Laptops in Class

Law students may or may not be aware of this, but the distraction that many law professors think is created by allowing students to take notes on laptops in class is an ongoing topic of discussion. One recent development in this discussion is noted here, with Eugene Volokh experimenting with a one-laptop policy, where one student in the class takes notes on a laptop and shares them with the other students.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Politico

Just as the academic demands of Fall Semester weigh in, the world of politics is heating up and changing fast. If you are looking for a smart, continuously updated web site to keep up with the latest political news, Politico may fit well with your schedule. Founded and edited by a diverse group of experienced journalists committed to a professional approach and to finding unique angles on Congress and all the twists of the 2000 presidential election, Politico offers up-to-the minute news, columns, poll tracking, and more. The Campus section of the site recently posted an article identifying Senator Barack Obama's law student case comment that was originally published in the Harvard Law Review in 1990 with unattributed authorship.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Factbites Search Engine

According to its Web site, Factbites is a search engine, currently in beta, that searches for matches on the basis of your entire topic area, and not just based upon the keyword that you use. This means that it can return relevant, informative results about your topic that do not necessarily mention the keyword that you used.

Factbites also provides full, meaningful sentences from every site in the search results, which allows users to glean useful information on a topic without ever having to leave the search page.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is August 25th through August 28th, 2008. Please take a look at how the Democratic Party is presenting their activities and the presidential nomination.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Nolo Press Blogs

The Nolo Press web site links to a number of blogs written by Nolo editors and authors. One of my favorites is Nolo's Employment Law Blog . I read it to keep up with news and recent decisions in the employment law realm. Recent posts have discussed Supreme Court retaliation cases, amendments to the ADA, and EEOC guidance on religious discrimination.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New York Legislative History

The New York State Archives has put Bill Jackets for 2005 and 2006 online. (Those who have dealt with New York legislative history probably remember that bill jackets are about all the legislative history that exists for New York laws.) We can expect more years to follow.

Update: 2002-4 are also available here, but you must search for them individually.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

CALI to the Rescue

Are you a IL feeling a little overwhelmed, or a returning law student finding a new class rather confusing? CALI, the Center for Computer Assisted Instruction, has a web site full of interactive computer-based lessons (over 700 of them, both IL and advanced) keyed to typical law school courses and texts. Prepared by law faculty, these online tutorials cover many topics and concepts of law school subjects such as torts, contracts, constitutional law, evidence and tax, as well as IL favorites such as "Legal Research 101" and "Anatomy of a Case." From the CALI welcome page, you can select "Lessons" and search by subject, casebook, or topical outline to find the best one for your needs. You'll have to register with a special password (law school authorization code) the first time you use CALI at the web site. For this password, refer to the recent e-mail that you received from Law School Information Systems, or ask at the Law Library Reference Desk. Law students can also pick up a CALI lesson DVD (Mac compatible this year!) from the Law School Information Systems Office (Room 223).


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Goodbye Lexis and Westlaw??

Will PreCYdent replace Lexis and Westlaw? Test it out and make your own judgment. PreCYdent is a search engine for legal materials - opinions, statutes, us government documents - which is available on the web FOR FREE!! On his YouTube clip, the founder claims that PreCYdent retrieves more relevant results than Lexis and Westlaw.

Test it out and tell us what you think.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (E-CFR)--Update

The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations is out of the beta stage. According to its Web page at GPO Access,

"The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) is a currently updated version of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). It is not an official legal edition of the CFR. The e-CFR is an editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments produced by the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Printing Office. The OFR updates the material in the e-CFR on a daily basis".

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Manage Your Library Transactions Using "My Library Account" -- Renew Items Online!

You just got home and remembered that you forgot to renew your library book. Don't worry. Renew it online from home with MY LIBRARY ACCOUNT. MY LIBRARY ACCOUNT provides access to your library patron record and allows you to see what materials you have checked out and renew them online.

Have you run the same or similar catalog search numerous times? Well, MY LIBRARY ACCOUNT also allows you to save “preferred searches” and re-run them at a later date.

To access MY LIBRARY ACCOUNT:

• Go to Hofstra Law School Library Main Page http://law.hofstra.edu/Library
• In the left-hand margin click “Catalog”
• At the top of the catalog search screen click “MY LIBRARY ACCOUNT”
• You will be prompted to authenticate using your name and “700” number
• Click on “Submit"

Remember to logout.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat