamond Law Library of Columbia University invites applications and nominations for the position of Law Cataloger.

Reporting to the Head of Bibliographic Control, the Law Cataloger performs original and selected copy cataloging in all formats and all media in all languages. The candidate advises and consults with the Serials Librarian on cataloging issues related to all materials in all languages in continuing formats; performs authority work and database maintenance; advises copy catalogers and other staff performing cataloging related tasks. Participates in various professional activities in the Law Library and the Columbia University Libraries including internal and external committee work, preparing narrative and statistical reports concerning cataloging. The incumbent will substitute for the Head of Bibliographic Control when necessary.

Requirements: MLS from ALA accredited institution. Knowledge of and ability to apply AACR2, LCSH, MARC21, LC classification schedules and other classification schemes used in the Law Library, NACO rules for creating authority records. Reading knowledge of German and one Romance language. Knowledge of and ability to work with online bibliographic tools and databases; excellent communication and interpersonal skills; strong organizational skills and attention to detail; strong project management skills; knowledge of current national trends in cataloging.

Preferred qualifications: Working knowledge in other European languages, preferably Romance languages; knowledge of and ability to work with RLIN and Innovative Interfaces system; 1-2 years experience as professional original cataloger in an academic or law library.

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Excellent benefits include assistance with University housing and tuition exemption for self and family.

For immediate consideration, please e-mail your resume to libjobs2@columbia.edu and list the names, addresses, phone numbers of three references.  You may also mail your resume to Human Resources Office, Box 18 Butler Library MC 1104, Columbia University, 535 West 114th Street, New York, NY 10027.  Your cover letter must specify Job Search #UL70105019 and include your e-mail address.  Screening of applications will begin immediately; search will remain open at least 30 days from date of posting.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and encourages minorities and women to apply for this opening.

USTA Report on China's WTO Compliance

The US Trade Representative has released its 2005 Report to Congress on China's WTO Compliance (pdf).

Tech Awards Call for Nominations

The Tech Museum Awards is an international Awards program that honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity. Each year, candidates are nominated and then invited to submit applications. Individuals, for-profit companies, and not-for-profit organizations are eligible. International panels of judges review the applications and annually select 25 Laureates. Awards are presented in five categories: Health, Education, Environment, Economic Development, and Equality. Five Laureates in each category are honored and one Laureate per category receives $50,000.

Nomination Deadline is April 3, 2006.
Submit a Nomination

Bush Administration Issues EO on FOIA Administration

The Bush administration's new executive order requires the designation of a senior official at each federal agency to serve as the Chief FOIA Officer of that agency. The Chief FOIA Officer will be responsible for compliance and performance. Each officer will develop a plan that includes "specific activities that the agency will implement to eliminate or reduce the agency's FOIA backlog, including (as applicable) changes that will make the processing of FOIA requests more streamlined and effective, as well as increased reliance on the dissemination of records that can be made available to the public through a website or other means that do not require the public to make a request for the records under the FOIA."

Privacy in the Age of the Internet: Canadians concerned about US PATRIOT ACT

The debate over the renewal of the PATRIOT Act is generating headlines in the U.S., but this legislation is also being closely watched in Canada.

In response to a privacy complaint against the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) due to its outsourcing of data to the United States, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada wrote:

The possibility of U.S. authorities accessing Canadians' personal information has been raised frequently since the passage of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act). Prior to the passage of this Act, U.S. authorities were able to access records held by U.S.-based firms relating to foreign intelligence gathering in a number of ways.

What has changed with the passage of USA PATRIOT Act is that certain U.S. intelligence and police surveillance and information collection tools have been expanded, and procedural hurdles for U.S. law enforcement agencies have been minimized. Under section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can access records held in the United States by applying for an order of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court. A company subject to a section 215 order cannot reveal that the FBI has sought or obtained information from it.

The risk of personal information being disclosed to government authorities is not a risk unique to U.S. organizations. In the national security and anti-terrorism context, Canadian organizations are subject to similar types of orders to disclose personal information held in Canada to Canadian authorities. Despite the objections of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act has been amended since the events of September 11th, 2001, so as to permit organizations to collect and use personal information without consent for the purpose of disclosing this information to government institutions, if the information relates to national security, the defence of Canada or the conduct of international affairs.

In addition to these measures, there are longstanding formal bilateral agreements between the U.S. and Canadian government agencies that provide for mutual cooperation and for the exchange of relevant information. These mechanisms are still available.|PIPEDA Summary 313|

To address the issues raised by outsourcing data to the U.S., Jim Bronskill recently reported that the Canadian government has drafted guidelines to regulate or even prohibit cross-border data flows of personally identifiable information to the U.S.

The [Canadian] federal Treasury Board led a working group to develop special clauses for inclusion in future business requests and contracts to lessen the risk [of disclosure].

The draft guidance document suggests, in the interest of upholding Canadian privacy laws, that [Canadian] federal databases of sensitive personal information created by contractors be located in Canada and be accessible only within the country.

However, it recognizes international trade obligations may make this impossible. In such cases, the government suggests contractors must agree to respect Canadian privacy laws as a condition of contract.

The guidelines say that if the privacy risk is considered high, a federal department might go so far as to cut off the flow of personal information to a foreign firm should it be "presented with an order" - such as an FBI notice - compelling release of data about Canadians. |CNEWS| |Yahoo Canada||LFP|

In October, 2004 the Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia essentially banned the export of personally identifiable information about Canadian citizens to U.S. contractors or subsidiaries due to concerns that this information could be divulged to the U.S. Government under a F.I.S.A. warrant. You can find the report and an executive summary here.

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada issued a report in August, 2004 discussing the implications of the PATRIOT Act for Canadian privacy. |PDF|

Neal R. Axton, William Mitchell College of Law Library

Immigration Policy Resources

The Pew Hispanic Center recommends the following resources:

Center for Immigration Studies
CIS is a research and policy analysis organization that focuses on the impact of immigration on the United States. CIS publishes reports on legal immigration and illegal immigration.

Center for Migration Studies
The CMS studies sociodemographic, historical, economic, political, legislative and pastoral aspects of human migration and refugee movements.

DOL's Division of Immigration of Policy and Research
The division is part of the US Department of Labor has a listing of reports that analyze the effects of immigration on the labor force.

Immigration Policy at Brookings
Brookings Institution have several policy papers and commentary on the effects of Immigration in the US

Immigration Policy Overview
National Conference of State Legislatures' immigration policy project provides legislative research and analysis on immigration policy issues.

Immigration Studies Program
At the Urban Institute studies the impact of U.S. Immigration.

Institute for the Study of International Migration
The ISIM study the effects of international migration on social, economic, demographic, foreign policy and national security concerns

International Migration Review
A refereed interdisciplinary quarterly journal on all aspects of human mobility published by the Center for Migration Studies

Mexican Migration Project
MMP is a multidisciplinary research effort between investigators in Mexico and the United States that study the Mexican immigrant experience.

Migration Dialogue
provides nonpartisan information and analysis of international migration.

Migration Information Source
A project of MPI, the source is an online resource, that offers vital data, and essential facts on the movement of people worldwide.

Migration Policy Institute
MPI is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to the study of the movement of people worldwide.

National Immigration Forum
NIF provides policy and news regarding immigration in the US.

Has HarperCollins Found a Solution to Google Book Search?

In an effort to work with Google and other digitalization projects while maintaining control over its digital content, HarperCollins Publishers says it would create its own digital library of all of its book and audio content and make it searchable by consumers on the Internet. See HarperCollins Will Create a Searchable Digital Library, New York Times, Dec. 13, 2005.

Mark Giangrande, DePaul Law Library

CIS Immigration Enforcement Stats

The Department of Homeland Security has released Immigration Enforcement Actions: 2004 Annual Report (pdf)

IP Documentary from National CyberEducation Project

The National CyberEducation Project of the Intellectual Property Institute at the University of Richmond School of Law has producted What Do You Think?, a new documentary on intellectual property and file-sharing. Check it out.

See also, the Richmond IP blog

FBI No Match for "Radical Militant Librarians"

Read the internal FBI email  and the New York Times story and buy a Radical Militant Librarian button (Jim Milles).

ACLU Summary of the Patriot Reauthorization Act Conference Report

In its Summary of the Patriot Reauthorization Act Conference Report, the ACLU finds numerous faults in the current version of the bill, including:

• The government can obtain your private records, like medical, library, school, and other records—without showing any connection between your activities and and a suspected foreign terrorist.
• Some 30,000 National Security Letters ("NSLs") are issued each year to obtain private records,3 and the recipients of those NSLs are under a gag order that is almost impossible to overturn. But the Patriot Act does nothing to address these abusive powers.
• The government is allowed to get "sneak and peek" search warrants to search a home or business and doesn't have to tell the owner of the premises for a month. This power can be used in cases that don't have anything to do with terrorism.

See our earlier post on the legislative history of the Patriot Reauthorization Act. That post includes a link to the Conference Report.

Podcasts from the U.S. Government

FirstGov provides this list of podcast feeds. Check the site for additions.

• Air Force News
• Al Día: Programa radial producido por la oficina del Censo
• Health Care Information from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Feature Stories
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) News and Feature Stories
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Research and Development News
• Pentagon Channel - Military News for the Military, by the Military
• Profile America, a daily feature from the Census Bureau
• State Department Recent Stories
• Weather in Southern New Mexico and Far West Texas
• White House Weekly Radio Address

Ron Jones, Unv Cin Law Lib

Global Economic Crime Survey

PricewaterhouseCoopers has released its third biennial Global Economic Crime Survey (2005). The survey is based on 3,634 interviews with senior executives in 34 countries. The survey finds that "fraud continues to be a prominent issue and has become increasingly important in the eyes of the world’s regulators."

Resources for Acquiring Foreign and International Law Books

NEEDSANDOFFERS-L (Needs and Offers Discussion List)
"Needsandoffers-l was created to facilitate the exchange of legal library materials between/among libraries. It provides a quick and easy means for the inexpensive acquisition of, and for the disposal
of no longer needed, legal materials. It is meant to carry lists of titles or general descriptions of materials either needed or offered."

LAW-ACQ-L (Law Library Acquisitions e-mail list)

W.S. Hein (reprints classic international law books and has e-book/digital versions in its Legal Classics Library via HeinOnline)

Law Book Exchange (their International Law catalogue)

Kloof Antiquarian Booksellers (includes international law book search)

See also Kloof's "Used Law Book Dealers in the World"

Abebooks

Alibris

Bookfinder.com

Better World Books (they take discarded library books and sell them via sources like Abebooks.com)

Lyonette Louis-Jacques, Foreign and International Law Librarian and Lecturer in Law, D'Angelo Law Library, University of Chicago Law School

New Copyright Guide Just Right For Campus Distribution

Several higher education associations have combined to produce a new guide to copyright. "Campus Copyright Rights and Responsibilities" does a good job of explaining the basics of copyright law and how it can be applied in higher education settings. It also covers TEACH and the use of digital media in the classroom. It can be copied and distributed freely in nonprofit educational organizations. Find this new report at:
http://www.aau.edu/reports/Rights_and_Responsibilities_2005.pdf

Ron Jones, Unv Cin Law Lib

Job Opening: Serials Librarian, Columbia

Serials Librarian
Diamond Law Library

The Arthur W. Diamond Law Library of Columbia University invites applications and nominations for the position of Serials Librarian.

Reporting to the Head of Technical Services, the Serials Librarian is responsible for overseeing the bibliographic and physical control of continuing resources. Essential duties of the position include: reviewing continuing formats cataloging and record enhancement; working closely with other units to solve problems in the maintenance of bibliographic and check-in records; administering and managing the Serials Unit which consists of 5 FTEs and student assistants in all duties related to serials control for over 6,000 active titles in various media, languages and scripts. In addition, the incumbent is expected to participate in library planning, committees and task forces and to participate in campus, regional, and national professional development and collaborative activities.

The ideal candidate should be self-motivated, possess superior communication and interpersonal skills, demonstrate a strong service orientation and an ability to work with varied user groups, be able to function effectively in a team environment, be able to train staff in computer applications for serials control, materials processing and bibliographic control, and have an awareness of current trends in law library technical services.

Requirements: MLS; demonstrated supervisory abilities and experience; knowledge of bibliographic classification systems and cataloging rules; experience with the serials marketplace; experience with library computer systems, some knowledge of the nature of academia; working knowledge of two foreign languages.

Preferred qualifications: professional experience working with serials in a major research or law library; working knowledge of additional foreign languages; experience with the US GPO and UN depository systems, some knowledge of the law or of the law serials trade.

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Excellent benefits include assistance with University housing and tuition exemption for self and family.

For immediate consideration, please e-mail your resume to libjobs2@columbia.edu and list the names, addresses and phone numbers of three references. You may also mail your resume to Human Resources Office, Box 18 Butler Library MC 1104, Columbia University, 535 West 114th Street, New York, NY 10027. Your cover letter must specify Job Search # 70105017 and include your e-mail address. Screening of applications will begin immediately; search will remain open at least 30 days from date of posting.

Columbia University is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

A Quick Look at AARP's Research Databases

AARP provides three major research resources: AgeLine, AgeSource Worldwide, and Internet Resources on Aging. Each are briefly profiled below.

AgeLine is an online guide to books, research reports, articles from journals and magazines, and videos related to issues of aging and life at 50-plus. It describes research, policy, and professional publications as well as those written for the general public. The database provides all the expected search options.

Special Features of AgeLine:

• Research to Go: to browse recent research and policy publications by topic.
• Provider Publications to Go: to browse recent professional and provider publications by topic.
• Consumer Searches to Go: to browse recent general-interest consumer publications by topic.

AARP's database, AgeSource Worldwide, identifies and provides links to over 300 major or unique libraries, clearinghouses, databases, directories, bibliographies, and Web metasites around the world that focus on aging or closely allied subjects. Some 30 countries are represented in AgeSource Worldwide.

Finally, AARP's Internet Resources on Aging database includes descriptions and links to over 900 carefully selected and reviewed Web sites of interest to those 50 and older.