Online Research Guides

Of course, you can always ask a Reference librarian for research help. But, when one is not available, you can also find really useful research guides online. My favorite legal research guide resource is LLRX.com . At LLRX.com, you can find guides on specific topics, as well as guides on researching in particular jurisdictions. Use either the links on the left, or use the search for a particular topic.

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Citizen Access Project

According to its Web site, the goal of the Citizen Access Project is "to allow citizens and public officials to better understand public access to local government information in all 50 states. The project uses legal research to examine the individual statutory provisions controlling open meetings and open records in the 50 states, regardless of where the provisions are found in a state's statutory compilations. In addition, the project evaluates relevant state appellate court decisions and constitutional provisions". States are rated according to the degree of openness and access they provide.

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Where Psychology Meets Law

Some of the most interesting legal topics are found at the intersection of law and human behavior--jury bias, criminal profiles, the credibility of witnesses, domestic violence, false confessions, and the dynamics of negotiation, to name a few. Finding authoritative articles on law-related topics in psychology is easy with PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES, research databases provided by the Axinn Library to all Hofstra students. Both are products of the American Psychological Association (APA). PsycINFO is broader in scope, offering over 2 million article summaries and citations with international coverage, from 1887 to the present. Search results are linked through Hofstra Libraries' “Journal Finder” feature to full-text databases and to print journal information for quick access to the complete articles. PsycARTICLES provides full-text PDF articles from 57 American Psychological Association and allied journals, with coverage from 1985 to the present. Links to both databases are found on the Axinn Library “Research Databases” page.

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21st Century Library Workshop

Crossing Borders: Basics of International legal research: So many issues and activities are global in scope with international legal components. If you are enrolled in The Use of Force & International Law, International Commercial Arbitration, International Law, Immigration, or Political Asylum, this workshop is for you. Diverse topics, but they all Cross Borders and some basic research tips on treaties and research strategy apply to all.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 19th - 11:10 to 12 noon; and
Thursday, Sept. 21st - 5:10 to 6 pm

The focus will be on basic international legal research; although "international law" is a very very big topic, there are basic resources and strategies that are applicable.

Handouts will be given.

Lower level computer lab


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The Federal Register and the CFR

For an extremely thorough lesson and more than you ever thought there was to learn on the topic, see "A Research Guide to the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations" by Richard J. McKinney of the Federal Reserve Board. You will learn what they are, their history, how to find old issues, how to find them electronically and much more.

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Further Thoughts on Paper Topics-JSTOR

Another source to consider when searching for a paper topic, or conducting research once you find one is JSTOR, the Scholarly Journal Archive.

The JSTOR database is an excellent resource for interdisciplinary legal scholarship. It includes journal articles in such areas as economics, finance, history, political science, sociology, and philosophy. JSTOR contains the full text of the articles from 340 scholarly paper journals. All articles are in PDF format (this is MOST excellent).

Please note that JSTOR's coverage of recent articles varies according to the "moving wall" set by each publisher. The "moving wall" represents the time period between the last issue available in JSTOR and the most recently published issue of a journal.

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Paper Topics

Looking for a paper topic? Need some indepth research tools for an area you are writing on? Take a look at BNA resources off of the Library's Research Databases page.

BNA resources provide daily newsletters, and indepth explanations (called either reporters or portfolios) on topics ranging from Corporate, Employment and Labor to Taxation. If you want to access the BNA databases from home, ask a Reference Librarian for remote access information.


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Google Personalized Search (Beta)

In keeping with our (unintentional) Google theme this week, the ever-active folks behind Google now offer ways for you to personalize and customize your online searches. According to the Web site, Google Personalized Search offers the following features:

• Orders your search results based on what you've searched for in the past.
• Allows you to browse and search over your past searches, including the Web pages, images, and news headlines that you have viewed.
• Allows you to bookmark your favorite Web sites and add labels and notes to them.
  

Two caveats. First, you must create a Google account before using this service. Second, those who zealously guard their online privacy should be aware that, with regard to the personalized search results and past searches features, Google will be storing information about your searches on its servers.

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Google Launches News Archive Search

As of yesterday, there is something new for Google News users. Anyone can now search magazine and newspaper archives directly from Google News for relevant articles covering over 200 years of historical information. By clicking on the"News Archive Search" link, users can search people, events or ideas to discover the most relevant articles and can also browse a historical timeline to focus in on articles from a specific time period, including the year an event took place. Sources of articles include both freely available archives, such as Time magazine or the Guardian, and web sites and databases where individual articles are available for a fee or by subscription, such as the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post. For example, a search for Clarence Darrow, the famous Scopes trial attorney, produces a wealth of articles from the 1920’s to the present. Try it out.
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21st Century Library Workshops?

What are the 21^st Century Library workshops? Well, it is the virtual information world; Lexis, Westlaw, research databases, Google and everything we can find online. There is so much information available it is easy to develop comfort with one tool and ignore others. How does one start? Where does one start? Why one resource above another? See the previous post for our kick off workshop.

21^st Century Library workshops will demonstrate different tools and provide tips and strategies for effective and efficient research. We have 6 workshops planned for this semester and each will focus on a specific topic. So get a jump start on advanced research and join us. Everyone in the law school is welcome to attend one or all of the workshops.

The next workshop will be announced next week.

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