Law Librarian Blog

Women and War Digital Resources

AHA Blog has put together an excellent list of free electronic resources on "Women and War" including:

• American Memory Project-Library of Congress
• Documenting the South
• Valley of the Shadow
• Duke Civil War Women
• University of Washington War Posters
• Historic Government Publications from World War
• Women Working, 1800-1930

Click here for the full list.  [RJ]

Is Your Life a Blur of Social Media and Web 2.0 Tools?

Aliza Sherman's life is. Check out her Web Worker Daily post about her daily routine. [JH]

House Passes Bailout Bill on Second Try

From the Wall Street Journal: "The House voted 263-171 to pass the $700 billion financial-markets rescue bill, two days after the Senate passed the legislation. Several prominent members of the House who voted against the measure Monday announced their support for the revised bill, giving it well mroe than the the 218 votes needed." [RJ]

From the President's "I'm going to sign it" statement for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, H.R. 1424:

I know some Americans have concerns about this legislation, especially about the government's role and the bill's cost. As a strong supporter of free enterprise, I believe government intervention should occur only when necessary. In this situation, action is clearly necessary. And ultimately, the cost -- ultimately, the cost to taxpayers will be far less than the initial outlay. See, the government will purchase troubled assets and once the market recovers, it is likely that many of the assets will go up in value. And over time, Americans should expect that much -- if not all -- of the tax dollars we invest will be paid back.

Americans should also expect that it will take some time for this legislation to have its full impact on our economy. Exercising the authorities in this bill in a responsible way will require a careful analysis and deliberation. This will be done as expeditiously as possible, but it cannot be accomplished overnight. We'll take the time necessary to design an effective program that achieves its objectives -- and does not waste taxpayer dollars.

[JH]

Time to Nominate a Law Librarian for LJ's Annual Movers and Shakers Award

Library Journal is seeking nominations for its annual Movers and Shakers recognition. LJ's Movers and Shakers will identify some 50 emerging leaders in the field of librarianship. To submit a nomination, complete the online entry form or email the nomination as a Word document to Ann Kim at akim@reedbusiness.com.  The deadline for nominations is November 10.

Just remember how to spell my name: H-O-D-N-I-C-K-I-L-O-L! Serously, at 55, I'm too old to be an emerging anything, fading fast is more like it. And without some sort of proven track record in law librarianship it is too soon to nominate Harvard's John Palfrey. Hell if I know who to nominate this year. Let all of us know who in the law librarian profession you think is a mover and shaker by commenting to this post. [JH]

Flexible Fred Underseige

The Delaware County Law Library in Ohio has been requested to take down a 5 foot tall plastic skeleton named Fred which is used by library patrons for medical case research because Fred was allegedly scaring a neighbors children according to the Columbus Dispatch. Fred appears to be a welcomed library mascot of sorts who now has to stay away from the windows to keep his prestigious position in this home of law literature. The article also provides a blurb on the often disturbing (to the weak stomached) details of how past skeletons came into being. {bb}

Who Won Last Night's VP Debate?

We probably should wait until fact-check reports analyze last night's debate, but what the heck. [JH]

Online Surveys & Market Research

Friday Fun: Resources for Teaching Legislative History Using Schoolhouse Rock Videos

It's that time in the academic semester when ALR instructors launch into legislative history. Despite recent findings that video game playing teaches teens civics, the standard "how a bill becomes a law" lecture oftentimes requires a Civics 101 lesson first. As a public service, LLB offers the following great Schoolhouse Rock videos as instructional aids. [JH]

On the Constitution's Preamble:

The Three Branches of Government:

After viewing the above videos, students should be ready for How a Bill Becomes a Law:

AALL Government Documents SIS Announces New State Bibliographies

Each bibliography costs $15 and can be purchased here.

• State Documents Bibliography: Washington, DC (series # 3-74)
• Selective Annotated Bibliography of Delaware State Documents and Other Resources Used in Delaware Legal Research (Series # 3-73)
• Kentucky State Documents: A Bibliography of Legal and Law-Related Material (Series # 3-72) (supersedes an earlier Kentucky bibliography from 1990, series # 3-39)

Conference on The Law Librarian’s Role in the Scholarly Enterprise

The Law Librarian’s Role in the Scholarly Enterprise is the theme for a conference sponsored by the Coleman Karesh Law Library and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Friday, November 21, 2008
University of South Carolina School of Law
Columbia, South Carolina

This conference will explore the librarian’s role in legal scholarship, focusing on the effects of technological changes in the production and delivery of legal information and the possibilities of collaboration between scholars and librarians to advance legal scholarship. Visit the conference website for details.

Is It a Copyright Violation to Display Book Cover Images on Library Websites?

Will you be receiving a cease and desist letter in the mail if you use book cover images on library websites? LibraryThing, a social network cataloging site, is offering one million user-uploaded book covers for use in OPACS so we might find out sooner rather than later. Check out what Mary Minow has to say on the issue in her LibraryLaw Blog post, Book jackets - can libraries put pictures of book covers on the websites? [JH]

Play Palin Bingo at Your VP Debate Party Tonight

VP presidential nominees Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin will debate each other at 8 p.m. (CDT) tonight in the Washington University in St. Louis Athletic Complex ... athletic complex ..."let's get ready to rumble" ... or play Palin bingo at your VP debate party. Wish I thought of this! [JH]

Video Gaming Teaches Teens Civics

"The stereotype that gaming is a solitary, violent, anti-social activity just doesn’t hold up. The average teen plays all different kinds of games and generally plays them with friends and family both online and offline," said Amanda Lenhart, author of Pew Internet & American Life Project's report on the first national survey on teens and video games. Findings include:

• Game playing is universal, with almost all teens playing games and at least half playing games on a given day. 97% of American teens ages 12-17 play some kind of video game. 99% of boys say they are gamers and 94% of girls report that they play games.
• Game playing can incorporate many aspects of civic and political life. Not only do many teens help others or learn about a problem in society during their game playing, they also encounter other social and civic experiences.

You will never hear the end of this if your children learn this report's findings. [JH]

A Curmudgeonly Law Librarian Suggestion: Read a Publicly Distributed Bailout Bill Before You Vote and After We Get an Opportunity to Comment on It

I've been told that some blog readers turn to LLB because I'm the unoffical curmudgeon in the law librarian blogosphere. Me, a grouch? Well, if in the manner of Jack Cafferty, I'm honored.

Sourpuss Alert. Last night, the Senate passed its version of the bailout bill. That bill was 451 pages long and was released less than 24 hours before the roll call. Think the 99 voting senators read it? Think that their staffers did? Hell no, the only people who read the bill were financial industry lobbyists, the same ones whose bought and paid-for politicians are now responsible for solving the financial industry crisis they helped create.

PublicMarkup wrote:

It is appalling that Congress posted this massive document [text of H.R. 1424; yesterday morning's unsuccessful LLB search for it]the very day they intend to vote on the bill. Now more than ever, we the taxpayers need to tell Congress enough is enough. We can't expect that citizens or lawmakers themselves can decipher such broad legislation in such a short period of time.

Luckily "sweeteners" added to the Senate's bill could make the bailout package sour for House Democrats so there's still time to tell your elected representatives to read the damn bill before voting. PublicMarkup suggests a 72-hour cooling off period before voting with the clock ticking from the time the bill is publically available to all of us via something called the Web. Sign their petition if you think this is a good idea.

Too Much to Ask that Public Comments Be Read Too? Since the House's email system took a dive because its servers could not handle the increased email traffic when the House version of the bill was released, it might be "helpful" to suggest that Congress also read the public comments posted on PublicMarkup's website for the legislation:

• Senate Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (passed)
• House Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (voted down)

Or it might be fanciful to think that they care about public comments from taxpayers. What the hell, add your comments to the Senate version of the bill for the record. Someday historians might be interested in how web communications technology was used (or ignored) in the early 21st century.

Write Your Representative Now. And before I step off this soapbox, I think legal information professionals should also write their representatives to demand that they follow up on Dan O'Neil's suggestion that the final bailout bill require public disclosure of all mortgage security instruments we buy.

It's the Web, stupid. [JH]

Supreme Court 2.0, a Re-Engineering Fantasy

The October 2008 issue of the ABA Journal features an article on rethinking the structure and operation of the Supreme Court. Proposals range from extreme or fanciful to modest or commonsensical. See Richard Brust's Supreme Court 2.0. [JH]

Cornell Law Library's InSITE Website Reviews

Reviews published in the September 22nd, 2008 issue of InSITE:

• Earmark Watch
• International Alert
• Lehman Collections: Lehman Special Correspondence Files
• Speechology
• Taxpayers for Common Sense

Earmark Watch

Earmark Watch is a project of Sunlight Foundation and Taxpayers for Common Sense, non-partisan organizations dedicated to increasing public awareness of government activities.  Earmark Watch contains a database of spending appropriations (earmarks) which House Resolution 6 and the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 require Senate and House members to disclose; this covers earmarks contained in three bills:  the House and Senate versions of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bills, and the House version of the Defense appropriations bill.  Users can search a database of these earmarks by state, sponsor, description, or recipient.  When users search by one of the four criteria, the search engine returns the text of relevant earmarks.  Users cannot refine their searches beyond the selected criteria, and cannot search multiple criteria at the same time.  Generally, the search results do not provide much information beyond the text of the earmarks matching the selected criteria.  Earmark Watch’s content may improve in the future; it is based on a Wikipedia-like model which allows registered users to contribute information about and comment on specific earmarks. [LB]

International Alert

International Alert is "an independent peace building organization that works to lay the foundations for lasting peace and security in communities affected by violent conflict."  International Alert works all over the globe with governments and victims of conflict to help achieve peace.  Regions where International Alert is active include Asia, Latin America, and Africa.  Users can use a drop-down menu to select either the region they are interested in or they can use the same menu to select a particular country to learn about the efforts of International Alert in that country.  The information posted includes when the work began and what its focus is.  For instance in the Philippines, Alert’s current focus is on "Peace Process Support," "Peace Advocates/Constituency-Building," "Peace-Related Politics Advocacy," and "Key Peace Issues."  By clicking on the link to each of the subcategories, users can access more specific information on those projects.  The "Thematic Work" drop-down menu on the homepage allows users to access resources by choosing from among five spheres of activity: "Aid effectiveness," "Climate change," "Gender," "Peace and Economy," and "Security." In the "Publications" section (under "Resources"), the user is able to search International Alert's collection of (mostly freely available) documents by keyword, or select them by theme or region. Users can sign up to receive email updates on the organization’s activities.  The entire site is keyword-searchable. [SA]

Lehman Collections: Lehman Special Correspondence Files

The Lehman Special Correspondence Files of the Herbert Lehman Collections at Columbia University Libraries contain correspondence and other documentation between and involving Herbert H. Lehman and nearly 1,000 individuals from 1864 through 1982.  Herbert Lehman had an extensive public service career which included serving as governor of, and later, U.S. senator to, New York State.  He was known for his unwavering dedication to public service and liberal causes.  The strength of collection lies in materials on himself, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, New York State, the Democratic Party, McCarthyism, immigration, refugees, philanthropy, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), and the Allied Military Government during World War II.  Materials concerning civil rights, African American history, and working women in New York State are also well represented.  The Lehman Special Correspondence Files are a digitized and searchable subset of the larger Lehman collections.  Users can search the Files by correspondent, keyword, date, document type, or document id number.  For researchers interested in this segment of US history, this could be a valuable source for primary archival materials. [JJ]

Speechology

Speechology was launched by Matthew Burton and Dan Phiffer, acquaintances from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, and is supported in part by a grant from the Sunlight Foundation.  Bringing Web 2.0 to presidential politics, the site archives video of political debates, speeches, and campaign ads.  Burton and Phiffer want to provide a space where users can find what politicians have been saying: "If a candidate or elected representative said it on TV, we want you to be able to find it on here."  The other goal of the site is to provide verification for the factual claims made by candidates and other politicians.  For each video, users may contribute comments with the idea that the commenter can confirm or refute claims made by offering their own independent research.  This feature of the site is still developing, but does show promise.  Otherwise, the video collection is the reason to visit the site.  Videos may be browsed by politician, including George W. Bush, John McCain, and Barack Obama, or they may be browsed by video set.  These sets cover Democratic and Republican debates; McCain, Obama, and Clinton ads; and PAC ads.  The site tracks which videos are viewed most, as well as the highest and lowest rated. [MM]

Taxpayers for Common Sense

Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit organization (with an affiliate 501(c)(4) lobbying arm, TCS Action), dedicated to cutting wasteful government spending and subsidies in order to achieve a responsible and efficient government that lives within its means.  The TCS website offers resources arranged by broad subject categories such as "Energy", "Agriculture," "National Security," "Government Contracts," and "Water Resources".  These main project areas are covered by detailed reports, articles, white papers, and other TCS publications.  Within these broad categories, each publication listed is assigned one or more subject tags, to help users locate related information on the site. The extensive list of tags is available for browsing, as well. Other features of the website that are accessible from the homepage include a keyword search box, a link to the TCS "Resource Center & Archives," and a link to the downloadable "TCS database of FY '08 earmarks." [JPC/BWK]

InSITE contributors:  S. Allen, L. Buechner, J.P. Cusker, J. Jones, B. Kreisler, M. Morrison, J. Pajerek (editor)

InSITE highlights selected law-related Web sites in two ways: as an annotated publication issued electronically and in print; and, as a keyword-searchable database. The law librarians at Cornell evaluate potentially useful Web sites, select the most valuable ones, and provide commentary and subject access to them. This information can be accessed via the channels below, in addition to this mailing list:

1. Searchable database or by browsing current and archived issues on the web: InSITE home page   
2. RSS feed
3. Print format for the Cornell Law School community.

Brennan Center Study Exposes Lack of Standards for Appointing Defense Counsel

The Brennan Center for Justice has released a provocative study examining the standards for determining eligibility for court-appointed defense counsel. In Eligible for Justice: Guidelines for Appointing Defense Counsel, the Brennan Center found that "many jurisdictions use flawed screening processes to separate those who can afford counsel from those who cannot, and as a result are denying government-funded defense counsel to people who should receive it."  The report reviews existing state procedures and discusses various changes that would ensure adequate counsel.  The recommendations include:

1. Screen people seeking the appointment of counsel to ensure that they are financially eligible.
2. Apply screening criteria and processes uniformly, and commit them to writing.
3. Ensure that screening is performed by someone who does not have a conflict of interest.
4. Ensure that counsel is provided to those unable to afford it.
5. Streamline screening to speed up the process and save money.
6. Ensure that required procedural protections are in place.

[RJ]

MU Law Library Launches the Lloyd L. Gaines Digital Collection

University of Missouri Law Library has put together an amazing digital collection that sheds light on the landmark civil rights case, Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada (precurser to Brown v. Board of Education).  The Lloyd L. Gaines Digital Collection "seeks to illuminate Lloyd Gaines' life, document his pioneering pursuit of true equal rights to a legal education, and memorialize the long overdue, posthumous recognition of his personal sacrifice in the advancement of civil rights." 

The digital collection includes: 

• family letters
• family photographs
• case materials
• sections of the Missouri constitutions and laws that pertain to the education of African-Americans in Missouri
• dissertations by scholars studying the Gaines case and the African-American educational experience in Missouri
• newspaper articles that demonstrate the thoughts of students and others through the years regarding de-segregation and the Gaines case

Check it out!  [RJ]

Opening: Reference and Research Services Librarian, University of Richmond School of Law Library

The William Taylor Muse Law Library at the University of Richmond seeks a Reference and Research Services Librarian.

Responsibilities:  This full-time position will provide reference and research services and instruction for faculty, students and other library users (including one evening per week and a weekend rotation with other librarians); teach Legal Research in the School’s first-year Lawyering Skills program; monitor availability of law-related electronic resources and recommend titles for purchase; prepare and update library research guides, pathfinders and other research tools; and edit library’s newsletter and User’s Guide.  Librarians work twelve months per year and hold a non-tenure-track appointment, which carries University faculty status.  Librarians participate in Law School faculty meetings and committees.

Required:  J.D. from ABA-accredited law school or equivalent; Master’s degree in Library and/or Information Science from ALA-accredited institution.

Preferred:  Demonstrated teaching ability and law library experience.

Salary and Benefits:  The University of Richmond is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and salary and benefits are competitive.   (For more information about benefits, see http://hr.richmond.edu.)

UR Law Library:  The Law Library has seven librarians and a technology/library staff of 10.  The collection consists of approximately 400,000 volumes. The library serves approximately 460 students and 30 faculty members and is responsible for technology and media services at the Law School.  Visit the Law School website at http://law.richmond.edu and select “Library and Technology” for additional information.

To Apply:  The deadline for applications is October 31, 2008.  To view position description and to apply, visit https://www.urjobs.org.  Applications must be submitted online. The University of Richmond values diversity in its faculty, staff and student body. 

Senate Passes Financial Industry Bailout Bill by Wide Margin

CNN is reporting that the Senate passed H.R. 1424 [text] by a vote of 74 to 25 tonight. See also CNN's timeline of the financial industry crisis which isn't over because the Senate's bill is similar in key ways to the bill rejected by the House just two days ago. [JH]

Text of Senate's Bailout Bill, H.R. 1424

What started out life as a 3 page document, grew to 110 pages and now is 451 pages long? Here's the text of the Senate's financial industry bailout bill (as a substiute to H.R. 1424). Read by all senators who will vote on the measure later tonight, right?

Hat tip Jon Hayes (West Los Angeles School of Law) BankruptcyProf Blog. [JH]