The Lighthouse in the Bronx

You know when you asked a librarian to help you find law review articles, and they sent you to some database that's not Lexis or Westlaw? That database was probably the Index to Legal Periodicals. It's owned by H.W. Wilson, which has had offices in the Bronx since 1917. Those offices are topped by a lighthouse, which is not there to direct trucks on the Major Deegan, but was originally put there as an advertisement for Wilson--which is still great at helping guide people through the vast sea of periodicals.

The NY Times' City Room blog had an anecdote last week about visiting Wilson's offices and trying to get into the lighthouse.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Where Does the Money Go?

Whether for school-related or personal interest, you can now see at a glance which banks have received federal bailout funds--and how much--under TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program approved by Congress. ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit organization that produces investigative journalism in the public interest, has created a user-friendly "Show Me the TARP Money" page, with a map and a running count of where this money has gone.

Also check out ProPublica's Stimulus Plan chart to view and compare the types of tax relief and expenditures proposed in the House-passed version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act now being considered in Congress. Take advantage of ProPublica's creative coverage, graphics, and mashups to keep up-to-date on economic recovery plans.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Check out the Library Webcasts

The Library is now webcasting our research workshops. If you are writing a paper this semester and could not make the Paper Writing Resources workshop (see Tuesday's post), go to Paper Writing Resources webcast on the Library's webcast page. In order to coordinate the audio and visual components, we use a system called WIMBA. You will need to set up WIMBA on your computer. The instructions are on the Library's webcast page.

Let us know what you think.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

American FactFinder

American FactFinder allows you to obtain data in the form of maps, tables, and reports from a variety of U.S. Census Bureau sources. Popular links to information include the following:

Fact Sheet for quick access to basic demographic, social, and economic data about your city, town, county or state, or ZIP Code.

People to find more popular tables on a variety of topics (age, education, income, race, and more) for your area.

Housing to find popular tables on home values, ownership, housing characteristics, and mortgages.

Business and Government for data about housing starts, government finances, foreign trade, and more.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New Borrowing Period for Materials Held on Reserve

As you requested, to increase access to materials maintained on Reserve, WE HAVE CHANGED OUT BORROWING PERIOD.

Commencing Monday, February 9, ALL RESERVE ITEMS MAY BE BORROWED FOR THREE HOURS. Patrons may request one renewal.

Shortened loan periods for high demand materials:

• Provide support to the needs of our students
• Optimize access
• Offer intensive library use of reserve material for students

Click here for additional information about the Library's borrowing/Circulation policies.





Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Paper Writing Resources workshop

The 1st presentation of the Paper Writing Resources workshop was a success and the workshop will be repeated this Thursday, Feb. 5th, 4:10 to 5:00 PM in room 038N. The workshop is an overview of resources you want to consider when researching a scholarly paper with some research tips thrown in at appropriate moments. Lexis, Westlaw and google are included but the focus is on other resources and how you can move from one to another for a comprehensive research strategy.

It is not necessary to register or sign up. The Thursday session will be recorded so that a p0dcast of the workshop will be available.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Breadlines and Champagne

For a fascinating, in depth look at depression era entertainment, check out Breadlines and Champagne--a series of depression era movies that will be screened at the Film Forum from February 6-March 5. The series will screen 50 movies over the course of four weeks, many of which deal with issues that are particularly relevant today: unemployment, corruption and banking crises. You'll also get to watch the work of some amazing actors and directors--Mae West, Frank Capra, Barbara Stanwyck, Clark Gable and Ginger Rogers, to name a few.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Civ Pro on the MBE?

More on rumors about future bar exams. The National Law Journal reports that Civil Procedure may be added to the Multistate Bar Exam.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tracking Labor and the Economy

With the current state of the economy, here's a reminder about the best official source of U.S. economic and labor market statistics. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, has a user-friendly site that provides law students and attorneys with data for everything from class assignments and research papers to business decisions and career planning. This is a good time to become familiar with the wealth of information at BLS.gov, including current and comparative statistics on employment, layoffs, pay and benefits, inflation, unions, consumer spending, and occupational categories. Not to be overlooked are the month-to-month federal, state, and metropolitan area "Economy at a Glance" tables and the up-to-date articles and news releases on key economic topics.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

111th Congress

The 111th Congress has begun its work. If you want to keep up with the documents produced, including the latest laws signed by the President, there are two web sites to check. First, the one I mentioned yesterday, GPO Access , will have Congressional bills, Reports and other Congressional documents. GPO Access is also a great source for Presidential and Executive branch documents as well.

For really up-to-date legislative actions, make sure to check Thomas from the Library of Congress. You will find the text of the latest Public Laws, and records of actions on current bills, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 now being debated in Congress.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat