Echoes

If you've never thought that financial history could be fun, spend a few minutes with Echoes.  Echoes is Bloomberg's economic history blog. It digs (briefly and engagingly) into episodes and events in American and world history to find "reverberations" in our present-day economic scene and its challenges.  Recent posts, such as "How Did George Washington Feel About the National Debt?," "How Valentine's Day Created a Retailing Revolution," and "How the Patent Office Helped to End Slavery," and weekly features such as "This Week in the Great Depression" speak to the fascinating ways in which our economic past is still impacting our present and future.  Edited by Stephen Mihm, an associate professor of history at the University of Georgia, this blog brings a fresh approach to the wisdom of academics and authors in a package that everyone can enjoy.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Cost effective research for New York: Research Life-Line Workshop series

Come to the second installment of our Research Life-Line Workshop Series - Cost effective research for NY - on Wednesday, March 6 12:10-1 in Room 206.

Find out how you can find what you need without breaking the bank by utilizing  free resources and knowing how to search Lexis and Westlaw cost effectively.

And there will be pizza and a surprise gift!  

Please see the complete schedule of the Research Life Line Workshop Series for details on how to sign up and reserve your seat.  


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Today In Legal History: Former U.S. Attorney General Convicted

On February 21, 1975, former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell was convicted of various counts related to his role in the Watergate cover-up. Read more here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Proxy Server Issue

There is a problem with the proxy server which means that students and faculty may not be able to access law only databases from their laptops.  In addition, off-campus access to law only databases may not be available.  We are working to resolve the issue

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Honk! The App for Parking in the Big City

Anyone who has battled parking in a city, or enjoys the show Parking Wars, will appreciate the new app, Honk.  Honk (for the iPhone and iPad) will keep track of how much time you have left on your meter.

The app is simple to use and the savings could be HUGE.  Ask anyone in line at the Philadelphia Parking Authority impound lot...

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Article on Submitting Articles

Professors Allen Rostron and Nancy Levit (University of Missouri at Kansas City - School of Law) recently revised their article "Information for Submitting Articles to Law Reviews & Journals."  The article provides information about submitting articles to law reviews and journals, including the methods for submitting an article, any special formatting requirements, contact information, the expedite process and more. They provide this information for 202 law reviews.  Click here to access the full article.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Polling the Nations

From my favorite corner in the Library, I've been observing that paper writing season is in full swing.  Law students researching public policy issues this semester--such as immigration, environment and energy, health care and bioethics, criminal justice, and gun control--often need data reflecting public opinion, whether currently, at a historical point in time, or over several decades of debate and change. This is a good time to remind everyone that Polling the Nations, one of the best opinion poll research databases, is available to all Hofstra students from the Hofstra University Libraries research databases page. Remote access will require a network login.

Polling the Nations includes public opinion survey data from the United States generally, from individual states and cities, and from over 100 other countries. Coverage is from 1986 to the present, updated weekly.  Polls from hundreds of the most reputable and reliable polling organizations, such as CBS and ABC News, Pew Research Center, Quinnipiac University, Gallup, Roper, and the Kaiser Family Foundation, and from a wide range of special interest organizations, are searchable by topic, keyword, geographic area, date, and source organization.  When you need reliable data to support a statement about public opinion on public policy, here or abroad, Polling the Nations is a great place to begin.  

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Words, words, words

For all of you language mavens out there - and as lawyers you have to be since words are the tools of your trade - check out Bryan Garner's LawProse Blog .  Bryan Garner is, of course, the editor of Black's Dictionary so he knows from whence he speaks.

In the latest Miscellaneous Entries post we learn the while the typical plural of life is lives, when using the phrase "still life"  the plural is "still lifes".   And critical for many a legal document - the plural of stiletto is stilettos (no "e") .   Who knew?

Hat tip to Legal Blog Watch
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Web Site Down? Check Here.

Is it just you, or is the Web site you keep trying unsuccessfully to reach actually down? To see whether a site is truly not functioning, try Websitedown. Just type the URL you are trying to reach into the box at the top of the page, and Websitedown will run separate tests to see whether the site’s servers are responsive.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Census Bureau: New Features in American FactFinder

The U.S. Census Bureau "released new features for American FactFinder, an online data tool that allows users to access a variety of Census Bureau statistics, including decennial, American Community Survey and economic census statistics. The new features include a simplified main page design, the option for a guided search and an enhanced community facts tool, providing options for both novice and advanced data users.

Guided Search walks users through each step of the inquiry, from selecting a topic, such as “people” or “business and industry,” to selecting a geography. It also provides step-by-step options to search for information on specific race or ethnic groups, or industry codes. New enhancements to the Community Facts feature give users easy access to popular statistics about a state, city, town or ZIP code, such as total population, median income and educational attainment."

Visit American FactFinder to use these new features. Click here for an online virtual tour.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat