Law Librarian Blog

National Library Week Video from Stephen Colbert

My bad, I forgot National Library Week. Stephen Colbert didn't. [JH]

LJ Talks to Fred R. Shapiro

Library Journal article regarding the Yale Book of Quotations.  [RJ]

Innovator and Pariah: The United States and Clean Air Legislation

A Council on Foreign Relations Backgrounder, Innovator and Pariah: The United States and Clean Air Legislation, examines America's mixed record on clean air legislation. [JH]

Google to Map Atrocities in Darfur

From the press release:

"The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has joined with Google in an unprecedented online mapping initiative. Crisis in Darfur enables more than 200 million Google Earth users worldwide to visualize and better understand the genocide currently unfolding in Darfur, Sudan. The Museum has assembled content—photographs, data, and eyewitness testimony—from a number of sources that are brought together for the first time in Google Earth.

"Crisis in Darfur is the first project of the Museum’s Genocide Prevention Mapping Initiative that will over time include information on potential genocides allowing citizens, governments, and institutions to access information on atrocities in their nascent stages and respond.

"Educating today’s generation about the atrocities of the past and present can be enhanced by technologies such as Google Earth. When it comes to responding to genocide, the world’s record is terrible. We hope this important initiative with Google will make it that much harder for the world to ignore those who need us the most."

Electric Energy Market Competition Task Force Report

From the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division: 

"Section 1815 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires the Electric Energy Market Competition Task Force to conduct a study of competition in wholesale and retail markets for electric energy in the United States.  On April 6, 2007, the Task Force released the final Report to Congress on Competition in the Wholesale and Retail Markets for Electric Energy."  [RJ]

Ohio Vote Audit Turns Up Duplicates, Deletions

Interesting story from NPR:  "One person, one vote. That's how the democratic process should work. But a recent audit of the 2006 general election in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, found that some votes were counted twice, and others were deleted. Candice Hoke, who oversaw the independent audit, explains some of its findings."  See also,  The Collaborative Public Audit of the 2006 Cuyahoga County General Election.  [RJ]

OECD Factbook 2007

From the press release:

"The OECD Factbook is an essential tool providing a global overview of world economic, social and environmental trends. It brings together in a single publication 100 indicators that are essential for evaluating the relative position of any OECD country.

The OECD Factbook has become a key reference for anyone interested to know "where we are" and "where we are going" in terms of social, economic and environmental development."  [RJ]

Openings: Reference Librarian and Access Services Librarian, Georgetown Law

Reference Librarian. The Georgetown University Law Library is seeking an innovative and energetic librarian for the position of Reference Librarian. See http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/about/openings.cfm   

Review of applications will begin May 14, 2007 and will continue until the position is filled.

Responsibilities:

The Reference Librarian provides extensive reference service to the Law Center’s faculty and students by participating in the reference desk rotation, including some evenings and weekends, individual research consultations, writing research guides, and other law library programs as needed.

The Reference Librarian participates in basic and advanced legal research instruction, creating online training tools, conducting clinical research instruction, participating in the Legal Research and Writing liaison program, assisting journal editors through the journal liaison program, leading library tours, and contributing to other educational programs.

The Reference Librarian evaluates and selects materials for the library’s collection in assigned subject areas.

The Reference Librarian serves as a resource for the Reference Department on web design and assists in creation of internet documents, tutorials and research guides.

This position reports directly to the Head of Reference in the Patron Services section.  No positions report to the Reference Librarian. 

Required: Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library school; experience with legal materials, including online databases; awareness of current trends in legal research, library automation and library instructional programs.

Preferred: J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school or significant law library experience; one to three years of professional experience in a law or academic library, and experience with teaching legal research; skills in web design, including HTML, XML coding.

Salary and Benefits: Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. For more information about the Library, please visit the Library’s website at www.ll.georgetown.edu

Other: Participate in library committees and forums. Engage in work with staff of other departments, demonstrating collaboration and teamwork. Expected performance includes active participation in the intellectual life and administrative activities of the Law Center as well as the fulfillment of the responsibilities of the position in a superior manner, demonstrating increasing knowledge, effectiveness and, where appropriate, scholarship.

For more information about the Library, please visit the Library’s website at www.ll.georgetown.edu.

To Apply: To apply, send a resume and the names of three references to libraryjobs@law.georgetown.edu or by mail to Margaret A. Fry, Associate Librarian for Administration, Georgetown University Law Library, 111 G Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 

Georgetown University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Continue for Access Services Librarian..

Access Services Librarian, see http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/about/openings.cfm

Review of applications will begin May 14, 2007 and will continue until the position is filled.

The Georgetown University Law Library, with its collection of over 1,000,000 volumes and equivalents and a staff over 70 FTE, is one of the country’s premier legal research institutions, supporting an outstanding law school faculty and student body. The Law Library is housed in two main locations, the Edward Bennett Williams Library and the John Wolff International and Comparative Law Library, as well as several small satellite collections.

The Library seeks a librarian to manage all aspects of its Access Services department, including Circulation, Course Reserves, Interlibrary Lending, and Media Services, the Public Patron Program. Under the supervision of the Associate Law Librarian for Patron Services, the Access Services Librarian develops policy and procedures to promote quality services to the Georgetown Law Center community; supervises 9 permanent staff and 22 student assistants; advises on leasing and purchasing of Media Services equipment; assists with budget preparation for assigned area; and participates in other Patron Services Section activities, which may include teaching library classes and/or staffing the reference, circulation or media service desks.

This position reports directly to the Associate Law Librarian for Patron Services.   

Required qualifications: M.L.S. (or equivalent) from an ALA-accredited library school; strong service orientation; supervisory experience; at least three years of library experience; familiarity with automated library systems; and the ability to work under pressure and to set priorities.

Preferred qualifications: Law library experience; knowledge of legal materials; experience with interlibrary loan systems, especially IILLiad; experience with Innovative Library systems; experience with media services and equipment; budgetary experience; knowledge of Lexis and Westlaw; fluency with a variety of computer applications.

Salary and benefits: Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

For more information about the Library, please visit the Library’s website at www.ll.georgetown.edu.

To Apply: To apply, send a resume and the names of three references to libraryjobs@law.georgetown.edu or by mail to Margaret A. Fry, Associate Librarian for Administration, Georgetown University Law Library, 111 G Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001

Georgetown University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Happy 207th Birthday Library of Congress!

And with it comes a new blog.  Check it out!  [RJ]

Davis Gives Government a C-minus on Information Security Efforts

From the press release:  "Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), ranking member of the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee, gave the federal government an overall grade of C-minus when it comes to safekeeping information on government computer systems." 

"The Department of Justice and the Department of Housing and Urban Development showed the most improvement from 2005 to 2006. Justice jumped from a D to an A-minus, and HUD climbed from D-plus to A-plus. HUD had, for the first time, developed a full inventory of its information security apparatus, a major plus in the grading. It also showed improvement in virtually all categories. NASA, which fell from B-minus to D-minus, and the Department of Education, which fell from C-minus to F, showed the biggest declines."

AALL's Day in the Life Photo Contest

Just leaked to the press (but still unconfirmed), AALL's Day in the Life of the Law Library Community's winning photo is "Middle-age plump male librarian shelves books because student assistants called in sick." Click on the thumbnail to view a larger image.

Doesn't this image look vaguely familiar to last year's winner? If it does, I think you may need glasses. [JH]

Photograph by Mevil.

A Governor’s Guide to Homeland Security

From the press release: "A Governor's Guide to Homeland Security contains practical advice for governors on how to organize their states to prepare for and respond to hazards of all kinds effectively. It shares information and guidance on how to approach issues such as mutual aid, information sharing, obtaining assistance from the military and protecting critical infrastructure. Last published in 2002, the guide includes a significant amount of new and updated information."  [RJ]

Legal Week's Top 50 US Law Firms list

From Legal Week:

"The US’ top 50 law firms have posted their fourth successive year of double-digit increases in revenue and partner profits, yet still look set to lag behind their key European rivals in terms of growth this year.

Legal Week’s annual table of the top 50 US firms, the first comprehensive financial picture of the world’s biggest legal market in 2006, shows top 50 firms grew income by an average of 12.2% in 2006, while profits per equity partner (PEP) rose 11.4%."  [RJ]

CDD Files Complaint With FTC Regarding Google/DoubleClick Merger

From the Center for Digital Democracy:

"CDD, EPIC and US PIRG filed a complaint (pdf) with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urging the Commission to open an investigation into the proposed acquisition. The groups urged the FTC to assess the ability of Google to record, analyze, track, and profile the activities of Internet users with data that is both personally identifiable and data that is not personally identifiable. The groups further urged the FTC to require Google to publicly present a plan to comply with well-established government and industry privacy standards such as the OECD Privacy Guidelines. Pending the resolution of these and other issues, EPIC encouraged the FTC to halt the acquisition." 

See also, Privacy Group Objects to DoubleClick Deal, Washington Post.

Google Draws Privacy Complaint to FTC, CNet News.

[RJ]

US Patent and Trademark Office Releases 2007-2012 Year Strategic Plan

From the press release:

"The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released the agency’s “2007-2012 Strategic Plan,” which lays out goals and objectives to guide the agency in accomplishing its mission of fostering innovation and competitiveness by providing high quality and timely examination of patent and trademark applications, guiding domestic and international intellectual property policy and delivering intellectual property information worldwide."  [RJ]

Social Media: Learn About the Right Tool for Right Job in 5 Weeks (or 5 Minutes!)

Five Weeks to a Social Library is online course devoted to teaching librarians about social software and how to use it in their libraries. The course covers the following topics:

• Blogs
• RSS
• Wikis
• Social Networking Software and SecondLife
• Flickr
• Social Bookmarking Software

Check out the course content. But if you don't have five weeks, check out Lifehack's five minute version.

Hat tip to Karl at LISNews. [JH]

2007 Sector Strategies Energy Report

From the press release:

"The Environmental Protection Agency has released a report on energy use trends in major manufacturing sectors that highlights the environmental implications of energy use. The report concludes with a general overview of the barriers to energy efficiency and use of clean fuel technologies, and offers some possible policy options for government to help address these barriers."   [RJ]

ALA online annual report showcases 2005-2006 achievements and year’s highlights

From the press release:

"The online edition of the annual report follows ALA's fiscal year 2005-2006, from September 1, 2005 to August 31, 2006. The Web-based format allows expanded coverage of ALA and provides extensive information about the year's conferences and workshops, programs and partners, and awards and honors, including winners of the Youth Media Awards.  Other sections present key financial information, the year in review, publishing, highlights from the Washington Office, ALA's organizational structure and leadership, and an appreciation section focusing on Library Champions, supporters, donors, funders and partners.

This is the seventh year the annual report has been available on the Web. It may be found at www.ala.org/annualreport."  [RJ]

Opening: Reference and Circulation Services Librarian, University of Illinois College of Law Library

Reference and Circulation Services Librarian
Assistant Professor of Library Administration

Application Deadline:  In order to ensure maximum consideration, applications and nominations should be received by May 10 , 2007. Interviews may occur before the closing date with a decision made as soon as possible after closing date.

The University of Illinois College of Law Library is seeking a highly motivated and energetic librarian with strong leadership skills to join its Public Services Department. The position has responsibility for participating in reference services and overseeing circulation functions including faculty document delivery services. This is an exciting opportunity for a librarian who wishes to gain experience in supervision and budgeting in a large academic law library.

The Reference and Circulation Services Librarian participates in reference services and is responsible for the overall management of the Circulation Department including supervision of two staff members.   Additionally she/he participates in formal and informal legal research instruction. The position reports to the Head of Public Services.

Reference Duties:

• Participates in reference desk rotation (may include some evening/weekend hours).
• Participates in reference activities such as the development of research guides, bibliographies and other user aids;
• Participates in instruction activities, including teaching first-year legal research.
• Serves as liaison with three student edited journals on cite-checking  projects.
• Circulation Duties
• Coordinates the development of policies and services that maximize patron access to resources.
• Develops procedures and policies for evaluation of circulation functions, including statistics collection/assessment, ILL, document delivery, reserve collections, and fees charged by the Library for certain services.
• Supervises one senior and one junior staff position; oversees training of circulation staff and student workers; manages the circulation student wage budget; oversees scheduling for desk coverage.
• Responsible for documenting, implementing, and enforcing access services policies and procedures.
• Develops electronic and print information tools to facilitate use of the library and its resources.
• Maintains awareness of current trends and issues in the delivery of materials and services to the Law School community.

Other Duties:

• Coordinates with College of Law IT Services on maintenance and upgrades for computer hardware and software on public, reference desk and circulation desk terminals and printers.
• Teaches one section of the required first-year legal research class.
• Collaborates in Law Library web development and management.
• Assists in mentoring four graduate assistants.

Qualifications
Required:

• Master's in Library Science (MLS) or equivalent degree by date of hire
• JD from an ABA-approved school or equivalent foreign legal degree by date of hire
• Knowledge of legal materials and research methodology, including traditional resources, commercial online services, and Internet resources;
• Strong leadership skills and creative ideas for innovative delivery of legal information to users
• Ability to establish and maintain a good working relationships with colleagues
• Ability to work effectively as a team member as well as independently;
• Strong public service philosophy and commitment to continuous improvement and innovation

Preferred:

• Experience with interlibrary loan and document delivery services;
• 2-3 years professional experience in an academic law library;
• Knowledge of applications of technology in libraries, such as chat/IM, podcasting, RSS, blogging, and metadata harvesting initiatives.

Salary:  Salary is competitive and is commensurate with experience and credentials for appointment at the Assistant Professor level.

Terms of Appointment:  Twelve month appointment; 24 work days vacation per year, 11 paid holidays, 12 days annual sick leave (cumulative) plus an additional 13 days (non-cumulative) per year if necessary; health insurance, requiring a small co-payment, is provided to employees (coverage for dependents may be purchased); participation in the State Universities Retirement System, which includes several private options, is compulsory (8% of staff member's salary is withheld); newly hired university employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security, and are subject to its deduction.

Apply:  Send letter of application and complete curriculum vitae with the names, addresses, telephone numbers and email address of five references to Janis L. Johnston, Director, Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Memorial Law Library,  142 Law Library, 504 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Champaign, IL 61820.  Email:  jljohnst@law.uiuc.edu.  Electronic applications are acceptable initially, but must be followed by a hard copy with signature.  Phone (217) 333-2914. 

Position Available: June 1, 2007.

THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Environment: The Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Memorial Law Library serves a law school with 43 faculty, 675 JD and 35 LLM students and also serves the legal information needs of a major research university. Its resources are comprised of a broad array of electronic information sources and a collection in excess of 740,000 volumes including selective US and EU depository items. The law library is staffed by 9.5 professional librarians, 7 support staff positions and four part-time, graduate assistants who are pursuing master's degrees in library science.

The Jenner Law Library is administered by the College of Law but works in close affiliation with the University Library. Together the libraries of the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign comprise one of the preeminent research collections in the nation and the world. With 10 million volumes and a total of 21 million items, it ranks third among academic libraries in the United States and first among public university libraries in the world. For more detailed information, please visit http://www.library.uiuc.edu .

Campus and Community:  The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Research Level 1) that is ranked among the best in the world.  Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation.  It employs 2,000 faculty members who serve 26,000 undergraduates and 10,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receive campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching.  More information about the campus is available at http://www.uiuc.edu .  The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are, situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 miles northeast of St. Louis.  The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution.  More information about the community can be found at http://www.cucvb.org/ , http://www.ccchamber.org , or http://www.uiuc.edu/misc/campus.html.

And the Oddest Law Book Title is...

The winner, garnering nearly 25% of the 226 votes cast, is "No justice, no piece!: a working girl's guide to labor organizing in the sex industry by the hell-raisin' hussies who organize... ." Why am I not surprised. My two favorite titles came in 5th and 10th.

Rank	Oddest Title	Vote	Percent
1	No Justice, No Piece!: a working girl's guide to labor organizing in the sex industry by the hell-raisin' hussies who organize...	56	25%
2	Deductibility of Legal and Accounting Fees, Bribes and Illegal Payments (BNA portfolio U.S. Income #523-2nd)	34	15%
3	Blacker the Talking Cat: And Other Favorite Judicial Opinions	27	12%
4	The Art of Writing Erotic and Pornographic Stories, Contracts and the Law	22	10%
5	Relationships Between Injunctions and Depression in Women by Dawn Yoko Huck	21	9%
6	A Treatise of the Law of Sewers, Including the Drainage Acts	18	8%
7	The Law of Cadavers, Second Edition (Prentice-Hall, 1950)	15	7%
8	Endowed: regulating the male-sexed body by Michael Thomson (Rutledge, 2007)	10	4%
9	Sexy Dressing, Etc. by Duncan Kennedy (Harvard, 1993)	9	4%
10	Jurismania:the madness of American law by Paul F. Campos (Oxford U. Press 2000)	7	3%
11	What Can Lawyers Learn From Actors? (NITA, 2005)	6	3%
12	Sexism and the Law: a study of male beliefs and legal bias in Britain and the United States by Albie Sachs & Joan Hoff Wilson	1	<1%

Thanks for participating! If you have a suggestion for another poll, please email me. [JH]