LexLibris

In this occasional feature, we highlight recently asked questions and brief answers from the Law Library reference desk.

Q: I need to research the legislative history of an old Minnesota statute. Are there records of debates and committee meetings available?
A: No, the earliest records (audio tapes) of Minnesota legislative sessions and committee meetings start in 1991.

Q: I need a form for incorporating a non-profit corporation in Minnesota. Do you have one?
A: Yes--we recommend the Annotated document series of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education. Annotated form of mission statement, articles of incorporation and bylaws for a nonprofit corporation / prepared by J. Patrick Plunkett. TC Law Library KF209 .M54x 2000 no.1625 One Week Loan

Q: I know I need my parents' permission to get a tattoo in Minnesota (I'm 15), but how about Wisconsin?
A: In Wisconsin, you must be 18 to get a permanent tattoo, even with parental consent. See especially WI Administrative Code section HFS 173.05(1)(b).

Have your own reference question? Call or email the reference desk at 612-625-4309 or law-ref@umn.edu.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 12:31 PM | Permalink

To utilize the full features of Google, take a look at the Google Guide. In it, you'll find shortcuts for specific searches and tools for better using the full spectrum of search capabilities.

A cheat sheet of some of these shortcuts is included in the article "Who's Afraid of Google?" by Traci Avet, published in the June 2006 issue of Library Journal.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 02:53 PM | Permalink

Trouble Connecting to a Library Database?

If you experience problems connecting to a database that our library subscribes to please contact the Library Reference Office (email: law-ref@umn.edu , phone: 612-624-2597). Include as much of the following information as possible:

-Name of the resource/database.
-Date and time of day you tried to connect.
-Location/method of access (workstation in Mondale Hall, wireless network, remote access via the law school Intranet).
-IP address you were attempting to contact from (if known).

This information will help us in resolving the problem.

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 01:27 PM | Permalink

There are several U of MN Law School students and faculty in the blogosphere. Here are the ones we know about. If you are affiliated with the U of MN Law School and want to add your blog to our directory, just drop us a line at lawlib@umn.edu.

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/ Prof. William McGeveran (and colleagues) blog on Information Law

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/lawcso/vocare/ Vocare: Law School Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC)

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/contractsprof_blog/ Official Blog of the AALS Section on Contracts (Prof. Carol Chomsky is one of the editors)

http://volokh.com/ The Volokh Conspiracy (Prof Dale Carpenter and colleagues)

http://fritzfeds.blogspot.com/ Student members of the Federalist Society (they also list several other MN blogs on their page)

http://heretic.squarespace.com/journal Generic Heretic, law student Nicholas Rogers

http://jointstrikeweasel.blogspot.com/ Joint Strike Weasel, law students Sal Bezos, Jeffrey Bergman, Ivan Ludmer, and Jeff Bartlett

http://theunreasonableman.blogspot.com/ The Unreasonable Man, an anonymous law student

http://steve-says.blogspot.com/ Blog of Steven Marchese, from the Career & Professional Development Center

http://susan-cooks.blogspot.com/ A fun blog from Susan Gainen of the Career & Professional Development Center

Posted by University of Minnesota Law Library at 10:06 AM | Permalink

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

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

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