BBC Languages

Studying abroad this summer or going on vacation? Check out the BBC Languages page. The BBC Languages page offers free 12 week online audio courses in German, Spanish, Italian and French. The courses offer weekly e-mail tips to help you stay motivated and RSS subscriptions for a "word of the day".

In addition, the website has online resources for over 36 other languages. Going to vacation in Brazil? The Portuguese page has mini audio lessons, cultural notes and and introduction to the geography of Brazil. Studying in Japan? The Japanese page has audio files of essential phrases, an introduction to the alphabet and an interactive game to help you learn. Take a look and enjoy.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Government Domain: New & Free Regulations Trackers

We've blogged about federal regulations trackers in the past, but it is time to re-visit the subject. The federal government's are improved and there are some free alternatives now available. To get the overview and links, check out The Government Domain: New & Free Regulations Trackers on llrx.com.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Research Resources: Family Law Reporter

Are you looking for a family law resource? The Family Law Reporter provides access to important new federal and state cases, legislation, trends, and issues.

The reporter is published weekly on Tuesdays, except the last Tuesday in March, the Tuesday following July 4th, and the last Tuesday in December. Coverage begins with the August 6, 1996 issue. However, to search issues prior to March 24, 1998, use the "Search articles" link in the Advanced Search form.

To access BNA Family Law Reporter:

* Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
* Click the "Family Law" link
* Scroll down to "Family Law Reporter (BNA)"

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

How to Delete (or Almost Delete) Your Facebook Account

iLibrarian has posted links showing how to delete your facebook account, and how to manage your Facebook privacy settings to reveal a minimal amount of information to the public. These are probably good things to think about for students and new graduates (congrats to those who graduated, by the way) who are now looking for legal jobs, especially since Facebook's privacy policy is continually evolving.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Licensed to Practice?--2010 Update

Where do you go when you have to know: Is Lawyer X licensed to practice in State Y? This sometimes elusive information might be available from a state court, bar association, or licensing and disciplinary commission, depending upon the state. But one guide, "A Compilation of State Lawyer Licensing Databases," by Andrew Zimmerman and Trevor Rosen, puts it all together, with licensing authority links, phone numbers, and special notes and advice on attorney directory access for all fifty states. Just this week, a newly revised and updated version was published on LLRX, the law and technology site. This guide and LegalDockets.com, for locating state and county bar association memberships, disciplinary actions, and lawyer referral sites, are great resources to bookmark for future reference.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL GRADUATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have made it through!! Best of luck to you!! Definitely stop by now and again to visit - either online or in bricks and mortar.

Also, WAY TO GO!! to everyone else. You made it through the year. I look forward to purring with you over the summer and/or next Fall.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Beware What You Tweet, If You Visit The UK

Careless use of social media bears its own hazards, both domestically and abroad. See, for instance, this news story, in which a man was convicted of communicating an ostensibly threatening message via Twitter, in violation of UK law.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Disability Nondiscrimination Law Advisor

Check out the Disability Nondiscrimination Law Advisor. Created by the United States Department of Labor, it is a tool that helps businesses determine which federal disability discrimination laws apply. It also provides guidance and information to help businesses understand the requirements under these laws.

Hat tip to the Workplace Prof Blog


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

CourtListener.com

CourtListener.com The goal of the site is to create a free and competitive real time alert tool for the U.S. judicial system.

At present, the site has daily information regarding all precedential opinions issued by the 13 federal circuit courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. Each day, we also have the non-precedential opinions from all of the Circuit courts except the D.C. Circuit. This means that by 5:10pm PST, the database will be updated with the opinions of the day, with custom alerts going out shortly thereafter.

The coverage of our corpus for a given court varies, but it is growing on a daily basis. We are working to integrate the documents from other online sites that provide free public access to court documents.

Boolean searching of the opinions is available and I recommend clicking on the Advanced search link and "more details" at the bottom.

Hat tip to Law Librarian blog for the site.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Increase in Link Rot for Law and Policy Related Web Resources

I came across a very interesting post while prowling the Law Librarian Blog. Apparently,the Chesapeake Project Legal Information Archive's Third Annual Study reports that “link rot” has doubled among the original URLs for law- and policy-related materials published to the Web and archived though the Chesapeake Project .

Click here to see the Project's findings.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Hat tip to the Law Librarian Blog