Law Librarian Blog

Impact of Recessions on State Higher Education Funding & Student Financial Aid

From the Center for the Study of Education Policy:

"The Recession, Retrenchment, and Recovery Project examined the effects of recessions on student financial access to college during the 25-year period 1979-2003, identified states that have been relatively successful in maintaining financial access, and collected policy strategies used by these states. A particular concern was the impact of recessions on financial access-the balance of state financial aid and tuition and fees-for students attending public institutions. The project included an economic and fiscal analysis, a survey of state higher education organizations and interviews of leaders in seven states that ranked well on student access." 

[RJ]

Strange but True: Infants Wheeze Less in Homes With Multiple Dogs

Living in a home with multiple dogs may help reduce an infant’s risk for developing wheezing in the first year of life, according to new research. Read more about it. [JH]

The Top 100 : The most influential figures in American history.

From the Atlantic: "Who are the ­most influential figures in American history? The Atlantic recently asked ten eminent historians. The result was The Atlantic’s Top 100—and some insight into the nature of influence and the contingency of history."  [RJ]

Google Pledges $2 Million to Stanford Law Internet Center

Google Inc. has pledged $2 million to help fund Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society. Here's the School's press release. [JH]

Quote It! On Research

"If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called Research." Albert Einstein

New Legal Research Guides on GlobaLex

New legal research articles available on GlobaLex:

• Researching Kenyan Law by Leonard Obura Aloo and Tom Ojienda
• Sierra Leone Legal System and Legal Research by Hanatu Kabbah
• The Swiss Legal System and Research by Gregory M. Bovey
• Guide to Tanzanian Legal System and Legal Research by Bahame Tom  Nyanduga and Christabel Manning

CQ Legislative Impact

Great resource from CQ:

"CQ Legislative Impact shows you the relationships between pending bills and current law, so you'll quickly decipher how legislation before Congress would affect existing public law and specific U.S. Code sections."  (sub. req.)  [RJ]

Two New Titles Added to Briefs in Law Librarianship Series

SURVEY ON ACCESS AND TEACHING OF ALTERNATIVE LEGAL RESEARCH USING INTERNET PORTALS AND GATEWAYS
By Sarah Hooke Lee

1 volume (paper) | $52.00 | Item #334360 | ISBN: 0-8377-9363-7
Published: Buffalo; William S. Hein & Co., Inc.;
2006 AALL PUBLICATIONS SERIES NO. 56, VOLUME 12

This survey addresses the growth of courses and other methods used to expose library patrons to the tremendous number of internet-based legal resources now available. Law librarians, more than anyone, recognize the usefulness of these alternatives to traditional print sources and the established online databases. This Brief in Law Librarianship examines how much access to these alternative sources law libraries provide to their patrons. It also considers these questions: Do law libraries teach their library users how to use alternative products, given librarians' already -crowded schedules? If so, who does this teaching, what is taught, and how is instruction offered? Have law libraries received additional funding for new staff and purchase of new products?

Two surveys were conducted, one in 2000 and the second in 2003. This offered the opportunity to identify increases or changes in teaching these resources over this time period. In 2000, there were far more independent vendors and gateway-type commercial products available than in 2003, as many of the start-up products had been acquired by the big vendors. These developments led to a few changes in the lists of choices in the 2003 survey. The surveys were distributed via listservs targeted by type of law librarian, i.e., academic, law firm and public law librarians.

SURVEY ON COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND SELECTION PRACTICES
By Vicente E. Garces

1 volume (paper) | $50.00 Item #332510 | ISBN: 0-8377-9356-4
Published: Buffalo; William S. Hein & Co., Inc.
2006 AALL PUBLICATIONS SERIES NO. 56, VOLUME 11

This survey looks at two basic topics in collection development: selection of law library materials and collection development policies. In focusing on selection, this survey provides a snapshot of the types of materials being collected and the selection processes being used in law libraries.  Collection development has evolved over the last several decades to become an increasingly complex and challenging area of specialization in librarianship. This evolution is most evident at large academic research libraries, but has impacted all libraries to varying degrees, including law libraries.

The survey questions on collection development policies cover basic issues concerning the use (or non-use), creation and content of these documents. The data in this survey comes from the answers of the 71 self-selected libraries that responded to the survey distributed to law librarians in spring 2001.

Find X

Here is problem #3 on a high school geometry examination as solved!

Opening: Director of Bibliographic Services & Collection Management, UCLA Law Library

The UCLA Law Library has initiated recruitment for the position of Director of Bibliographic Services & Collection Management and is actively seeking nominations and applications.  The first consideration date for this position is December 15, 2006.

The complete posting, which includes the position description, complete qualifications and application procedures, is available on the Employment and Human Resources website of the UCLA Library, at: http://www2.library.ucla.edu/about/employment.cfm

If you would like to nominate someone for this position, please contact Cynthia Lewis, Acting Law Librarian, at lewis@law.ucla.edu.

Professors and Librarians Win Narrow Exemptions Under Digital Millennium Copyright Act

From the Chronicle.com:

"The U.S. Copyright Office has issued exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that may benefit media professors, archivists, and other academics. Under certain circumstances, they will be allowed to circumvent access-control technologies on various electronic media." (for subscribers)

See also:

• Exemptions from Prohibition on Circumvention of Technological Measures that Control Access to Copyrighted Works
• Statement of the Librarian of Congress on the Anticircumvention Rulemaking
• Determination of the Librarian of Congress and Text of the Regulation
• The Recommendation of the Register of Copyrights

[RJ]

2006 Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual

From the United States Sentencing Commission: "This manual contains the federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements effective November 1, 2006. " [RJ]

Should SEC Examine Company Blogs under Full Disclosure Requirement?

Interesting article from the National Law Journal:

"The chief executive of high-tech Sun Microsystems Inc. thinks it is high time Web logs-called "blogs"-get their due from the Securities and Exchange Commission by allowing company blog posts to supplant traditional press releases to inform investors."  (for subscribers) 

[RJ]

Academic Libraries 2004

New report from the National Center for Education Statistics:

"The selected findings and tables in this report, based on the 2004 Academic Libraries Survey, summarize services, staff, collections, and expenditures of academic libraries in degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report includes a number of key findings: During fiscal year (FY) 2004, there were 155.1 million circulation transactions from academic libraries’ general collection. During a typical week in the fall of 2004, 1.4 million academic library reference transactions were conducted, including computer searches. The nation’s 3,700 academic libraries held 982.6 million books; serial backfiles; and other paper materials, including government documents at the end of FY 2004. Academic libraries spent $2.2 billion on information resources during FY 2004." 

[RJ]

Dam on the Rule of Law and Economic Development

The Law-Growth Nexus
The Rule of Law and Economic Development
Kenneth W. Dam

c. 320pp, Brookings Institution Press 2006
Cloth Text, 978-0-8157-1720-1, $36.95

Book Description: In The Law-Growth Nexus, Kenneth Dam explores the newly ascendant view that institutions-in particular, the rule of law-play a critical role in determining which economies thrive and which lag behind. Drawing on five decades as a legal scholar and policymaker, the author explains what policymakers need to know about the relationship between legal institutions and economic growth. He defines the essential concepts that make up the rule of law-property rights, contracts, and enforcement—and analyzes the roles they play in the markets for land, equity, and debt.

Dam uses an extended analysis of China to assess the importance of the rule of law. This case study illustrates several of the book's central themes, including the difficulty of building a strong, independent judiciary and a first-class financial sector.

Could new or better legal institutions help unlock the growth potential of the developing world? In exploring this question, The Law-Growth Nexus goes beyond regression results to examine the underlying mechanisms through which the law, the judiciary, and the legal profession influence the economy. The result is essential reading for analysts and policymakers facing the challenges of legal and economic reform.

Justice Courts for Small New York Towns to Be Overhauled

From the NY Times: "New York’s top judicial officials outlined a plan ... to begin reforming the state’s 300-year-old system of town and village courts, which have been criticized for decades as outmoded, poorly supervised and unfair."  [RJ]

Openings: Electronic Resources Librarian & Acquisitions Librarian, Drexel Law

The Drexel University College of Law Library solicits applications from qualified and enthusiastic individuals for the positions of (a) Electronic Services Librarian and (b) Acquisitions Librarian.

The College of Law admitted its first class this fall and will move into new facilities over the next several months.  The University and College of Law are committed to meeting the ABA requirements for provisional and full approval at the earliest possible time and for the library that means that it has the resources to develop a strong staff staff committed to service excellence and innovation.  For the right people, this will be an exciting and challenging opportunity to help develop a law library from the ground up at a doctoral research institution committed to excellence and to the innovative use of instructional and information technology.

Electronic Resources Librarian

The successful candidate is part of a team responsible for developing and implementing a vision and strategy for ensuring the effective deployment and use of electronic information by students and faculty.  Specific responsibilities include implementing an electronic resource management system; coordinating processing activities associated with electronic information resources including updating and maintaining linking capabilities for electronic information resources and ensuring all appropriate bibliographic records are added to the OPAC; collaborating with law library staff, the staff of the university library, and colleagues from other departments to ensure successful patron access to and use of electronic information resources; training faculty and students on the use of electronic information resources, including use of electronic resources within WebCT; and communicating with vendors and publishers on matters involving electronic resources; and assisting in designing and ongoing maintenance and evaluation of the library’s web pages.

The Electronic Resources Librarian also participates in reference and the library liaison program and teaches in the library’s educational programming.  Occasional evening and weekend reference hours required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:  Graduate degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science program or equivalent (candidates with relevant library experience and making substantial progress toward the completion of their degree are encouraged to apply); demonstrated experience resolving issues involved in providing access to electronic information resources; familiarity with electronic publishing practices and licensing trends; familiarity with bibliographic and metadata tools; experience with Dreamweaver or other web authoring/editing tools.  Must have excellent oral and written communication skills and be effective in working within a flat organizational structure.  Strong public service orientation is essential.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:   Familiarity with legal information resources; experience working in an academic or law firm library; experience licensing electronic information resources; experience with Innovative Interfaces Millennium and SFX; experience with Photoshop or other image editing tools; experience with database programs such as Microsoft Access.

TO APPLY:  Send (electronic submissions preferred) cover letter, current curriculum vitae, and the names of three references to

Christopher Simoni
Director, Law Library and Professor of Law
Drexel University College of Law Library
3141 Chestnut
Philadelphia, PA 19104
simoni@drexel.edu
215.571.4767

Acquisitions Librarian

The successful candidate is responsible for the daily operations related to ordering, receiving, and processing print and electronic legal and law related materials and for coordinating and monitoring related workflow matters within the library and with staff from the Drexel university library.  Specific responsibilities include identifying and acquiring all library materials, regardless of type or format, using firm orders, approval plans, and subscription agents and coordinating the processing of these materials by university library staff.  The successful candidate will use Innopac/Millennium to establish fund allocations monitor and track expenditures, provide budget planning analyses and budget projections.  The successful candidate collaborates with the library’s staff and the staff of the university library to successfully carry out acquisition functions and is responsible for gathering, tracking, and communicating acquisitions pricing information to library director and maintaining acquisitions data, statistics, reports, policies, and procedures.

Depending upon experience, the Acquisitions Librarian may participate in reference and the library liaison program as well as in the library’s educational programming in which case occasional evening and weekend reference hours may be required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:  Graduate degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science program or equivalent (candidates with substantial relevant library experience and who are making substantial progress toward the completion of their degree also are encouraged to apply); experience with acquisitions operations in an academic environment or a similar large or complex library setting; experience with integrated library systems, especially related to acquisition functions; familiarity with fund accounting and library budgeting practices; experience working with vendors and content providers, including book vendors, publishers, and library consortia; demonstrated knowledge of library acquisitions business practices.   Must have excellent oral and written communication skills and be effective in working within a flat organizational structure. Strong public service orientation is essential.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:   Strongly prefer familiarity with legal information resources; experience working in an academic or law firm library; knowledge of collection development principles; experience licensing electronic information resources; experience with Innovative Interfaces Millennium and SFX; familiarity with cataloging principles and procedures; familiarity with Microsoft Excel and Access or willingness to learn.

TO APPLY:  Send (electronic submissions preferred) cover letter, current curriculum vitae, and the names of three references to

Christopher Simoni
Director, Law Library and Professor of Law
Drexel University College of Law Library
3141 Chestnut
Philadelphia, PA 19104
simoni@drexel.edu
215.571.4767

Federal Judge Rules US Currency Discriminates Against Blind

In American Council for the Blind v. Sec’y of the Treasury, a federal judge ruled that "the Treasury Department’s failure to design and issue paper currency that is readily distinguishable to blind and visually impaired individuals violates section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act." Read more about it at JURIST. [JH]

Forum on Legal Education in a Networked World at Harvard Law School

The Berkman Center is hosting a forum on the impact of technology and the Internet on legal education and training on December 7. Web-, pod-, and virtual-casting of this event is expected. Check out Gene Koo's announcment on the Law School Innovation blog for more details. [JH]

California Supreme Court Rules Bloggers and Other Web Information Content Providers Not Liable for Republishing Statements That May Be Defamatory

From CNet News:

In a victory for bloggers, newsgroup participants and other Web publishers, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that individual Internet users cannot be held liable for republishing defamatory statements written by others.

Citing First Amendment concerns the Court said holding bloggers liable for republished material "would provide a natural incentive to simply remove messages upon notification, chilling the freedom of Internet speech." The Court's ruling was also based on the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which exempts Internet content providers from traditional publisher's liability and distributor's liability. This broad immunity is found in Sec. 230 of the Act (47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1)) which states in pertinent part:

No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.

The Court observed that

Congress implemented its intent not by maintaining the common law distinction between “publishers” and “distributors,” but by broadly shielding all providers from liability for “publishing” information received from third parties. Congress contemplated self-regulation, rather than regulation compelled at the sword point of tort liability. It chose to protect even the most active Internet publishers, those who take an aggressive role in republishing third party content. It would be anomalous to hold less active “distributors” liable upon notice. Thus, the immunity conferred by section 230 applies even when self-regulation is unsuccessful, or completely unattempted.

Text of the opinion. [RJ & JH]