Legal Research

1L students reminder: Lexis & Westlaw training

Posted on September 13, 2010
Just a reminder to our first year students, this is the last week for mandatory Lexis and Westlaw training. If you have not attended one of the classes, there is still time. The last class is this coming Friday, September 17th. The sign-up book for the classes is at the Circulation Desk in the Law Library...

New International Law Library

Posted on September 11, 2010
If you have ever tried to track down an elusive case from an international court or human rights tribunal, the best news this week may be the launch of the International Law Library, self-described as the "most comprehensive free-access international law library on the Internet...

Slow Confirmation Rate For President Obama?s Judicial Nominees

Posted on September 09, 2010
According to a recent news story, President Obama?s judicial nominees are being confirmed at the slowest rate since the days of the Nixon administration. Read more here.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Accessing Library Databases From Home

Posted on September 08, 2010
We have received a few questions from students having trouble accessing library databases, such as HeinOnline and LegalTrac, from off-campus. To access library databases from off-campus, students need to use the links on our library's website.This is because, while a subscription database like HeinOnline can automatically grant you access while you are on campus, because HeinOnline recognizes your location as Hofstra University (which pays for access to the database), the same database cannot recognize your home, the coffee shop in your neighborhood, or any other similar place as a location that is linked to a HeinOnline subscription...

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HeinOnline Enhancement: Faceted Searching Expanded to more Libraries!

Posted on September 07, 2010
Faceted searching was only available in HeinOnline's Law Journal Library, but there is good news to report! HeinOnline added faceted searching to two additional HeinOnline Libraries: Kluwer Law International Journals and Bar Journals. Click here to read more...

We will be here

Posted on September 04, 2010
For those of you dedicated students who want to get some work done on Labor Day, we will be here. You can get both Reference librarian and Circulation desk assistance during Labor Day weekend. Our Reference librarian hours will be:Saturday: 10am - 6pmSunday: 12pm - 8pmLabor Day Monday: 10am - 6pmCheck our hours for when Circulation staff is available...

Labor Day

Posted on September 04, 2010
The first Monday in September, thanks to an Act of Congress passed in 1894, is set aside to celebrate the national holiday we know as Labor Day. The U.S. Department of Labor provides an overview of "Labor Day History" that describes the last holiday of the summer as "a creation of the labor movement" that is "dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers...

ATL -- The Nine Lives of Blawg Posts and Legal Articles

Posted on September 02, 2010
Today Above The Law has a great post with tips for how attorneys can get the most out of any legal writing that they do. Basically this involves using different social media to share articles and republishing the same article in multiple formats.This advice could be useful for both clerks and new associates at law firms, and solo and small firm practitioners who are trying to build a practice...

BP Oil Spill Lawsuits

Posted on September 02, 2010
Here they come: See a list of the British Petroleum oil spill-related lawsuits filed so far, with links to the orders and complaints, here.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Oxford English Dictionary 'will not be printed again'

Posted on August 31, 2010
The next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, the world?s most definitive work on the language, will never be printed because of the impact of the internet on book sales. Click here to read Alastair Jamieson's report.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

1L: Lexis & Westlaw training

Posted on August 30, 2010
1L Lexis and Westlaw training starts this Wednesday, September 1st and runs through Friday, September 17th. !L students received an email announcing the training sessions and there is the Ernester Announces poster in the hallway of the Law Library with the sessions schedules...

Constitutional Law--Web Resources

Posted on August 28, 2010
For those absorbed in Constitutional Law this semester, there are some good background resources out on the Web. One of my favorites is "The American Constitution - A Documentary Record." Part of Yale Law Library's Avalon Project, it gathers the state constitutions from the founders' era, delegates' notes from the Constitutional Convention, ratification documents, and other early compacts, charters and resolutions on which the U...

Research is more than just Lexis and Westlaw

Posted on August 27, 2010
Either you already know (or if you are a first year, you soon will) how great Lexis and Westlaw are for your research. BUT!!! There is much more out there that can make your research much better and sometimes much quicker.The Library's Online Resources page is a subject arranged listing of available databases and really useful free web sites...

Guide To Free Legal Research Online

Posted on August 26, 2010
The Law Student Guide to Free Legal Research on the Internet is now available. We cannot improve upon the brief self-description that appears on the home page, so it is, verbatim:"First off, you should know that this guide won?t make legal research fun or fast or easy...

Case Reporters, RIP?

Posted on August 25, 2010
A Canadian law blog has put up an interesting post cheering what it sees as the impending death of the printed case reporter, since these are often full of public information but sold by private publishers for profit. Of course, the author doesn't mention the things that private publishers often add to cases that are a major convenience (at least for American attorneys), like headnotes...

Copyright Issues Hit a Sour Note With Jazz Fans

Posted on August 24, 2010
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem recently acquired the Savory Collection. An audio engineer named William Savory created this treasure trove of never before released recordings. It boasts 100 hours of music recorded on 1000 aluminum and vinyl discs--a pretty impressive format at the time...

Beloit College Mindset List

Posted on August 23, 2010
Since 1998 Beloit College has released the Mindset List to provide a culture touchstone for students entering college this Fall. It is fun to read the lists for different years for an overview of cultural references have changed. Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

NowRelevant.com

Posted on August 21, 2010
There is a new search engine out there that promises to find "everything about your subject for the past two weeks." NowRelevant.com offers a super-simple search interface, and a listing of new, original, and unspammed internet material from exactly 14 days back from the time of your search...

24/7

Posted on August 20, 2010
So much for cat naps!! I will now be prowling the Library - along with some of you all night long. In other words, the Library has heard your requests and you can now access the Library 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.You must have your Hofstra ID to enter the 24/7 access door once the main doors are locked for the night...

Sports Law: Laws Governing Agents Seldom Enforced

Posted on August 19, 2010
Or so claims this article, which states that there appears to be little enforcement of laws designed to keep agents out of collegiate athletics. The article makes timely reading as the sports seasons begin to overlap in earnest.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

McKinney's Practice Commentaries

Posted on August 18, 2010
We previously blogged about the ease of using the McKinney's Practice Commentary for criminal law research, however there are valuable Practice Commentaries throughout the entire set of McKinney's statutes. If you are researching New York law and you know where a relevant statute should be in McKinney's, you often just have to open up that volume of statutes to find a very helpful Practice Commentary that explains, in English, how the statutes in that volume are interpreted...

The Library of Congress Acquires Twitter Archive

Posted on August 17, 2010
"Every public tweet, ever, since Twitter?s inception in March 2006, will be archived digitally at the Library of Congress." Click here to read more about the Library of Congress' acquisition of Twitter's archive. Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tumblr: the next big thing?

Posted on August 16, 2010
Tumblr has been called a cross between twitter and Facebook. You can share anything and customize everything. If you haven't come across it yet, this New York Time's article provides an overview of what it is and how it is being used.Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Fashion Law Makes its Debut

Posted on August 14, 2010
The emerging legal field of fashion law will soon have its own academic institute. Fordham University School of Law will officially launch on September 8 its unique Fashion Law Institute, "the world's first fashion law center." The Institute was established to provide legal assistance to designers and to train lawyers for the fashion industry, with its special issues in intellectual property law, business and finance...

WELCOME CLASS OF 2013!!!

Posted on August 13, 2010
WELCOME to all the new first year students!! I am Ernster, your virtual feline guide to what's happening in the Library, and around the web. I prowl the Library and the web to bring you news in the Library and for great recommendations for web sites to visit...

Giant Penguins Once Roamed The Peruvian Desert

Posted on August 12, 2010
Yes, you read correctly: Giant penguins. Before beginning the rigors of first-year orientation, or the return to classes for upper-year students (and before our posts resume with more consistently serious and law-related subjects), take a break and read all about the prehistoric penguins here...

Cultivating good habits

Posted on August 09, 2010
Actually, I want to send you to a blog post titled "Uprooting Noxious Habits in the Workplace". It is talking about a work environment but the 5 habits discussed occur in other settings including law school. The 5 habits listed in this post are:The "but" shutdownSpeaking when angryFailing to give proper recognitionNot listeningAn excessive need to be "me"This list was drawn from Marshall Goldsmith's book "What Got You Here Won't Get You There"...

Your Law School or Your Grades: Which Matters More for Success?

Posted on August 07, 2010
It may not have received the media attention that a new Supreme Court justice attracts, but a study was released last week that may be more personally relevant to current law students. According to a post in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, a new paper, authored by two law professors, challenges the conventional wisdom that to make it big in the legal profession, your grades don't matter as much as the prestige of the law school you attend...

Week in Review

Posted on August 06, 2010
It has been a great week-long nap. Now that I have stretched, I see I have missed a few big events. First, Elena Kagan has been confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court and will be the fourth women to serve on the nation's highest bench. Get details and follow developments on SCOTUS Blog under Kagan Resources ...

Martian Sundial

Posted on July 29, 2010
Following our post last week about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, here is a link to information about the first-ever* interplanetary sundial, which will also be on Mars. Among its other tasks, this Martian sundial will calibrate Pancam, the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rovers...

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