Legal Research

DIY Legal Resources

Posted on December 19, 2008
100 Free DIY Legal Resources on the Web A list of 100 online legal resources, compiled primarily for the lay user. The list is divided into: Search Tools, Glossaries and Legal Terms, Legal Blogs, Government Resources, Forums and Social Media, Articles and Guides, Podcasts and Videos, Databases of Lawyers and Legal Help, Open Courseware, and Miscellaneous (which includes the UMN Law Library subject guide!) Source: Kelly Sonora via e-Justice blog

Library Hours Change for Winter Break

Posted on December 18, 2008
Happy Holidays! The Law Library hours are changing during Winter Break (Dec. 19-Jan. 19). The Library will be open Monday-Friday 8-4:30 The Reference Office will be open 9-4:30 Closed Weekends Closed Dec. 25-26; Jan. 1 & Jan. 19. Exceptions: Open 9 am to 6 pm on Sat...

Grafting A Christmas Carol: Dickens v. Lee (1844)

Posted on December 16, 2008
From Michael Hancher, Professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of MN, comes news of this article, timely for the season: ?Grafting A Christmas Carol? Michael Hancher SEL Studies in English Literature 1500-1900, Volume 48, Number 4, Autumn 2008, pp...

Catch the Walter Mondale Story on Public Television

Posted on December 15, 2008
"FRITZ: The Walter Mondale Story" will air on December 17th and 26th, 2008, on TPT Channel 2 and TPT Minnesota. FRITZ is a documentary about the life and legacy of former Vice President Walter ?Fritz? Mondale and his efforts to encourage a new generation to consider a life of public service...

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Lied About Any Good Books Lately?

Posted on December 12, 2008
Photo via Flickr by Valentinian Lied about any good books lately? The British sure have. According to a recent survey over there in connection with the national Year of Reading, half of all men and one-third of all women have falsely claimed to have read books in order to impress friends and potential mates...

MN Court Takes on Admin Decision Deadlines

Posted on December 12, 2008
Timing is Everything: Panels Explain Deadlines for Final Action Within the Scope blog, EL Lipman, author Within the last four weeks, the Minnesota Court of Appeals has twice addressed the question of when an agency head must make a final decision upon a contested case record ? both times providing the instruction in unpublished opinions...

RAQ: Recently Asked Questions

Posted on December 11, 2008
In this occasional feature, we highlight recently asked questions and brief answers from the Law Library reference desk. Q: Why can?t I find the full text of this complaint on PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records, the federal court system?s electronic document system)? A: Not all federal court pleadings are available on PACER...

Women Librarians Who Settled the Wild West

Posted on December 10, 2008
Images via Cowgirl Hall of Fame - ---Front Page Story Posted Tuesday December 9th at LIS News. A timid, hair-wrapped-in-a-bun, pince-nez-wearing spinster (with a cardigan sweater). Is that the image you have of a librarian from 100 years ago? Hell no, they were gun-toting, horseback-riding, walk-2-miles-to-work-in-a-blizzard type of woman...

Legal Incentives for Organ Donation

Posted on December 09, 2008
Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) is circulating draft legislation called the Organ Donor Clarification Act. The bill would make clear that federal law does not forbid states from sponsoring non-cash incentives for organ donation. Such incentives might include tax credits or health insurance for living donors, or funeral benefits for deceased donors...

Legal Resources News & Notes

Posted on December 08, 2008
1L Survival Wiki Check out the How to Survive Your First Year of Law School wiki. Top 10 CALI Legal Research Lessons, Fall Semester 2008 1. Introduction to Secondary Resources by Brian Huddleston. 2. Legal Research 101: The Tools of the Trade by Sheri Lewis...

Testing Readability

Posted on December 05, 2008
The following "Tech Tip" is from the December WI State Law Library newsletter. You can read the newsletter in whole at: http://wsll.state.wi.us/newsletter/0812.html Testing your ?readability? by Heidi Yelk Did you know that both Microsoft Word and WordPerfect have built in ?readability? tools? These tools analyze your document and return information such as the grade level, difficulty, and the percentage of passive voice sentences...

MN Marriage License Database

Posted on December 04, 2008
From the Government Relations Committee of the MN Association of Law Libraries comes news of this resource: A database in MN to search for marriage licenses in MN. Some counties go back to the 1800s. Others have no data yet. http://www.mncounty.com/Modules/Certificates/Marriage/ Info on dates of coverage by county: http://www...

Copyright Resources for Librarians

Posted on December 04, 2008
From LJXpress (Library Journal): Reference Backtalk: Crash Course in Copyright If copyright is so jumbled, it confuses even lawyers, what are librarians to do when faced with tackling copyright questions? Cheryl Miller Maddox provides four online resources that shine a light on copyright...

Quiet Hours Dec 5-19

Posted on December 04, 2008
During December 5-19, part of the first floor of the Law Library is designated as QUIET STUDY AREAS. Exams officially start Dec. 8, so for exam preparation we encourage quiet study starting Dec. 5. We have posted signs near the areas and would appreciate your cooperation in keeping this part of the library as quiet as possible...

New Acquisitions in November 2008

Posted on December 03, 2008
Here is the list of new titles the Law Library acquired in November 2008. The list is on the library's home page. November Acquisitions

Justice Stephen Breyer: In his own words

Posted on December 02, 2008
What Makes Justice Stephen Breyer Tick? The Supreme Court justice talks about what guides him on the bench. Posted on BigThink: http://www.bigthink.com/features/920

Two Resources on Legal Dictionaries

Posted on December 01, 2008
Professional Reading: Problems with Current English-Spanish Legal Dictionaries Posted on Law Librarian blog R. De Groot (University of Maastricht) and Conrad Van Laer (University of Maastricht) has deposited The Quality of Legal Dictionaries: An Assessment in SSRN...

Thanksgiving and the Law

Posted on November 26, 2008
Photo via Flickr Happy Thanksgiving! Just a reminder that the Law Library closes at 4:30 pm today and is closed Thursday and Friday Nov 27-28, with regular hours resuming on Saturday Nov 29. (UMN Law students will still have access through their UCards) Here are some fun Thanksgiving Legal (and other) Resources: Congress Establishes Thanksgiving: http://www...

Exec Orders, Presidential Proclamations & Signing Statements

Posted on November 25, 2008
The President of the United States has the power under the Constitution to issue Executive orders. These orders are have been used by Presidents throughout the history of the U.S. and since about 1907, are numbered consecutively. The text of Executive orders appears in the daily Federal Register as each Executive order is signed by the President and received by the Office of the Federal Register...

Law Library Thanksgiving Hours

Posted on November 24, 2008
Law Library Thanksgiving Hours Wed Nov 26: Closing at 4:30 pm (Security Monitor: 3:30-9:30 pm) Thurs Nov 27-Fri Nov 28: Closed* (No Security Monitors) Sat Nov 29-Sun Nov 30: Open regular hours (Security Monitors: 8 am to midnight) *U of MN Law Students can still access the library with their UCards at all times...

Are you Civics Literate?

Posted on November 21, 2008
How knowledgeable are you on American history, government, and economics? According to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, more than half of Americans who took its test on civic literacy failed, and elected officials scored even lower than the general public...

Security Reminder

Posted on November 20, 2008
As exams approach, pelase remember to not leave personal belongings unattended while in the library. Thefts of laptops, purses, and other valuables do occur, and it would be awful to lose your computer with a semester's worth of notes and outlines on it just before finals! If you see suspicious activity while you are in the library, please notify one of the library staff and/or security (612-624-2677)...

Librarian Reviews Book on Forms of Address

Posted on November 18, 2008
UMN Law Librarian Sarah Yates, foreign law and rare book cataloger has reviewed Robert Hickey's Honor & Respect: The Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address. An excerpt: I turned to the Protocol School of Washington?s Honor & Respect to answer a specific question: If I am ever introduced to a former vice president of the United States, how should I address him? The question is not purely hypothetical for me; one former vice president does appear now and again where I work...

Twin Cities' Schools More Segregated

Posted on November 18, 2008
Twin Cities-area schools more segregated than ever By Beth Hawkins and Cynthia Boyd Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 Thirty-six years after a federal judge ordered Minneapolis to begin busing students to achieve racial balance, Twin Cities-area schools are more segregated than ever...

MJIL Symposium TODAY!

Posted on November 14, 2008
Minnesota Journal of International Law Symposium Examines Rule of Law at U of M Contacts: Cynthia Huff, Law School, (612) 625-6691 Ryan Mathre, University News Service, (612) 625-0552 (11/12/2008) -- The Minnesota Journal of International Law will host its 2008 symposium, ?Creating a Global Rule of Law Culture,? 8 a...

International Investment Claims Database Now Available

Posted on November 13, 2008
The Law Library now subscribes to International Investment Claims (IIC). IIC is a new module in the Oxford Reports on International Law database. Access is available to all users within the Law Library and Mondale Hall. U of M Law faculty, students and staff also have remote access with their U of M Internet ID and password...

Law Library Takes Part in Life-Balance Week

Posted on November 12, 2008
Image by [j]t via flickr This week Law Students have been participating in Life-Balance Week events such as massages, meditation, or pet therapy as options for dealing with stress as they approach exams. Tomorrow (Thursday Nov 13), 9-2 on the Subplaza Level, the Law Library will staff a table showing how getting Library Help = Less Stress in exam prep...

Veterans Day 2008

Posted on November 11, 2008
Today, November 11, is Veterans Day. Here are a few resources on the topic: From the US Dept of Veterans Affairs: http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/ From the Library of Congress: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov11.html and http://www.americaslibrary...

Sharpen Those Writing Skills With Essay Contests!

Posted on November 10, 2008
Law School Students: Looking for ways to sharpen your writing skills? And maybe make a little coin to help with your tuition? Take a look at these websites that feature writing contests. Good luck! · University of Richmond Legal Essay Contests Catalogue · HierosGamos Writing Competitons · ABA Law Student Division Scholarships & Writing Competitions · Law Student Writing Contests Compiled by Lewis & Clark Law School · Law Student Writing Contests Compiled Western New England College School of Law Thanks for the tip, Sarah Yates (Cataloging Librarian).

Legal Resources News & Notes

Posted on November 07, 2008
Here are a few new or updated legal resources of note: Chief Justice Roberts on Legal Research and Analysis John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, spoke recently at Drake University Law School about how changes in technology have affected the way cases are decided...

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