LexLibris

The Riesenfeld Rare Books Research Center holds the "crown jewels" of the library collection that are available for inspection and research. In addition to the print materials housed in the center on the sub-plaza level of the building, the Arthur C Pulling Rare Books Collection is selectively showcased in the online exhibits through the Digital Legacies project.

In addition to our own collection riches, the Archives and Special Collections (ASC) and the Digital Library Development Lab have announced the release of the Online Finding Aids system. This system unifies for searching and browsing over 3,300 Encoded Archival Descriptions (EAD). This makes it among the largest collections of finding aids by a single institution in the country, and will significantly enhance the potential for researchers to discover specific materials held deep in our archival collections.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 09:49 AM | Permalink

From the lawlib listserv comes news that the law journal rankings of 1,345 journals have been updated on the Washington and Lee Law School website.

From the website:
"The purpose of the Law Journals webpage is to allow authors to find law journals by subject, country, or journal rank (where available), to display journal editorial information, and to facilitate an author's article submission to those journals."

Curious to find out the rankings of some MN law journals? You can search the list to have the rankings displayed for the last five years. You'll need to read about the methodology to find out exactly what the rankings mean.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 09:34 AM | Permalink

*NOTE: Fridays are for fun! Every Friday, we'll post something that is not as serious as other posts. Enjoy!

Duhaime's Law Fun Do lawyers and law students have a sense of humor? You bet! This site will give you the standard lawyer jokes, dumb things said in court, "outrageous" lawsuits du jour, and other fun stuff.

Weekend Reading: "The help of Harry Potter and other fiction in client representation, plus how Hollywood shapes client expectations and attorney behavior" This link points you to the idealawg blog with links to three interesting and humorous articles:

Harry Potter, Ruby Slippers and Merlin: Telling the Client's Story using the Characters and Paradigm of the Archetypal Hero's Journey by Ruth Anne Robbins at Rutgers School of Law - Camden. Seattle University Law Review, Vol. 29, No. 4, p. 767, Fall 2006;

Fiction 101: A Primer for Lawyers on How to Use Fiction Writing Techniques to Write Persuasive Facts Sections by Robbins and Brian J. Foley. Rutgers Law Journal, Vol. 32, No. 2, p. 459, Winter 2001; and

Dressed for Excess: How Hollywood Affects the Professional Behavior of Lawyers by Nancy B. Rapoport at University of Houston Law Center. Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, Vol. 14, p. 49, 2000

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Black Friday

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 08:50 AM | Permalink

There is a large group of blogs in the "Law Professors Blogs Network." The blogs range from antitrust, land use, and family law to corporate law, criminal law, law librarians and others.

On many of these blogs, the editors have listed the resources that are useful and important for their particular field. You can access these resources through a Nov. 1 post on this topic.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 03:08 PM | Permalink

Thanksgiving Holiday Hours @ the Law Library

Wednesday November 22: Library and Reference Office Close at 4:30 pm

Thursday November 23 and Friday November 24: Library is CLOSED

Saturday November 25: Library is open 9 am to 6 pm (Reference Office is open 11 am to 5 pm)

Sunday November 26: Library is open Noon to 6 pm (Reference Office is open 1 to 5 pm)

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 08:56 AM | Permalink

How many lawyers were there in the United States in 1948? How has the size of the average American family changed in the past 100 years? How many Hispanic women live in the southern half of the country?

Need to find the answers to these questions and more? Check out Historical Statistics of the U.S. This compendium, produced by the Census Bureau since 1790, includes statistics on population, migration, poverty, nonprofit organizations, slavery, and Native Americans. It's now a part of the University of Minnesota Libraries' collection. Data sets are ready to be downloaded into Excel, CSV, or groups of tables as a zip file.

From: News From the Libraries

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 02:43 PM | Permalink

A working reverse dictionary (hosted by Onelook.com) is one of the most useful sites out there. We've all had those moments when we know there's a word for some concept, but we don't know what it is. We need something more than a thesaurus, because we don't know an equivalent word. Onelook.com's reverse dictionary helps. You can even enter wildcards, if you know what part of the word looks like. The site is still a beta version, but it looks like a promising new reference tool for all types of writing. Access the reverse dictionary...

From: Kimball Robinson at Cool Tools

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 08:04 AM | Permalink

The Appellate Advocate, a publication of the Texas State Bar Appellate Division, has a humorous article by Roger W. Hughes in its Summer 2006 issue about instant messaging.

Here is an excerpt:
"Our teenage children have developed a literary style of IM’s or text messages over cell phones and WiFi’d laptops. Here are some ingenious acronyms commonly used:
FWIW = for what it’s worth
LOL = laughing out loud (or lots of love)
TTYL = talk to you later
RUUP4IT = are you up for it
AFAIC = as far as I’m concerned
CUL8R = see you later
...

There is every reason to think that today’s law students and young attorneys are communicating in the same
way. Soon a whole generation of lawyers will communicate in the acronyms spawned by cramped fingers
on the tiny keypads of cell phones and laptops. Twenty-first Century briefs and opinions in the 21st Century
will soon be written in “IM.”

Because appellate lawyers are desperate to write the short brief that still “says it all,” here are some
proposed IM acronyms for the brief of tomorrow:
ASSA = assuming arguendo
WADR = with all due respect
MIPC = May it please the Court
THJTC = The Honorable Justices of This Court..."
You can read the entire article at this link.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 03:37 PM | Permalink

Announcing the Library of Congress's new "comprehensive" search. The new function allows you to search some of the website's biggest branches from one place. Currently, the new search format covers the library's U.S. historical and cultural collections (American Memory), the Library of Congress Online Catalog, the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, and the Library of Congress website.

The function is still in Beta pilot period as they try it out for several months. The other search functions also remain available during this trial period.

Source: Law Librarian Blog

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 03:23 PM | Permalink

Here is the list of new titles the law library acquired in October 2006. The list is also on the library's home page.

October Acquisitions

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 09:46 AM | Permalink

*NOTE: Fridays are for fun! Every Friday, we'll post something that is not as serious as other posts. Enjoy!

Miscarriage of Justice Stumper
Take this quiz over at MentalFloss.com to see if you can match the defendants with their charges.

Weekend Reading Suggestion: The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law By Mark Herrmann
Chapters include: How to Fail as an Associate, What They Didn't Tell You in Law School, and the Curmudgeon's Guide to Building a Practice.
Brutally honest, but awfully funny. Pick up a copy from an area library or shop your favorite bookstore.

Veterans Day Information from Wikipedia

Remembrance Day Poem

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 08:57 AM | Permalink

Several professors have put their past exams on reserve for law students to view and use as a study aid. Here is a sample of the courses that are available:
Cotter: Antitrust
Bix: Contracts
Morrison: International Law
Feld: Torts
Cotter: Intellectual Property
Ni Aolain: EU Law
Note: Not all professors give us permission to use their past exams. Check back often if the exam you're looking for hasn't arrived yet...some are still in process.

You can view the hard copy of the exams in binders located at the circulation desk.

To view the exams online, go to the library's Reserves/Exams Quick Link (on the bottom left of the law library home page), find the instructor or class, then click on "Access Online Items" beneath the professor's name to view the exams. This link will open a new window and connects you to the intranet where the exams are available to download (after log in).

Please contact the circulation desk or reference office if you have any questions about the exams that are on reserve.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 04:34 PM | Permalink

The Law Library is pleased to announce its subscription to the new online version of the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition.

The online version provides users access through a browsable table of contents and by searching the full-text of the Manual using a Google powered keyword search engine. The popular Chicago Style Q & A which features answers by the editing department at the University of Chicago to questions related to the Manual is also available and keyword searchable.

Users can access the Chicago Manual of Style Online from computers that are able to connect to the Law School Network within Mondale Hall. Click on the link for the Chicago Manual of Style from the Law Library's Electronic Resources Directory web page . University of Minnesota Law faculty, students and staff can also access the Manual from the Law Library's Intranet page (click on Chicago Manual of Style from the Electronic Resources menu).

If you have any questions regarding the Chicago Manual of Style Online, please contact the Law Library Reference Office, 612-625-4309 or law-ref@umn.edu.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 03:15 PM | Permalink

The Law Library is pleased to announce its subscription to the new Oxford University Press database, International Law in Domestic Courts (IDLC).

This database contains selected cases from over sixty-five jurisdictions, enabling researchers to compare how different countries interpret international law. Cases include expert commentary and English translation of key passages, along with the original opinion in the vernacular.

To access the database, use the Law School Intranet. From the Law Library’s intranet page, select International Law in Domestic Courts. If you have any questions about ILDC, please contact Mary Rumsey the Foreign, Comparative & International Law Librarian.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 11:56 AM | Permalink

UPDATE! The new hours will start Monday November 27 not the 13th as stated in the original post below.

Starting Monday November 13, the hours security monitors will be on duty in Mondale Hall will be as follows:

Monday through Thursday: 7 pm to 1 am
Friday: 5 pm to 1 am
Saturday and Sunday: 8 am to Midnight

They will be located in the law school foyer, just outside the glass library doors, yet within eyesight of both the library and law school entrances.

As we get busy with final papers, projects and exams, it's easy to foget to take common security precautions around the library. Don't take safety and security for granted. Stay alert and aware. Here are some tips for staying safe:

Don't leave your valuables unattended. It takes very little time for a theft to occur.

Study near a group of people or in a highly visible area, expecially after library hours.

Report incidents or suspicious behavior to the security monitor or reference librarian on duty, or call Campus Police at 4-COPS.

When outside at night, walk with others in well-lit areas or call 4-WALK for a safe, escorted trip.

Report a potential safety issue as soon as possible. This means that if you notice a light out or fixture broken, report it so it can get fixed.

If you have any questions about safety, security or library facilities, please contact Paula Seeger at 612-625-1547 or seege030@umn.edu at your convenience.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 09:32 AM | Permalink

New to the U? Need to know how to cast your ballot in Tuesday's election? Here are some resources to help you find your way to the poll!

MN Polling Place Finder: http://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

FAQ on voting at the U, including who is eligible: http://www1.umn.edu/groots/vote/faq.php

Voting Guides at Vote for the U of M: http://www1.umn.edu/groots/vote/

Election Results from MN Public Radio: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/2006/campaign/?refid=election

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 04:54 PM | Permalink

Jeremy Blachman, of Anonymous Lawyer blogging fame, stopped by the library for an author-signing event on November 1. He is the author of Anonymous Lawyer. He chatted with event organizers and students Joe Bueche and Ryan Schildkraut (pictured below) before signing books.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 09:28 AM | Permalink

Meet Theresa Strike, part-time reference librarian. Theresa works Sundays, Mondays 11-4 and Tuesdays 9-Noon.

Theresa attained her Masters degree in Library Science in 2003 at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. She also holds a bachelors degree in Anthropology from Beloit College (Beloit, Wis., 2002).

A self-described "foodie," Theresa loves gourmet cooking when she has time. Even her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving "because of the food!" In her downtime, Theresa spends time with her cat Cleo, reading, and enjoying classical music.

Welcome, Theresa!

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 01:01 PM | Permalink