Legal Research

Farewell

Posted on October 02, 2015
Today the Hofstra Law library blog moves to a new space with a new look and new voices.  With sincere appreciation and apologies to T.S. Eliot, I say my farewell . . .You've read many posts from this Cat,And my opinion now is thatYou should need no interpreterTo understand my character...

Constitutional Protections For Mobile Phone Pass Codes?

Posted on October 01, 2015
A judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled last week that the Fifth Amendment protects the right of insider trading suspects to withhold the pass codes to their business cellular phones. Read more here.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New CRS Report: Dark Web

Posted on September 30, 2015
You have probably heard of the Deep Web, but how much do you know about the Dark Web?  Discover more about the dark web in Kristin Finklea's CRS Report entitled - you've guessed it - Dark Web.  "This report illuminates information on the various layers of the Internet, with a particular focus on the Dark Web...

LLRX.com: Guides for Legal Research & Technology

Posted on September 29, 2015
Looking for focused research guides and articles on leading edge topics in law and technology? Try LLRX.com, a site with contributions by lawyer and law librarian experts on subjects ranging from "Animal Rights on the Road to Personhood" to "Researching Australian Law" and features on the latest courtroom technology...

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Hofstra Law Library webcasts

Posted on September 28, 2015
Have you forgotten something that was said in a journal orientation, or missed a library workshop?  Not to worry, webcasts of the journals' orientations and other library presentations are available.  Such as:1, Googlerific Workshop for all things Google including Google Scholar and Google chat...

Print Not Dead

Posted on September 25, 2015
Yes, I am a Virtual Cat, but I still love curling up with (or on) a good print book.  No need to worry about the blue light keeping me awake.  Thankfully, according to the NY Times, print books are having a resurgence in popularity.  Check out:The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead(photo from A J Mast for the NY Times) sErnster, the Virtual Library Cat

Copyright Clearance For The Lyrics To ?Happy Birthday????

Posted on September 24, 2015
Believe it or not, the lyrics of the childhood staple ?Happy Birthday? song have been the source of copyright litigation. Read more about a recent judicial decision on this issue here.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

ProQuest Scholarly Content Now Discoverable in Google Scholar

Posted on September 23, 2015
"The full text of its scholarly content ? including journals and working papers ? is now indexed in Google Scholar, enabling Google Scholar users to seamlessly discover and access their library?s ProQuest collections.This allows Google Scholar users to view abstracts of ProQuest's materials for free in their Google Scholar results and then to access the full-text of ProQuest's materials for free, if their public library has a subscription to ProQuest...

10 Misconceptions About the Constitution--and a Test

Posted on September 22, 2015
One of the best items to be posted in honor of Constitution Day 2015 (September 17) was an ABA Journal news article, "10 Misconceptions About the Constitution."  If you think you know a lot about the drafting and significance of the U.S. Constitution, think again...

How well do you google?

Posted on September 21, 2015
You can get better results from Google is you use search operators. When you use a dash before a word or site, it excludes sites with that info from your results.When you put a word or phrase in quotes, the results will only include pages with the same words in the same order as the ones inside the quotes...

Updated HeinOnline Comprehensive User?s Guide

Posted on September 20, 2015
HeinOnline recently updated their interface with a new organized page and look.  As such, Hein is offering an updated Comprehensive User's Guide. This guide provides the basics of how to navigate through the interface, how to search from the home page and within collections...

Privacy in the social media age

Posted on September 18, 2015
I may wander the virtual world, but I also like my privacy and do not want my wanderings tracked without my knowledge.  Enter Privacy Badger - a fellow virtual denizen with origins as a fur-based critter.Privacy Badger, a project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is not an ad blocker...

How To File FOIA Requests

Posted on September 17, 2015
Have you ever wondered what steps are involved in actually making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request? This handy infographic takes you through the process.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

When 2¢ = $50

Posted on September 17, 2015
Congratulations to Jennifer Calamia. She is our winner of an Apple $50 gift card for participating in the summer research survey.Thanks to everyone who participated.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Organize Your Online Legal Resarch: Lexbox

Posted on September 16, 2015

Women, Business and the Law 2016

Posted on September 15, 2015
How do 173 countries across the globe, including the United States, compare in terms of legal barriers to women's employment and business activity?  The latest Women, Business and the Law report by the World Bank Group provides national comparisons over a wide range of related areas, from restrictions on women in establishing credit, making contracts, and holding certain jobs, to parental leave laws and the criminalization of domestic violence...

New on Hein Online - State Reports: A Historical Archive

Posted on September 14, 2015
Attention source gatherers looking for old case law.  Hein Online now has the full text of historical state reporters.  Go to the state you want and you can drill down through the titles or search by citation.  Sometimes it is faster to drill down to find your document unless you are very sure of the abbreviation for the title of the reporter...

Heinonline: Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals Database Coverage Expansion

Posted on September 13, 2015
HeinOnline has recently expanded coverage of the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (IFLP) database to include the year 1984. This additional indexing has added 9,700 records including journal articles, collection articles and book reviews. IFLP can be searched by subject, country subject, region, and more...

Stay awake without caffeine

Posted on September 11, 2015
Ever feel like the critter pictured here when trying to get your work done?  As the semester gets busy, you may find yourself needing help staying alert.  Although I heartily endorse naps, you may not always be able to indulge.  Check out your Virtual Cat-approved  Four Chemistry-Approved Ways to Stay Awake Without Caffeine ...

Drone Law, Redux

Posted on September 10, 2015
Further to our earlier postspeculating about Drone law, here is a link to an interesting infographic recently published on the subject. It summarizes the laws currently on the books in entertaining visual form.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Fastcase No. 1 According to ABA Tech Survey

Posted on September 09, 2015
LawSites by Robert Ambrogi reports that the Fastcase legal research app is the most popular legal app among lawyers according to the 2015.  Click here to read more. Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

FDsys: Free Federal Resources

Posted on September 08, 2015
With legal employers looking for cost-efficiency in their new employees, an official government website with free documents in PDF is one you'll want to bookmark and remember.  FDsys, the U.S. Government Printing Office's Federal Digital System, provides easy access to Congressional bills, hearings, and reports, the U...

Need a Refresher? Check out our Webcasts!

Posted on September 06, 2015
The new semester generally has several workshops and orientations that all students must attend.  Did you recently attend one and need a quick refresher on what you learned?  Then take a look at the Library's webcasts page here.  Any research workshop or session conducted by the Library is recorded and provided on the site for all students to access...

Labor Day

Posted on September 04, 2015
Yes, we are open on Labor Day, and  will have staff here to help you at both the Circulation and Reference desks from 10am-6pm.  Our regular Saturday and Sunday staffing hours apply.Enjoy the last "unofficial" weekend of summer.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

?Driverless Car Law?: Another New Legal Field?

Posted on September 03, 2015
As we noted last week in our post about ?drone law?, advancing technology presents both new challenges and new opportunities for lawmakers and attorneys. Another such challenging field may be in the area of vehicular laws and driverless automobiles. Read a brief article on the latter topic here...

Stress Reduction-Lobby for your favorite pet

Posted on April 01, 2011
The newest trend in law student stress reduction is happening at the Yale Law School Library. As first reported in Above the Law, students can "check out" a dog (a real one, not virtual) to pet, pamper and enjoy the health benefits of pet companionship...

Is Justice Scalia Nineteen Times Funnier Than Justice Ginsburg?

Posted on March 31, 2011
So claims Boston University Law Professor Jay D. Wexler, who conducted a study of the ?relative funniness? of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices. Read more here.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Online Resources: Criminal Law Reporter (BNA)

Posted on March 29, 2011
If you are looking for a source that will provide access to coverage of federal and state court decisions, federal legislative activities, and administrative developments in criminal law, try the Criminal Law Reporter.To access the Criminal Law Reporter:To access Criminal Law Reporter (BNA):Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"Click the "Criminal Law" linkScroll down to " Criminal Law Reporter (BNA)"Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Amnesty International: Death Penalty in 2010

Posted on March 28, 2011
Amnesty International has just released a report titled "Death Sentences and Executions in 2010". The U.S. is one of the more frequent executioners and shares the top with China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In the last decade, more than 30 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice...

New HeinOnline United Nations Collection Features

Posted on March 27, 2011
HeinOnline recently restructured the United Nations Collection to make searching easier and more efficient. The new features include browse options which are located at the of the collection homepage. The browse options include searching by titles, treaty publications, International Court of Justice, UN Commission on International Trade Law, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, UN Yearbooks, UN Serials, and more...

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