National Law Journal Electronic Access

The National Law Journal is now available via IP access to Wake Forest Law faculty and students.  You no longer have to use a login and password.  Enjoy!

PCL Welcomes New Librarian

As you have heard, there will be some construction in the library and relocation of the library staff.  In addition to the physical changes, the PCL is thrilled to welcome the addition of Professor Liz Johnson as our new reference librarian.   She  is now part of the reference team and, just as the other Reference Librarians, will be teaching as part of the LAWR program.

Before joining us, Professor Johnson worked at the Charlotte School of Law as the Electronic Resources and Reference Librarian.   Her office is room 2214, behind the Reference Desk, right next to Professor Irwin-Smiler.  To learn more about Professor Johnson you can visit her Linkedin profile at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/liz-johnson/12/ab2/264

Summertime, and the living is easy…

Now that exams are almost over, law students are scattering to the four winds for summer jobs, externships, and other great experiences. But what’s going on at the Professional Center Library?

Summer is actually one of the busiest times for the librarians and staff at the PCL. Of course, we are here year round to help students and faculty with on-going research & study. If you’ve got a legal question, feel free to contact us for assistance, no matter where you are. Librarians can recommend good internet sources for research or help you find a nearby library that you can access. In addition, summertime means project time – all of those ideas we come up with during the year but don’t have a chance to implement.

This summer we’ll be working on our social media portfolio – improving this blog, as well as our Facebook and Twitter (@wfupcl) presences; writing a slew of research guides and bibliographies to help our users find some great library resources that may have been overlooked; attending and presenting at conferences to gather and share new ideas from around the library world; and working to improve soft seating & electrical outlet availability in the library. Hopefully our summer efforts will make for an improved library and law school when you return in the fall!

Spring Break Hours @ the PCL

Happy Spring Break, everyone! The Professional Center Library will be operating on reduced hours until classes are back in session on March 14. Here’s our schedule for the next ten days:

Friday, 3/4: 8am – 5pm

Saturday & Sunday, 3/5-6: CLOSED

Monday – Friday, 3/7-11: 8:30am – 5pm

Saturday, 3/12: CLOSED

Sunday, 3/13: 1pm – midnight

Have a safe & happy break, and we’ll be here when you get back!

New Database! Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals

The PCL now has access electronically to the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals, accessible from the library’s home page or our online services page (in the left column).

The Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals  provides access to legal literature worldwide, covering all forms of foreign (non-Anglo-American) law.  This includes comparative law and legal systems, such as Islamic law; socialist law; public and private international law; and transnational commercial law.

The data is not limited by country of publication, but rather type of publication.  Thus, while publications concerning British and American law are not included, British and American publications concerning foreign law are included.
The types of documents covered include journal articles, congress reports, essay collections, yearbooks, and book reviews.  The database encompasses all languages.  Materials in Greek, Cyrillic, and East Asian vernacular are Romanized according to Library of Congress standards.  Arabic and Hebrew titles are translated into English or French.

Coverage begins with 1985.

The search results will link you to a copy of the article if it is available from WFU libraries.  Otherwise, take note of the citation information and submit an interlibrary loan request and we’ll do our best to get you a copy of the article.  If you have any questions about the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals, please see a reference librarian.

The Supreme Court Database

Are you interested in researching the United States Supreme Court?  Then you should check out the Supreme Court Database.

The Supreme Court Database is the definitive source for researchers, students, journalists, and citizens interested in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Database contains over two hundred pieces of information about each case decided by the Court between the 1953 and 2009 terms. Examples include the identity of the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed, the parties to the suit, the legal provisions considered in the case, and the votes of the Justices.

Under the Analysis section of the site, you can research specific cases as well as entire terms of cases (back to 1953).  You can also pull all Supreme Court cases organized in to issues and subissues, case disposition, as well as whether laws were declared unconstitutional.

The great thing about this database is that the people behind it are attempting to provide retrospective coverage of every case ever decided by the Supreme Court, all the way back to the Court’s first reported decision.  Also, for those of you not afraid of math, data can be downloaded for manipulation in Excel or other statistical software package of your choice 🙂

Reminder: Free Legal Research Brown Bag

11/3, 1pm. Room 2321: Free Internet Legal Research: From Secondary Sources to Regulations

Add cost-effective resources to your legal research arsenal by exploring sites such as Wex, Google Scholar (yes, Google for legal research), Thomas and the e-CFR. Learn about free and reliable resources to get you started on your research before turning to Westlaw or LexisNexis. Your host? Prof. Sowards.

Fresh Halloween candy will be served!

Brown Bag Reminder: Smartphone Apps for the Mobile Lawyer!

11/2, 2pm. Room 2321 – The Mobile Lawyer

Do you have a smartphone? If you do then come learn about legal apps such as Pocket Justice, Black’s Law Dictionary, Open Regs, Law Stack and mobile Westlaw and Lexis. Your host? Prof. Irvin. Cookies will be served (BYOB!)

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Financial Protection Act Legislative History

Are you interested in knowing more about the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Financial Protection Act?  What does this law aim to do?

To promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system, to end “too big to fail”, to protect the American taxpayer by ending bailouts, to protect consumers from abusive financial services practices, and for other purposes.

If so, the great folks at the Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, D.C. have posted an incredible legislative history of the law with links, reports and summaries.

Need help with legislative history research?  Stop by the Reference Desk and speak to one of our Reference Librarians!

Library Brown Bag Research Instruction Sessions

Ever wanted to know more about legislative history research, cost-effective research strategies, or the latest legal research apps for your smartphone?  We thought so.  Therefore, the librarians are offering short research instructional sessions.  We’ll also be serving cookies, but you will need to BYOB!  Here are the dates, times and topics:

10/26, 2pm. Room 2321:  Legislative History

Streamline your legislative history research with online tools like Lexis Nexis Congressional and Thomas. Brush up on the best places to get documents from the legislative process.

10/27, 1pm. Room 1302 – Fastcase & Casemaker

What are they, where are they, and which one should you use?  Following a quick introduction to the nature of these no or low-cost services, you’ll get an overview of how to use each system and a quick look at their pros and cons.

11/2, 2pm. Room 2321 – The Mobile Lawyer

Do you have a smartphone?  If you do then come learn about legal apps such as Pocket Justice, Black’s Law Dictionary, Open Regs, Law Stack and mobile Westlaw and Lexis.

11/3, 1pm. Room 2321:  Free Internet Legal Research:  From Secondary Sources to Regulations

Add cost-effective resources to your legal research arsenal by exploring sites such as Wex, Google Scholar (yes, Google for legal research), Thomas and the e-CFR.  Learn about free and reliable resources to get you started on your research before turning to Westlaw or LexisNexis.