Meow to Text

So, you know that I am a fan of Google. I just discovered the niftiest new tool for Google searching. You can speak (or meow, in my case) your search just by pressing or clicking on the little microphone icon in the search box. For iPhone users, download and use the free Google search app for your searching to use this feature.

In no time I found the ingredients I needed for my recipe while I was in the supermarket without having to type in anything. Typing with my paws can get tiresome.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New York Legal Research Library

When you are researching New York law, don’t forget about a valuable resource that collects a good deal of information in one place: HeinOnline’s New York Research Library. The Library includes journals, statutes, reports, session laws, as well as a great deal of historical material, and is accessible via our online databases page.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Congress Debates Cameras in the Court

An earlier post this week focused on the pros and cons of whether U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments should be televised. Now Congress has gotten into the act, although it is unclear if Congress has the authority to require the Court to permit televised proceedings. The Senate introduced a bill on Monday that would permit televised coverage of all open proceedings, unless the Court determined that this would violate the "due process" rights of at least one party to the case. Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to debate the issue and the validity of such a bill. JURIST has a good brief summary of the bill and the hearing.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Restyled Federal Rules of Evidence

The Restyled Federal Rules of Evidence became effective on December 1, 2011. The Law Librarian's Blog offers commentary about the restyled FRE and two free and reliable e-text alternatives from Federal Evidence Review and Cornell LII-CALI.

Read about the restyled FRE here.

Read about e-text alternatives from Federal Evidence Review and Cornell LII-CALI here.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Google Guide

So you are familiar with Google's Advanced Search and are under the impression that this is the most sophisticated searching that can be done on Google. Turns out this is not the case and the Google Guide lists search operators beyond those offered by Google. This site is not affiliated with Google.

One of the interesting features is the "around(n)" term which functions as a proximity connector. Ex. doctor AROUND(5) malpractice returns pages where the two terms are in very close proximity to each other.

As an undocumented features, Google may always eliminate these options but in the meantime they are useful to know.

Hat Tip to Law Librarian blog.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Cameras in the Supreme Court

The New York Times recently published an article on cameras in the Supreme Court. Currently, cameras are not allowed in the Supreme Court. However, C-Span has made a recent request to televise five and a half hours of oral arguments scheduled by the Court to hear the constitutional challenge to President Obama's health care law. The article presents the arguments for and against cameras in the Court as well as thoughts of some of the Supreme Court justices. Read the full article here.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Facebook And FTC Settle Privacy Dispute

The FTC’s complaint filed against Facebook has been much in the news of late. The complaint alleged that privacy settings on the site failed to apply to third-party sites and applications. The suit has now been settled. Read all about the settlement here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Lady Justice: Sign of the Law

Is justice impartial, or just foolishly blind? Take a study break with an online exhibit and put the law into perspective. "The Remarkable Run of a Political Icon: Justice as a Sign of the Law" features thirteen pages of images from the 500-year history of an iconic symbol--a woman, draped and holding scales. The exhibit was created by the Lillian Goldman Law Library at Yale University using volumes from its Rare Book Collection to illustrate the changing image of Justice and what it represented, from its roots in the 15th century through the next 300 years. Enjoy.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Helpful Tips During Exam Period

Knowing where to find helpful study guides, the archived exam, and study room policies may prove helpful when preparing for final exams.

Click here to access helpful study guides. Most current study guides are located in our Reserve collection and can be charged out for three hour periods.

To access the Exam Archive:

Go to Hofstra Law School Library home page http://law.hofstra.edu/Library.
In the middle column under "Resources," click “Exam Archive.”
You will be prompted to log in to the Hofstra University Portal using your Novell Username and Password.
Click on “OK”
Click the professor’s folder to access the exams.

Library Study Rooms:

Click here to access the Library’s study room policy.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

National Security Archvie at George Washington University

The National Security Archive is an independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University, the Archive collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The Archive also serves as a repository of government records on a wide range of topics pertaining to the national security, foreign, intelligence, and economic policies of the United States. The Archive won the 1999 George Polk Award, one of U.S. journalism's most prestigious prizes, for--in the words of the citation--"piercing the self-serving veils of government secrecy, guiding journalists in the search for the truth and informing us all."

The Archive obtains its materials through a variety of methods, including the Freedom of Information act, Mandatory Declassification Review, presidential paper collections, congressional records, and court testimony. Archive staff members systematically track U.S. government agencies and federal records repositories for documents that either have never been released before, or that help to shed light on the decision-making process of the U.S. government and provide the historical context underlying those decisions.

(Description from the "About" section of the site)
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat