Law Librarian Blog

Save Taxpayer Dollars, Use Google Apps

An 18-person federal sales team is moving into the beltway to promote the use of Google Apps to federal agencies and the companies that work with them. Details in the Washington Post and PC World. [JH]

Public.Resource.Org to Provide Open Access to the CFR

Carl Malamud, President & CEO Public.Resource.Org, is in negotiations with the Government Printing Office to obtain an electronic copy of the Code of Federal Regulations.

According to his request, Public.Resource.Org intends to make the CFR "available in raw format on the Internet for access by anonymous FTP. We will not charge for access, nor will we restrict usage by the imposition of any license agreements. Since public documents are defined as “public property” in 44 USC 1119, this deployment of the raw feed of the Code will make it available for all to use without restriction and will allow for-profit and non-profit entities to construct alternative versions of the CFR."

Also of note, Public.Resource.Org proposes a joint venture with GPO to open source the remainder of their bulk electronic products including: Congressional Directory, Congressional Record, Daily Bills Digest, Daily Bills, Federal Register, Federal Register Index, List of Federal Regulations Affected, the United States Code, the U.S. Government Manual, and the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.

[RJ]

New Fellows in Denver

The University of Denver is planning on recruiting and hiring 10 new "Law Librarian Fellows" as part of grant award of almost $1million from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The fellows will be part of the Rural and Small Practice Attorney Library Support Center per the Denver Business Journal. {bb}

Senate to Vote of Financial Bailout Bill Tonight

The Senate plans to vote on the $700 billion financial rescue plan tonight. The bill adds provisions raising the FDIC cap increase (from $100,000 to $250,000 per account), creating and extending incentives for renewable energy and including a one-year patch of the Alternative Minimum Tax according to published reports in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CQ Politics, Open Congress and Politico (read, text of the Senate bill was not available from any of the usual suspects this morning).

Related Resources:

• Check out the New York Times table and map about the Republican and Democratic representatives who voted against the $700 billion financial bailout plan.
• See also the CRS Report, The Cost of Government Financial Interventions, Past and Present (September 23, 2008)

[JH]

Most Americans Would Accept More Limits on Some First Amendment Freedoms

The First Amendment Center's 2008 State of the First Amendment survey questioned adults on their attitudes and opinions about free expression, a free press and religious liberty. The survey found that this year:

• 39% would extend to subscription cable and satellite television the government’s current authority to regulate content on over-the-air broadcast television.
• 54% would continue IRS regulations that bar religious leaders from openly endorsing political candidates from the pulpit without endangering the tax-exempt status of their organizations.
• 66% say the government should be able to require television broadcasters to offer an equal allotment of time to conservative and liberal broadcasters; 62% would apply that same requirement to newspapers, which never have had content regulated by the government.
• 38% would permit government to require broadcasters to report a specified amount of “positive news” in return for licenses to operate.
• 31% would not permit musicians to sing songs with lyrics that others might find offensive.
• 68% favor government restrictions on campaign contributions by private companies, and 55% favor such limits on amounts individuals can contribute to someone else’s campaign.

[JH]

Why Are There Unpublished Opinions?

Prompted by finding an unpublished opinion that was unfavorable to the client's case while serving as a legal intern, Shenoa L. Payne reflects on the questions the situation raised in The Ethical Conundrums of Unpublished Opinions, 44 Willamette L. Rev. 723 (Summer 2008) [Westlaw].

• What is applicable case law? Does it include every opinion available or only those with precedential or persuasive authority?
• What is the point of having a court rule that bans the use of unpublished opinions when judges and judicial clerks know they exist?
• Should an attorney advise his client that the case law is not in their favor based on a unpublished opinion?
• How do lawyers balance the ethical duty of bringing the law to the attention of the court, following the rules of the court, and maintaining a zealous advocacy for their clients?

See also David R. Cleveland's (Nova) Draining the Morass: Ending the Jurisprudentially Unsound Unpublication System [SSRN](Is denying unpublished decisions' precedential weight constitutional?) [JH]

FindLaw's Interactive Guide to Electronic Discovery

Findlaw has developed an Interactive Guide to Electronic Discovery that will "help you develop your knowledge of e-discovery practices and determine the best strategies for success with complex e-discovery issues".  Topics include:  Records Management; Identification; Preservation; Collection; Processing; Review; Analysis; Production; and Presentation.  [RJ]

New Firefox Extension Automatically Hyperlinks Legal Citations in Web Pages But...

For all you IE haters out there, check out Jureeka, a Firefox extension that converts legal citations that it recognizes into hyperlinks to a web page for the cited source. 

Before:

After:

Users Beware. As with most beta products, there are a few kinks to work out, but my real problem with this service is that the linking is not contextual. The service does not confirm that what is being cited and what is being linked to are identical. Nice idea but needs better execution to be reliable and useful. [JH]

Opening: Faculty Services Librarian, St. Mary’s University School of Law Library

We’re pleased to announce the position of Faculty Services Librarian/Assistant Professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law.  This is a University tenure-track faculty position reporting directly to the law library director.  The tenure is within the University, not the law school. The position is open immediately.  Applications are accepted until the position is filled.  St. Mary's University is an equal opportunity employer.

Major Responsibilities
Provide extensive reference and research assistance to the faculty; develop and coordinate initiatives and programs to support faculty research;  prepare research bibliographies, user guides and other research aids; give training to the faculty on using databases and library resources; train and supervise research assistants; engage the faculty through individualized services and group activities; participate in selection of information resources; conduct general reference work, including evening and weekend rotation duties.

Required Qualifications
A JD degree or equivalent from an ABA-accredited law school; an MLS or equivalent degree from an ALA-accredited institution. 

Desired Qualifications
One years’ professional work experience in a law library.  Strong service orientation, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, interest to interact with the faculty, and ability to plan and carry out programs independently.   

Salary and Benefits
Salary is commensurate with qualification and experience.  The University offers a full range of benefits.

How To Apply
Applications are accepted and reviewed immediately. The position will remain open until filled.  Send an application and resume with three references to Elizabeth Cadena, Executive Assistant, St. Mary's University School of Law, Sarita Kenedy East Law Library, One Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, TX 78228; Phone:  210-431-4351.  Applications can be sent by e-mail to:  ecadena@stmarytx.edu. 

About St. Mary’s University and the School of Law
St. Mary’s University (http://www.stmarytx.edu/) is a Catholic university with a Marianist tradition.  The University’s academic program includes liberal arts, humanities, science, engineering, religion, and business.  The University sits on a beautiful campus in the west side of the city.  The School of Law (http://www.stmarytx.edu/law/), founded in 1927, is the only law school in South Texas and enrolls over 800 students in a full-time program and an evening division.  During its history, the law school has produced many distinguished alumni, including U.S. Senator John Cornyn (1977), U.S. Representative Charles A. Gonzalez (1972), several justices of the Texas Supreme Court, and state bar presidents. 

About San Antonio  
San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the country, with a growing economy and high quality of life at very affordable cost.  The city is naturally beautiful and culturally diverse.  For information, visit San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Web site at:  http://www.visitsanantonio.com/index.aspx.

Kudos to Sue Barry

Sue Barry, a Reference Attorney trainer at West’s Eagan, Minnesota headquarters, is celebrating her 25th anniversary with the company. Remember WALT? Sue does. Details on Westblog. [JH]

The Greatest Legal Movie: ABA Journal Has Counted the Votes and the Winner Is...

What would Hollywood do without lawyers? And what would the editors of the ABA Journal do without its 25 greatest legal movies poll? The winner for the greatest legal movie award is ... To Kill a Mockingbird [Poll results] See also, the ABA Journal article, How I Learned to Litigate at the Movies. [JH]

From inept governing comes an inept use of the English language

The House might not have come up with a plan to save Wall Street, but they sure did come up with some great metaphors to explain away their incompetence.  Check out Dana Milbank’s article Debating the Bailout, Torturing Language for a hilarious (and accurate) account of yesterday’s debacle. 
Some of my personal favorites:

• "Madam Speaker, this is a huge cow patty with a piece of marshmallow stuck in the middle of it," he declared. "I'm not going to eat that cow patty.”  Rep. Paul Broun
• "Not even Avon or Mary Kay can compete with the cosmetics in this bill.”  Rep. Lloyd Doggett
• There's no an old Chinese proverb:  May you live in interesting times. These are interesting and remarkable times."  Rep. Adam Putnam

The American people need a bailout...but it might not come till election day.  [RJ]

Publish All Mortgages We Buy

Eventually some sort of bailout bill will pass Congress but before it does, Dan O'Neil has a great idea for an amendment to the bill -- require public disclosure of all mortgage security instruments the government buys. Why? So the public can determine the underlying assets. In U.S. Government Should Publish All Mortgages It Buys, O'Neil explains, "We need this data. We should have had it based on SEC rules on disclosure -- investors in these funds should be able to know what they are buying. Now that it looks like we're all going to be the buyers, there is an even more pressing imperative."

Great idea and very do-able. Slow down Congressional websites by emailing your demand for transparency. See House websites slowed by e-mails on bailout bill. [JH]

State of the Blogosphere 2008

Technorati has released its State of the Blogosphere 2008 Report. The five-part report covers the following topics:

• Who Are the Bloggers?
• The What And Why of Blogging
• The How of Blogging
• Blogging For Profit
• Brands Enter The Blogosphere

[JH]

The Global Legal Monitor Redesigned

The Law Library of Congress has revamped the Global Legal Monitor from a monthly pdf to a continuously updated website.  The new interface allows for advance searching by topic or jurisdiction.  There's also an rss feed for those of us who like to keep up with current developments.  [RJ]

FAQ for the 2008 ABA Questionnaire

The ABA Law Libraries Committee has drafted a FAQ for the 2008 ABA Questionnaire.  Please note that electronic titles are counted differently this year, so it is important that you read the Definitions & Instructions section of the Questionnaire. 

• 2008 ABA Questionnaire
• 2008 ABA Fiscal Questionnaire

[RJ]

University of Michigan Library Launches Print-on-Demand Service

The University of Michigan Library will launch its on-demand print service tomorrow. [Press Release] Just about any out-of-copyright book from Michigan’s digital collection can be printed and bound on the spot. Printing takes five to seven minutes, and the cost is about $10 per book using On Demand Books' Espresso Book Machine.

Michigan claims to be the first university to use the Espresso Book Machine to provide this service. View a video clip of the gizmo in action. In the next several years, On Demand Books expects to install Espresso Book Machines in libraries and bookshops around the world. All the machines will be connected by a network, allowing libraries to share and reprint volumes from their collections. [JH]

Opening: Electronic Resources/Reference Librarian, Charlotte School of Law Library

The Charlotte School of Law, which recently received provisional accreditation from the ABA, seeks a creative, skilled, and service-oriented colleague for the position of Electronic Resources/Reference Librarian. This position focuses on electronic resources we are now using and will use in the future. The Law Library is moving into a new building on August 1, 2008 and maintains a collection of over 105,000 volumes which represents a doubling of collection size this past year, and volume equivalents in print, electronic, and multimedia and micro-formats. The Library supports the teaching, research, and service activities of CSL which is growing and will total approximately 300 students this year with an incoming class of 120+ anticipated. A key component of this position will be to engage as an active partner with faculty and students in improving access to scholarly resources. With this hire, the Law Library team will be composed of 6.0 FTE librarian, 4.0 FTE support staff members, and numerous student workers.

Duties & Responsibilities: The incumbent will engage in strategic planning for the legal collection and assists the Associate Dean for Library and Information Services in implementing a unified vision of print and electronic materials.  In addition the incumbent will provide reference service to law students, faculty, and the legal community (includes evening and weekend hours), consult with a variety of library patrons to meet their legal research needs, prepare print and electronic research guides and bibliographies, and occasionally teach basic and advanced legal research through guest lectures and workshops.  This positionprimarily coordinate the selection activities of librarians as they evaluate and acquire print and electronic resources; advise on future requirements for electronic and web resources; oversee contract negotiation and licensing for electronic resources; extract, compile, and analyze usage data and other statistics related to electronic resources; supervise the maintenance of usage data related to digital material in order to compare it to print usage; and collaborate with all library staff to develop, document, and administer policies, workflows, and procedures as well as support and enhance a diverse learning and working environment in a relatively new library.

Qualifications:
Required: ALA-accredited MLIS; J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.

Preferred: At least two years of professional experience in a law or academic library; experience teaching legal research; knowledge of trends and practices in electronic resource management; familiarity with federated searching, OpenURL resolvers, and electronic usage statistics; strong customer service focus; demonstrated initiative, organizational skills, and problem-solving abilities; strong communications and interpersonal skills, evidenced by the ability to improve the work of a team and maintain positive relationships with staff, faculty, and students; ability to train and motivate staff; experience with electronic resource management software, preferably Innovative Interfaces' ERM; project management experience; and/or knowledge of legal materials and legal education; and a commitment to engage in continuing professional development.

This position reports directly to the Associate Dean for Library and Information Services.

Salary is commensurate with experience. CharlotteLaw offers a full benefits package. For more information about Charlotte School of Law, please visit www.charlottelaw.org.

Please send a resume, the names of three references (including addresses and phone numbers) to humanresources@charlottelaw.edu or via mail to:

Charlotte School of Law
Human Resources
2145 Suttle Avenue
Charlotte, NC, 28208

Charlotte School of Law is an Equal Opportunity Employer

So What's Plan B? Bailout Bill Rejected in the House

The bill designed to fix the broken financial industry failed in the House by a vote of 228-205 today. [Text of Bill | Roll Call ] No word on "Plan B." Two reports from CNN: Bailout plan rejected - supporters scramble and Lawmakers quickly point fingers after bailout fails. [JH]

Web Search Strategies in Plain English

Check out the latest offering from the folks from Common Craft entitled: Web Search Strategies in Plain English. As the title implies, the video offers advice on taking your web search to the next level by discussing effective search strategies and techniques.  A must for your "Research Essentials" workshop.

[RJ]