Law Librarian Blog

An Obsessive-Compulsive's Guide to Dealing with E-Mail on Vacation

Do you keep every e-mail you ever get? Do you need more than five mouse-clicks to drill into the folder structure of your e-mail archive? Do you use the color-coding feature when you flag e-mail for follow-up? If so, you're a bona fide e-mail obsessive-compulsive like me, and if you have a vacation looming, you'll need a plan. Brought to you by the good folks at eWeek. [JH]

Five years later: Media perceptions from 2002 to 2007

From Edison Media Research:

"Consumers’ media perceptions and habits are changing as the Internet becomes an increasingly important medium for information and entertainment, according to a new Internet and Multimedia 2007 report by Edison Media Research. Consumers age 12 and older were asked to choose the “most essential” medium in their life; 33 percent chose the Internet, just behind television (36 percent), but above radio (17 percent) and newspapers (10 percent); in 2002, the Internet trailed TV on this perception by a significant margin (20 percent vs. 39 percent), and also trailed radio’s 26 percent."  [RJ]

Annual Energy Review 2006

From Energy Information Administration (EIA):

"The Annual Energy Review (AER) is the Energy Information Administration’s primary report of historical annual energy statistics. For many series, data begin with the year 1949. Included are data on total energy production, consumption, and trade; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, international energy, as well as financial and environmental indicators; and data unit conversion tables."  [RJ]

Friday Fun: PC v Mac Ad Parody, South Park Style

A parody of the Mac vs. PC commercials with South Park characters. Created as the final project for a multimedia production class at California State University Northridge (CSUN).

Ask.com Takes Lead In Designing Display Of Search Results

Walt Mossberg of the Wall St. Journal Reviews Ask.com:

"Google and other search companies have made major, continual advances under the hood in recent years, improving the way they gather information. But less progress has been made in the way these search results are presented to users.

Google has made the occasional minor tweak but until recently, its search-results pages looked a lot like they always have. Its upstart competitor, Ask.com, took greater strides last year with cool features such as previews of the pages it listed, lots of summary information at the top of the page and prominent suggestions for narrowing or broadening searches."  [RJ]

Sniffing Out Fake Blogs

From PC Magazine:

"You are perusing the shelves of a local bookstore, and you see the memoir of Count Chocula or the collected letters of Mr. Whipple. Might you be suspicious? Well, in the blogosphere, companies are trying to use legitimate-looking blogs as ads—nicknamed "flogs" for "fake blogs." But increasingly, savvy bloggers are thwarting them."  [RJ]

See also:  Manipulating the Blogosphere for Fun and Profit, PC Magazine

Can you identify a fake website, legitimate email?

Test your knowledge of online scams. McAfee Inc.'s SiteAdvisor service has created a 10-question test to see whether you can spot "phishing" attempts. Read more about it on the Washington Post. [JH]

The Fiscal Survey of States

From the press release:

"While states experienced stable finances in 2007, somewhat tighter fiscal conditions are expected in 2008, according to the National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO).

The Fiscal Survey of States, NGA and NASBO found that while most states expect reasonable revenue growth during fiscal 2008, some states already are seeing significant slowing of their fiscal conditions. States expect continued expenditure pressures in areas such as health care, education, corrections, employee pensions systems and infrastructure."  [RJ]

Power-Napping Office Products and Services

From the ad copy:

MetroNaps enhances workforce productivity through ... mid-day napping equipment. Born from the realization that individuals can significantly increase their energy with brief daytime rest, MetroNaps seeks to be the world’s premier provider of professional napping products and services.

Check out the EnergyPod! Perfect for the 50-something library manager while the 20-30-somethings do that Library 2.0 thing. [JH]

Professional Reading: The Fall of the Online Catalog

Stephanie Davidson & Scott Matheson's The Evolution of Providing Access to Information: The Fall of the Online Catalog, 26 Legal Reference Services Quarterly ___ (2007), explores possible avenues for innovation in the library’s most basic public access tool, the online catalog, drawing on features of successful analagous service models primarily from the commercial sector. Online retailers such as Amazon.com have raised the bar for the delivery of information, and this has raised expectations for library services that has relevance for the law librarian as well. [JH]

EFF Looking for Help to Scrutinize FBI Docs

eWeek is reporting that the Electronic Frontier Foundation is looking for volunteers to scrutinize recently released FBI documents to ferret out abuses of power in the name of "national security." According to the news account, the once secret FBI files are freely downloadable, with searchable text, from the EFF website. [JH]

ALA "Librarian Hotties" Calendar Planned for 2008

AP Newsliar is reporting that "the American Library Association (ALA) is issuing its first ever "Librarian Hotties" calendar. The calendar will be available for ordering this November. The 2008 calendar will feature 12 of the nation's sexiest librarians in revealing attire. The librarians appearing in the calendar were chosen earlier this year from among finalists in the ALA's "Librarian Hotties" contest." [JH]

The Podcasting Legal Guide for Canada

Creative Commons Canada has published The Podcasting Legal Guide for Canada. More than just an adaptation of the original U.S. Guide, this version required an almost complete rewrite of the copyright sections to describe Canadian law, as well as substantial changes to the discussions of trademarks and publicity rights.

Kathleen Simmons and Andy Kaplan-Myrth co-authored the publication with help from the Creative Commons Canada team and the faculty at the Law & Technology group at the University of Ottawa.

The Podcasting Legal Guide for Canada is available for download here in html format and pdf format. [JH]

Interesting Podcast on Digital Libraries

Brewster Kahle (The Internet Archive), Michael S. Hart (Project Gutenberg), & Michael Keller (Stanford University) discuss the future of digital libraries on NPR's Science.  Check it out.  [RJ]

Newscom and World Picture Network Images Now Available On LexisNexis

From the blurb:

With this alliance, Newscom < www.newscom.com > now provides LexisNexis customers access to pictures, graphics, and illustrations from the world’s premiere publishers of global content, such as Ai Wire, Congressional Quarterly, Roll Call, and WENN.  Newscom represents more than 100 of the world’s foremost publishers of visual content, including Getty Images, Color China, Nucleus Medical Arts, and Grupo de Diarios América, a consortium of the 11 leading newspaper publishers spanning all of Latin America.  Breaking news photos and historical images range from behind-the-scenes White House coverage and visuals from the ground in Iraq, to images of the Kremlin. Newscom’s sports coverage includes action from the British Open, cricket and rugby, as well as Formula 1 racing, the World Cup, the Olympics, and the rest of the sporting world. Newscom also boasts a comprehensive collection of the people and events that drive the entertainment industry.

With World Picture Network, < www.worldpicturenews.com >, LexisNexis customers gain access to a deep collection of primary image categories, such as news, sports & entertainment, business, science & technology, and lifestyle. WpN represents some of the world’s top photojournalists, photo agencies, and newspapers. In addition to their own photographers in 72 countries, the international coverage is augmented by sister agencies in England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Greece, the Middle East, China, India, Kenya, Namibia, and Brazil.

...

Several key features of image searching within LexisNexis will be presented to the user, including the commingling of images with traditional text search results, which provides a more complete view of a particular topic.  Additionally, once a search is run, the user will have the ability to delineate between image and non-image results in two ways:  1) Via a camera icon in the search results list clearly designating that the cite contains an image; 2) Via an “images” category, which is driven by LexisNexis SmartIndexing Technology™, allowing the user to drill down within their search results and only view those results that have images.

Subscribers to Nexis® and lexis.com® can pay per transaction to access each photo or graphic for $6.

Opening: Research Librarian, Vanderbilt University Law School Library

POSITION: Research Librarian

DESCRIPTION: Working closely with a highly productive faculty and student body, the Research Librarian conducts in-depth research and provides extensive reference service to Vanderbilt University Law School faculty and students.  The Research Librarian collaborates with other members of the library staff to provide educational programs and presentations related to law, legal research, and legal informational resources, and to participate in the 1L legal research program and Advanced Legal Research course.  The Research Librarian shares responsibility for updating Web pages, for collection development, and for staffing public services desks.   Some evening and weekend hours may be required during academic year.

QUALIFICATIONS: Required:  ALA-accredited MLS and ABA-accredited JD; demonstrated competence in delivering legal research services and knowledge of print and electronic legal information sources; demonstrated interest and proficiency in technology applications for legal research and library public services programs; excellent written, oral communications and interpersonal skills; ability to work and collaborate with a variety of people; and strong service orientation.

ENVIRONMENT: Vanderbilt University consists of ten schools and colleges with an enrollment of around 11,000.  The Vanderbilt Library system has a collection of over 3 million volumes and a staff of 207.  The Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, SOLINET, and the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries. The Law Library contains over 600,000 volumes and has a staff of 16, with an annual operating budget of over $2.6 million.  In addition to the law school and the university, the Law Library serves the regional legal community.  Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee, a major business and educational center in the mid-South with a population of over one million in the metropolitan statistical area.

COMPENSATION: Salary negotiable, commensurate with experience.  Benefits are those that accrue to exempt staff of the University including health care insurance, retirement plan options, tuition discount program, and paid vacation, sick leave and holidays.

APPLICATIONS: Applications should be received by August 31, 2007.  Review of applications will begin immediately.  Please apply online at www.vanderbilt.jobs.  Refer to requisition number RMB58231.

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.  Minorities, persons with disabilities and women are particularly encouraged to apply.

Professional Reading: The Case for a Flat-Earth Law School

Case Western law prof Erik Jensen has deposited The Case for a Flat-Earth Law School in SSRN. Here's the abstract:

This essay suggests - usually politely - that the American legal academy has been overdoing its push for globalization, and, as a result, education in the basics has suffered. That's a pity because law school graduates need to know the basics to be successful not only in Smalltown USA, but also on a world stage.

Hat tip to TaxProf Blog. [JH]

Maxine Grosshans Recognized among Maryland's Unsung Legal Heroes

Congratulations to Univ. of Maryland law librarian Maxine Grosshans. Read more about it. [JH]

Murdoch Wins His Bid for Dow Jones

From the WSJ Online:

"A century of Bancroft-family ownership at Dow Jones & Co. is over.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. sealed a $5 billion agreement to purchase the publisher of The Wall Street Journal after three months of drama in the controlling family and public debate about journalistic values."  [RJ]

ALI-ABA Launches New Internet Fact Finding for Lawyers Newsletter

Inaugural Issue's Contents

Is there a "Duty to Google?" Is Information from the Internet Admissible as Evidence? Internet Tools and Protocols Technology Tools Government Resources Online Accessing Public Records Company Research Weblogs, RSS Feeds, and Podcasts

From the press release:

ALI-ABA has teamed with Internet research experts Carole Levitt, JD, MLS, and Mark Rosch to create a new periodical devoted to helping lawyers locate the information they need on the Internet.  Published bi-monthly, Internet Fact Finding For Lawyers highlights free and low-cost resources available on the Internet where legal professionals can find information integral to their cases. It includes sites that are useful for investigations, depositions, and trial preparation, as well as company and medical research, gathering competitive intelligence, finding expert witnesses, and fact checking of all kinds. As an added bonus, the four-color newsletter also will include legal technology Web sites, legal research Web sites, search engines, public records, and various tech tips.  Each site is presented in a template that allows readers to quickly determine what useful information a site contains, the best ways to extract that information, any idiosyncrasies a site may have, and whether the site is free, requires registration, or is fee-based. The format is based on the authors’ book, The Lawyer’s Guide to Fact Finding on the Internet (2006 A.B.A.). Levitt and Rosch will serve as the publication’s editors and primary contributors.

The first issue of Internet Fact Finding For Lawyers is available now, and can be viewed online for free.  One-year (six issues) subscriptions are $149.  Initial Charter Subscriptions (seven issues) are available in the introductory year for only $99.  Individual issues may be purchased for $25. See http://iffl.ali-aba.org for details.