Law Librarian Blog

FBI Releases 2006 Hate Crime Statistics

New report from the FBI: "Statistics released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that 7,722 criminal incidents involving 9,080 offenses were reported in 2006 as a result of bias against a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability. Published by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Hate Crime Statistics, 2006, includes data from hate crime reports submitted by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation."

See also: Hate Crimes and Prosecution of Civil Rights Violations: Fact Sheet from DOJ: "The U.S. Department of Justice has always been, and remains, deeply committed to the vigorous enforcement of our nation’s civil rights laws. In recent years, the Department has prosecuted a number of high-profile hate crime cases. As permitted by federal criminal law, the Department of Justice continues to aggressively prosecute those within our society who attack others because of the victims’ race, color, national origin, or religious beliefs." 

[RJ]

Examining U.S. Government Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights

Hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary:

TESTIMONY

• HONORABLE EVAN BAYH
• CHRIS S. ISRAEL
• CHRIS MOORE
• KEVIN J. O’CONNOR

MEMBER STATEMENTS

• THE HONORABLE PATRICK LEAHY

Also available as a webcast.  [RJ]

Do Interest Groups Affect Immigration?

Report from the Institute for the Study of Labor:

"While anecdotal evidence suggests that interest groups play a key role in shaping immigration, there is no systematic empirical evidence on this issue. To motivate our analysis, we develop a simple theoretical model where migration policy is the result of the interaction between organized groups with conflicting interests towards labor flows. We evaluate the key predictions of the model using a new, industry-level dataset from the United States that we construct by combining information on the total number of immigrants and H1B visas with data on lobbying expenditures associated with immigration. We find robust evidence that both pro- and anti-immigration interest groups play a statistically significant and economically relevant role in shaping migration across sectors. Barriers to migration are lower in sectors in which business lobbies incur larger lobbying expenditures and higher in sectors where labor unions are more important."  [RJ]

Openings: Three Positions at Tarlton Law Library

Instructional services librarian
– Part of the reference team, the instructional services librarian coordinates outreach and instructional activities within the law school and the University.  The instructional services librarian is responsible for developing and implementing informal instructional programs and supporting the formal instructional activities of Library staff. Details.

Interdisciplinary and empirical research specialist
– Also a member of the reference team, this position supports the research needs of faculty engaged in interdisciplinary and empirical work, develops instructional programs with respect to non-law research resources, coordinates with University Libraries staff concerning the availability of non-law resources, and develops new digital resources that support empirical and interdisciplinary research.  Details.

Access services librarian
– This is a position with supervisory responsibilities for 2 full-time and one part-time employees. The access services librarian establishes and revises policies that address access to materials and use of the collection and facility, oversees certain components of document delivery services, communicates access services policies to patrons, and evaluates the use of Library collections and resources. Details.

More on Law Reviews

An addendum to the previous post.  The law review institution is a hot topic for law professors as well.  Check out this via ELS.  The method by which their intellectual product is published (print v. e) is not yet a primary concern for most, but if law profs become increasingly vested in the publishing process, cost analysis and user access analysis will inevitably give them a good familiarity with these issues with which we grapple.  [JJ]

Professional Reading: Print to Electronic Transition for Journals

This report just published by the Association of Research Libraries.  While it doesn't deal with the unique specifics of law journals or serials, it still presents issues common to many libraries.  From the press release:

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published "The E-only Tipping Point for Journals: What's Ahead in the Print-to-Electronic Transition Zone," by Richard K. Johnson and Judy Luther. The report examines the issues associated with the migration from dual-format publishing toward electronic-only publication of journals.

Publishers and libraries today find themselves in an extended transition zone between print-only and e-only journals. Both parties are struggling with the demands of dual-format publishing as well as the opportunity costs of keeping electronic journals operating within the bounds of the print publishing process, which are increasingly taxing the status quo for publishers, libraries, authors, and readers. There are suggestions that this transitional phase is especially challenging to small publishers of high-quality titles and places them at a disadvantage in relation to large, resource-rich publishers as they compete for subscribers, authors, and readers. The question of when dual-format journals will complete the transition to single-format (electronic) publishing is taking on increasing urgency.

The persistence of dual-format journals suggests that substantial obstacles need to be surmounted if the transformation to e-only publication is to be complete. This study seeks to create a better understanding of the dynamics of the transition process, both for librarians and for publishers. Neither publishers nor librarians independently control the process and the need to coordinate their activities greatly increases the complexity of the transition....

[JJ]

Professional Reading: Today's Digital Information Landscape

From the opening paragraph of Eric Morgan's December 2007 lecture, Today's Digital Information Landscape:

The main point of this lecture is to bring home a single idea, namely, the what of library and information science has not changed so much as the how. Libraries are still about the processes of collection, preservation, organization, dissemination, and sometimes evaluation of data and information. While the mediums, environments, and tools have dramatically changed, the problems and services the profession addresses remain the same. If we focus on our broader goals -- see the forest from the trees -- then the profession's future is bright offering us many opportunities. If we focus too much on the particulars, then libraries and librarians will be seen as increasingly irrelevant.

Follow the link for more of Eric Morgan's "Infomotions' Musings on Information and Librarianship". There's about 130 of them dating back to November 1989. [JH]

New Fifty-State Survey of State and Local Tax Laws

As Certain as Death
A Fifty-State Survey of State and Local Tax Laws
by Susan Pace Hamill

List Price: $60.00
Paperback: 602 pages
Publisher: Carolina Academic Press (December 1, 2007) 
ISBN-10: 1594603251
ISBN-13: 978-1594603259

Book Description: As Certain as Death surveys the most important details of income, property, general and selective sales, corporate income, and other tax laws for each of the fifty states. The book also discusses how the tax burden is allocated among the poor, middle classes, and wealthy. It provides a picture of each state’s tax and revenue sources, public school funding, and other characteristics, including population, race, religious affiliation, family income and poverty statistics, and major industries. In addition to providing a reasonable level of detail that reveals the state's strengths and weaknesses, the five categories presenting these details foster meaningful comparisons between the states. This book is an important tool for evaluating state policies from a fairness perspective; it will also be helpful to educators and others in both private and government sectors who are interested in business, investment, multi-jurisdictional, and education issues, as well as geographical trends addressing population, race, religion, and poverty.

About the Author: Susan Pace Hamill, a Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law, teaches tax and business law.

Hat tip to Paul Caron (Cincinnati), TaxProf Blog. [JH]

The Law of Church and State: U.S. Supreme Court Decisions Since 2002

Recent CRS Report (via Open CRS):

From the summary:  Recent political developments have raised new questions of church-state relations. Since taking office in 2000, President George W. Bush has implemented the Faith-Based Initiative, which has brought several First Amendment issues to the Court. Recent legislation provides vouchers for private schools and public funding to religious organizations with a social purpose. Furthermore, the makeup of the Court has changed within the last five years, with Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito replacing Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justice O’Connor. This may result in a shift in the Court’s understanding of the religion clauses.

In the Court’s recent cases, decided in the midst of these changes, the balance between non-establishment and free exercise continues to be decided on the basis of the facts specific to each case. The Court has decided somewhat similar cases differently, with the outcome turning on the details, suggesting that specific context may be the most determinative factor in church-state decisions. This report explains the holdings of each of the Court’s church-state cases since 2002, and also explains the position of Justices who concurred in the judgments or dissented in each case.

[RJ]

Energy and Conflict Prevention

New report from the Anna Lindh Programme on Conflict Prevention:

"Most conflict hotspots around the world today are in areas where energy or other resources are a factor. With the arrival of new actors both governmental and non-governmental, new industrial giants such as China and India, as well as rapidly emerging national oil companies, ‘energy security’ has rapidly become a global environmental, social, and economic issue requiring a rapid and coordinated response from governments, the business community, and global civil society.

This edition, the fourth in a series of publications from the Anna Lindh Programme on Conflict Prevention, deals with Energy and Conflict Prevention, an issue already highlighted in the 2003 Security Strategy adopted by the European Union as a global challenge.

Like previous editions in this series, this volume brings together a leading group of scholars and policymakers exploring the relationship between competition for energy resources and the propensity for conflict and promoting an international cooperative energy security strategy."  [RJ]

Connecting State and Local Government: Collaboration through Trust and Leadership

New report from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers:

"Citizen demand for efficient government often drives state agencies to seek out opportunities to deliver traditional services in non-traditional ways. Engaging in cross-boundary collaboration can be a way for states to leverage costs while providing citizens with streamlined services. Such collaboration is inevitable for state CIOs and this brief, a product of NASCIO’s Cross-Boundary Collaboration Committee, explores the unique challenges and opportunities of cross-boundary collaboration between state and local government entities. Highlighting successful examples of state-local collaborations already underway, this brief features the governance and financial models that were utilized for these collaborations. In addition, this brief examines the unique challenges facing state-local challenges and explores the ways in which states and localities can work together to achieve success and to lay the groundwork for future collaborative efforts."  [RJ]

UN Commemoration of Human Rights Day 2007

Human Rights Day 2007, which is today, marks the start of a year-long commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Read more about it and check out the UN's webcast.

Hat tip to Richard Bales (Chase, NKU), Workplace Prof Blog, for the reminder. [JH]

Updates from LII

Teknoids email reprinted with permission from Tom Bruce over at LII:

The LII has a couple of stocking stuffers for you this December.  The "new" in the subject line is in quotes, because these are things that have been on the site, without fanfare, for a couple of months.  Now that it looks like they work, we thought we'd share ;-).  Both are long-demanded US Code features.

-- First and newest: vastly improved views of US Code updates at all levels.  Clicking the "updates" link at the right at any level of the Code gives you all of the classification-table updates for that chunk of the Code since the last revision date for that Title.  We now parse, store, and organize the classification-table data locally, so it's speedy and up to date.  We realize that in some cases there will be a very more recent changes than are reflected in the classfication tables, but for the most part we think this is a good compromise between complexity and accuracy.  We check for new updates to the classification tables daily.  We think you'll like the presentation and the convenience.

-- For a long time now, people have asked for the ability to print multiple sections of the Code at once.  We now make available PDFs at the first layer of aggregation above the section (usually but not always called a chapter) for free, and larger aggregations at what I'd call "i-Tunes pricing".   This is not yet implemented for all Titles, and not for all "supersections" within some Titles. 

For the most part the printed versions look good.  There are always going to be problems -- for example, the Code contains numerous instances of chemical formulae that have been rendered in funny ways in the typesetting data we get and are virtually impossible to do anything useful with yet.  As a matter of geek-interest, I'll add that this has not been an easy project.  We transform the typesetting data into XML, and then use XSLT to make the hypertext version (which we've done for years) and an XSL-FO version for rendering in PDF.  This latter technology is not precisely mature; IIRC we spent (eg.) close to a year waiting for the table-rendering features to render tables ;-).  This and other problems led to a certain amount of hair-tearing by Dave Shetland (in particular) and the rest of the LII staff (in general), so that they now all look like me, at least in the matter of hairline.

As always, we hope you'll use, enjoy, and comment.

[JJ]

Harvard Law Library's InfoAdvantage

CALI Fellow and Law School Innovation blogger Gene Koo reports that Harvard Law Library is piloting a way to push specific books, articles, and other resources selected carefully by law librarians directly into each law class's online learning portal. He writes:

What I find particularly interesting about this effort is that the librarians are taking the initiative here and letting professors opt out of the program, rather than requiring profs to affirmatively opt in. (They attempted the latter last year and got few responses).

Gene would like to know if similar programs are in place at other academic law libraries and if not, what institutional barriers may be present should academic law libraries want to follow Harvard's example. Here's Gene's email address. [JH]

Just Released: Law School Leadership Strategies

DePaul's Glen Weissenberger

Former Cincinnnai Law Prof Glen Weissenberger was selected by the Inside the Minds editorial board to author a chapter, "Balancing the Challenges with the Rewards." Being a DePaul University alum, I'm proud of Dean Weissenberger's many accomplishments. During his first term as dean, for example, DePaul Law's median LSAT for the entering class of 2005 was a record 160, a six-point jump over three years. In 2006 the College of Law's overall ranking in The U.S.News & World Report survey placed the law school in the "Top 100" tier. This improvement in the law school's ranking from its previous position in the "Third Tier" was an unprecedented jump of over 20 positions. [Details] [JH]

Law School Leadership Strategies: Top Deans on Benchmarking Success, Incorporating Feedback from Faculty and Students,and Building the Endowment

List Price: $49.95
Paperback: 284 pages
Publisher: Aspatore Books (December 1, 2006)
ISBN-10: 1596226137
ISBN-13: 978-1596226135
Available: Thomson-West | Amazon

Description: Law School Leadership Strategies is a smart and intriguing volume that outlines the role of today s educational leaders and discusses the current state and future shape of law school management. Featuring deans representing some of the most highly recognized legal education programs, this book provides a broad, yet comprehensive overview of the ins and outs of the industry and the strategic thinking behind operating a law school. Discussing the ever-changing role and responsibilities of the dean and the importance of building a successful administration team, authors provide valuable insights into the business and offer indispensable advice for success. Identifying the need to strike a balance between a center for intellectual growth and a profitable institution, as well as the process of distinguishing their instituition in the marketplace and measuring success, these leaders offer strategies for leading a center of legal education into the twenty-first century. From developing fundraising campaigns and generating revenue to utilizing technology and meeting students' needs, these authorities articulate the finer points around the business now, and what will hold true into the future. The different niches represented and the breadth of perspectives presented enable readers to get inside some of the great minds of today, as experts explore in detail what it takes to build and sustain the organizations that educate the future's great legal authorities.

Chapters Include:

• Claudio Grossman, Dean, Professor of Law, and Raymond Geraldson Scholar for International and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law - "Building a Stronger Future";
• Donald J. Polden, Dean and Professor of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law - "Key Strategies to Enhance a Dean s Effectiveness";
• Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, Dean, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law - "The Life Cycle of a Dean";
• Glen Weissenberger, Dean, DePaul University College of Law - "Balancing the Challenges with the Rewards";
• James L. Huffman, Erskine Wood Senior Professor of Law and Former Dean, Lewis & Clark Law School - "Satisfying a Variety of Constituencies";
• W. H. Knight Jr., Dean, University of Washington School of Law - "The Dean as Cultural Catalyst";
• John Costonis, Chancellor, LSU Law Center - "One Size Does Not Fit All";
• Maureen A. O Rourke, Dean, Boston University School of Law - "Being Yourself while Keeping Up with Everyone Else";
• Rebecca Hanner White, Dean and J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law, University of Georgia School of Law - "Be Passionate, Appreciative, and Decisive";
• Robert H. Jerry II, Dean and Levin, Mabie, and Levin Professor of Law, University of Florida Levin College of Law - "Defining and Achieving Excellence";
• Samuel Marion Davis, Dean and Jamie L. Whitten Professor of Law and Government, University of Mississippi School of Law - "There and Back Again: A Dean s Tale";
• Rex R. Perschbacher, Dean and Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law - "Keeping Pace with a Constantly-Evolving Role";
• Nancy B. Rapoport, Professor and Former Dean, University of Houston Law Center - "Reflections of a Former Dean";
• Edward Rubin, Dean, Vanderbilt University Law School - "Leadership and Literature";
• Kellye Y. Testy, Dean and Professor of Law, Seattle University School of Law - "Leading for Mission."

Lisbon Treaty Ratified

Documents online:

• 'Treaty of Lisbon' in a form ready for execution on 2007-12-13 (287 pages, PDF)
• The 'Final Act' (including the declarations of the Member States)

Hat tip to beSpacific. [JH]

States Clammed Up after 9/11

Interesting article from Stateline.org:

"The 2001 terrorist attacks led every state but South Dakota to restrict access to information deemed critical to homeland security — from architectural blueprints to emergency evacuation routes, according to a comprehensive, state-by-state study of post-9/11 changes to open-government laws.

Wary of terrorists, state lawmakers closed government meetings previously open to the public, denied residents access to disaster-response plans and concealed documents on mass-transit systems, energy companies and research laboratories, according to the findings."  [RJ]

Presidential Politics and the Resurgence of Health Care Reform

Jonathan Oberlander, Presidential Politics and the Resurgence of Health Care Reform, 357 New Eng. J. Med. 2101 (2007).  [sub. req.]

"The 2008 presidential election will not resolve the debate over health care reform, but the results will go a long way toward determining the future of U.S. health policy. It would be a mistake, however, to read the candidates’ plans too literally. A plan offered during the primaries usually looks different in key respects from the plan that a newly elected president takes to Congress, to say nothing of any legislation that Congress actually passes. Still, it is clear that there is a wide partisan gap on health care reform that reflects ideological divisions over the roles that government and market forces should play in the health care system. And the further U.S. health policy moves from incrementalism, the more that partisan divide is likely to be exposed."   [RJ]

The Long-Term Outlook for Health Care Spending

Interesting Report from the Congressional Budget Office: 

"Spending on health care has been growing faster than the economy for many years, representing a challenge both for the government’s two major health insurance programs, Medicare and Medicaid, and for the private sector. A prologue to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) upcoming long-term budget outlook, to be released next month, this study presents the agency’s projections of federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid and national spending on health care over the next 75 years. The goal of the projections is to examine the implications of a continuation of current federal law, rather than to make a prediction of the future. In reality, federal law will change; nevertheless, the projections provide a useful measure of the scope of the problem facing the nation under current law."  [RJ]

Opening: Associate Director for Faculty and Public Services, University of St. Thomas Law Library

The University of St. Thomas, School of Law seeks an Associate Director for Faculty and Public Services to become a member of the Law Library's senior management team. 

Responsibilities include: support the research of the law school's faculty by designing, implementing and evaluating library services; teach advanced and topical legal research courses to law students; provide reference services to faculty, students, and members of the legal community; manage the library's faculty services, reference and instructional services, and access services; develop user education programs, training materials, and web site content; participate actively in the work of professional organizations and publish.

Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. The successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission statement. We offer a challenging, supportive work environment and an excellent benefit package including tuition remission.

Qualifications: MLS from an ALA-accredited school of library or information science (or equivalent) and three years of professional librarian experience; J.D. and previous supervisory or managerial experience preferred; Strong computer skills with a proficiency in MS Office; excellent written and verbal communication skills; outstanding interpersonal skills; results orientation; ability to handle numerous projects simultaneously; possess traits of good judgment and discretion; ability to work independently and as part of a team; must be motivated, personable, and have an ability to work with people from a variety of backgrounds.

Please apply online at http://jobs.stthomas.edu.