Gallery of Juror Art

A snowy weekend before the start of a new semester is a great time to browse the American Gallery of Juror Art, an eclectic and eye-opening collection of drawings, sketches and photographs by "actual jurors on actual jury duty." The Gallery is a feature of trial lawyer Anne Reed's blog, Deliberations: Law, News, and Thoughts on Juries and Jury Trials. Whether the creations of professional artists who found themselves on juries or of non-artistic doodlers, they all capture revealing perspectives on both fellow jurors and the courthouse environment. This is one of my favorites.

A hat tip to Legal Blog Watch for making me aware of this unique collection.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

I'm Back (almost)

Starting Monday, I'll be back to my normal prowling hours - and the Library will be back to regular schedule. As always, check the Library's web site for the Library's hours and the Reference Librarians' Hours link to the right of this post.

REGULAR HOURS - Monday, January 12 - Tuesday, April 14
Sunday 10:00 A.M. - Midnight
Monday - Thursday 8:00 A.M. - Midnight
Friday 8:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Saturday 10:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M.

EXCEPTIONS:
Monday, January 19 (MLK Day) 10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Monday, February 16 (Presidents’ Day) 10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Moon-Venus Conjunction Ends 2008

As a follow-up to our post of December 20, 2008, and in case you missed the occurrence during your New Year’s Eve revels, we present a link to a nice photo of the Moon-Venus conjunction that took place on December 31, 2008.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Better With Age: the Computer Mouse Turns 40!

Happy birthday friend! I couldn't imagine purring through my computer files without . . . my mouse. It is pretty amazing that 40 years have passed since Douglas Engelbart and Bill English introduced and demonstrated the computer mouse. In their 90 minute demonstration at the Fall Joint Computer Conference, Englebart, English, and their team stationed 30 miles away also introduced hypertext, email, video conferencing, word processing, and cut-and-paste. Click here to see the complete demonstration.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Top Ten Legal Issues of 2008

Findlaw has posted its 2008 Top Ten Legal Issues on Consumers Minds. The legal issues were chosen on the basis of popularity indicators, including "most searched" legal topics, most popular lawyer searches, and top legal questions. According to the list, the number one issue is "Home Foreclosure and Renter's Rights"--not a surprise!

Hat tip to the Law Librarian blog for bringing my attention to this.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Where Your Money Goes

While prowling the internet this week, a new report made me stop purring and pay attention. The New York Attorney General's Charities Bureau, which supervises charitable organizations and maintains a registry of charities and fundraising professionals in the state, has just released "Pennies for Charity, Where Your Money Goes: Telemarketing by Professional Fund Raisers." The report lists all 553 campaigns conducted by professional fundraisers on behalf of specific charities in New York during 2007 (ranging from civic, social service and foreign aid groups to health, animal protection, and legal public interest organizations). It details the amount and percentage of contributions that ended up in the hands of the charity, with the rest going to the fundraiser to cover costs and fees. Two of the surprising conclusions: in nearly half the campaigns, the charity received less than 30 percent of the funds raised; in 51 cases, they actually lost money. In 2009, with both charities and contributors hard pressed for cash, you may want to check out this report before making decisions on how best to support your favorite charities and causes.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

HeinOnline Tips

The HeinOnline blog contains tips and tricks for navigating and searching the databases. The most recent post contains a recap of the tips and tricks of the year grouped by category. I find it quite handy!


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Winter in Cosmic Perspective

Well, exams are finally over, and the snow is here. In other words, it's time to appreciate winter's beauty as only the web, NASA and the astronomers can bring it to us. It's no coincidence that today's Astronomy Picture of the Day, from the space agency's web site image gallery, captures the northern winter solstice at the Newgrange megalith in Ireland. The 2008 winter solstice at Newgrange happens tomorrow morning (actually 3:30 am Eastern Time in the U.S.), and anyone who would like to follow along can be there via the live streaming webcast at this site. At the very least, take a few minutes to browse the Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive for more astounding photos of our planet and the cosmos, one for every day you were focused on exams. This is a great site for an uplifting look at the universe whenever you need one.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

OUTTA HERE!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!! You made it through exams! First years - it gets easier after this.

Now that you have finished, I can take a much needed break. My reduced prowling hours (and the hours of the Library, coincidentally) will be as follows:

Friday, December 19 – Tuesday, December 23
Friday 8:00 A.M.- 5:00 P.M.
Saturday 10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Sunday Noon - 8:00 P.M.
Monday - Tuesday 8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M.

After next Tuesday, I am indeed OUTTA HERE. The Library will be closed and I will be napping from Wednesday, December 24 - Thursday, January 1, 2009.

I'll be back on January 2nd, 9-5pm and will be around Saturday and Sunday as well. For hours, check the hours page on the Library's web site.

Meanwhile, have the happiest of holidays, and happy and healthy New Year. It is a time for lots of naps and purrs.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Is Technology Rewiring Our Brains?

Some scientists are beginning to suspect that the “wired world” may be changing the way that people read, learn, and interact with one another. Click here to read why.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat