Legal Research

Opening: Law Librarian, Congressional Research Service

Posted on March 16, 2009
From the Job Posting: The incumbent serves as a Law Librarian for the Knowledge Services Group of the Congressional Research Service. In this capacity the Law Librarian is responsible for initiating, planning, and implementing unusual and diverse research projects in...

Opting Out of Google's Behavioral Targeting Ad Program

Posted on March 16, 2009
Google has launched its behavioral targeting ad program, which the Company likes to call "interest-based" advertising. Opt-in is not an option but Google does provide an opt-out choice, one that to its credit is open source. For more, see EFF's...

Which Are the Highest Quality Legal Journals?

Posted on March 16, 2009
To find out, Brian Leiter (Chicago) is running a poll. The poll ends March 18, 2009 so the results are almost final. [JH]

An Encyclopedic History of Dissidence in the United States

Posted on March 15, 2009
Civil Disobedience: An Encyclopedic History of Dissidence in the United States by Mary Ellen Snodgrass will be released by M.E. Sharpe on April 30, 2009. Here's the description: Throughout American history, people with strong beliefs that ran counter to society's...

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C-Span's 2009 Presidential Leadership Survey

Posted on March 14, 2009
According to historians surveyed by C-Span, the top 5 presidents are Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Other notables, Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson came in 10th and 11th respectively...

Bernard Madoff's Guilty Plea Allocution

Posted on March 13, 2009
Findlaw has published the text of Bernard Madoff's guilty plea allocution. Hat tip to Mitchell Rubinstein, Adjunct Law Prof Blog. [JH]

Friday Fun: Time to Sell Bar Prep Packages

Posted on March 13, 2009
With the budget situation looking bleak, shouldn't academic law libraries take over the bar prep concession? Here's "Barbri Girl," a great skit from the 2008 NYU Law Revue. Did "Barbri Girl" just pull that pink cocktail dress out of her...

New Globalex Articles (February 2009)

Posted on March 13, 2009
New legal research articles available from GlobaLex: Research Guide to the Somaliland Legal System by Mohamed Farah Hersi Global Warming: A Comparative Guide to the E.U. and the U.S. and Their Approaches to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change...

Deadline for AALL Research Grant Applications Is March 27

Posted on March 13, 2009
The AALL Research and Publications Committee is accepting applications through Friday, March 27, 2009 for research grants from the AALL Research Fund, totaling up to $1,425. The will be awarded and announced in May 2009. The committee will award one....

Removing Books from School Libraries

Posted on March 13, 2009
Eugene Volokh discusses the implications of the Supreme Court's 4-4 decision on Board of Education v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982) in his blog post, What Do Supreme Court Precedents Tell Us About Removal of Books from School Libraries. [JH]

Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice Annual Report 2008

Posted on March 13, 2009
From the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice: "The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FACJJ) has published its 2008 Annual Report to the President and Congress (Will be available soon). Established under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP)...

Volokh's Laptop Ban Experiment

Posted on March 12, 2009
Eugene Volokh (UCLA) has published the results of a student survey about banning laptops in one of his classes. Findings on the effects of the ban include: student concentration: 40% slightly positive, 31% strongly positive usefulness of students' notes for...

New on LLRX.com

Posted on March 12, 2009
From LLRX: Guide to International Refugee Law Resources on the WebThis updated research guide by Elisa Mason directs readers to some of the key texts and resources available on the Web that can help shed light on, and provide a...

ABA Launches Immigration Fraud Website

Posted on March 12, 2009
The ABA Commission on Immigration has just launched a new website dedicated to the immigration fraud issue. The website includes a resources page and a listserv. Hat tip to Dean Johnson, ImmigrationProf Blog. [JH]

The Online Digital Library of West Coast Ocean Law

Posted on March 12, 2009
CCLME.org has produced a digital library that allows users to search for national and state level laws that apply to the ocean and coast within the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem.A Customizable search engine is also available. Hat tip Legal...

Life of a Swing Justice: Video of Jon Stewart Interviewing Justice O'Conner

Posted on March 12, 2009
The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c Sandra Day O'Connor Pt. 1Daily Show Full EpisodesImportant Things With Demetri Martin Political HumorJoke of the Day Part Two The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p /...

Legal Education Analysis & Reform Network Outlines Initial Projects

Posted on March 11, 2009
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's report entitled Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law has generated enough interest in the legal academy that the Foundation working with Stanford Law School has assembled a group of legal...

The OpenCongress Wiki

Posted on March 11, 2009
The beta version of the OpenCongress Wiki is now online. Check out the project's description. I don't know if it will ever be a very useful resource for legislative research by law librarians but I do think it could become...

New Bankruptcy Filings Database

Posted on March 11, 2009
The Bankruptcy Data Project is working on a statistical Bankruptcy Filings Database by types of petitions. Still in beta but already useful. Hat tip to Jon Hayes (Univ. of West Los Angeles School of Law), BankruptcyProf Blog. [JH]

AALL Archived Webinars Available Online

Posted on March 11, 2009
AALL has made available four archived Webinars presented October 2008 - January 2009 in the Members Only Section of AALLNET: Twenty Essentials for the Effective Speaker ($25) How to Train Without Showing Up ($25) Law Firm Library Budgeting for Hard...

Opening: Head of Reference Services, University of Alabama Law Library

Posted on March 11, 2009
The University of Alabama School of Law invites applications for the position of Head of Reference Services in the Bounds Law Library. This position offers the opportunity to work in an intellectually exciting and professionally rewarding environment...

Ten Major Newspapers That May Fold or Go Digital Only

Posted on March 11, 2009
Time has published a distrubing story about the current state of the US newspaper industry. In it, the article lists 24/7 Wall Street's prediction of the ten major daily papers that will most likely to fold or shut their print...

Obama on Presidential Signing Statements

Posted on March 10, 2009
From the memorandum: I shall adhere to the following principles: The executive branch will take appropriate and timely steps, whenever practicable, to inform the Congress of its constitutional concerns about pending legislation. Such communication should facilitate the efforts of the...

Researching U.S. Bankruptcy Law

Posted on March 10, 2009
Rob Richards, LLB contributing editor, has published "Cost-Effective Research in U.S. Bankruptcy Law" in the Spring issue of PLL Perspectives at 7. (updated web version (March 7, 2009)). The article provides suggestions for quick and inexpensive ways to locate relevant...

The Future of the Book Business According to Thomson Reuters Chief Scientist

Posted on March 10, 2009
What is the future of the book business? Sounds like it is e-books in Peter Jackson's (Chief Scientist and Vice President, Thomson Reuters) WestBlog post, And maybe e-books locked into proprietary software at that because Jackson references his personal use...

The Judge as an Author/The Author as a Judge

Posted on March 10, 2009
Ryan Witte's The Judge as an Author/The Author as a Judge [SSRN} starts with the premise that an appointment to the federal bench is a life-long publishing deal. Recognizing that some judges stay faithful to the rigidous framework of judicial...

Webinar on AALL Membership Set for March 17

Posted on March 10, 2009
AALL is conducting a one-hour webinar on membership benefits, services, and opportunities for members on March 17, 2009 starting at Noon (Eastern). Registration must be completed by March 13. The webinar will be conducted by Julia O'DonnellAALL Membership Marketing and...

Opening: Library Manager, Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP

Posted on March 10, 2009
Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, a Detroit firm with 240 attorneys in five offices, seeks a library manager. Responsibilities include collection development; provision of research services, encompassing legal, non-legal, and business development topics; attorney and staff orientation and training;...

Refreshed Ohio Supreme Court Web Site - New URL, Downloadable Audio

Posted on March 09, 2009
According to this press release the Ohio Supreme Court refreshed its website to make it cleaner looking and more user friendly. The old url (www.sconet.state.oh.us) will work indefinitely, but there is a new url - www.supremecourt.ohio.gov. Note the handy new...

Time to Start Planning for the DC Meeting: Check Out the AALL Local Arrangements Committee's Website

Posted on March 09, 2009
OK, DC isn't my favorite site for a convention. Las Vegas is. Just ask LLB co-editor Ron Jones who I had to put to bed early every night because he didn't have the poker playing stamina to keep up with...

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