One more week

First years - you have one more week for Lexis/Westlaw introduction. Make sure to sign up so that you can learn how to take advantage of the sophisticated search techniques and tools on these powerful databases. Sign up at the Circulation desk. There are still spots open through next Sunday, Oct. 15, but that is THE LAST DAY.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Office of Immigration Statistics

The Office of Immigration Statistics is, according to its Web site, "“responsible for developing, analyzing, and disseminating statistical information needed to assess the effects of immigration in the United States". The site includes copious data and statistics, including the Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, publications (flow reports, annual population estimates), and much more information pertaining to immigration into the United States.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Supreme Court Previews

The United States Supreme Court opened its 2006-2007 term this week with some “hot topic” cases scheduled for oral argument. One of my favorite ways to keep up with the Supreme Court is through the case previews online at liibulletin, part of the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. Liibulletin: Supreme Court Oral Argument Previews is an electronic journal researched, written and edited by Cornell Law students. Content is available on the web site or by free email subscription, with a complete preview appearing for every case about two weeks before the oral arguments. Check out the 2006-07 term preview of controversial issues, or the individual case previews for factual details and analysis of the questions presented.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

21st Century Library: Health Law Research Online

Health Law Research Online: An Introduction: This workshop will introduce the fundamentals of researching health law online. Participants will learn how to find the major federal statutes and regulations pertinent to health law, how to research federal health agencies, and how to find such relevant secondary sources as medical journal articles, medical dictionaries, and newsletters.

When: Tuesday, Oct. 3^rd – 11:10 to 12 noon; and
Thursday, Oct. 5^th – 5:10 to 6 pm

Where: Lower Level Computer Lab

All law students are welcome.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Forms

For those taking drafting classes, there are great Forms resources, both print and online, in addition to Lexis and Westlaw. Online, try FindForms and Findlaw Forms . In print, my all time favorite set is Current Legal Forms by Rabkin and Johnson. This set is on Reserve. Also, do not forget McKinney's forms.

Happy drafting.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Treaty Status On Thomas

An excellent free resource for researching the status of recent treaties is the page devoted to this subject at the Library of Congress's Web page, Thomas. On this page, in particular, one will find searchable databases for treaty status by Congress, treaty number, word and phrase, type of treaty, and the date that the treaty was transmitted to the Senate. Complete treaty status coverage begins with the 94th Congress (1975-76), although some older treaties are included, as well.

(Note: This page also offers search capabilities for treaty texts, but these are links to GPO Access).

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Law Professor Blogs

Law Professor Blogs (www.lawprofessorblogs.com) is a network of freely accessible blogs edited by and for law professors, but worth a look by law students as well. Each blog focuses on an area of law, such as contracts, criminal law, family law, immigration, or science and law. All are edited by one or more leading legal scholars and teachers representing law schools from across the United States. The blogs offer useful links to related resources and to organization web sites, as well as daily news of interest to faculty and scholars in the field, with discussion of important new cases and leading issues.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

21st Century Library Workshop: Health Law Research Online

Next Week!

Health Law Research Online: An Introduction: This workshop will introduce the fundamentals of researching health law online. Participants will learn how to find the major federal statutes and regulations pertinent to health law, how to research federal health agencies, and how to find such relevant secondary sources as medical journal articles, medical dictionaries, and newsletters.

When: Tuesday, Oct. 3^rd – 11:10 to 12 noon; and

Thursday, Oct. 5^th – 5:10 to 6 pm

Where: Lower Level Computer Law

All law students are welcome.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

First Years - Lexis/Westlaw maximization

For those taking Legal Writing this semester, maximize your research effectiveness (and minimize time wasted) by attending Lexis/Westlaw training. There is so much available on these two systems, but using them effectively does require some skill.

Training will be provided by the Librarians over the next three weeks, starting today. Sign up at the Circulation desk for your preferred time. Make sure to bring your customized IDs to training.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

NYTimes.com Integrates Answers.com content

A partnership between the NYTimes.com and Answers.com allows online readers to get more information about any word in an article by pressing the "alt" key while clicking on that word. A new window opens that provides either a dictionary or encyclopedia entry about the term. Answers.com analyzes adjacent words for context to find the appropriate search result to return. For example, different results would be returned for "apple" if the reference is to Apple the company rather than apple the fruit.

I am already a big fan of Answers.com, and find this to be an elegant, unobstrusive application.
Please take a look and let me know what you think!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat