Cool reminder tool

Need help remembering to do daily tasks? Could you use a reminder to stretch, exercise, drink more (your choice of beverage ;) ), work on your paper, whatever . . .?

Sign up for a free account at askmeevery.com for a text reminder for whatever you need reminding. You can also ask questions requiring answers and askmeevery will track your answers and give you the data. To sign up - enter your question and cell number and then text back a password.

Financial health warning: Not for those with limited texting plans!
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Affirmative Action In The Legal News

California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent decision to veto legislation that would overturn a passed ballot proposition prohibiting affirmative action is much in the news, but there has been quite a bit of judicial and other activity on this front, as well. For a brief overview, see here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Research Resources: Current Index to Legal Periodicals

Current Index to Legal Periodicals is prepared on a weekly basis by law librarians and staff of the Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington. This publication provides topical access to up to approximately 600 law reviews and other selected legal journals under 100 subject headings. In addition, CILP provides full tables of contents of all journals indexed.

To access Current Index to Legal Periodicals:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Then, click "Article Finding"
• Scroll down and click the "Current Index to Legal Periodicals" link

Dates of coverage are from 1999 to present.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Columbus Day

Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Tuesday in October. Christopher Columbus landed in the new world on Oct. 12, 1492. Educated Europeans knew that the world is round, but they did not know the North and South American continents or the Pacific ocean. Columbus expected to sail around the world and reach China or India. He was seeking a shorter trade route to the Asian countries since at the time it was necessary to sail around the Horn of Africa to reach the east.

Columbus Day is controversial. In the 19th century the celebration was rejected because of association with Catholicism and in the 20th because of the impact the arrival of the Europeans had on the native population. For further information check out Columbus Day - History.com.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New HeinOnline Enhancement: US Congressional Documents Collection

The HeinOnline US Congressional Documents Collection has recently been reorganized to make searching easier and more efficient. This extensive collection contains the complete Congressional Record Bound version, Annals of Congress, Register of Debates, Congressional Globe and other important congressional material. The new browse options allows users to search sections separately and includes searching All Titles, Rules & Precedents, Debates of Congress, Other Works Related to Congress, and more. To learn more about the new enhancements click here. To access HeinOnline click here.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

More on paper research

I've been eavesdropping at the Reference desk and overhearing lots of questions regarding researching non-legal articles. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned legal articles indexes - Index to Legal Periodicals and LegalTrac.

Well, there are many really useful non-legal articles indexes as well. You can see a Subject Listing at the University Research Databases page. (You will be prompted to log into the Portal). I usually start with the multi-disciplinary index Academic Search Premier, so I do not need to figure out which subject listing to check. For Psychology and Sociology articles, two of my favorites are PsychINFO and Sociological Abstracts.

There are many other subjects available, so check out the subject listing.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

U.S. Supreme Court's Upcoming Decision On Health Law

As we mentioned in Monday’s post, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2011-12 term began this week.

One of the court’s most highly anticipated decisions concerns President Obama’s health law. For a worthwhile aggregation of various news stories on that subject, and its implications for the 2012 presidential election, click here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thomson Reuters News & Insight

Thomson Reuters, the company that brings you Westlaw and WestlawNext as well as Reuters worldwide news services, has a new web site combining Reuters legal and business news with commentary and related source documents from Westlaw. Thomson Reuters News & Insight includes national legal coverage, with specific coverage of New York, California, bankruptcy and securities law developments. The news and some Insight articles on the site are free. Law students and anyone with a Westlaw OnePass account may access the Westlaw documents featured on the site by using their Westlaw password. This is a good source to keep in mind for news and analysis on fast-changing legal issues for class and for legal practice.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Online Resources: Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)

Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) is a comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. It publishes a wide range of scholarship from 1991 onward that includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs.

To access CIAO:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Click the "Foreign/Comparative Law" link
• Click on "Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO"
  

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

First Monday in October

The first Monday in October is the start of a new term for the United States Supreme Court. The Court's website was improved over the summer and now has a calendar of court activities on the front page. By clicking an the argument days, one can view what cases are scheduled for argument on that day.

SCOTUSblog is a good site for news and analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court's activities. The blog also posts briefs, opinions and transcripts as soon as they become available. The blog is a comprehensive free site for information on the court.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat