Law Librarian Blog

Trafficking in Persons Report 2008

From the State Department: "The Department of State is required by law to submit a Report each year to the U.S. Congress on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This Report is the eighth annual TIP Report. It is intended to raise global awareness, to highlight efforts of the international community, and to encourage foreign governments to take effective actions to counter all forms of trafficking in persons."  [RJ]

Commission on the Status of Women Report

From the UN Pulse: "The report of the 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is now available (E/2008/27-E/CN.6/2008/11). The report includes the agreed conclusions on financing gender equality and the empowerment of women and draft resolutions and decisions for adoption by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)."

On Reading the Declaration of Independence

Drafting the Declaration. On June 11, 1776, Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston as a committee to draft a declaration of independence. In 1823 Jefferson wrote that the other members of the committee "unanimously pressed on myself alone to undertake the draught [sic]. I consented; I drew it; but before I reported it to the committee I communicated it separately to Dr. Franklin and Mr. Adams requesting their corrections. . . I then wrote a fair copy, reported it to the committee, and from them, unaltered to the Congress."

Prior to deciding on Jefferson, both Adams and Franklin turned down the offer to draft the document, citing that if they wrote it people would read it with a biased eye. Revised first by Adams, then by Franklin, and then by the full committee, a total of forty-seven alterations including the insertion of three complete paragraphs was made on the text before it was presented to Congress on June 28. After voting for independence on July 2, the Congress then continued to refine the document, making thirty-nine additional revisions to the committee draft before its final adoption on the morning of July 4.

The "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence, one of the great milestones in American history, shows the evolution of the text from the initial "fair copy" draft by Thomas Jefferson with edits by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, to the final text adopted by Congress on the morning of July 4, 1776.

Reading the Declaration: Essential Resources

• National Archives
• Library of Congress

About Reading the Declaration

I cannot too strongly recommend Garry Wills' Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence (1978) which is noteworthy for its thorough analysis and comparison of Jefferson's "original Rough draught" of the Declaration with the final version approved by Congress. See also Carl Becker's classic, The Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of Political Ideas (1922).

Republication of July 4, 2007 post. [JH]

Lessig on the Declaration of Independence

In this keynote talk at Personal Democracy Forum 2008: Rebooting the System, Lawrence Lessig (Stanford) offers a fresh interpretation of the Founders' vision of American government as one whose representatives would stand independent of corrupting influences, and calls for a new net-powered reform movement to fix the bugs in today's democracy. Lessig is the co-founder, with Joe Trippi, of Change-Congress.org. View the video. [JH]

Fourth of July Reading: Is It Time to Reboot Democracy?

Rebooting Democracy: Ideas for Redesigning American Democracy for the Internet Age, an anthology of 44 relatively short essays, was released at Rebooting the System, the fifth annual conference sponsored by the Personal Democracy Forum. You can read the articles online, download a pdf version of the anthology or buy it in paperback from Amazon. Articles of interest include the following:

• Creating Humane Codelaw by Gene Koo
• The Merciful Death of the Freedom of Information Act and the Birth of True Government Transparency: A Short History by Ellen Miller
• Saving America From Its 18th-Century Political System by Jan Frel and Nicco Mele
• Echo Chambers = Democracy by David Weinberger
• Community Information Commons by Harry C. Boyte
• Corruption, Technology and Constitutional Design by Zephyr Teachout

[JH]

Greenhouse's Final New York Times Articles

In what might be her final articles for the New York Times, Linda Greenhouse discusses the recent Second Amendment SCOTUS decision at Justices Rule for Individual Gun Rights. (For more on District of Columbia v. Heller, see LLB's earlier post: Supreme Court Affirms Right to Own Guns for Self-Defense), and an unusual admission of error at Justice Dept. Admits Error in Not Briefing Court in today's New York Times. The error, by the way, was spotted by a blogger, Dwight Sullivan, a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve who now works for the Air Force as a civilian defense lawyer handling death penalty appeals. See his post: The Supremes Dis the Military Justice System. [RJ & JH]

Friday Fun on Thursday: The Portable Microfiche Reader!

The author of a 1968 government report (pdf) proposed a portable microfiche reader that is surprising similar in design to modern eBook readers. The device would have been small enough to read mocrofiche on planes, in the office, even in bed, assuming you had nothing better to do in bed. Click on the image (left). See pages 7-13 of the report for specifications.

Hat tip to LISNews. [JH]

Librarians, Authors, and Publishers Weigh the Chilling Effects of Libel Tourism

Interesting article from the Chronicle:

"When the College Art Association decided recently to settle rather than fight a possible libel action in Britain over a book review published in one of its journals, it did more than sidestep a costly and probably doomed legal battle. It opened itself up to sharp accusations that it had failed to stand up for freedom of expression.

The episode is a reminder of how wide a gulf separates the United States—where First Amendment protections and jurisprudence make libel very difficult to prove—from most of the rest of the world, where protecting reputations and public sensibilities trump the right to say what one pleases. It also points to the hazards of publishing in a truly global context, where, thanks to the Internet, a journal article or monograph or blog post can be accessed almost anywhere, no matter where it was written or published."  [RJ]

Michigan Law Review's 2008 Survey of Books Related to the Law

This year's survey of law books published by the Michigan Law Review, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 901 (2008), covers recent publications in the areas of administrative law, comparitive law, and international law, plus two very interesting reviews of classic literary works, namely Robert J. Delahunty and John C. Yoo's review of All Quiet on the Western Front, and Karen Engle's review of For Whom the Bell Tolls. Details with links below the fold. [JH]

Confronting War

• Robert J. Delahunty and John C. Yoo, Peace Through Law? The Failure of a Noble Experiment, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 923-939 (2008) [Westlaw] (Reviewing Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front.)
• Karen Engle, Judging Sex in War, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 941-961 (2008).|[Westlaw](Reviewing Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls.)
• Stephen Reinhardt, Weakening of the Bill of Rights: A Victory for Terrorism, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 963- 973 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Richard A. Posner, Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency.)
• Kevin Jon Heller, Deconstructing International Criminal Law, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 975-999 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Mark A. Drumbl, Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law.)

The Administrative State

• Jill R. Horwitz, The Virtues of Medicare, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1001-1019 (2008) [Westlaw] (Reviewing David A. Hyman, Medicare Meets Mephistopheles.)
• M. Elizabeth Magill, Temporary Accidents? 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1021-1040 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Steven P. Croley, Regulation and Public Interests: The Possibility of Good Regulatory Government.)

Comparative Law

• Benjamin L. Liebman, Scandal, Sukyandaru, and Chouwen, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1041-1069 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Mark D. West, Secrets, Sex and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United States.)
• Roger P. Alford, Free Speech and the Case for Constitutional Exceptionalism, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1071-1088 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Ronald J. Krotoszynski, The First Amendment in Cross-Cultural Perspective: A Comparative Legal Analysis of the Freedom of Speech.)
• Merritt B. Fox, Gatekeeper Failures: Why Important, What to Do, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1089-1110 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing John C. Coffee Jr., Gatekeepers: The Professions and Corporate Governance.)
• Cristina M. Rodriguez, The Citizenship Paradox in a Transnational Age, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1111-1128 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Hiroshi Motomura, Americans in Waiting: The Lost Story of Immigration and Citizenship in the United States.)

International Law

• Alex Geisinger and Michael Ashley Stein, Rational Choice, Reputation, and Human Rights Treaties, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1129-1142 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Andrew T. Guzman, How International Law Works: A Rational Choice Theory.)
• Yang Wang, China Reexamined: The Worst Offender or a Strong Contender? 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1143-1155 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Randall Peerenboom, China Modernizes: Threat to the West or Model for the Rest?)

Additional Reviews

• Sam Erman, An Unintended Consequence: Dred Scott Reinterpreted, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1157- 1165 (2008). |[Westlaw] (Reviewing Austin Allen, Origins of the Dred Scott Case: Jacksonian Jurisprudence and the Supreme Court, 1837-1857.)
• Katherine Porter, The Debt Dilemma, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1167-1191 (2008). [Westlaw] (Reviewing Ronald J. Mann, Charging Ahead: The Growth and Regulation of Payment Card Markets.)
• Richard Delgado, Law Enforcement in Subordinated Communities: Innovation and Response, 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1193-1212 (2008). [Westlaw](Reviewing Steve Herbert, Citizens, Cops, and Power: Recognizing the Limits of Community, Ronald Weitzer and Steven A. Tuch, Race and Policing in America: Conflict and Reform and Police Innovation: Contrasting Perspectives, edited by David Weisburd and Anthony A. Braga.)
• Anthony J. Sebok, What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Mass Torts? 106 Mich. L. Rev. 1213-1228 (2008). [Westlaw](Reviewing Richard A. Nagareda, Mass Torts in a World of Settlement.)

World Health Statistics 2008

New report from the World Health Organization: "World Health Statistics 2008 presents the most recent health statistics for WHO’s 193 Member States. This fourth edition includes 10 highlights in health statistics, as well as an expanded set of over 70 key health indicators. It includes, for the first time, trend data where the statistics are available and of acceptable quality." [RJ]

Yee's Pro Web 2.0 Mashups: Remixing Data and Web Services

Interest in social computing in libraries is growing as more and more law libraries are implementing various Web 2.0 technologies largely by installing or using service providers for the establishment of blogs, wikis, etc. We can call these experiments in social media first generation developments to be followed, I think, by Web 2.0 mashups that are tailored to more specific applications for digital legal information collaboration. Some of these second generation developments may be created by individual law libraries, others by legal publishers, and still others by ad hoc and formal group efforts. Lee's Pro Web 2.0 Mashups: Remixing Data and Web Services is featured below because it approaches today's Web 2.0 from a developers point of view—what are its main features, and what is available for us to use to develop applications. [JH]

Pro Web 2.0 Mashups: Remixing Data and Web Services
By Raymond Yee

List Price: $49.99
Paperback: 603 pages
Publisher: Apress (February 25, 2008)
ISBN-10: 159059858X
ISBN-13: 978-1590598580 

Description: The modern Web is awash with data and services just waiting to be used, but how do you make effective use of all this information? The answer lies in APIs (such as Google Maps, Flickr, and Amazon Web Services) and remixing, or mash ups. Pro Web 2.0 Mashups: Remixing Data and Web Services teaches you everything you need to create useful, dynamic real–world applications using APIs, web services, Ajax, web standards, and server–side languages. All you need to make full use of this book is basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and at least one server–side language (such as PHP or ASP.NET).

What you’ll learn

• Understand how the constituent parts of the modern Web fit together—web standards, Ajax, APIs, libraries, tagging, blogs, wikis, and more.
• Create different types of mashup, for example mapping mash ups, search functionality, calendars, RSS/Atom feeds, social bookmarking, online storage systems, open document formats, and more.
• Build Web 2.0 applications using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ajax, server–side languages, APIs, and libraries

About the Author: Raymond Yee is a data architect, consultant, and trainer. He is currently a lecturer at the School of Information, UC Berkeley, where he teaches the course “Mixing and Remixing Information.” While earning a PhD in biophysics, he taught computer science, philosophy, and personal development to K–11 students in the Academic Talent Development Program on the Berkeley campus. He is the primary architect of the Scholar’s Box, software that enables users to gather digital content from multiple sources to create personal collections that can be shared with others. As a software architect and developer, he focuses on developing software to support learning, teaching, scholarship, and research.

See also: Designing for the Social Web by Joshua Porter (New Riders Press, May 4, 2008) ($40.00, ISBN-10: 0321534921; ISBN-13: 978-0321534927)

Opening: Reference and Electronic Services Librarian, Boston University Law Library

The Boston University Law Library has an opening for a Reference and Electronic Services Librarian. Candidates with appropriate experience will be considered at the senior level.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the direction of the Head of Reference Services, this position will have primary responsibility for organizing and developing electronic research services for law students and faculty. Coordinate with librarians, writing program administrators, and vendors to provide mandatory and optional training programs for incoming J.D. students.   Assist faculty with online research and advise them of new electronic research resources in their disciplines. Actively participate in law library web site development and participate in the Collection Development Committee to review and select print and online resources for the library.

This position will participate as a member of the reference department team of five professional librarians. Each reference librarian provides extensive reference and research assistance to law students and faculty, develops and teaches online and traditional research instructional programs, and assists in the development, implementation and evaluation of reference and research services policies, procedures and publications.

REQUIREMENTS: M.L.S. or equivalent from an A.L.A. accredited library school required. J.D. from an A.B.A. accredited law school strongly preferred. One to three years relevant experience required. Candidates with more than three years of professional legal reference experience and significant contributions to the profession may be considered at the Senior level. Substantial knowledge of Westlaw, LexisNexis, Internet and other electronic resources and experience teaching online research.
Strong service orientation, organizational and interpersonal skills essential.

SALARY: Commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits and professional development funding.

TO APPLY: Send a letter of application, a resume, and the names of three references to Joanne Letty, Office of Human Resources, Boston University, 25 Buick Street, Boston, MA 02215. Please reference position number 4739/G018 on your cover letter. Applications with the above information may be submitted electronically.

AALL ATTENDEES: Please leave your resume in our Placement Office folder with your hotel/contact information and the times you will be available to meet.

Boston University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer

If you have any questions about this job opening, please contact Raquel Ortiz, Associate Director, rmortiz@bu.edu.

Opening: Emerging Technologies Librarian, Brooklyn Law School Library

Brooklyn Law School Library seeks a dynamic Emerging Technologies Librarian to implement new technology and to provide electronic services to support the library’s research, reference and instruction programs.  This librarian will: serve as the department’s webmaster; coordinate and facilitate the use of online instructional materials; explore new technologies to leverage future library services; and consult with other professional staff members concerning digital initiatives, such as using Web 2.0 technology to enhance the library’s presence in the BLS community.  This professional also will: co-teach research courses to upper level law students; contribute to collection development decisions; participate in a faculty liaison program;  act as the primary contact to our on-campus vendors (Bloomberg, LexisNexis, and Westlaw); and participate in a reference rotation for members of the Brooklyn Law School community. 

This person will be joining a highly collegial group of professionals and must enjoy working in a collaborative environment.

Required:

• M.L.S. from an ALA accredited institution, or equivalent
• J.D. from an ABA accredited institution, or equivalent
• One year of prior academic library experience
• Teaching-level knowledge of print and digital legal resources
• Demonstrated initiative in using current technology to enhance legal education and information literacy
• Proficiency in using a range of web authoring tools
• Superior communication and interpersonal skills

Brooklyn Law School is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.  We are committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, marital status, and any other trait or status protected by applicable law. 

Application Process: 

Applications will be considered immediately until the position is filled.  We also will be interviewing in Portland at the Annual Meeting.

Please send your cover letter and resume to:

Linda Holmes
Associate Director
Brooklyn Law School Library
250 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201
or by e-mail in PDF format to: linda.holmes@brooklaw.edu

For more information about our school, please visit our web site at http://www.brooklaw.edu

Library to Host a "Change Your Name" Workshop

In interesting news the West Virginia State Law Library recently hosted a workshop to help patrons learn how to change their name for "marriage, adoption, and other situations". I thought of this as an interesting idea to bring patrons into the library while providing a public service. I have yet to see how well the workshop was attended but I hope they fared well.

If you have any interesting ideas that you or your library would like to share involving public service or patron development please let us know in the comments.

{BB}

Weird Wedding Laws Still on the Books

My favorite: In New Orleans, it is illegal for anyone claiming to be a palm reader, fortune teller, mystic healer or any other magic-possessing hoodwinker to offer up marriage services. More at Mental Floss. [JH]

Professional Reading: Warming Up to User-Generated Content

Edward Lee (OSU) has posted Warming Up to User-Generated Content in SSRN. The article will appear in the University of Illinois Law Review. Here's the abstract for this very interesting article:

The most significant copyright development of the twenty first century has not arisen through any law enacted by Congress or opinion rendered by the Supreme Court. Instead, it has come from the unorganized, informal practices of various, unrelated users of copyrighted works, many of whom probably know next to nothing about copyright law. In order to comprehend this paradox, one must look at what is popularly known as "Web 2.0," and the growth of user-generated content in blogs, wikis, podcasts, "mashup" videos, and social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Although users often create new works of their own, sometimes the works are "remixed" with copyrighted content of others.

The growth of user-generated content challenges the conventional understandings of copyright law under which copyrights are understood largely as static and fixed from the top down. Under this view, copyright holders are at the center of the copyright universe and exercise considerable control over their exclusive rights. Obtaining prior authorization from the copyright holder is typically assumed to be necessary for others legally to re-use the copyrighted work, apart from a fair or other permitted use (which often is not easy to determine in advance).

This Article challenges the conventional account of copyright law, particularly as applied to Web 2.0. The formalist understanding of copyright law ignores reality. The Copyright Act is riddled with gray areas and gaps, many of which persist over time because so few copyright cases are ever filed and the majority of those filed are not resolved through a judgment. My core thesis is that informal copyright practices - i.e., practices that are not authorized by formal copyright licenses, but whose legality falls within a gray area of copyright law - effectively serve as important gap-fillers in our copyright system.

The informal practices related to user-generated content provide a compelling example of this phenomenon. These practices make manifest three significant features of our copyright system that have escaped the attention of legal scholars: (i) our copyright system could not function without informal copyright practices; (ii) collectively, users wield far more power in influencing the shape of copyright law than is commonly perceived; and (iii) uncertainty in formal copyright law can lead to the phenomenon of "warming," in which - unlike chilling - users are emboldened to make unauthorized uses of copyrighted works based on seeing what appears to be an increasingly accepted practice. In the Web 2.0 world, warming may serve as a powerful counterforce to the chilling of speech.

FOMC's Greenbooks, Bluebooks and Other Resources From 1978-2002 Now Online

From the press release:

The Federal Reserve Board's website now features convenient access to historical documents of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) for the years 1978 through 2002.

Greenbooks, Bluebooks, and other documents related to FOMC meetings join the transcripts, minutes, and policy announcements that had previously been available on the Board's site.  The Greenbook and the Bluebook are prepared by Board staff and distributed to FOMC meeting attendees the week before each scheduled meeting.  The Greenbook, officially entitled "Current Economic and Financial Conditions," provides in-depth analysis of the U.S. and international economies and includes the staff's economic forecast.  The Bluebook, entitled "Monetary Policy Alternatives," provides background and context on monetary policy alternatives the FOMC could consider.

Historical Greenbooks and Bluebooks have been available to researchers and others, upon request, for some time.  Posting them on the Board's website makes them more accessible to the public."

The new information is available at: http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomc_historical.htm  [RJ]

Webcast of Symposium on Online Consultation and Public Policy Making

The archived webcast of the March 14, 2008 Symposium on Online Consultation and Public Policy Making: Democracy, Identity, and New Media can be viewed here. The Symposium, sponsored by I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society, featured the following presentations:

• Andrew Chadwick, "Web 2.0: New Challenges for E-Democracy"
• Patrizia Bertini, "On the Internet, Nobody Knows You Are Citizen Kane: Identity, Anonymity and Pseudonymity of E-Citizenship"
• Laurence Monnoyer-Smith, "Technology and Inclusion: Framing Online Public Debate to Enlarge Participation,"
• Oren Perez, "Complexity, Information Overload and Online Deliberation"
• Tim Erickson, "Building Democracy Through Local Issues Forums"
• Steven Balla, "The Diffusion of E-Government Innovations Across U.S. Municipalities,"
• Sungsoo Hwang, "Advancing E-Governance at the Community Level with the Neighborhood Information System"
• Kerrie Oakes, "The Impact of E-Democracy on the Role of the Civil Servant"
• Alicia Schatteman, "Democracy and EParticipation: A Case Study of Ontario's Assembly on Electoral Reform"

The Role of the Internet in Consumer Research and Purchasing Decisions

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has published The Internet and Consumer Choice: Online Americans use different search and purchase strategies for different goods (pdf). The study tracks the decision-making processes for buying music, purchasing a cell phone, and buying or renting a home. Read more about it: Press Release, Web Page for the Report. [RJ]

Openings (Possibly Two): Law Librarian, CUNY School of Law

We are currently seeking at least one, but possibly two enthusiastic, energetic candidates dependent on funding, who are willing to be an integral part of the library management team at CUNY School of Law.  The successful candidates will be joining a library that is committed to providing the highest level of research support to students and faculty.  He/she will be responsible for providing reference services to the library community, teaching in the first year Legal Research Program in a collaborative environment,  and assisting the Faculty Research Services Program.  These positions will be filled at the entry or mid-level range depending on the experience of qualified candidates.  New graduates possessing both the J.D. and M.L.S. as of August 2008 are encouraged to apply.

We are looking for individuals with a desire to help us further the Law School’s mission of “Law in the Service of Human Needs.” Towards that end, we are ideally looking for applicants whose background or experience illustrate a strong commitment to social justice and supporting our faculty and students’ work in the public interest.

Law Librarians are active participants in shaping the future of the institution.  They have full faculty status and are completely integrated into the governance processes of the Law School. Working with our colleagues outside of the Library, librarians add to the rich diversity of the law school experience by having their own scholarship interests, in addition to supporting those of the other members of the faculty.

All librarians must have a J.D. and M.L.S. in order to be considered for a tenure track faculty appointment.  Salary Range: Assistant Professor ($38,801 – $67,092); Associate Professor ($50,321 - $80,020). Further detailed information can be found at:

http://portal.cuny.edu/cms/id/cuny/documents/jobposting/026601.htm#P-11_0

Please send a letter of application, including a detailed description of education and work experience, and curriculum vitae to:

Ms. Maureen McCafferty
Coordinator of Faculty Recruitment
CUNY School of Law
65-21 Main Street
Flushing, New York 11367

Opening: Research Librarian, Arizona Office of the Auditor General

The Office of the Auditor General is accepting applications for the position of Research Librarian.  This is a full-time position and the responsibilities include:

• Identifying, classifying, analyzing and interpreting large amounts of research to develop criteria for reports or other publications produced for various Arizona legislative and government entities.
• Planning and conducting exhaustive research on specialized and diverse topics relating to state and federal government using a wide variety of information resources including the Internet, CD-ROMs, virtual libraries, remote access to a wide range of resources and online databases, and print sources.
• Performing a full range of professional library functions including, but not limited to managing the office library collection, selecting and recommending purchase of new materials, obtaining materials through interlibrary loans, and providing library instruction and legal research instruction.
• Conducting extensive research on federal, state and local laws and complex legislative histories.
• Providing training on research related and legislative related topics.

Qualifications:  Graduate degree in Library Science; demonstrated organization and analytical skills; expertise with electronic resources including Dialog, Westlaw, Lexis-Nexis, OCLC FirstSearch, and Internet search engines; superior interpersonal, written and oral communication skills; and the ability to work effectively in a rapidly changing environment.  One year of library experience is preferred.

Salary range:  $42,000 - $60,200 

Closing date:  July 18, 2008

To apply: Send a cover letter, resume, and completed application (pdf) to:

Kim Hildebrand
Office of the Auditor General
2910 N. 44th Street
Phoenix, AZ  85018
FAX: (602) 553-0051
Phone: (602) 553-0333

Jefferson's Library Once Again Complete

The Library of Congress has managed to re-create with the help of rare-book collectors the missing two-thirds of Thomas Jefferson's Library. Listen to the NPR podcast of LC's Mark Dimunation discussing the effort it took to restore the collection. Hat tip LISNews. [JH]

Strategies for Sustaining Digital Libraries

Strategies for Sustaining Digital Libraries (2008), a collection of essays edited by Katherine Skinner and Martin Halbert is now available from Emory University Libraries.  From the introduction:

"We are at the inception of a new field – that of digital librarianship. Given that this is an emerging field and that so much is changing within our underlying infrastructure, how can leaders begin talking about, planning for, and implementing strategies for sustaining digital libraries as they become essential sources of knowledge?

It is these questions that have led us to produce Strategies for Sustaining Digital Libraries. This collection of essays is a report of early findings from pioneers who have worked to establish digital libraries, not merely as experimental projects, but as ongoing services and collections intended to be sustained over time in ways consistent with the long-held practices of print-based libraries. Particularly during this period of extreme technological transition, it is imperative that programs across the nation – and indeed the world – actively share their innovations, experiences, and techniques in order to begin cultivating new isomorphic, or commonly held, practices. The collective sentiment of the field is that we must begin to transition from a punctuated, project-based mode of advancing innovative information services to an ongoing programmatic mode of sustaining digital libraries for the long haul."  Check it out!  [RJ]

Just Released, Monica Parker's The Unhappy Lawyer

The Unhappy Lawyer: A Roadmap to Finding Meaningful Work Outside of the Law
by Monica Parker

List Price: $14.95 
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Sphinx Publishing; 1 edition (July 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1572486708
ISBN-13: 978-1572486706

Description: For lawyers who want to leave the law but don't know how to find a career that is a good fit for them, The Unhappy Lawyer helps them uncover exciting alternative careers with a unique step-by-step program that will make readers feel like they have their own personal career coach.

With chapters containing real letters from lawyers who are desperate to leave the practice of law, tales from lawyers who have shut the door on their legal careers, no-nonsense coaching sidebars, checklists and powerful exercises, this book provides a witty, no-nonsense roadmap for finding and pursuing engaging work outside of the law and making a living.

About the Author: Monica R. Parker is a career coach who helps lawyers find alternative careers that they enjoy doing. She earned her law degree from Harvard Law School and practiced law for five years before starting her own company. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Grading the States 2008 Report

New report from the Pew Center on the States: "As a vital component of Pew’s efforts to foster effective solutions to some of America’s most pressing challenges, the Government Performance Project’s Grading the States 2008 report is an assessment of the quality of management in the 50 states. The report’s findings, developed in partnership with Governing Magazine, are generated from extensive interviews and surveys of state-level managers and opinion leaders."  See our earlier post:  Grading the States 2008: A Management Report Card.  [RJ]

Check out ReliefWeb

From the UN Pulse: "ReliefWeb is an on-line gateway to information, including documents and maps, on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. The maps are often very detailed and may provide information about refugee camps or other relevant details for the emergency response. Updates on particular countries or types of documents are available by email or RSS."  [RJ]

Opening: Branch Librarian, San Diego County Public Law Library

The San Diego County Public Law Library is accepting applications for Branch Librarian at its South Bay Regional court location. As a member of the management team, the Branch Librarian is responsible for all aspects of the daily operation of the branch, and performs any professional or paraprofessional duties essential to the achievement of effective library operations, in order to provide quality service to those seeking legal information.

Requirements: MLS or MLIS degree from ALA-accredited Library School and/or significant law library experience, preferably with management experience. Extensive knowledge of legal materials in all formats and experience working with Integrated Library System, preferably Millennium III. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with outstanding customer service orientation. Strong commitment to public service and further the service mission of the library.

This is an exempt, 37.5 hr. /wk. position with excellent benefits package, including CalPERS retirement plan. Parking provided.

Compensation: Competitive and commensurate with education and experience.

Application: Send resume with cover letter and 3 professional references to Job2008-8@sdcpll.org or fax to (619) 239-1563. Applications accepted until position is filled. No phone calls please.

The San Diego County Public Law Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All interested parties are encouraged to apply.

Is Google Too Powerful?

Check out the Boston Globe's article Stopping Google: With one company now the world's chief gateway to information, some critics are hatching ways to fight its influence for an excellent review of the issues. [JH]

New Online Archive of Policy Research Launched

Policy Archive plans to become the largest free online repository of public policy research in the world. At its launch this month, the repository already contains over 12,000 policy documents from over 220 think tanks and other research organizations. It will house up to 20,000 documents by the end of 2008 according to the Project's press release (pdf). See also: Description of the Policy Archive Project (pdf) and List of Current Content Contributors (pdf).

In addition to a site search engine, you can browse by author, funder, publisher and topics. Two topics of interest are listed below:

Browse topics under the heading "Justice"

• Prisoners and imprisonment
• Courts and judicial power
• Crime and criminals
• International courts
• Judgments and sentences
• Legal procedure
• Legal profession and occupations
• Police and law enforcement
• Prisons and correctional facilities and personnel

Browse topics under the heading "Law and Ethics"

• Civil law
• Commercial law
• Constitutional law
• Corporations and securities law
• Criminal law
• Environmental law
• Ethics
• Family law
• Health law
• Immigration law
• Intellectual property, copyright, patent, and trademark law
• International law
• Labor law
• Law and jurisprudence
• Liability, torts, and personal injury
• Maritime law
• Military and martial law
• Real estate and property law

The Center for Governmental Studies in partnership with the IUPUI University Library is responsible for this promising new resource. [JH]

SCOTUSblog's Statistical Analysis of the Supreme Court Term

SCOTUSblog has published its "Super StatPack" compilation of statistics with charts, lists, and observations about the just-concluded Supreme Court Term. Here's the complete report (pdf) and listed below are individual excerpts from it. [JH]

1. Summary Memo (New)
2. Justice Agreement
3. Non-unanimous Agreement (New)
4. Decisions by Final Vote
5. Frequency in the Majority
6. Opinion Tally (New)
7. Circuit Scorecard
8. Opinion Authors by Sitting
9. The Court’s Workload

Lawmakers' Blogs Share Views, Insights

Interesting article from Stateline.org:

Alabama state Rep. Mike Ball (R) posts “this day in state history” tidbits on his blog, Idaho state Rep. Nicole LeFavour (D) offers behind-the-scenes insight on hers, and Nevada state Sen. Bob Beers (R), running for re-election, posted this limerick: “Beers’ opponent’s positions defy/Common sense, so she’ll have to rely/On attacking the man,/Researched “dirt” is her plan,/And when none can be found, she will lie.”

There are 175,000 new blogs launched every day across cyberspace, according to web observer Technorati, and state legislators’ offerings are sprinkled among them. More than 50 lawmakers regularly blog, and more are joining the blogosphere every year.

Click here for a list of state lawmakers' blogs

Like many bloggers, state lawmakers give their opinions on the topics of the day and share their personal life with readers. But unlike other bloggers, they also sometimes give the public a unique view into the workings of the statehouse."  [RJ]

Two New Reports on Climate Change Released by the NSTC

From the National Science and Technology Council:

• Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States

The report summarizes and integrates recent findings from several Synthesis and Assessment Products of the U.S. Climate Change Program as well as from assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

• Revised Research Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program

This plan provides direction for addressing remaining uncertainties in climate science, including impacts at regional scales and adaptation options. The plan also emphasizes the need for strengthened communication of scientific studies to decision-makers across the United States.

[RJ]

Opening: Public Services Librarian, Univ. of Detroit Mercy Law Library

The University of Detroit Mercy Law Library is accepting applications for the position of Public Services Librarian.

Responsibilities:

• Provide reference services to library patrons including Faculty, students, attorneys, and other patrons. Participate in rotation at the Library’s reference desk.
• Assume leadership role in the development of instructional web pages, tutorials, maps, and guides.
• Promote library services through the creation and dissemination of a monthly newsletter.
• Oversee circulation and reserve functions; train and supervise the Library Student Assistants. Monitor student hours and student payroll.
• Develop library user guide, circulation manual, and interlibrary procedural handbook (both printed and online versions).
• Provide interlibrary loan services for library patrons.
• Assist in the evaluation and development of the library collection by recommending materials for purchase and withdrawal, including electronic information.

Required Qualifications: Master’s degree in Library Science from an ALA accredited institution.

Preferred Qualifications: Minimum three years of law library patron services experience preferred. Knowledge of current law library service, organization, procedures, equipment and technologies (experience with Innovative Interfaces Millennium preferred). Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. Ability to deal effectively with students, staff, faculty, and the general public. Ability to plan, develop, direct, and promote patron services operations.

To Apply: To apply, send a letter expressing your interest in the position along with a current résumé and the names of three references to Colleen Hickey, SSJ (colleen@udmercy.edu), Associate Director, University of Detroit Mercy Kresge Law Library.

Big Savings from Small Improvements in MPG Ratings: Replacing a 12 MPG Car with a 14 MPG Car Saves More Gas Than Replacing a 28 MPG Car with a 40 MPG Car

One would think that replacing a car that gets 28 MPG with a one that gets 40 MPG is more significant in terms of a reduction in gas consumption than replacing a car that gets 12 MPG with one that gets 14 MPG. But that is wrong. Saving 120 gallons of fuel by replacing a 12 MPG car with a 14 MPG car over the course of driving 10,000 miles is a larger amount than the reduction that would be achieved by replacing a car that gets 28 MPG with a one that gets 40 MPG over that distance.

Why? According to Richard P. Larrick and Jack B. Soll in their June 20, 2008 Science article, The MPG Illusion, "There is a systematic misperception in judging fuel efficiency when it is expressed as miles per gallon... People falsely believe that the amount of gas consumed by an automobile decreases as a linear function of a car's MPG. The actual relationship is curvilinear." The Larrick and Soll study demonstrates that relying on linear reasoning about MPG leads consumers to undervalue small improvements on inefficient vehicles.

This page helps car buyers calculate gallons per mile to judge car fuel efficiency. It is based on The MPG Illusion research published in Science. Read the Science article, listen to the Science Podcast interview of Richard Larrick, plus check out additional resources listed here. Hat tip to Edward K. Cheng (Brooklyn Law School), Science & Law Blog. [JH]

al-Qaeda and Taliban High Tech Media Campaigns

Check out Craig Whitlock's Washington Post article about the growth of as-Sahab and al-Fajr Media Center, propaganda arms of al-Qaeda in Al-Qaeda's Growing Online Offensive. See also Imtiaz Ali's Washington Post article, Extremists in Tribal Areas Use Gory DVDs to Celebrate, and Exaggerate, Their Exploits. [JH]

The Changing Nature of State Sponsorship of Terrorism

New report from the Brookings Institution:

The U.S. approach toward state sponsorship of terrorism rests on a flawed understanding of the problem and an even more flawed policy response. The U.S. Department of State’s current formal list of state sponsors includes Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. But Cuba and North Korea have done almost nothing in this area in recent years, and Sudan has changed its ways enough that elsewhere the Bush administration credits Sudan as a “strong partner in the War on Terror.” Of those on the list, only Syria and Iran remain problems, and in both cases their involvement in traditional international terrorism is down considerably from their peaks in the 1980s.

What seems like a brilliant policy success, however, is really an artifact of bad list management, because much of the problem of state sponsorship today involves countries that are not on the list at all. Pakistan has long aided a range of terrorist groups fighting against India in Kashmir and is a major sponso! r of Taliban forces fighting the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan. Hugo Chavez’s government in Venezuela is a major supporter of the FARC. And several other governments, such as those in Iraq, Yemen and the Palestinian territories, create problems by deliberately looking the other way when their citizens back terrorist groups.

These new state sponsors are actually more dangerous to the United States and its interests than the remaining traditional state sponsors, because some of them are tied to Sunni jihadist groups such as al-Qa‘ida— currently the greatest terrorist threat facing the United States. The nightmare of a terrorist group acquiring nuclear weapons is far more likely to involve Pakistan than it is Iran or North Korea."  [RJ]