Best 100 Blawgs

I like to prowl the Web thinking that I'm your favorite library cat (at least of the virtual variety), and that this is one of your favorite blogs. But taking a few minutes to discover a new favorite among the hundreds of legal blogs by attorneys and law professors, especially in subject or practice specialties and in career development, can enrich a law student's academic life and professional future. It can also make a great study break during exams.

Earlier this week the American Bar Association announced its Third Annual ABA Journal Blawg 100, representing the 100 best legal blogs for 2009 as selected by the ABA Journal editors. All 100, arranged by categories such as News, Careers, Legal Theory, Practice Specific, and Legal Tech, with companion Twitter feeds, are here to explore. You can also vote for your favorite blog in each category after completing a brief registration. The winners will be announced in the February edition of the ABA Journal. And, if you have a suggestion for a good legal blog to add to our blogroll, or to feature in a future post, let us know.




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Study Guides

Tis the season for study guides. On the Library's Research Guides web page we have a topical list of study guides available in the Law Library. You can also find this list in print in the Library's handout rack.

Good luck with your studying and on exams!!!

UPDATE: The Office of Academic Support also has a number of study guides and outlines available in its lending library.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

U. S. Government Manual, 2009-10 Edition, Is Now Online

The official handbook of the federal government, the United States Government Manual “provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution”.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Government Domain: A Handful of Classics

The Government Domain: A Handful of Classics by Peggy Garvin gives a good concise overview of some classic U.S. government websites. These are sites that she calls "classic" and that everyone should know. She links to the sites, provides a brief description and tells you the value of the particular site.

The introduction is also a useful brief overview of the rate of change on sites and the fact that many U.S. sites are not google friendly.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Helpful Policies During Exam Period

Extended Library exam hours began on Saturday, November 28. Our extended schedule is:

EXAM PERIOD SCHEDULE - Saturday, November 28 - Thursday, December 17
Monday - Friday 7:00 A.M. - 2:00 A.M.
Saturday & Sunday 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 A.M.

EXCEPTIONS:
Thursday, December 17 -- 7 a.m. - Midnight


Exam Archive

Knowing the archived exam and study room policies may prove helpful also. To access the Exam Archive:

• Go to Hofstra Law School Library Main Page http://law.hofstra.edu/Library
• Scroll down. In the lower, left-hand margin click “Exam Archive”
• In the Hofstra University Library Electronic Reserves (ERes) window logon with your Novell Username and Password (this is the same username and password used to logon to the portal)
  
• You will be prompted to enter the password (contact the reference or circulation desk for the password)
  
• Click on “Accept”
• Click the professor’s folder to access the exams.

Library Study Rooms
Click here to access the Library’s study room policy



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Code Surfing

USCodeSurf is a website that supports natural language searching of the Legal Information Institute's version of the United States Code. While searching the U.S. Code with natural language technology does not rival browsing its index or Popular Name Table (if you do not know what the popular name table is, click on the link--seriously, you really should know what it is), USCodeSurf may be on to something with how it displays its search results. It displays search results in a grid with three columns, rather than a top-to-bottom list. Will this be a feature that more well-known search engines and databases will adopt in the future?




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Ballot Measures Database

Law students tracking public policy issues across the states for research papers often rely on the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and their superb web site. But they may not know that beyond 50-state surveys of state legislation on a wide range of topics, NCSL also has a Ballot Measures Database. This database makes it easy to locate and track past and upcoming state ballot initiatives by providing background and descriptions, along with passage or failure status or when these initiatives are scheduled for a vote. Users can search four types of of measures: the legislative referendum, popular referendum, and the initiative, as well as ballot measures from other sources, such as state commissions, back to 1902. A clear explanation of the distinction between an initiative, a referendum, and a recall can be found here.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Pardoning of the Turkey

Today, President Obama pardoned two turkeys -- Courage and Carolina. Both turkeys will live out their days "in peace and tranquility" at Disneyland. You can read the Remarks by the President on the Pardoning of the National Turkey on the Whitehouse website.

For more information on presidential pardons (of the non-turkey variety), take look at the Office of the Pardon Attorney.

As a reminder: the library will be closed on Thursday 11/26 and Friday 11/27 for the Thanksgiving break.

Enjoy the break!




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Blue Tips

Have trouble figuring out the Bluebook? This is not uncommon, but there is now some help in addition to the reference librarians. The Bluebook - Blue Tips is a compilation to Bluebook format in the following catagories:
Cases
Citation Structure
Cross-References
Miscellany
Periodicals
Punctuation
Quotations
Signals
Statutes
Subdivisions

This is a place to look when there are no librarians around.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Research Resources: BNA Securities Regulation and Law Report

If you are looking for a current awareness resource about securities regulations, try BNA Securities Regulation and Law Report. This publication is a weekly report covering regulatory,legal and legislative developments affecting the regulation of securities and commodities at the federal and state level. It reports the activities of Congress, the Administration the SEC, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, FASB, and the professional associations regulation accounting practices in the securities and commodities industries.

To access BNA Securities Regulation and Law Report:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Click the "Commercial and Corporate Law" link
• Scroll down to "Securities Regulation and Law Report (BNA)"

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat